Carseats in trucks

[B20EF]

I'm looking into getting a 'truck'. I'm heavily leaning towards Honda Ridgeline for certain reasons like comfort of ride, fuel milage, reliability but fitting carseats is also a huge factor for me. I have forward and rear facing right now.

I consider Tacoma and Frontier to be competitors but they seem a lot smaller in the backseat. Almost too small for a carseat.

Ridgline seems to have almost same size interior as full size trucks.

Specs on the website are one thing but how do you guys find carseats fit in your Tacoma, Frontier, Ridgeline, F-150, RAMS...

Thanks

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Ridgeline has more room than a taco or frontier. I'd go to an automall and drag your seats around and test them in the showroom. You'll notice other things like door opening angles.

Ride quality with youngen's is also important, you'll notice the ridgeline drives smoother and is quieter. It does have more room in the rear than a quad cab nissan or taco.

I bought a Pilot a few years ago over the ridgeline but I would recommend both. I work at a Toyota and have friends with Taco's. They are awesome trucks but not my first choice for a family primary vehicle.

[danno]

in our ram which the wife drives the most it fits well. we have to life our daughter pretty high to get her in which doesn't bother me and the wife doesn't complain but it may be a problem for some. every car seat is differnt best bet is to go to the store and try it in the vehicle.

[AndyL]

Quad cab ram - You'll rue the day you pondered this option.

Angles of the back rest and seat bottom are wierd - the bench seat bottom - except in the middle - is too short to accommodate the seat correctly. Front or rear facing - they don't fit 'right'.

So yes - take your car seat for the shopping trip :) I wish we had...

[blairtruck]

I laughed when I heard ridge line is a truck

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Originally posted by blairtruck
I laughed when I heard ridge line is a truck

Very petty post. This is about car seats for his family.

[ExtraSlow]

For sure take your car seat with you. Every carseat fits differently, and you'd be surprised how much this matters. Don't even try to guess. Spend the 15 minutes and actually install and tighten the seat into each vehicle.
Found out that one of the four carseats we own was impossible to install in my F150 due to the way the tether strap worked. Never would have been able to predict it. Fits fine in all our other cars.

I think for half tons, the F150 is the largest backseat. Ram megacab may be bigger, but only available on heavier trucks.
Ridgeline is a nice little SUV, well made, and really all the "truck" most people need.

[FraserB]

Originally posted by blairtruck
I laughed when I heard ridge line is a truck

It's a vehicle for people who want to say they own a truck, but will never use the bed or tow anything.

OP: Buy an SUV if you plan on towing rarely and not much, if you'll be using the bed or towing a lot, buy a real truck.

[codetrap]

I bought the F150 SCrew specifically because of the car seat room. The one thing to note is that there is no latch in the center. This isn't really a deal breaker because the locking mechanism on the seat belt is such that you can crank it down nicely. We have a Britax Frontier, and a Graco baby bucket in there and still have room for an adult to comfortably sit.

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by FraserB


It's a vehicle for people who want to say they own a truck, but will never use the bed or tow anything.

OP: Buy an SUV if you plan on towing rarely and not much, if you'll be using the bed or towing a lot, buy a real truck.

Bring back the El Camino/Australian "Utes"

[B20EF]

I knew this thread would turn into full sized truck guys hating on a Ridgeline. The fact is SUV's are not ideal for hauling around dirty camping gear, bikes, sheets of plywood or drywall, few hundred pounds of landscaping stones but you also do not need a full size truck to do any of that stuff. A 5 liter gas guzzler to drive to and from work 90% of the time seems like a waste.
An ecoboost F-150 is almost as good on gas as a Ridgeline but quite expensive and depreciates like crazy.

So thanks for the replys. Its good to know a Taco and Frontier arent even really worth looking at. I'll haul around one of my car seats to the dealers to try them out.

[hampstor]

I have 3 of the safety first carseats in my Titan and still have about 4"+ between the seats. My wife has 2 Diono Radian and 1 infant bucket in her Altima. She will have 3 of the radians in the Altima when the infant is older. You should have no issues with a ridgeline if you have the right seats.

However as everyone has said, bring it with you and install it. Heck make fitment of them a condition of sale .

[B20EF]

^^I also have th Diono Radian. They are an awesome seat. The rear facing Peg Perego is the one I'm worried about or the Britax Boulevard because it's pretty big rear and forward facing.

[Kavy]

I have a 2013 quad cab and im 6' tall. With my drivers seat all the way back a child seat doesn't fit. With it a few clicks forward my child seat does fit but it's a tight squeeze.

I put it I'm the middle now and use those lockdowns. I actually prefer this as it allows me to have better access to my daughter when on long trips.

I do echo the comments that you need a crew cab to fit it with the seat fully back.

I owned a taco and a child seat in there is laughable, not gonna happen.

[Masked Bandit]

I actually had to sell my Frontier Crew Cab when the youngest went to a rear facing car seat (not bucket). Stick with the Ridgeline at minimum and if you consider full size, skip the quad cab / extended cab options all together. Go full size crew cab.

[Unknown303]

Even my crew cab Dodge just fits a removable rear facing bucket.

[blitz]

Keep in mind that relative to a vehicle purchase it's cheap to buy a new carseat that fits better.

A second Diono Radian might be the solution, they have an angle adjuster for rear facing that takes less room too.

[SOAB]

My F150 supercrew fits my kids front facing car seats no problem.

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by SOAB
My F150 supercrew fits my kids front facing car seats no problem.

Are front facing ever an issue? I have front facing in the rear seat of my Jeep and there's no issues there. And that's a very small back seat.

[spikerS]

The biggest reason I bought my F150 supercrew, was when we were talking to the salesman, the girls climbed in the back seat, folded the seats up, and proceeded to have a dance party. Our 4 year old (almost 5) is now just starting to be able to reach the back of my seat with her foot.

And seriously, you can easily fit 3 regular sized forward facing car seats sidexsidexside back there.

When I did all of my comparison shopping, the only truck that came close to the room my F150 has was the Dodge Mega Cab, and those things look nasty to me.

I never took a ridgeline out, nor have I been in one, but as said before, I cringe whenever someone calls it a truck.

[JVR1]

would definitely go crew/quad cab if you're doing 2 carseats. i couldn't imagine trying to fit that comfortably otherwise.

I've got 2 carseats in the back of my Titan with no issues. there's room for an average size adult between them.

[SOAB]

There is no way I would use an extended cab or quad cab with baby seats. it just won't fit properly. crew cab or nothing.

[SOAB]

Originally posted by Unknown303


Are front facing ever an issue? I have front facing in the rear seat of my Jeep and there's no issues there. And that's a very small back seat.

if you've ever looked at a dodge quad-cab, you'll see that there just isn't enough room for a kid that requires a front facing seat to have some leg-room. the baby seat itself would be up against the front seats of the truck.

[03ozwhip]

I just bought a '13 Ram crew cab, my (almost)5 year old can actually get in better in this truck than he could in the Journey we just sold, solely because there are handles where there aren't any in the Journey.

The seat fits perfect, still good room even with the front seat back quite a bit. Don't get a quad cab or whatever other smaller cabs are out there, you'll regret it.

[bignerd]

Ditto what the other person said about the F150 Supercrew-loads and loads of room in the back. A shocking amount of room in that backseat.

We looked at trucks for a while with backseat room a big consideration (need room for dog crates and I have 50lb dogs). None of the other trucks have the same amount of space in the back.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by B20EF


So thanks for the replys. Its good to know a Taco and Frontier arent even really worth looking at. I'll haul around one of my car seats to the dealers to try them out.

I fit a rear facing, and then a forward facing into my 08 Frontier with a King Cab. I'm sure you can fit 2 of them into a crew cab Frontier or Tacoma.

[JRSC00LUDE]

I hate my ridgeline because it is ugly and, useless as a "truck".

That being said, it works great for my car seat in the back. I have not used one in the front. Further to that, with the underbox storage and the space under the rear seat, it is an exceptional travel vehicle for a family with two young kids.

It's pretty much perfect for lake or ski trips, etc.

[B20EF]

Went with the Ridgeline. The forward facing Diono and Britax fit fine of course. The rear facing peg perego fits fine in the middle or on my wifes side but is too tight behind me to actually pull the car seat in and out - and I'm only 5' 9".

Overall works pretty good for us.

[CLiVE]

Have an '06 Ridgeline - and no reason to replace it. Fits car seats fine, 3 across the back if needed. I was about to buy a Tacoma, but the rear seat room, trunk, etc. made the Ridgeline more useable as a family vehicle.

I have likely used it for more than most people use their F150s. I haul trailers, moved an entire household, 10 ft fencing, landscaping, bikes, drywall, light off-road, etc. Works for me.

Would some of those tasks be easier with a bigger truck, sure. But for everyday driving/parking I'll take the ridgeline.

However I would take a good look at the F150 if buying new today. For the same money you get a lot more truck, with similar mileage.

[SuperFlyOrDie]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
For sure take your car seat with you. Every carseat fits differently, and you'd be surprised how much this matters. Don't even try to guess. Spend the 15 minutes and actually install and tighten the seat into each vehicle.
Found out that one of the four carseats we own was impossible to install in my F150 due to the way the tether strap worked. Never would have been able to predict it. Fits fine in all our other cars.

I think for half tons, the F150 is the largest backseat. Ram megacab may be bigger, but only available on heavier trucks.
Ridgeline is a nice little SUV, well made, and really all the "truck" most people need.

The new Chevy/GMC's are massive in the back

[dirtsniffer]

bummmp.

Trying to confirm that there is no specific amount of overhang allowed on a rear facing infant seat and the back seat. Some forums said 20% overhang max, but I can't find it from the manufacturer or from chevy directly.

[Darell_n]

I haven’t seen any published numbers and I even had my Dodge crewcab at a car seat clinic where they recommended against using the rear center seat with its narrowed seating area. The overhang was around 20-30% if I remember correctly.

[dirtsniffer]

Here is what it looks like 15 out of 21" (70%) are on the seat. I'm thinking it's fine. I can lean on it with a lot of my weight and it doesn't move much at all

81508

[Thaco]

I knew this thread would turn into full sized truck guys hating on a Ridgeline. The fact is SUV's are not ideal for hauling around dirty camping gear, bikes, sheets of plywood or drywall, few hundred pounds of landscaping stones but you also do not need a full size truck to do any of that stuff. A 5 liter gas guzzler to drive to and from work 90% of the time seems like a waste.
An ecoboost F-150 is almost as good on gas as a Ridgeline but quite expensive and depreciates like crazy.

So thanks for the replys. Its good to know a Taco and Frontier arent even really worth looking at. I'll haul around one of my car seats to the dealers to try them out.
i use my yukon for all of those things, tarp the back or use the roofrack and you're golden....... never had anything my SUV cant do that a truck can... except maybe a load of gravel..

[dirtsniffer]

No need to rederail here bro

[Darell_n]

I would think that is fine as long as the full child seat has free movement without touching the console or front row seats.

[Thaco]

No need to rederail here bro

sorry for reading from the top of a bumped 4 year old thread... my bad... i guess... i should be like everybody else and skim and post something completely irrelevant.


bumping a 4 year old post is ok though...

[dirtsniffer]

I would think that is fine as long as the full child seat has free movement without touching the console or front row seats.
:thumbsup:

sorry for reading from the top of a bumped 4 year old thread... my bad... i guess... i should be like everybody else and skim and post something completely irrelevant.


bumping a 4 year old post is ok though...

Just joking with ya. But I was under the impression that bumping old threads was preferred to creating new ones.

[Thaco]

:thumbsup:


Just joking with ya. But I was under the impression that bumping old threads was preferred to creating new ones.

i think there's a threshold/// 4 years, seems a bit much.

[cycosis]

Here is what it looks like 15 out of 21" (70%) are on the seat. I'm thinking it's fine. I can lean on it with a lot of my weight and it doesn't move much at all

81508

Certified car seat tech here. That is not a legal install. You need at minimum 80% surface area contact. The more the better. Not only is that a finable scenario, the seat will not perform the way it was designed to in the event of a head on collision.

Second issue is you’ve got it connected via the UAS connectors but you don’t have dedicated UAS points in your center seating position. Thus you end up with the “splay” to each side. If you’re going in the middle in that truck, then you’re gonna use the seat belt.

The maxi cosi mico max 30 you’ve got there is a massive seat unfortunately depth wise. You might be able to make a graco click connect, Chicco keyfit, or baby jogger city go work. Come I for a test fit Monday to my store and ask for Brennon. I’m off to Washington though for the rest of the week.

[Darell_n]

Certified car seat tech here. That is not a legal install. You need at minimum 80% surface area contact. Th more he better. Not only is that a finable scenario, the seat will not perform the way it was designed to in the event of a head on collision.

Do you have a link to the 80% contact rule in print somewhere? I've searched in the past and came up with no set number.

[dirtsniffer]

I'm not saying I don't believe you, but could you point me in the direction of the regulations?

Also cfd and cps won't help anymore. But I explained my concern to a cop and he didn't mention that I would be fined for it.

[cycosis]

That’s because cops arnt up to snuff most of the time. When car seat check stops are run, there are techs present doing the inspection. Not the cops. Don’t take advice from anyone other than a tech because well over 90% of seats are used incorrectly. I have the sources for ya on my desk at work and I can post them Monday if I remember.

There’s a delightful average of 3 faults per inspection at $155 per infraction.

The big take away is don’t wing it. You never want to put yourself in a what if position in the event of a collision.

You could pay an installer a $100 a pop or you can come talk to me for free :)

[ExtraSlow]

Can't speak much to the regulations but as far as common sense goes it makes sense that the seat needs to be in contact with the cushion to transfer forces.

Also, any vehicle manufacturer with two UAS positions will specify not to put a carseat between the positions.

[cycosis]

Yea it’s tricky because there is so much variance between manufacturers regarding which positions can use UAS and which ones can’t. Rule of thumb is the distance between the two points should not exceed 12”. Based on the photo, I’m guessing it does due to the excessive splaying of the connectors.

[dirtsniffer]

Can't speak much to the regulations but as far as common sense goes it makes sense that the seat needs to be in contact with the cushion to transfer forces.

Also, any vehicle manufacturer with two UAS positions will specify not to put a carseat between the positions.

took a while, but it does say it.

[cycosis]

My manual makes no such reference

vehicle manuals have a small section on child restraint systems specific to the make and model of vehicle. Should have a diagram identifying your uas points and your top anchor positions for forward facing seats.

[dirtsniffer]

it certainly does, the section on latch is around 40 pages and I had to read it a few times to figure out it says to use only the outboard seats.

I don't think using the belt should be too hard. Just need to resolve the 70% vs 80% coverage. Also read the maxi cosi manual a few times and it's not covered. Found Albertaseatbelts.ca it's a government site. Seems like the big thing to know is that the seat can only move 1" in any direction.

The truck is only going to be casual and camping baby mover. Most time will be in the wife's rouge.

Thanks for the help. Obviously new to this. Little one should be here in the next few weeks.

[cycosis]

End goal is to make it not move at all where it’s connceted. Toss your body weight into it. The whole vehicle should roll back and forth on the suspension, not the car seat shifting side to sside on the upholstery. If you do seatbelt, make sure the seatbelt is locked when you’re all done or you’ve essentially done nothing :D

[ExtraSlow]

I always found using seatbelt a much harder process than the UAS anchors.

[speedog]

it certainly does, the section on latch is around 40 pages and I had to read it a few times to figure out it says to use only the outboard seats.

I don't think using the belt should be too hard. Just need to resolve the 70% vs 80% coverage. Also read the maxi cosi manual a few times and it's not covered. Found Albertaseatbelts.ca it's a government site. Seems like the big thing to know is that the seat can only move 1" in any direction.

The truck is only going to be casual and camping baby mover. Most time will be in the wife's rouge.

Thanks for the help. Obviously new to this. Little one should be here in the next few weeks.

Even if your truck is going to be a casual and camping baby mover, the attention to where and how the baby seat is mounted should take as much precidence as it will for your wife's Rouge.

[cycosis]

^This.

There shouldn’t be a more effort/less effort depending on vehicle usage. ANY caregiver going near the safety equipment should have read the manual front to back and then it’s best if both parents explore the the seat and practice the install together. Every caregiver should know every aspect of how the seat works, even if it’s just dad doing the install. Half a f all errors are putting baby into the harness so mom has no excuse. Plus, it’s generally mom and baby out and about. So if she’s pulled over, those tickets are in her name. Avoid the future argument, put in the effort up front, and never have a problem for the next 10 years of car seat usage.

[dirtsniffer]

Ya I guess I wasn't overly clear. There are no issues with the seat in the rogue. But id rather not buy a seat for the truck based on the overhang being 70% vs 80% unless of course it's regulated. Using the seatbelt, while not as easy as latch, I can get behind.

[redline]

The big take away is don’t wing it. You never want to put yourself in a what if position in the event of a collision.

You could pay an installer a $100 a pop or you can come talk to me for free :)

Where do you work? I changed our seats to forward facing and I can’t get them installed the way they should imo.