securing car seats for kids in Xtracab

Hi there - i am hoping to get some help figuring out how/if i can safely and securely install an anchor for a child's seat in my 98 Tacoma Xtracab. I have one child in a booster which is fine - but for my younger boy to be in a car seat in the back I would prefer installing some sort of an anchor at or slightly higher than his car seat to limit side to side movement. If anyone has ideas or experience with this i would be grateful. Thanks.

Todd

 

My last truck was a '95 and I needed to do the same setup you are speaking of with my kids. I found it best to remove the jump seats so the seat was solid on the truck floor and used the seat belt with a metal anckor that attaches to the seat belt to prevent slipping. I strapped it as per manufacturer recomendations and it was fine. I was never real comfortable with them in the turck so it was mostly drop offs and pick up after work.

I contemplated an anchor and some tec screws, but never did it. The kids were getting to big for the xtra cab then I got my new double cab and haven't looked back.

Still have the old jump seats if anyone is interested...

 

Not 100% sure but I dont think a child seat should be installed in the back of an access cab. Arent they like jump seats? If they are then it shouldnt be installed. I will do more research and get back to you. Research complete ,.... if the seats are center facing drop style seat where they lower from the side of the truck then they are not recommended for installation of a child seat of any kind.

 

I have my daughter's car seat in the back of my extra cab and it works fine. I fold up the jump seat and flip up the little platform behind the passenger seat and it sits perfect there, nice and stable on the hard surface too. Just make sure when you run the seat belt through the back of the car seat you pull it all the way out and pull all slack out of it, it has a ratchet when you pull it out all the way and doesnt allow any pull on the belt....

 

I have an '03 extraCab with the forward facing jump seats and have car seat and boosters back there.

Just like the previous poster, I fold the jump down and bring up the cup holder tray and then put the car seat with latching belt included on that, I latch one side to the existing seat belt mount in the corner and the other goes to the hoop tie down in the center of the back. There is also a removable plastic panel right on the bottom edge of the back glass with another bracket to secure the car seat back with the attached strap. The car seat is secured in 3 spots and I am pretty confident it's not going anywhere.

As a side note, to make things much easier and for my mind closer to the rear wall, I removed the entire seat back pad from the back wall. Just took it off and threw on a shelf in the garage to replace when the kids are out of car seats. It gives you and easy extra 2-3" of room for the car seats to sit on the jump seats.

Kind of hard to explain all of this, hope it makes sense?

 

X3 on behind the passenger seat.....use that cup holder for support and buckle away.....My grand daughter likes this because she can actually see out that side window

S

 

I am new to this forum and i really appreciate the ideas and advice. A couple of you mentioned some sort of metal strap that secures to the seat belt/seat belt bolt that than can serve as an anchor - if you have any further info on what this is called (assuming it is an actual product i might be able to buy) let me know. Thank you.

 

This is the device that locks the seat belt. It should have come with the car seat. Check out the manufacture's web site to see if you can get one. If not let me know I can send this one to you. I have the latch system in both my car and my truck.

 

In the access cab does the seat fold down from the side or is it like a regular bench seat? Child seats are not designed to be installed on seats that drop down from the side, They are for forward facing seats.

 

thanks for the picture - very helpful.

 

There may be info in the owners manual if you have one.

My 2001 AC has quite a few pages of info explaing how to hook up car seats for kids.

 

Could you get us a few pics?

 

I think it was only the 01-04 that had the rear cup holders. Also, on my 01, it has an anchor point ontop of the rear passenger side seat.