Question LATCH and seat belt together

[cowgirlsmommy]

Since we have more seats coming out that allow both to be used together, where do we find out which vehicle manufacturers don't allow it?
I've searched and searched my Dodge grand caravan manual and see nothing against it and when I e-mailed them they told me to go by my car seat manual. Yet, I'm constantly seeing people say Dodge doesn't allow this.

 

[happiness-and-balance]

Bumping this up for you so hopefully you'll get an answer to your question.

 

[thekatie]

I vaguely remember reading that the vehicle manuals needed to explicitly state it is okay, and that only the newer Fords do. But that was maybe a year ago, and I know 1) I can misremember and 2) things change... so I'm very interested in this too.

 

[Persimmon]

I recently asked the Clek CPST about this here.

She said that if it's not prohibited in your vehicle manual, and there is no interference between the seatbelt and lower anchors, then they allow it. The lower anchor system and seatbelt system are independent of each other, so in the case of a seat with rigid LATCH such as the foonf, there aren't any unknown variables.

 

[thekatie]

I recently asked the Clek CPST about this here.

She said that if it's not prohibited in your vehicle manual, and there is no interference between the seatbelt and lower anchors, then they allow it. The lower anchor system and seatbelt system are independent of each other, so in the case of a seat with rigid LATCH such as the foonf, there aren't any unknown variables.

I saw that, and even in that thread I was thinking "well, I still don't know if just because a vehicle manual does not specifically say 'do not use LATCH and the seatbelt together' that it means the vehicle actually allows it". I get that Clek allows it, but does Lexus? I was hesitant to ask because I don't know how to phrase it without sounding combative. And, I don't have a foonf...

 

[TechnoGranola]

I get what you're saying thekatie. I mean there are vehicle manuals that don't explicitly state "don't use the outboard anchors in the centre position" and when telling parents not to do that, we cite that the vehicle manual doesn't explicitly allow it. And we used to tell people not to use the seatbelt and the anchors because neither their car seat manual or vehicle manual explicitly allowed it. But now we can tell people it's okay because the car seat manual says it's okay and the vehicle manual doesn't explicitly DISallow it.

Yes, I totally understand the confusion this will cause.

 

[cookie123]

Isn't Foonf the only car seat that allows it?

 

[Carrie_R]

There's an infant seat - something unusual - Aton maybe?

 

[TechnoGranola]

I thought there was a Combi or Chicco that did? Can't remember which company, just know it wasn't a seat available in Canada so I didn't pay much attention. There was a discussion about it last year I think which talked about it only being able to be used like that in a Ford (? There is a manufacturer now that says you can use both and I think it's Ford?) but that you couldn't use it any other vehicle make since it wasn't explicitly allowed.

 

[thekatie]

Combo Coccoro does, and it doesn't have rigid LATCH. That's another thing I've been curious about, because all the things I've seen recently (about the foonf and some of the newer infant seats allowing it) is that because its rigid LATCH and seatbelt there's no interference.

I got giddy once installing our CCO into a friend's brand new Ford Fusion. "Hey! I could use BOTH the seatbelt AND LATCH!" They thought I was crazy being excited about it. They think I'm crazy anyway

ETA: I never actually did use both LATCH and the seatbelt because although I've read here that it's allowed, I never saw that in the manual. Plus, I don't really see the point in using both if one or the other works. But I was excited about the possibility.

 

[cowgirlsmommy]

Isn't Foonf the only car seat that allows it?

The nuna pipa also allows it

 

[Persimmon]

I saw that, and even in that thread I was thinking "well, I still don't know if just because a vehicle manual does not specifically say 'do not use LATCH and the seatbelt together' that it means the vehicle actually allows it". I get that Clek allows it, but does Lexus? I was hesitant to ask because I don't know how to phrase it without sounding combative. And, I don't have a foonf...

Yeah, I agree, very confusing. I feel OK about using both when the time comes in my Forester because, in additional to my manual not disallowing it, I contacted Subaru a while back about it and they deferred to the car seat manual. When I pressed them on the subject, as in they definitively allow both, they referred me here.