Anyone with a 2000 Chevy Tahoe

Anyone with a 2000 Chevy Tahoe

Help! I have tried four different manufacturers and models of car seats; Evenflo Medallion, Century Breverra, Evenflo Express Comfort, and Graco and still am not comfortable with how the fit in my 2000 Chevy Tahoe. I previously had a Chevy Cavalier that was also a nightmare to get the seat properly tight & secure. I figured that going from a small car to one that is a SUV and has lots of seat and leg room this wouldn't be an issue.

I do not want to place my daughter next to the side doors, I would like her in the middle and the only way I can get the seatbelt tight is by putting her next to the door, and to get it tight enough so that it doesn't move more than one inch from side to side, I have to tighten it to the point of it literally cutting or damaging the leather seats. I see this a major design flaw. I need to place her in the center position of my second row of seats since I have side impact air bags and I cannot tighten the seatbelt tight enough. Each seat I tried had almost the same exact base, and the placement of the belt slot was almost identical. The tether strap is great for holding the head portion of the seat in place, but the base slides all over the place no matter how much I tighten the belt down and even after I place the locking clip in place. If I can push it around with my 110 pound frame I can imagine how much it would move around if there was ever a collision.

Any recommendations for this frustrated Mom ???? Aside from selling my car and pushing her in a stroller to and from every location

Many thanks for any ideas that you may have.

A little help...

First, your side airbags are probably only for the front seats. Rear seat side impact airbags are not common, and usually found on luxury makes. Unless your owner's manually specifically says that you should not put a childseat in the 2nd row outboard location, it should be suitable.

If the backs of your second row seats recline, I suggest reclining them, installing the seat as tight as you can, then bringing the back of the seat upright again. This may help a bit.

I would also suggest a visit to a local inspection station or checkup event. If you post your city and zip code, I may be able to refer you to some nearby experts.

Re: A little help...

Thank you for your posting! At lunch I went and purchased the Cosco Trivera, it was listed on one of the links as one that was tested by a technician on an earlier model Tahoe, so I thought I would give it a try. Sure enough I tested it before I purchased and it is in fact secure, but boy is it bulky. Safety before beauty - though. My second/rear row of seats do not recline, rather lay down so that the cargo area can become larger. I prefer to have my daughter ride in the middle, my current and past car seats are so bulky they hit the door pulls and I do not want her to be any closer to side impact if I can possibly avoid it.

I know that when it comes time for my 3 year old to move to a booster seat, I'm going to run into the same issue though. Maybe by then I will have a different vehicle... I do however know what the problem is and it is all in the design of the slot to thread the belt through. I lined all of the manufacturers and models up on the store floor and compared them all. Cosco's Trivera and Triad both have the same plastic base, the only difference is the cover and the Triad's anchors (which I might add is a great idea - if only the car manufacturer's would be able to install an aftermarket locking anchor bar to the seat's so people like me who have a 2000 vehicle, don't have to run out and buy a new particular 2001 vehicle to have the feature).

I live in Redding, CA zip 96002 and would be interested in having an inspection to see if I'm up to speed with all of this. Any suggestions to a location would be appreciated.

Thanks again for your reply

Cindy

Some contacts for a checkup

First, local hospitals, police and fire stations usually have trained technicians. You might contact them. In addition, try these links:

www.nhtsa.dot.gov/People/..._zip=96002

www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/...=CA&q_zip=

Or these contacts:
Health Education Specialist Donna Heppner
Shasta County Department of Public Health
2652 Breslauer Way
Redding, CA 96001
phone: 530-245-6858 fax: 530-225-5433

Officer Armando Ortega
California Highway Patrol
2485 Sonoma St.
Redding, CA 96001
phone: 530-225-2715

Owner/Operator/Instructor Jon K Pecaut
Shasta Driving School
1254 California St.
Redding, CA 96001
phone: 530-246-2500 fax: 530-246-0669
sds@awwwsome.com

Officer Sean H Bridgett
California Highway Patrol
2485 Sonoma Street
Redding, CA 96001-3026
phone: 530-225-2715 fax: 530-241-1590
sbridgett@chp.ca.gov

Public Health Nurse Melanie Skinner, RN
Shasta County Interagency Program
1550 California St.
Redding, CA 96003
phone: 530-229-8101 fax: 530-229-8081
skinnm@cws.state.ca.us

Maternal/Child Educator Scotti J Gleason
Mercy Medical Center
2175 Rosaline Avenue
Redding, CA 96059-6009
phone: 530-225-6198 fax: 530-225-7293
sgleason@chw.edu