Convertible car seat on the 05 highlander's third row

Hi all,

I googled and checked the manual. But still not sure. Somebody said "it's ok." Some said NO.

So is it Safe to have 1 convertible carseat on the 3rd row of Toyota highlander? If yes, how can we do it? Currently, we use the lower anchors in the second row. However, 3rd row doesn't have any lower anchors. 3rd row is not a full side row. It's like a compact.

Our car seats are evenflo symphony 65. They are old enough to move to boosters. But we will keep them in convertible car seats as long as possible

Thank you so much ladies! You all are always awesome!

 

you should ask that at carseat.org i think that is the car seat forum.  
 
I would think if the seat has a regular seat belt you can install the seat there.  Especially since you should not be using the latches in most cars once the kids are 40 pounds.

 

We did a lot of research on third row car seat installation when the baby was born. It really depends on the car. But a few things: first, chances are good your kids are too big for LATCH now anyway. Second, if done right, seatbelt installation of car seats is as safe as LATCH. It's just hard to do it right and easier to do LATCH right. Third, it is generally safer to avoid the third row because a lot of cars don't have a safe distance between the back of the third row and the back of the car, but sometimes you don't have a choice.

We ended up moving to boosters (also as safe as five point harnesses if your kids are old enough to sit in them correctly, which mine are). For us, we could use the seats with LATCH in the third row in my car (subject to weight limit), but we could only put one in the third row of DH's car. It's different for every vehicle.

 

Thanks ladies! I totally forgot about latch and weight limit! My kids are not 40lbs yet but close. We just reinstalled our carseats this morning. Thanks again!

I read on carseat.org. Many people said they had 1 seat on the 3rd row. However, after reading and researching, I decided NOT to do it. I just don't feel safe! The distance between the 3rd row and the back of the car is too short! And japanese car bodies are very very soft (that the thing I hate most about Japanese cars!) My parents do travel with us sometimes and is a pain for an adult to climb to the 3rd row. But oh well, we just have to suck it up and climb lol.

Thanks again Ladies for the useful info!

 

Both of my twins are in the third row of my car, which is actually pretty roomy. It made me a little nervous, but (1) we didn't have a choice when the baby was born and (2) my car is German boron steel, very safe, and has a decent amount of space between them and the back of the car. I've actually been rear ended in my car--not with the kids--and it barely damaged my car. It felt like a little bump against a steel tank. Which is why I own my car! But anyway, it's still not something I would have done if it wasn't necessary.

 

If I had a GMC, I would move 1 to the third row. Highlander is a midsize SUV though. The thing bothers me the most is how soft the car body is

5 yrs ago, we drove to Chicago in my husband VW Jetta. On the way back, we were stuck in traffic. We were moving like 10miles/hr. Suddenly, my husband sneezed and let go of the brake (???!) we bumped into the front car. It was a ford mini SUV. I meant it was not a big bump. Another car only got a tiny dent. However, ours...the front was all messed up. Couldn't move at all. We were totally fine. I was like "seriously??? I barely felt it."

2 yrs ago, my sis bumped into a parked car on a small road. She said she was driving less then 20 miles/hr. She just turned right from a stop sign them bumped into a parked car. When I first saw it, I was shocked and thought she must be half dead. But she was totally fine. However, her Honda CRV was half gone. Insurance company didn't bother to fix it. They towed it away and have her a big check.

When I was in college, I drove a GM Pontiac. I bumped into many things even a car. The worst was my car got a dent only. America cars are not reliable as japanese cars. But for sure their bodies are way tougher

Normally, I am very worried when I drive my kids around. My car got side airbags. And I know soft car bodies absorb all the forces. But still, it's a Toyota.