graduated to no booster - seatbelt doesn't lock?

[AKFamily]

DS (tall aged 7) fits in our 1999 Ford F-150 extended cab without a booster, gulp!
We tested it out tonight and he fits well and sits well.

My question is about the seatbelt. It appears that it does not automatically lock when pulled out quickly. I can force the lock on the passenger and drivers' seatbelts in the front. It locks when it is pulled out all the way (as for a carseat install).

Is this normal? Broken?

If normal, should I pull it out all the way to autolock it anyway? He feels so untethered going from a 5 pt harness to just a seatbelt!

Thank you

 

[ketchupqueen]

Hi there! It's normal for belts to have different locking mechanisms in front vs. back seats in many vehicles. You can't always force them to lock by pulling quickly, because many of them use a mechanism that is not sensitive to that, especially in the rear seat. They will all still lock in a crash. If you're concerned you can have it inspected by a mechanic but I wouldn't be worried by what you describe.

You should not pull the belt out to lock it on a booster or seatbelt rider, as that may increase the risk of him "submarining" in a crash- that is, his hips slipping out from under the belt and causing internal injury, as these belts are designed to let the torso rotate forward a bit to keep the body in place as the belt locks, as a safety precaution.

You've probably already tried the 5-step test, but just to make sure, since it's unusual for kids to pass immediately after outgrowing a 5-point harness, here's a great blog post with pictures illustrating what ideal belt fit looks like: http://carseatblog.com/3966/the-5-step-test/

I hope that helps!