Little Passenger Seats for SUVs

scootiemom · Jan 3, 2009

Any opinions on these 3rd row seats you can add to an SUV? Are they safe for carseats? The site says they are tested and meet safety standards. The seat is bolted to the vehicle and includes lap/shoulder belts.

http://www.littlepassengerseats.com/index.html

An Aurora · Jan 3, 2009

No, you can't use car seats on those since you can't install car seats on any seat that does not face the front of the vehicle.

Personally, I wouldn't use them at all.

vangelder03 · Jan 3, 2009

the seats are designed to be forward facing or rear facing on most cars
so if you install it forward facing you can install car seats on it

Pixels · Jan 3, 2009

I don't know about those seats. They say they meet FMVSS, and that they are crash tested. But are there actually any standards for aftermarket seats? To me, it's kinda like most aftermarket carseat products, that claim they are crash tested or that they meet standards (but there really are no standards).

Stretchy Glue · Jan 3, 2009

A cargo area of an SUV or wagon is designed to be the crinkle zone of your car. If you put one of those seats in there, the passengers that use it are right there in the line of fire, so to speak.

Also, where do you put the seatbelts? Anytime you add seatbelts to a car, you are running a HUGE risk of them failing. Seatbelts are placed in very specific spots, anchored with just the right amount of torque, and to something very specific. Just drilling a hole in the floor of the car will not guarantee that a seatbelt will hold properly (or a seat for that matter) in a crash.

There are just too many unknowns to make me feel safe putting any passenger, let alone a child whom YOU are making decisions for back there.:twocents:

scootiemom · Jan 3, 2009

The seatbelts are attached to the seat itself so no separate attachment issues and it would be forward facing in the Tahoe. DH was looking at this as an option when we visit relatives and take his vehicle instead of my van. I'd rather just take my van but DH feels more comfortable on long trips with 4 wheel drive available. We'll take the van.

Stretchy Glue · Jan 3, 2009

scootiemom said:
The seatbelts are attached to the seat itself so no separate attachment issues and it would be forward facing in the Tahoe.

Even so, you are drilling into the floor. A seat or seatbelt should be anchored to something on the frame, not the sheet metal. If by chance you do find frame to drill into, you never know what drilling into the frame could do structurally. Just not worth it.

NannyMom · Jan 3, 2009

Stretchy Glue said:
A cargo area of an SUV or wagon is designed to be the crinkle zone of your car. If you put one of those seats in there, the passengers that use it are right there in the line of fire, so to speak.

But some SUVs have an optional 3rd row I think. Like the Durango, and the ford explorer. So the back must not be part of the crumple zone.....

My friends has an Explorer with no 3rd row, but the manual talks about some having a 3rd row.

Don't think I'd ever use those seats, but just playing devil's advocate

Stretchy Glue · Jan 3, 2009

NannyMom said:
But some SUVs have an optional 3rd row I think. Like the Durango, and the ford explorer. So the back must not be part of the crumple zone..... My friends has an Explorer with no 3rd row, but the manual talks about some having a 3rd row.

Don't think I'd ever use those seats, but just playing devil's advocate

Very true, but I know that the Envoys with a 3rd row are a different wheel base, therefore the standard Envoy is not meant for the 3rd seat. I kind of figure that if it didn't come with the seat, it wasn't meant to have it. SOME Tahoe's have a 3rd seat, but I'd venture a guess that those that do have a way of anchoring that 3rd seat to the frame. Those "aftermarket" 3rd seats may have been crash tested on a sled, but I doubt it's been tested in each individual SUV.

Little Passenger Seats for SUVs

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