Badger62811

My in-laws totaled my wife's Suzuki SUV less than 3 months before my daughter was born. All we had was my 94 Xcab. I never even thought about giving up my truck for a CAR

So, instead, we managed to cram an infant to toddler car seat into the cab. (It took a few attempts to twist, turn, and push like.... to get it in) It is still in there (almost 2 years later) simply because I have nowhere else to go with it. The three of us loaded up in it the weekend after Thanksgiving to go get a Christmas tree. It didn't work so well. It was either have my knees in the dash or have my daughters feet up on my shoulders.

Anyway, it can be done, at least in my 94. For a short period of time. But it's a great alternative to giving up your truck.

Good Luck and Congratulations on Parenthood...

82yota

There is a child seat holder tie down thing to bolt into the back seats on these trucks. I have one in my 92. It was cheap from the dealer. You just take out the plastic plug above the rear seat on the passenger side and there is a threaded hole there to thread the seat holder thing into. Worked fine for me and my ex. This was with a 1 year old though.

camo31_10.50

idk guys.....these older pickups aren't very safe....


Landcruiser would be the better option lol

Badger62811

Giving up my truck was not an option when my little one was born. Maybe I'm stubborn, whatever. My dad got the truck new in 94 and passed it down to me. If it was good enough for me to ride in the back seat for many years, it's good enough for my kid. My driving habits change drastically when the little one is on board. I drive less like an invincible 16 year old and more like a paranoid 60 year old. Accidents do happen, and even the safest vehicles aren't so safe. The key is doing the best to avoid them. But if it's going to happen, it's going to happen. I'm really not one that does or doesn't purchase a vehicle based on crash test ratings. When the Man upstairs calls my number, there's nothing I can do about it.

hunter h

Toyotas are safest vehicles in the road my buddy flipped his 92 3 times and scratched his hand NO SAFETY FEATURES. gotta love yotas. But seriously I think your truck will be fine I would put the car seat up front tho the back seat is just so confined

pruney81

I don't think you would have an issue putting a rear facing seat in the front but I don't have any kids so I'm not sure what the exact laws are. Either way I wouldn't sell the truck they are getting harder and harder to find in good condition, especially on the east coast.

The guy I bought my single cab from had his kid with him sitting on the bench seat when he met me to sell it so I don't know, if I had to guess the kid was around 5 or 6 tops.

mmcpeck

Thanks for all the responses guys, and the congratulations.....I'm still bugging out a bit, but excited too.

The front seat never even occurred to me, I thought all car seats needed to be in a back seat, (I don't know much about these things), which why I was thinking of the Xtra cab, but I guess if there isn't a true back seat then the front seat will work fine.

It will be on a very occasional basis anyway, as we have the Camry and it will be around almost all of the time, occasionally I may have to do very short trips around the neighborhood with the kid in a car seat, so it sounds like the front seat will work fine, I do have to make sure it's legal in downstate NY though, this state seems to try and screw you every time you turn around, so it wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't legal here.

I took a look at that plug behind the seats in the Xtra cab and thought that may be for some kind of car seat restraint, I may check that out as well, thanks for the info.

Now that I know there is probably a way to do it, no way in hell I'm getting rid of my truck. Thanks again.

meisentones

I'm glad your friend was ok; however, I think I'd like to challenge that statement. For example:









...I'm just saying, Toyota pickup is the safest vehicle on the road? I'm not sure, but something about that doesn't sound right. lol

Regarding the childseat in the front, I found this article that says it is indeed safe, as long as no air bags

http://www.carseat.se/are-car-seats-in-front-seat-safe/

89pickupsr5

sometimes i bring my girls 5 year old in my reg cab with a booster seat. i know shes 5 but still.

ak_md1122

i suspect mom will be the decider. (and, she'll be right...)

no 90s vintage p/u is anywhere near as safe as a newer rig with all the airbags, ABS, etc. sure i used to ride on the rear window deck of a 50s olds and thought it was great as a 5 year old. but, that was then and luckily i never played superman flying through the windshield.

if you can afford it get a newer vehicle, or have a newer vehicle, graduate yourself from the "what me worry" stage of life to the "its my job to worry" stage of parenting.

good luck and congrats — remember, being a dad is the most important job you'll ever have.

camo31_10.50

it's not a matter of how safe a driver YOU are...it's the IDIOTS that are ALLLLLLLLLLL around you on the road.

when an accident DOES happen (because statistics say it will...) would you rather you and your family be SAFE in a newer vehicle, or possibly lose the life of your child in an accident?

i hate to say it, but Minivan's are safe, or so i've heard.

Andy87

I have a 6 mo. old right now. In December we found ourselves with only my '92 Xtra cab. There was no way whatsoever the carseat would fit in back, especially rear facing. Also, there was no way the rear-facing carseat would fit in the middle of the 60/40 split bench seat without hitting the shifter (would've worked with an automatic probably). So, we put the carseat in the passenger location and my wife sat in the middle. Yes, it was quite cramped, and yes, it was not the absolute safest way for our little dude to travel... but to be ABSOLUTELY safe, you'd have to simply never let your kid ride in a car ever.

Anyway, it worked until we got a newer 4runner for a family vehicle. Bottom line, on an occasional basis like you mentioned, if I were you I'd keep the truck and put the kid on the passenger side. Also, our car seat had the LATCH strap option, so I actually used that (hooked to the existing seatbelt mounting brackets) along with the shoulder belt. Something about the shoulder-belt-to-lap-belt clip thing didn't sit too well with me, so I used the LATCH belt as well.

Of course, once you get your kid all strapped in, and mom's squeezed in between you (and maybe you have your two dogs in the xtra cab for good measure) and you get just far enough from home, your kid will decide to have a blowout (you'll know what that is soon enough). Then, you'll need to change him/her on your lap while parked on the side of the road (it'll be raining outside of course) and crap will literally be EVERYWHERE. Yes, this did happen.

Have fun!

camo31_10.50

OH, well if this is only on occasion..then you should be okay, but please be aware of everything going on around you.

Red Wheeler

Anyone have the P/N for the car seat adapter?

jumpersatthedoor

I am a registered nurse and during my OB/Pediatric rotation in school we would, by law(in Texas), have to physically walk out with the parents with the new baby and see them put them in the car with a car seat. If I walked out and saw them in a extended cab I would say no way. The baby has to be in the back seat facing the rear for the first 6 months and then and only then can they be turned around. Extended cab would only let you place them in there sideways and that is a no-no. Stick with the Camry, it will be safer. Hope this helps.

PS-

If you go to your local fire station they will put your car-seat in for you. They will damn near certify its correct placement via notarized letter. That would be what I would do if you want the correct application

StangBanger

Soo....what did you do dude?

acodeyang

If a extra cab is the situation put it in the passenger seat that's what I do

babbsiscool

I know this is an old thread but since I found it I thought I'd add some clarification for anyone else who finds this thread with the same question as the OP. I feel like some of the people that answered are not familiar with these trucks.

1) 89-95 Toyota extra cab jump seats are not positioned side ways. The main difference between a 3rd Gen pickup extra cab back seat and a Tacoma double cab back seat is that they don't have their own door and there's only two of them. Otherwise double cabs are just a little bit bigger and the bottom seat cushion is a little bit longer. It looks a lot bigger but having sat in the back of both (I'm 6ft) I can tell you there's not a huge difference.

2) 89-95 Trucks do not have airbags. This isn't an issue, heck even my 1997 Tacoma Reg Cab 2wd didn't have an airbag on the passenger side. My wife actually got pulled over in the truck with my daughter in the passenger seat and the officer didn't even thing twice about it so I'm sure you would be fine.

3) If you have a 5 speed you're not going to have your kid in the middle. I've tried it and the only thing I could get any more than 1st, 3rd, and 5th with was a booster seat.

4) There is no legal or serious safety issue (relative to other trucks) reasons why a front facing car seat can't ride in the back. With the front seats adjusted for me to fit comfortably we have no problem fitting our two daughters in the back of our 91. The car seats are secure and the girls are secure in the car seat.

5) Anything pre 1996 will not have a built in seatbelt locking mechanism so you will need to use a locking clip to secure the car seat tightly into the seatbelt. You can find these on the back of every car seat sold today.

Personally I have no problem putting the girls in the back of our 91 there is no major reason why you can't or shouldn't do it with a front facing seat. It's a perfectly legitimate place to put them. I wouldn't put an infant seat in the pickup unless I really needed to just because they take up a huge amount of space and we have a minivan. I might try it though and see how it fits, remember the passenger seat does slide forward.

Whether or not people are comfortable putting their kids in a 90's pickup simply because it lacks modern safety technology is a completely different story but as far legality and security goes, it works great.

I actually got in a fairly serious accident in the back of an extended cab Ford when I was 2. My parents suffered were fine but took some time to recover from minor injuries, I on the other hand was perfectly fine. The way I see it, if the accident is serious enough to kill you it doesn't matter what you are in. I do take safety seriously though and recommend that each person do their own research and pray for their own answers about how to keep their family safe.

Badger62811

Well said. I grew up in the back seat of my dad's 84 Nissan sentra. When I was 5 he got his 94 x cab and the back seat was my domain. I felt way more safe in the back of that truck than that pos nissan. It was way cooler too. The elementary school chicks loved a man with a truck. Hahaha.

As long as your child is in the right seat for their height/weight/age there's nothing anyone can say to you.

Odin

Just hang the car seat off the window like what you see at a 50's burger joint. It worked fine for my friends kid. He listens to urban rap/hip hop, wears cloths that are 5 sizes too large and constantly exposes his underwear. Nobody has any idea were his messed up walk (bob and weave) gate came from because he's never had an injury. His parents considered him special when he was born. Now most of the people that see and meet him also consider him "Special"