How to Install Car Seats in a Truck

The safest place for a child safety seat is in the back seat of a vehicle, but sometimes this location is not an option. One example is a pickup truck with no back seat. In this case, proper installation of the car seat is essential to ensure the child's safety.

Things You'll Need

  • Car seat
  • T-clip
  • Car owner's manual
  • Car seat owner's manual

Instructions

    • 1

      Be sure the car seat fits properly in the truck's front seat. If the passenger-side seat is separate, push it back as far as possible to make room between the seat and the dash. If the child is sitting rear-facing in the car seat, place it in the passenger seat in the rear-facing position and ensure the car seat does not touch the dash. If it touches, you either need a different car seat or you should not let your child ride in the truck.

    • 2

      Disable the air bag on the passenger side. If the airbag were to go off, it would likely be more harmful to the child than the crash that set it off. Most vehicles have a switch that turns the airbag off. Check your owner's manual for specifications for your particular model. If there is no switch, visit a dealer. He can help you disable the airbag.

    • 3

      Install the car seat using the pickup truck's seat belt. The LATCH system is always safer, but LATCH bars are not installed in front seats, so you will need to use the seatbelt. Follow the instructions in the car seat manual to thread the belt through the proper pathway for a forward- or rear-facing seat.

    • 4

      Use the belt-locking T-clip to lock the seatbelt in place. Slide the clip over both the lap and shoulder pieces of the belt as close to the buckle as possible. This will prevent the seatbelt from loosening over time, which would put your child in danger of hitting the dashboard in a crash.

    • 5

      Check your work. The car seat should wiggle a little bit from side to side, but not very much. The seat should only move about an inch in any direction. Too tight an installation will mean there is no movement to absorb shock in a crash. Too loose and the child will be in danger of hitting the dashboard or other part of the truck.

    • 6

      Take your car seat to be inspected at a car seat checkpoint. A professional will look over your installation and explain how to fix anything you did wrong and also point out what you did properly so the next time you install the seat you will be completely confident your child is safe.

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