Adding tether anchors to 2003 Yukon Denali CL - Canada

AmyW

New member
We just bought a new to us family vehicle. (Needed more seats for kids, room for cargo, and the towing ability) I'm struggling to figure out how to fit my kids' seats into the third row as I can only find one tether anchor, my van had anchors at all the seats. From what I've seen on here the dealer will not add more, but can we just add them ourselves? I haven't looked to much yet but I think I remember seeing kits that can be purchased and added, or am I dreaming? On my husbands old Chevy truck ('99 I think) they just bolted eye bolts or something like that through the floor under the back bench. Is there any reason we can't do the same on this truck?
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Pixelated

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I'm sorry but no, you can not add additional tether anchors. GM doesn't have any approved anchor points in the vehicle, other than where they've come factory installed.

If you share your set up we can help you figure out the best arrangement of everyone.
 

AmyW

New member
I will need to fit two RF convertible seats in the middle bench (current 1yo plus new one expected in a few months) leaving the third spot open for accessing the back row, and the occasional extra passenger. In the back I need to fit at least one harnessed seat for my 3 yo, ideally a harnessed seat for a 5 yo, and a booster for a 7 yo. Right now the 3 and 5 kids ride in either a Radian65 and booster for the occasional ride in DH's truck, or Britax Frontier XTs in my van. I'm not comfortable with the 5 yo in a booster full time yet as she tends to slouch down in it so the seatbelt rides up into her tummy. Our 1yo rides in a RF radian or Britax Boulevard (which expires soon) 7 yo has a clek backless booster. I would prefer to be able to use the seats we already own, but have not figured out a way to fit the three big kids in the back yet.
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SnoGurl

New member
Would it be ok to loop the tether around the back leg of the bench?
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No, it would not be. Tethers need to be attached to an approved anchor point. The bench leg has not been tested in this instance, and we have no idea how it would perform.
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AmyW

New member
No, it would not be. Tethers need to be attached to an approved anchor point. The bench leg has not been tested in this instance, and we have no idea how it would perform.
I'm struggling to understand the logic behind this, please can you explain further. If the seat posts are safe enough to hold a seat and passengers in place how are they not good enough to use as an anchor point? Especially when it looks like many of the exact same car seats do not require tethering when forward facing in the US, but here in Canada they do. (Unless I am misunderstanding many of the other posts I have read on here) I'm not trying to be argumentative, just frustrated that vehicle and car seat designers can't figure out how to be family friendly, and trying desperately to figure out how to safely transport our kids in a vehicle they should easily fit into.
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Pixelated

Moderator - CPST Instructor
There are very specific requirements for tether anchors - location, as well as the load they can bear. The force on a tether anchor is not the same as that put onto a seat belted passenger - different vectors, different mass. Since GM decided not to put a tether anchor anywhere but centre, but DID put one centre, it stands to reason that it can bear a tether anchor there and not anywhere else. Lack of tether anchors is an immensely frustrating limitation on many vehicles, especially in Canada where we have required tethering of forward-facing seats for years. If you had 6 tether anchors in your previous vehicle I'm guessing you drove an Odyssey? It's unusual to have that many.

Do you have the bench seat or a 50/50 split in your 3rd row?

It might be necessary to rear-face the 3 year old in the 3rd row if you need to keep your 5 year old in a harness, or put the 1 year old rear-facing in the 3rd row.

If you'd like some brainstorming help the details of all of the kids' weights, heights, ages, and all of the seats you have would be helpful.
 

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