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Problems getting child seat into new Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by mikeslavis, Feb 22, 2005.

  1. mikeslavis

    mikeslavis New Member

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    All,

    My wife and I just got our new 2005 Prius last weekend, and we're trying to put our child seat in it (Britax Wizard). Here is the problem...

    When we use the seatbelt to hold the car seat in the Rear-Facing position in the Center of the back seat, the passenger seat belts become unusable. After my wife and I both checked this out we figured it was time for a Priuschat post to see if we got a car with switched seatbelts. Let me try and explain this the best way I can.

    Sitting in the drivers seat and turning around toward the middle of the car, you see in the back seat (in this order):

    Passenger-side seat belt
    Center seat belt
    Passenger-side buckle
    Driver-side buckle
    Center buckle
    Driver-side seat belt

    The problem is that using the Center seat belt and buckle "covers up" the other two buckles, making it extremely difficult to buckle them. Before you flame us as idiots, we figure either:

    1) The belts are supposed to be that way, because when there are three adults in back the center person needs the extra "room" afforded by this configuration. For this, we'll just need to either "live with it", use LATCH instead of seat belts or come up with something else creative.

    2) The belts have been miswired. For this, we'll get them corrected.

    We just want to check with the community before we spend any more time trying to make this work. Can a few others chime up on how their rear belts/buckles are laid out? Just to try and be more clear, you'd "naturally" expect the layout to be:

    Passenger-side seat belt
    Passenger-side buckle
    Center seat belt
    Center buckle
    Driver-side buckle
    Driver-side seat belt

    but we have:

    Passenger-side seat belt
    Center seat belt
    Passenger-side buckle
    Driver-side buckle
    Center buckle
    Driver-side seat belt

    Thanks!

    [email protected]
     
    #1 mikeslavis, Feb 22, 2005
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Is there some reason you aren't using the LATCH connections instead of the seat belt? It's much more secure and should free up your seat belts.
     
    #2 efusco, Feb 22, 2005
  3. mikeslavis

    mikeslavis New Member

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    Evan,

    There are 2 reasons:

    1) We are overkill on safety, and are actually trying to use BOTH the seat belts and the LATCH connectors. Some tests and reviews of car seats have shown that seat belts sometimes do a better job in a crash, so we figured this would "get it all".

    2) The Britax Wizard is rated for use up to 65 lbs (child weight) but the LATCH connectors are only "good" until 48 lbs, so at some point we'll need to switch to the seat belts anyway.

    Thanks, and let me know if the seat belt configuration in your car matches my description up above...

    [email protected]
     
    #3 mikeslavis, Feb 22, 2005
  4. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Well, it is overkill. I think you're more than secure enough in all but the most severe of crashes with the LATCH, and the chances of survival in one that severe would be almost nil.

    True, but then you'll be forward facing...weren't you trying to get this installed for rear-facing?

    To tell the truth, I've had 2, then 3 car seats in mine since I got it, never just the center one alone and I've never had rear seat passengers, other than my kids, so I can't tell you how the configuration works.
     
    #4 efusco, Feb 22, 2005
  5. elky

    elky New Member

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    i p.d.i new prius's that come off the truck.. they all come like that, with the two receivers (on the drivers side) crossing over eachother.. don't know why... I hope that's to what your were refering.

    brandon
     
    #5 elky, Feb 22, 2005
  6. mikeslavis

    mikeslavis New Member

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    Evan,

    I appreciate the pontification, and will pass the thoughts on to my wife...we're OK just using one system or the other (LATCH or seat belts), but when we realized our seat belts seemed "crossed" we figured we'd post to see if something was messed up here or not before we went any further...but you still haven't answered *my* question...are the belts in our Prius configured correctly or are they messed up? If you think of it (and if you can see them) can you check your rear belts and see if they "criss-cross" on passenger and driver's side?

    elky,

    Thanks, that at least answers half the question. It sounds like the driver's side is supposed to be that way, so I'm guessing the passenger side is also. Which probably means that our configuration is correct...and we'll have to figure something out...maybe just use LATCH for now as Evan suggested.

    [email protected]
     
    #6 mikeslavis, Feb 23, 2005
  7. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Sorry. Yes, they're supposed to cross. It makes it easier for 3 passengers to fit in and buckle with that arrangement. Clearly it creates an issue with the car seat however.
     
    #7 efusco, Feb 23, 2005
  8. mikeslavis

    mikeslavis New Member

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    Evan,

    Thanks for the response! At least this confirms that our car is OK...I kind of figured so just from looking at where the center belt/buckle would be if they were in the "non-criss-crossed" position (there was only about 12 inches of space for the center passenger, which would be extremely "suffocating" for someone trying to sit there).

    We were trying to have the car seat in the back, and my wife back there too, next to it...to do this it sounds like we'll need to use LATCH or try to give it a go with her in front for a while.

    All this stuff will be much easier once we can just turn the car seat around...my baby girl is at 18 lbs and growing s-l-o-w-l-y, so it may be a while!

    [email protected]
     
    #8 mikeslavis, Feb 23, 2005
  9. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    My daughter is at about that weight as well...I'm ready to have her forward facing too, but it'll be a bit. We do need to start looking at new car seats/carriers soon though as the one she's in is only rated to 20 lbs and she's beginning to outgrow the straps.
     
    #9 efusco, Feb 23, 2005
  10. naterprius

    naterprius Senior Member

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    Trade your Wizard for a Roundabout. It's quite a bit shorter. Place it in the center using one LATCH Anchor from either side.

    Nate
     
    #10 naterprius, Feb 23, 2005
  11. mikeslavis

    mikeslavis New Member

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    Hi Evan,

    This is Mike's wife, Kim. I'm curious as to what make and model car seats allow you to fit three across. Would you please list them and which direction they are facing?

    Thanks!
    Kim
     
    #11 mikeslavis, Feb 23, 2005
  12. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Hi Mike's wife, Kim!! Is there news you need to be letting Mike in on if you're asking about room for more car seats? :wink:

    As you can see in the attached photo we have 2 forward facing 5 point boosters for the 5 y/olds. The base for the baby is in the middle. All 3 are attached via the Latch.

    I'm afraid I don't have the exact model numbers on the seats, but they are all Graco brand name. The fit is tight, but the kids don't complain and the seats do not hit the doors (but close!).

    Hope that helps.

    [​IMG]
     
    #12 efusco, Feb 23, 2005
  13. naterprius

    naterprius Senior Member

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    FYI, all the newer Graco infant seats are the same size and shape; only the colors, patterns and head inserts vary.

    Likely the same for the boosters, but I don't know for certain.

    Nate
     
    #13 naterprius, Feb 24, 2005
  14. mikeslavis

    mikeslavis New Member

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    Thanks, Evan!

    No news for Mike, not yet. :) Just gathering info for the hopefully not-so-distant future.

    Cheers,
    Kim
     
    #14 mikeslavis, Feb 25, 2005
  15. Tadashi

    Tadashi Member

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    We had the same problem (we just looped the buckle under the other passenger buckle since once secured it is not undone) using the center seat not to mention the center seat is raised a bit causing the seat to tilt to the left or right sometimes. We ended up having to place the car seat behind the driver or passenger using the latch. This holds well. We also used the seat belts first with no problems as long as it is not the center seat.
     
    #15 Tadashi, Feb 27, 2005
  16. fruzzetti

    fruzzetti Customization-Obsessed

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    Bump from way back...

    We're looking for our daughter's second-stage car seat and I am being really picky. This is going to have to be a convertible because for best safety chances we'll be keeping her rear-facing for as long as possible. So we've been looking at offerings coming from everywhere between Recaro and Britax; does the Roundabout install comfortably in the rear-facing position?

    Can anyone advise me on a mid-range ($200-300) convertible seat that they KNOW works nicely in both front- and rear-facing positions in the MkII Prius using the LATCH system? How many have anchor straps or points for the head ends of the seats, which is something that was obviously mistakenly left out of our daughter's current Evenflo infant seat?

    And above that, does anyone know where I could get an ultralight carbon-fiber child seat? I would absolutely go get one fabbed, but I would need to order like ten of them so I could register the lot to be tested for compliance and seriously that's just too much. It sure would be nice, though, to get one that was extremely thin and rigid and lightweight...

    Any ANY assistance would be greatly appreciated -- remember I'm talking about the most important thing in my world...

    Thanks,

    ~ dan ~
     
    #16 fruzzetti, Jun 7, 2009
  17. fruzzetti

    fruzzetti Customization-Obsessed

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    Bump.

    I really would appreciate any advice I can get. My nine-month-old should go extended-rear-facing (which means up to 35 pounds), but I've learned that the Evenflo Triumph Advance LX just WILL NOT INSTALL in my 2006 Prius (the bump is exaggerated in the leather, causing the seat to rock side to side no matter how well-anchored it is).

    I'm still looking for a good car seat I can safely put my daughter in. As it is, the Triumph Advance now lives in my wife's PT Cruiser (installed perfectly on that flat rear bench) but we're running out of time with our infant seat (goes up to 23 lbs, but the kid is already up to 20.5).

    If anyone has installed a rear-facing child seat in the middle of the back of their MkII Prius (with leather), PLEASE share your wisdom.

    It means more than my own life to me.

    ~ dan ~
     
    #17 fruzzetti, Jun 29, 2009
  18. ewhanley

    ewhanley New Member

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    We have a Britax Boulevard installed in the rear facing position in the middle rear seat. It is installed via the latch system, and it works very well. I can sit in the back seat next to it while wearing a seat belt (6' 245#). Our daughter is 10 months and about 19 lbs., but she was getting a bit long for her first car seat, so we moved up to the convertible. Her first seat was a Britax, which we were quite happy with, so it was replaced with a convertible model in the same color and fabric style. The adjustment system works very well. The only thing of note is that the driver's seat does just touch the carseat when all the way back, so I tend to drive with it one click forward, which is comfortable for me.
     
    #18 ewhanley, Jun 29, 2009
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