Child Seats - Where is your Tether Hook in your SUV/Wagon????

Okay you SUV/Wagon owners - I need your help! Forward-facing car
seats need to be attached to a tether hook in the car (and I think
it's law up here in Canada). Most sedans have them in the little
shelf behind the rear seats - but where do they put them in
SUVs/Wagons where they still work well and don't get in the way?

Case #1: In some new SUVs/Wagons, I've seen the tether hooks just
behind the rear seats in the rear cargo area. How do they become
tight when they are so close to the carseat and down below?

Case #2: In other new SUVs/Wagons, the tether hooks are at the very
back of the rear cargo area, right by the door (usually in those
SUVs/Wagons that have a shorter cargo area where the strap can reach,
I suspect). This seems to make more sense, physics-wise (strap is
tight and at a more sensible angle) but then, if the seat is in the
center position, you have rendered the entire cargo area useless
because the strap is in the way!!!! - unless you unhook the seat, load
stroller, groceries, camping gear, etc., re-hook the tether strap and
then continue to load gear on top of that, if necessary.

Can anyone comment on how they have gotten their tether strap to hook
into their cargo area without it being in the way, while still being
safe? Can the dealer install a tether hook anywhere in the cargo
area? Can you use a tie-down hook to attach your carseat? This is
very confusing and I can't seem to find any information about it, and
I am not sure if this should affect my decision as to what car to
buy....HELP!

Thanks in advance!
Paula

Paula wrote:
Okay you SUV/Wagon owners - I need your help! Forward-facing car
seats need to be attached to a tether hook in the car (and I think
it's law up here in Canada). Most sedans have them in the little
shelf behind the rear seats - but where do they put them in
SUVs/Wagons where they still work well and don't get in the way?
We have a wagon, and the tether bolt is in the ceiling. It is more normal
to go in the floor, but our wagon has a sort of false floor (over the spare
wheel). We find it very useful in the ceiling, as it doesn't impact at all
on what we can transport in the boot.

Cathy

Paula wrote:

Can anyone comment on how they have gotten their tether strap to hook
into their cargo area without it being in the way, while still being
safe? Can the dealer install a tether hook anywhere in the cargo
area? Can you use a tie-down hook to attach your carseat? This is
very confusing and I can't seem to find any information about it, and

We drive a Subaru Legacy Outback wagon '96 edition, and have attached
the tether strap to a little thingy in the back seat. I don't even know
what it's called in Dutch, let alone English, so I'll try to describe
it. The back of the seat has a wide and low U shaped opening that
contains a plastic bar, like a bridge. It is obviously used for
strapping things to, and the tether hook of DS's carseat can only
just hook onto it, as the bar is pretty thick. But it works fine.

--
-- I
mommy to DS (16m)
guardian of DH (32)
TTC #2
War doesn't decide who's right, only who's left

"Paula" wrote in message
om...
snip
This is
very confusing and I can't seem to find any information about it, and
I am not sure if this should affect my decision as to what car to
buy....HELP!

Here are a bunch of links that should help.

If you are buying a new vehicle, the owners manual should have all the
nessesary information, or call the car manufactured directly, or have the
dealership inquire.

" Top tether anchors, depending on whether you have a sedan, SUV, or
minivan, may be located on the rear filler panel, on the back of or slightly
under the rear vehicle seat or on the roof of the vehicle. If you're unsure
if your vehicle has LATCH, check your vehicle owner's manual. "

"Most model year 2000 vehicles have tether anchors installed at the factory.
Virtually all model year 2001 and later vehicles have tether anchors as
well. Some vehicles like Ford WindstarT have had standard tether anchors
for many years. Vehicle owner's manuals often detail the locations of these
anchors. They can be on the bottom of a seat, in the floor, on the rear
deck of a sedan/coupe, in the cargo area roof of a wagon or SUV, and may
even route through a fabric loop in some pickup trucks. In some cases, the
carseat's owner's manual may also specify other anchor points that can be
used for a tether. In a few cases, the manual may also specify the
orientation that the hook must use when attached to the anchor."

http://www.car-safety.org/latch.html
www.carseat.org
http://www.car-seat.org/
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/inju...her/index.html
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp/tp13511/en/menu.htm
http://www.drgreene.com/21_487.html
http://www.carseatsite.com/
http://www.carseatdata.org/