Can a seat be off center of the UAS/Latch anchors?

[Chila88]

In my 3 across I've always installed my MR with the belt, but it ends up going crooked which bugs me. Today I tried the UAS anchors and they actually worked pretty well (didn't think I had enough space), but the seat is not perfectly centred in front of the anchors (see pics). Is this a safety concern?

It is only very slightly....but still was interested to know.....

 

[Pixelated]

No, they need to line up.

I see you have two there and not three but this would apply I think, from the Manufacturers Alliance for CPS (bolding mine):

Installing 3 Car Seats Across the Back Seat
The MACPS recommends the following conditions be met when installing 3 car seats across the back seat:

a. A tight installation, as described in the instructions and CPS standardized
curriculum, can be achieved.

b. The positions of the CRs on the vehicle seat are not changed by the contact. That is, they still align properly with respect to the seat belt or LATCH anchors that secure them.

c. There is no contact or force that would bend or deform any of the CRs.

d. The LATCH lower connectors or seat belts do not cross over one another to achieve the installation.
(August 2012

 

[safeinthecar]

Sometimes a slight misalignment is OK (and in some cars inevitable due to the contours of the vehicle seat) but I would not be comfortable with the foot of the car seat pressing into the bottom of the latch anchor like that. I can totally see it rotating the hook up off the anchor in a crash.

I also am annoyed by tilts. Enough that I'll go through the extra step of using a locking clip if I'm installing a seat for more than just a day or so. The tilt is completely safe, it just annoys me.

 

[Chila88]

Thx Ladies....I'll switch back

Safeinthecar it was the pressure on the hook that concerned me so I'm glad you mentioned that.

Pix.....in regard to the highlighted portion, how does that not make installing off center with the belt (like I know we all do to buy an extra inch or so of space in a three across) okay? I mean, buying that extra bit of space is the perk to using a belt in a three across, isn't it?

 

[Pixelated]

Pix.....in regard to the highlighted portion, how does that not make installing off center with the belt (like I know we all do to buy an extra inch or so of space in a three across) okay? I mean, buying that extra bit of space is the perk to using a belt in a three across, isn't it?

I've thought about that before...and my conclusion is that aligned properly can mean 'within the confines of' the anchors so long as it's otherwise tight and stable. I wouldn't install with a belt if the seat was overlapping the buckle or anchor point on either side, you just happen to have more real estate to work with when using a belt. On the flip side, even with a tight install, there is more lateral movement with a belt install in a side impact for exactly that reason. Yet another reason why making LATCH less usable is a bad idea