Ford 2013 Escape - anyone tried to fit a booster in one yet?

[snowbird25ca]

I was trying to help a family at work this last Saturday who said their old boosters didn't fit without blocking the buckle stalk, so I went out to their vehicle with them to see exactly what was going on. They have a new 2013 Escape with leather interior.

The seat I took out with me was a backless turbo, but I think that the same problem is going to exist with most if not all boosters out there. The spacing between the side of the seat and the buckle stalk is really narrow and the buckle stalk is low down in the seat. I know the Turbobooster isn't the narrowest out there, but we're not talking a little coverage, we're talking complete coverage of the male end of the buckle by the booster seat. It was covered completely on both sides of the vehicle, although the driver side position is slightly wider than the passenger side.

I'm in Canada and we don't have the bubble bum available here. I suggested they try a Harmony booster. Has anyone else seen a 2013 Escape and have any suggestions for boosters that would work for the next time I come across this?

It seems like a design problem to me and I think this problem is going to crop up more often as we get more of the 2013 Escape's on the road so it would be nice to have an answer.

 

[emntheboys]

While I haven't seen the 2013 Escape yet, I do have the same problem in the 3rd row of my Pilot. The only boosters that will work in that position are the Cosco Topside, Harmony Cruz, and another Harmony one (that I can't remember the name of right now). I haven't been able to find any highbacks that will work. :thumbsdown:

 

[canadiangie]

While I haven't seen the 2013 Escape yet, I do have the same problem in the 3rd row of my Pilot. The only boosters that will work in that position are the Cosco Topside, Harmony Cruz, and another Harmony one (that I can't remember the name of right now). I haven't been able to find any highbacks that will work. :thumbsdown:

Monterey works in my 09. 3rd row pass latch position, but PW and Oobr don't. I'm off to see if the Peg hbb works as soon as I get a chance, and I know the TB works.


Trudy. Interesting. And crappy. :thumbsdown:

 

[EmmaCPST]

I put a Maestro in one the other day and didn't have any issue.... I honestly didn't pay that much attention though, it was for my friend and it was just a loaner from the dealership so I just did it for her real quick so she could get on her way. I was using the seat belt to install it in harness mode though, not using it as a booster.

Maybe a Parkway though? I know in my CRV the buckle is kind of a pain to reach with the Turbo, it's much easier with a Parkway.

 

[Unregistered]

I've just noticed the same issue with a Graco backless booster in our new Escape. After looking it over carefully I think that the best solution is to purchase an 8" flexible seatbelt extension that's compatible with the 2013 Escape rear window seats. Many vendors have these online.

The reason I think this will work best is that while the booster is only about 16 inches wide at the base, in order to gain access to the belt buckle the booster actually has to be shifted to the side (towards the door) so that it's not really sitting squared in the bucket seat. Even then my child has had a very difficult time buckling up due to the tight fit. A flexible belt extension will allow my child to easily access the buckle by getting it up and away from the seat surface. this will also allow the booster to set into the bucket seat squarely. At 8" the extension will still be over the edge of the seat and off of my child's lap, but this may not be true with other booster makes.

There's another problem that makes the bucket fit very tight. The tongue actually has a slight bend to it that turns the slot the belt webbing runs through towards the passenger. Thus, when a booster is installed, the back of the tongue is pressed into the side of the booster seat. This is a really tough situation for a kid to handle since they're sitting in the seat and can't easily force the steel tongue into the buckle because they're working against their own weight. Add to this that they don't quite get the angle of attack issue....

Ford and other auto manufacturers should have thought of this backless booster seat fit issue. Looking at this site and others, it appears to be a pretty common issue. They should all at least provide OEM extensions.

 

[Jeanum]

Hi, vehicle seatbelt extenders are not approved by carseat nor vehicle manufacturers for use with carseats or belt positioning booster seats. Seatbelt extenders are intended only for use by large sized adults for whom the vehicle seatbelt is otherwise too short to reach the buckle to fasten it properly.