Baby on the way, Access Cab

Awesome! You are ahead in the game friend.

 

God I miss my 1991 5 speed S10.

 

The airbag won’t register up to a certain weight limit- check your manual for exact.

And I think the law is based on option, current situation. If you don’t have a rear seating option then the front it is. If you don’t have a x amount % of the car seat on a “base” then front it is; if the car seat can’t be at a correct angle then front it is. Obviously check this out for yourself but its a situation of you got to do what you got to do. I’m not arguing that it’s less safe but again you have to do what you have to do. Check your manual on car seats for your model- they used to have those didn’t they (recommendations)?

 

Looks like the wife gets the Taco when your on chauffeur duty!

 

Agreed. I dont think the jump seat in the AC is long enough for a car seat base. Safer in full size seat up front in this case. Again this is just MY opinion but everyone has to make decisions based on what they think is best for themselves and their family.

 

4 cylinder, 5 speed MT, no ac or power steering etc.

As bare bones as they come, but 25-30 mpg all day every day as I remember it.

The quality wasn’t great, it was falling apart after 6 years.

The Dakota was a beast of a truck- never once didn’t start or failed to get me where I needed to be and back home again in 19 years. And that 6cyl engine had some pep.

 

Fortunately, she hates driving my truck!

 

I had a 95 S10, regular cab, short bed, with a 4.3 and a 5 speed. Man, I roasted the tires off that little pickup.

 

Not really a factual source but something for him to look into. Get your facts (laws) now so just in case you were to get stopped you won’t fumble The ball

 

Great info here.

 

I knew a guy that had a 383 stroker in an S10. Something special!

 

I had a 2001 extended cab, V8 Dakota, I absolutely loved that truck. It was a beast. Not the best mileage but I never had one problem with it. At around 200k miles I rolled it 3x on the interstate after falling asleep behind the wheel. It saved my life (and the seatbelt did too). And that motor was still running when it stopped rolling. I'd get another!

As for the car seat in the AC, there are dedicated tie down spots in the rear so I bet you will probably be required to go that route, they probably designed the rear seats to legally fit car seats. If it's just you and the kid, that shouldn't be an issue. I also read that some people managed to fit the car seat in the middle of the rear. Good luck!

 

I just looked up Kansas laws... the Highway Patrol only dictates the type of seat for the age of the child. They say the "safest place for a child is in the back seat" but there is no verbiage like "the child MUST be in the back seat."

 

I'm a former police officer. In my current jo . My customers are police departments. You should call the Kansas Highway Patrol and ask them about your specific situation. Then you will know for sure. That's what I would do.

 

Didn’t read any other posts, I had an 09 access cab, we fit 2 kids, dog, wife and myself to go camping. We didn’t use the truck as our main ride, just when we went camping, as my son started approaching 6 feet, we upsized to a DC. The kids struggled for a bit with booster seats, as one point their legs were not long enough for the knee to bend at the edge of the seat.

 

I'm a firefighter... I know a few troopers locally. I'll ask one of them!

 

Boom! Done. There ya go!

 

@Masterofnone Congrats on becoming a dad!! I had an access cab a few years ago when my sons were 6 & 8 and had a hard time using a booster seat with a back on it. It was super hard to get in a position that was comfortable for my youngest. You can probably get a rear facing car seat in there, but it will probably be really tight especially if the front passenger needs space. Not saying it won't work but it's not the best option. Ended up trading it in for a double cab a year later and now that they're 10 & 12 (going on 13) I'm glad I did traded it in.

 

Thank you so much!

As I said the chances of me, my wife, and the kid needing to take my truck anywhere is slim to none, so I'm not concerned with front passenger space! And since my truck is almost paid off and hardly broke in, I sure don't like the idea of another car payment!

My wife has a Ford Fusion and an aspiration to one day get a CH-R, so there's plenty of room for all of us there.

If I DID go double cab, I'd probably bite the bullet and just go full size. But boy I sure like my little Tacoma and prefer to keep it!

 

Dangerous, awful idea.
CDC: “Airbags can kill young children riding in the front seat. Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an airbag.” Trust the people that study pediatric morbidity, FFS.

Edit: sources and their sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6436a7.htm

1. CDC. Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Available at www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.
2. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic safety facts 2013 data—occupant protection. Available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812153.pdf .
3. Durbin DR; Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. Child passenger safety. Pediatrics 2011;127:e1050–66.