Cosco Scerena in 02/03 Sable ...

[DMickey28]

I need help!!! I have a Cosco Scerena for traveling. We are away from home now and need to take DS in the car tomorrow. I will be using my parents Mercury Sable with Latch. I can't get a good fit in the middle at all.

-It was ok when I first installed it but now it's actually tilting towards the driver side and the passanger side of the base is lifting off the seat????? I have no idea why this is happening.

-I can't find a RF tether spot, mostly because I don't have a D-ring extender. The Cosco didn't come with one that I could find!! Is there some place to buy one?

So how can I get this thing more secure in the car so I can drive back to the airport with DS???

I am going to try installing with the seatbelt tomorrow both middle and outboard but I still won't be able to solve the RF tether situation without a D-ring?

 

[Cindy&Connor]

I'm not a tech but I'll do my best to try and help.

I have an 03 Taurus and a Scenera. I'ved used LATCH and the seatbelt outboard but I haven't installed it in the center. What I do is attach the LATCH anchors or buckle the seatbelt and lean over the back of the carseat so I'm pressing my hips into the top of the carseat. Pull back the cover on the LATCH adjustor side or the buckle side of the belt and pull the adjustor or shoulder belt through the beltpath. If that doesn't get it tight enough I use my hips to rock it back and forth while pulling the belt. I also have to use a rolled towel to get it reclined at all. The tether is not allowed rear facing on this seat.

 

[CDNTech]

First things first. You can NOT tether that seat rearfacing. It is not made to be tethered rearfacing and is extremely dangerous to do so.

If the vehicle is a 2001 model, please note that there has been a recall on this vehicle. Lower anchors may not be adequately attached to the floor pan. Dealer will re-install the nuts properly. If vehicle has not been repaired, contact Ford at 800-392-3673 (Ford Recall No. 00S23, NHTSA Recall No. 00V240)... this is straight from the LATCH manual.

If your parents vehicle has not been fixed, you will need to install with the seatbelt. EDIT: Just realized I read wrong... your parents is an 02 /03... disregard the recall info.

If the seatbelt is a lapbelt. You will run the seatbelt through the rear facing belt path and simply pull on the tail end of the lapbelt while pushing down into the seat to tighten it up. You may need a rolled towel in the vehicle seat bight (where the back of the seat meets the bottom of the vehicle seat) to achieve the correct angle for rearfacing.

If the seatbelt is a lap/shoulder belt, it will most likely be a switchable retractor. Which means that if you pull the seatbelt out all the way (sloooowly) it will switch into locking mode. When it goes back in you will hear a slight ratcheting sound and you won't be able to pull the seatbelt back out without letting the entire length of seatbelt to retract back into the retractor.

In this case, you will run the lap shoulder belt through the rearfacing path and buckle. Then pull the seatbelt out all the way to switch it into locking mode and allow all the slack to feed back into the retractor while pushing down on the child restraint. Again, you may need a tightly rolled towel in the seat bight to achieve the correct angle. This method may cause the carseat to slightly tilt because of the seatbelt pulling up on the side of the carseat as it feed back into the retractor. A slight tilt is fine.

In both cases, when checking for movement, you are checking AT the belt path. Use your weaker hand and use a tugging motion... NO reefing on the seat. You are looking for less than one inch of movement both side to side and front to back AT the belt path. The top of the carseat (where the head sits) will move pretty freely, this is normal... only test for movement AT the belt path.

Edited to add: The rear facing angle can be anywhere between 30 and 45 degrees. A more upright install is actually safer for older kids. As long as your child has good head control (typically 5 months or so), his seat can be at a more upright angle.

You should find the switchable retractor type seatbelts in the outboard positions for sure. If the middle is a lapbelt, the installation should be fairly easy.

LATCH install:
Check your parents user manual and ensure you are using the correct lower anchors for your LATCH installation.

A tightly rolled towel may be needed to help achieve the correct angle.

Ensure that you are pushing down on the center of the restraint when tightening the lower anchor belt. If you are pushing down towards one side of the seat, that may be causing your leaning issue.

A slight tilt is okay and will not hurt the installation.

Again, make sure you are only checking for movement AT the belt path. The seat will move near the top of the child restraint and if you are testing for movement up there, that could also be causing your tilt issue.

 

[crunchierthanthou]

I like the tip to the cover up to expose the belt (LATCH or seatbelt, whichever you end up using) and tighten across the beltpath. I use that often to prevent leaning. Feed the lap portion into the buckle as you pull up on the tail or shoulder portion. This helps to tighten it evenly across the seat instead of only on one side.

Another way to prevent leaning with a l/s shoulder belt is to get the lap portion as tight as you can before you lock the shoulder portion. Then, don't forcibly retract the shoulder belt - just slowly pull it out until the ALR is engaged and let it back in. Don't pull up on the seatbelt to push more toward the retractor. It's the lap belt that holds the seat in place. The shoulder portion just needs to be locked and all the slack out. It may retract more on it's own and cause it to tip over time, but that shouldn't be a concern if you're just using this seat on a trip.

If you do use the seatbelt, make sure you store your LATCH connectors and tether. You don't want them loose in a crash. There should be notches on the seat for that, otherwise clip them together behind the seat and remove all the slack from the straps.

 

[DMickey28]

Thank you guys! I installed it again this morning outboard. I tried it in the center with the lap belt and then outboard with both the seat belt and the latch. I guess I am being a bit paranoid. The seat IS as TIGHT as can be at the belt path. It's the rest that is a little loose.

I didn't know that this seat could not be tethered rear facing. Thanks for telling me ... I did not read that in the manual. Bad Mommy for not reading that in as much detail as I should have.

I am going to move it back to the center tomorrow before I go anywhere now that I know a little tilt is ok and I was getting it very tight at the belt path.

Thanks again ... Once the holiday's are over I'll probably bring the seat back home and use it as a second in our 2003 Taurus so this is good learning!!

 

[crunchierthanthou]

Thank you guys! I installed it again this morning outboard. I tried it in the center with the lap belt and then outboard with both the seat belt and the latch.

just clarifying- do you mean you tried it each way individually, or that you have it installed with both LATCH and the seatbelt? You can only use one or the other.