2010 Dodge Ram Sport Top Tether

[simplychels]

Holy confusing!!

We've never had to do 3 across in this vehicle before. But had to this weekend. For sure I needed 2 top tethers. I rear faced the third. Gotta said we had a ton of room to spare with the seats we had. Roomy! Anyways, can someone help explain the tethering situation to me?

The manual clearly says for seats on the passenger sides, route the tether strap through the fabric loops and connect to the metal ring directly behind the center seat. For a center installed seat you just connect the tether directly to the metal ring. Now thats clear as day, until you look back there and realize its clear as mud. There really is no metal ring they speak of directly behind the center seat, but there is another fabric loop that is attached to a piece of metal. Now this piece of metal holds 1 tether strap just fine. 2 was a real Doozy and a few injured fingers but it went on.. 3 would have never ever ever happened.

We looked it up online and there seems to be quite a bit of confusion in wondering if maybe the manual was not updated properly? Anyone know anything at all to help just incase we ever have this come up again?

eta: I'm not sure if this vehicles tether setup is Canadian specific, but since I'm in Canada I put it here. Feel free to move if it'll help find more answers

 

[canmom]

I'm not sure if I'm just really tired but are you saying the manual instructed you to attach two top tethers to one anchor?

 

[amyd]

Here's what the LATCH manual says: (pg. 205, 2011 ed)

2nd Row Center: Thread the tether strap through the loop located directly behind the vehicle seat where the CR (child restraint) is located. Attach the tether hook to the metal ring on the tether loop located behind the passenger or driver seating position.

2nd Row Outboard: Thread the tether strap through the loop located directly behind the vehicle seat where the CR is located. Attach the tether hook to the metal ring on the tether loop located behind the center seating position. May tether two outboard CRs to center TA at same time.

 

[simplychels]

I'm not sure if I'm just really tired but are you saying the manual instructed you to attach to top tethers to one anchor?

Yes, all 3 even... And thats why I was so skeptical and then equally confused when the metal part was quite small but there is a fabric loop same as on the passenger sides that is not mentioned in the manual beyond of course what it says about routing the passenger side seat tethers through the loops to connect the tethers to the "ring" behind the center seat... So I actually had a few people read the manual to ensure I read it right. I wish now I had taken a picture of the entire wordings and diagram because even the diagram shows it that way. Which seems very not proper use.

 

[LISmama810]

Attaching two outboard tethers to a center anchor is often the (allowed) practice in trucks.

I'm not familiar with the Sport Top (never heard of it), but I can tell you the manual for our 2010 Mega Cab is sorely lacking. Dodge has, like, 10 different body styles and back seat configurations on the Ram, but the manual only addresses one or two of them.

I can't say for sure that your instructions are wrong, but it wouldn't surprise me either.

 

[simplychels]

Here's what the LATCH manual says: (pg. 205, 2011 ed)

2nd Row Center: Thread the tether strap through the loop located directly behind the vehicle seat where the CR (child restraint) is located. Attach the tether hook to the metal ring on the tether loop located behind the passenger or driver seating position.

2nd Row Outboard: Thread the tether strap through the loop located directly behind the vehicle seat where the CR is located. Attach the tether hook to the metal ring on the tether loop located behind the center seating position. May tether two outboard CRs to center TA at same time.

Interesting. and I assume thats why people wonder if the Dodges manual is either mass produced and not changed per model differences, or if its just outdated. It clearly says if installing a center seat you just hook the tether to the metal "ring" (thats not a ring at all btw) directly behind the center seat. No routing it through the loop that is there in the center position (but not mentioned in manual) and then attaching to either passenger side.

Thank you for posting that. I'm certainly more inclined to listen to the latch manual then dodges manual at this point

 

[Pixels]

It's common in trucks with routing loops to have more than one tether connected to the same anchor.

Typical setup is all seats route through a fabric loop directly behind and then clip onto either another fabric loop or a metal anchor at the next seating position over. So if you have three tethered seats, both outboard seats route through their loops and clip at the center, and the center seat goes through that loop and clips onto one of the outboard ones. So yes, all three tethers are connected in some way to the center position. This is okay because the vehicle manufacturer has designed it this way and approved it.

OP's vehicle manual says to clip the two outboard anchors to the metal ring at the center position after routing through the fabric loops. For the center seat, route through the fabric loop in the center and clip onto the passenger's side.

 

[simplychels]

Thanks all.

Thats how I thought trucks and tethers were suppose to go, but when the manual said slightly otherwise I was really thrown and second guessing myself.

 

[canmom]

Fascinating, I will need to watch out for this.

 

[bubbaray]

Even weirder, the 2011 Ford F150 supercrew just has you TT to the fabric loop. At first, I thought DH was joking, as I am familiar with threading the TT through the fabric loop to the anchor behind the seats in the Ram. But, DH was right. Its right in there in the manual -- TT to the fabric loop AND there is no cable, or TA or anything remotely like a TA behind the seats.

Tethering to the loop right at the top of the seatback is a huge PITA too.