I lost my digital camera for a little while during our last move but in case people wanted to see some pics of what I installed, here they are:

http://community.webshots.com/album/200298736mtOZsN

I wish I had taken more during the install so you could see that process too but I was in a hurry to get it back together, sorry guys!

 

Greetings,
Really nice work. A picture is worth a 1000 words.

MV

 

Hi Jamie,

Thanks for the pix

 

No probs guys!

Remember that directly above each of these anchor points are the holes in the sheetmetal you need to enlarge (in order to fit the brackets in behind the sheetmetal) and then I wasn't able to get pics of the brackets I made but the rest should be quite self explanitory in the writeup.

 

Is there anyway to by LACTH anchors from Toyota that can be installed without cutting etc.? I understand the 02 model have them.
thx

 

bump...

I was also thinking of doing this since I have a '98 and obviously don't have LATCH in my rig. Our '02 Altima has the LATCH system and it rocks compared to just strapping the seat belt on!

 

bump...

 

I don't believe so....they are welded to the bodywork.
They are definately not a bolt in option I can guarantee that.

 

OK I have to get on my for this one.

Child seats installed incorrectly are my pet peave. I believe that anyone who uses a car seat needs to read the instructions. DO NOT use the cargo anchors, they are not strong enough in a crash. I would never modify the seats for the "latch system" if the car wasn't equiped. It is easy enough to use the teather bolt and strap that came with the seat along with the seat belt.

I was almost killed by a drunk driver 7 years ago and I would never trust anything other than what has been tested by the DOT. It is not worth you child being flung around like a rag doll. You would be amazed at the forces in an impact.

Sorry about the rant but the only thing that annoys me more is seeing a child bouncing around a moving car like it is a jungle jim.

Kids are not replacable.

Matt

 

my 02 has the LATCH system.

 

I fully agree.
We have the infant seat with detachable base.
I actually took my car seat to the local firestation to have them inspect the installation. They tightened the base a lot you should not be able to move it side to side easily or more than one inch. Furthermore, LATCH anchors are only tested to function when 12" or so apart. For many cars only the LATCH anchors on either side are installed 12" apart but the middle can be say 20" apart, meaning putting the baby seat in the middle is not a proven/tested option. And that is otherwise safest the place you would want you infant seat. Getting a carseat where you can leave the base in the car pretty much makes the LATCH system irrelavant to me
Anchors can be place in the cargo area for when the kid start facing forward, they can be purchased at the dealer and instruction for installing is in the owners manual.

 

2002 4Runner?

Are you talking about the tether anchor at the top of the rear seat backs?

If so, this is not LATCH.

If you are speaking of lower anchor points, 2 per seat, please let me know. This is LATCH and I haven't found them on mine but will look again.

Thanks,

Curt

 

I agree the cargo anchors are not meant for this type of application and could break if they were the only thing holding the child during a crash. I am well aware of the forces involved and if you read my posts, they were actually calculated quite carefully. I agree this mod is a safety issue but if done carefully I have full faith that this mod is as capable as any LATCH system installed by OEMs. It is very important to install and use the tether bolt that comes with most baby seats (if not they can easily be purchased seperately) to minimize the possibility of any failure. The design is such that the child (unfortunately) would likely be fatally hurt (from G forces) before the system failed.......knock on wood.....god forbid that ever happens!

 

Child seats can be reasonably secured in late '90s 4Runners. It wont be as easy as with the lower anchors in the LATCH system, but it isn't too bad with a little modification.

With the center lap belt it is easy to get the seat tight. With the shoulder belt it is very difficult to get it tight and level. The tighter it gets, the more it pulls up on the shoulder strap side. The two solutions are use the "H" shape locking clip, which is a pain, or get a seat with clips built into the base. I have the Britax Roundabout. I am able to get it plenty tight and almost level using both clips on the Roundabout.

For a rear facing seat, to get the 45 degree angle and compensate for the tendency of the shoulder belt to lift up the side, I attached the top tether to the seat hinge. To do this you need the top tether anchor bracket kit supplied by most seat manufacturers. Britax will send them free of charge. Cosco/Eddie Bauer/Safety1st charge $5. To attach this anchor to the rear seat hinge, pull the rear seat cushion up and you can easily see how to remove the plastic cover. The metal hinge has a hole in it perfect for mounting the anchor brackets. The Cosco anchor kit worked best here. If you seat does not have a top tether, you could use the latch belt fed through the forward facing belt path. This would only work with hook type LATCH belts, not the fancy buckles that come with Britax. Check with the car seat manufacturer to see if this is okay.

For a forward facing seat you can further secure it by installing the top tether anchor bracket in the cargo area. For the side seating positions, there are two holes already there with anchor nuts welded under the metal. You will need the bolt from Toyota, it is not a standard size. The Toyota part does NOT come with the bracket, just the bolt and spacers. For my '97 4Runner the part number is 04731-22012. There is another kit you may find if you search the web that does have the bracket (73709-12010) but it is useless for the '97 4Runner because the bolt threads don't fit anything. In my situation, I needed the anchor in the center seat position, for which Toyota did not provide a hole. Fortunately the Britax tether anchor kit comes with a big washer to go on the underside of the truck. I drilled the hole in the center, 3 inches in front of the side holes to miss the extra strip of metal that covers the other two holes. This will be more clear once you have crawled under your truck. It will take 2 people to tighten the nut and bolt, one person underneath and one in the cargo area.

And lastly, the big tease. When you lift up the rear carpet to install the top tether anchors, you will see 4 holes drilled right along the seat back. These are no doubt the mount points for the real live LATCH lower anchors. BUT there are NO nuts welded underneath and no way to access the underside of the metal. I spent hours trying to find an easy way to get in there but I had to give up. It would have been nice to get the LATCH parts for a 2002 4Runner and just put them in.

 

Uh, not sure why you're updating a 4yr old thread...but nonetheless, '02 4Runner did not come equipped w/ the LATCH anchors in the seats. They only got the tether points on the rear of the seats. However, LATCH anchors were standard on '03 and up 4Runners.

I purchased 2 Britax Roundabouts (both for mine and my wife's 4Runner) a couple weeks ago. As you said, this particular seat has the 2 seat belt clips on the side of the seat to keep the belt tight (not that bothersome gold H clip.) Those two clips on the side of the car seat keep our seats crazy tight. Since our little one is still rear facing, we too tethered our car seat as you did - to the seat hinge below. That seat is so snug, I could ride in it and be just as safe.

We have no problems w/ the shoulder lap belt pulling the seat up. Also, b/c the rear seat on the 4Runner has a good bit of slope to it, I added a small towel under the car seat, close to the bottom of the seat back, to bring the base up to level (manual recommends either a towel or a pool noodle.) Works great.

Still wish I had LATCH standard though...

 

I went to the dealer a few months ago and bought some childseat latches for my 00 and all I had to do was use the bolts that were used to anchor the seatbelts. It was pretty easy to do. Its a pain to take the base in and out because the latches are hard to get to, but they seem to work and keep the childseat really tight.

 

Got any part #s? I'd like to see them in person.

 

I'll try to find out or at least take some pics. I read about them in the manual and called my dealership and they looked everything up for me and placed the order. I talked to one of the mechanics in the shop on how to install them because the manual says there were already locations to attach them, but I could not find them. The latch is attached to a bolt that is the same as the seatbelt mounts.

 

I suspect they actually gave you top tether anchor brackets, not lower anchors. If so, there are a few concerns, mainly, they are not as strong as real LATCH lower anchors or the vehicle's seat belt. Also, the seat belt bolt might not be long enough to go all the way through the bracket and the whole nut.

 

If you are using a Mighty tite your in the 70% of those installed incorrectly. Look in the car seat manual or contact a car seat tech. In some cases the mighty tite has broken or placed so much strees on the car seat that it failed in areas it's not supposed to. Unless the car seat manufacture has tested and approved this product for use with that specific model of seat it is not valid. In addition it can also damage the webbing of the seat belt presenting other issues. DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT!!!! Contact the seat manufacture and a car seat tech for more details. Police and fire squads are not car seat tech unless they have completed the training.