Safe LATCH positioning in center?

[JustMe]

Just lost a detailed post on this, but here goes again! I'm new to these boards, and would greatly appreciate any help.

We currently own a Jetta 2003, and we're going to trade because we can't be comfortable in the front with the baby seat (Chicco KeyFit) in the center or either outboard position. We want to get something new before the little one gets here mid-June. VW specifies that the LATCH position in the car is for all three backseat positions.

The two vehicles we've narrowed it down to specify that LATCH is available in the outboard positions. The more affordable vehicle has a 3 out of 5 side impact safety rating. The more expensive one is 4 out of 5, and we would have to lease rather than buy because of the special deal they have going - it would be the only way we could afford it.

Our question is, if the bottom anchors are positioned closely enough, can we safely use the KeyFit in the center position of either vehicle? Does it really matter that the vehicle's system is specified for outboard, or can we do it as long as the straps on the base can reach both anchors?

Thanks for any information you can offer!

[skipspin]

The quick answer: NO
You can't use LATCH for the center position when the manaul states that it's only for the outboard positions. Sometimes there is a specific reason why, and sometimes I think it's just because it's not tested that way, but you never want YOUR child to have to test it in a collision.

That said there are some other options. First, it is just as safe to use the seatbelt as using LATCH as long as you use the seatbelt correctly. I believe that the Keyfit base has lockoffs and therefore I should instal great with the seatbelt. I know that Julie (joolsplus2) has a Keyfit so she could explain that better than I can. Second, you could install the infant seat outboard. Yes, center is slightly safter because if a side impact collision, but and RFing child is already VERY safe. Last, you could get a car with LATCH in the center. I know the Saturn Vue has LATCH in the middle because that is what I have (although my infant seat didn't have LATCH when DD was born so I used the seatbelt)and some of the other Saturn sedans have it in all three positions as well.

HTH
Joy, new CPS tech

If you are really serious about making everything perfect before you buy a car you could try taking the car on a test drive with the infant seat to a technician. Also, VW is a big sponsor of Safekids, so there might be a tech at your local VW dealer. I know that in my certification class there were two VW employees taking the class with me. It's worth checking out.

[Joolsplus2]

What's the problem with putting the Key Fit in the 2003 Jetta center? Are you just concerned the car itself isn't safe enough, or is there a problem with the installation? Have you looked at www.iihs.org crash ratings? They are stricter then the governments star ratings and might give you more insight into safety (mainly you want the side impact airbags).
But, long story short, you absolutely must never use the center LATCH *unless the manual says you can*. The Key Fit is tested with 11 inch-apart LATCH bars, and nothing else. The car is tested to have a certain LATCH bar static-pull strength at 11 inches apart, and nothing else. They BOTH have to agree that a different distance is safe for use (for exampple, Britax and Ford and Mazda HAVE tested the bars at different distances, and any combination of those seats/cars can use the center as long as it's 11-20 inches apart). If both the manuals don't say it's ok (well, in this case, you do have to call Britax, it's not in the manual, actually, but you can call Chicco and find out what they say), then your kiddo is the crash test dummy for that hook up (dangerous? really? maybe, maybe not, you don't want to be the first to find out!).

Hope that helps!
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[JustMe]

Thanks to you both!

The real issue with the Jetta is the lack of space. If the seat is in the center position, I can drive the car, but my husband can never drive us because of how far back the seat needs to be. If we move the seat behind the passenger seat (mine) for longer drives, I would end up with my knees barely an inch from the dashboard, which also seems extremely unsafe for me - I picture crushed knees or shattered femurs in an accident.

I knew that there had to be a reason why outboard was specified, rather than just the seat in any position. I really wanted to confirm that I was correct about that. I think in that case we'll go with the vehicle with the higher side impact safety rating...

We've done a huge amount of research on the vehicle aspect. We have limited space within the garage, so that narrowed the field a lot. We wanted high reliability, so we looked at the recent ratings released for this year. And safety is our other biggest concern. The two we are deciding between are the Mazda3 5-door and the Mercury Mariner - surprisingly, Mercury was the only American made vehicle to make it into the top ten most reliable list. It also consistently gets high consumer ratings, and has better safety ratings than the Mazda.

Tonight we're going to test drive both, and possibly the Dodge Caliber (stupid car commercial got my husband all interested), and we're taking the carseat with us to try in the vehicles.

Thanks again, and if anyone has any further information, I'd love to hear it!

[Joolsplus2]

Have fun test driving...I'm glad I mentioned the thing about Mazda and Britax so you know what to buy next time, lol.

Tell us how it goes!
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[daniele_ut]

The Mazda3 5 door has a TINY backseat. I'm not sure that you'll gain much leg room with that model. We looked at one and found that even our Subaru had more room back there.

[tg_canada]

>The two we are deciding between are the
>Mazda3 5-door and the Mercury Mariner - surprisingly, Mercury
>was the only American made vehicle to make it into the top ten
>most reliable list. It also consistently gets high consumer
>ratings, and has better safety ratings than the Mazda.

You mentioned in your first post that the Mariner has a 4/5 rating for side impact...I am not sure where you got that information. But IIHS rates the Mariner as "G" for good (their highest rating) and NHTSA rates it 5/5 for side impact.

Also, keep in mind that the Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute/Mercury Mariner are the same vehicle. This will be good information with regards to centre latch position knowing what Ford/Mazda have to say with regards to Britax seat that was mentioned above. Also, if you're trying to save some cash, the Mercury is the most expensive of the 3 as Mercury tends to be more "luxurious". We have an Escape and love it. We were going to get the Tribute but Mazda didn't have any stock at the time and Mercury isn't available in Canada anymore.

[JustMe]

The Mariner is definitely the more expensive of the three, but right now they're doing a special 39 month lease option on the Luxury edition - no security deposit, no first payment, $279 a month. The local dealership goes one better - no money down, period, for $283/mo. I checked the IIHS website after it was listed above and saw that they only give the higher rating with the optional side-impact airbags, so I'm looking for one with that feature.

I think we're going to go with a lease (I hate doing that!) and a vehicle at the end when we're in a better financial place.

Thank you for the feedback!

[mommy2maya]

I don't know if it's all fords/mercury, but in my Freestar minivan, we can use the latch in the center of the two seater bench- but it's the only seat that can be in there. Also, using latch in teh third row, you can't use the two outer seating positions, just the latch in the center.