Rear Baby Seat in Your 3rd Gen ?

[XJeepguy]

I need to install a rear facing baby seat in my 98. Any of you doing this , were the hooks present in the truck or did you have to order a kit for the anchors ? I must be blind LOL , I cannot see where they go . Are the anchor holes a way back on the rear floor ?

Thank You for any info.


XJ

 

[2000runr]

No anchors until 01. You have to use the middle belt, or see if your local fire/police dept can get it to fit on one of the outboard locations.

 

[XJeepguy]

Ok thanks . Weird ,it says in the 98 manual that there are holes in the floor with nuts welded to the bottom of the truck . Where are the anchors located in your 2000 ? I do see the loop on the back of each rear seat , and you cannot lift up the seat unless you pull that strap against the seat , vertically . Have to ask around and see if that's acceptable . I doubt it though.

 

[2000runr]

Hmmm, my manual shows having to use the belt only

 

[panzer]

Rear Facing Baby seat in 3rd Gen 4runner

When securing my 2 rear facing car seats for my kids I used the posts/hinges that are under my rear seat. There is a plastic piece that is covers it but those are easy to remove.

When attached the belt from the very top of the rear facing car seat runs slightly diagonal toward the center of the vehicle where the closest post/hinge is located.

Hope this helps. My 4runner is a 2001 so I hope the post/hinge is the same on your truck.

I also agree with getting your local fire department to help you if you're worried about it. I am a firefighter for the city of Phoenix and our department offers that service by appointments. The firefighters that are certified to install the car seats take over 40 hours of training so that they can understand the different nuances to all the different cars and car seats. Also, take the time to read the car seat manual. Many of the seats are made in other countries and when they translate the instructions into English some do better than others .

When you're securing the car seat to the actual seat belt of truck, get a knee in the car seat and push it down while tightening the car seat so it is locked in tight, otherwise they move around too much.

Also, as a previous poster suggested, I suggest mounting the seat in the middle of your truck (if you only have 1 kid). This way in the chance of an accident any intrusions by another vehicle hitting you from the side is as far away from your child as possible. From what I've seen at the many car accidents I've responded to, any extra space, even a few inches... can change the outcome dramatically.

Good luck, congrats on the new addition to your family.

 

[2000runr]

Panzer, good call on the knee to press the seat down. This is exactly what the local firefighters showed me. The only prob with mounting in the middle is the 50/50 split then becomes worthless. Finally although I'm in a different city, thank you for what you do for a living. We appreciate it.

 

[JeremyH]

Yep, I use a belt mounted base for our 4 month old....no issues so far and it doesnt move around one bit!

 

[rngesci]

I too ran into this issue. I put the seat on the far driver's side (because my toddlers seat is over behind the passenger's seat). I secured the one clip under the seat where the seat belt is fastened to the floor. It is a tight clip and you have to manuver it, but it sets in. I pulled the other clip around the bottom of the back rest and clipped it onto the back floor secure tie down. I also have the safety belt in place as well. I have had HP's and even our local dealership look at it and they are all saying that is the best way to do it and I basically have the safety belt as a back up.

Now getting it unhooked....wow, grab a beer and keep your patience level low because once you have that base in there tight, it is a bugger to get unhooked!!

Safety first.

 

[J.A.]

Ok thanks . Weird ,it says in the 98 manual that there are holes in the floor with nuts welded to the bottom of the truck .

There are holes. But they are not for the rear facing seat. They are for a top tether bracket to further secure an outboard front facing seat. See here. For now, use your rear facing seat in the center position only and tightly secure it with the lap belt only.

 

[XJeepguy]

Thanks everyone for the tips and suggestions . Greatly appreciated !!

 

[One Sick Puppy]

Same situation here. I'm surprised no one has retrofitted any real anchors. I wonder if the 2001 UAS anchors are compatible with the earlier vehicles. I.e. order part and bolt in?

 

[zacattack20]

No one retrofits them because of the huge liability if anything were to fail.

 

[white rocket]

I have a 2000 Limited and I use the centre lap belt to secure the base of the rear facing seat. Doesn't budge at all once it's all tightened up.

 

[Millerad1651]

Ya I just used the shoulder belt, then used one of the anchor straps to the rear cargo hold. Nice and tight.

 

[poser]

I have an 01 and just use the belt. There's an anchor on the back of the seat, and I use that too.

 

[I'mStock]

I have a 98, could I get a pic of the anchoring system on the 01+?

 

[Millerad1651]

If you have a '98, there's not a lot you can do if you have a rear facing seat. If you take a look at the last page of my build thread you can see what I did using the rear cargo anchor.

 

[awthorn]

We have had both a carrier and a convertible seat in the rear. We use the passenger side as my wife is short and can spare the leg room.

 

[CenCalifoothill15]

I have 3 car seats in the back of my 4R, the middle car seat is rear facing and I also had nowhere to secure the straps. I'm also using the rear cargo anchor point for the forward facing car seat.

I ordered a OEM anchoring bolt kit, mounted it in a perfect spot, worked out great. Definitely a secure anchor-

 

[I'mStock]

If you have a '98, there's not a lot you can do if you have a rear facing seat. If you take a look at the last page of my build thread you can see what I did using the rear cargo anchor.[/QOUTE]

Seeing your solution made me try throwing my base back in (same model as yours) but even after anchoring the left strap and locking the seatbelt up tight I didn't like the movement I was getting.

I've got the base secured in the middle of the rear seat using the lap belt and I like it a little better but I think I'm just gonna nut up and have some anchors welding in or something.