Installing Radian RXT in Jeep

[Phantomfoodie]

I just purchased a Diono Radian RXT and am a bit confused about wether I can install it in the center seat using the latch connectors in my 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Radian manual says the seat must have its own latch anchors. The Jeep manual says "All three rear seating positions have lower anchorages that are capable of accommodating LATCH-compatible child seats having flexible, webbing-mounted lower attachments." However, there are only 4 anchors total in the back seat.

Since there are 4 (not 6) anchors, does this count? Do they need to be a certain width apart? I know that my Chicco Keyfit could not be installed in the center position using the latch because they were too far apart.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Jeanum]

Hi there. The short answer is you'll need to use the vehicle seatbelt for a center installation of the Radian in your Grand Cherokee. The longer, detailed answer: Both the vehicle manufacturer and the carseat manufacturer have to allow a center lower LATCH anchor install for it to be a proper install. The LATCH manual indicates your Grand Cherokee has 2 full sets of dedicated LATCH anchors, one set on each side of the back seat. Jeep does allow using the innermost lower LATCH anchor from each side of the back seat to install in the center, known in carseat jargon as "borrowing" lower LATCH anchors, if the carseat manufacturer also allows borrowing with spacing between the borrowed lower LATCH anchors of 18.9 inches (480 mm) (and provided that you're not also installing another carseat using LATCH on either side since you cannot double up on the same lower LATCH anchor). Diono allows using borrowed lower LATCH anchors for a center Radian installation if the borrowed lower LATCH anchors are spaced 11 to 14 inches apart, a narrower allowable range than the 18.9 inch spacing between the borrowable lower LATCH anchors in your Jeep.

 

[Unregistered]

Very helpful! Thank you!

I know that the center is safer than either side seat however, when I tried installing the Keyfit I was never able to get as tight of an installation with the center seat belt as I could using the latch anchors on the passenger side. I ended up keeping it on the passenger side because I felt like it was too wiggly in the middle. If I run into the same issue with this seat, what is the best thing to do?

 

[Jeanum]

The center is technically safer than the side as it's farther away from potential side impacts, provided that a proper install with less than 1 inch of movement at the carseat's belt path is achievable in the center using the seatbelt. If a proper center install isn't achievable, though, I wouldn't sweat a proper install on either side of the back seat, especially if your little one is transitioning from the Keyfit to a rear facing Radian since rear facing in and of itself is a tremendous safety advantage. Either side is pretty much equivalent to the opposite side of the back seat in terms of side impact crash statistics, and you can opt for whichever side is more workable for you and your family for possible considerations like any curbside parking situations, school or daycare dropoff/pickup scenarios, and front seat occupant's space in front of a rear facing carseat, etc.

 

[Unregistered]

Thank you again!

 

[Unregistered]

Where is the safest place to tether when using the seat rear facing in a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee? I can't find this information in the owners manual.

 

[Unregistered]

And more questions...

The manual for the Radian says that when the harness straps are in one of the top 3 positions, the head wings should be level with the jaw. I have the harness in the 3rd slot from the top so that the straps are just below his shoulders. However, the head wings don't come down far enough to be level with his jaw. When they are in the lowest position, there is a bump right behind his head that seems uncomfortable. I tried using the infant head support (baby is only 4.5 months) but it doesn't fit when the wings are down. Can I leave the head wings all of the way up like I would if using the bottom two harness slots? If not, how do I make this work?

I've read some old posts on here that say that I can remove the bulky harness pads when RF'ing. Is that still the case? I can't imagine getting a good, safe fit with them on.

Am I the only one who found it nearly impossible to move the head rest? Even my husband had a really tough time. Are we missing something?

Thank you again!

 

[Jeanum]

To my knowledge, the harness strap pads aren't required for Radians installed rear facing but are mandatory when forward facing. As for the headwings and headrest questions and a location for rear facing top tethering in your Jeep, I have to defer to members with more specific Radian RXT knowledge and familiarity with Grand Cherokee models to chime in to help out here. Creating a rear facing tether anchor point with the rear facing tether connector strap looped around an innermost and rearmost front seat leg (known as the "Swedish method") is the general rule of thumb for carseats that allow rear facing top tethering if the vehicle manufacturer hasn't forbidden doing so due to a restriction against rear facing top tethering and/or due to potential interference with sensors for advanced front airbags.

ETA: There's actually a note in the Jeep section of the LATCH manual stating that Swedish method rear facing top tethering toward the front of the vehicle is not allowed in Jeeps. Routing the top tether strap toward the rear of the vehicle and connecting it to the top tether anchor normally intended for a forward facing install in that vehicle seating position is allowed in Jeeps, known as the "Australian method," but the Australian method isn't allowed by the Radian's manufacturer.