Problem
|
Explanation
|
Solution |
| Your child safety seat is not installed tightly enough |
A loosely installed seat may move too much in a crash |
Tighten child safety seat into vehicle seat:
- Make sure both the lower anchor strap(s) and the tether are pulled as tightly as possible.
- The child safety seat should move less than one inch in any direction when properly installed.
|
| Lower anchor strap is routed through the wrong area of your child safety seat |
Convertible child safety seats usually have different belt paths for the lower anchor strap. Which path to use depends on whether you are installing the seat rear-facing or forward-facing.
You must manually change the path the lower anchor strap is taking if it is set up incorrectly for the way you want to install your car seat. If you use the wrong belt path, the seat may not remain secured to the vehicle in a crash.
|
Re-route lower anchor strap:
- Examine your child safety seat and find the lower anchor strap. Read the owners manual and look for stickers or labels on the side of the child safety seat which indicate which belt path is correct for the way you want to install your seat.
- If you need to switch the way the lower anchor strap is routed, make sure that you do not get it tangled with other straps.
|
| Child safety seat is installed forward-facing but you are not using the tether strap. |
It is safer to use the tether strap for all forward-facing child safety seats. It does not matter whether you are using the lower anchors or the vehicle's safety belt to install the seat--you can always use the tether also.
|
Attach the tether strap to the tether anchor and tighten as much as possible. |
You used the lower anchors to install a child safety seat in the center of your backseat, but your vehicle and/or your child safety seat do not permit this.
|
Please read Vehicles With Center Anchors for a detailed explanation of this mistake. |
Attach the child safety seat in the center position using the vehicle's safety belt or attach the child safety seat on the side positions using the lower anchors. Remember to use the top tether! |
| You have used the lower anchors to install a child safety seat when it is in booster mode--where the child is sitting on the seat and using the vehicle seat belt across them. |
Most child safety seats do not permit this. |
Read your child safety seat's instruction manual to determine whether it is safe for you to use the lower anchors or top tether to attach the child safety seat to the vehicle when in booster mode.
- Some seats, like the Clek booster and the Safeguard Go, permit this, but most do not.
|
| You have installed your child safety seat using the lower anchors, but your child weighs more than 48 pounds |
Most child safety seats do not recommend using the lower anchors when kids weigh more than 48 pounds. Some have a limit of 40 pounds, while other go to 60 pounds. Most vehicles recommend that you do NOT use the lower anchors to install a child safety seat for a child over 40 pounds.
Since the lower anchors bear the brunt of the force in a crash, concern for their weight limit is especially important. They are designed to restrain the weight of a child safety seat plus the weight of a small child. The vehicle's safety belt, which is stronger because it is designed to restrain large adults, is a good substitute for the lower anchors when securing a child safety seat used by a heavier child.
|
If you have a child safety seat that has a 5 point harness for kids weighing more than 40 pounds, please read your child safety seat owners manual to see what the maximum weight limit is for the lower anchors. Once your child is above that weight limit, use the vehicle's safety belt to secure the child safety seat. Do not use the lower anchors. And remember to ALWAYS continue to use the tether. |
The LATCH System 
Our Facebook page
Our Blog
