I have a 95 SWB Aerostar. I also have the following complement of passengers: Wife, four boys (16, 14, 12 years old, 6 months old). My post relates to the youngest.

He's now too big for the infant seat & we picked up a child seat today. Tether strap anchor is the issue. I don't have the manual for the van (bought second-hand) & it was acquired after the older boys had outgrown child seats. I have no idea where the "normal" tether strap anchor points are (top tether strap is require by law here). Are there any pre-drilled holes as the child seat instructions claim there are supposed to be? If so, where are they?

We're also trying to decide where is the best place to put the seat for everyone's convenience. The infant seat was is the second row immediately behind the driver's seat. Good location because it didn't block access to other seats. Also good because it kept the teens from the rear radio controls. Bad location because it's a long way to lift the kid & seat over. BTW the seat arrangement in our van in the basic front buckets with two benches.

With the child seat, I see the tether strap being a big pain the in the rump for other passengers in the van. If the seat stays in the second row, the strap goes to the floor in the rear seat passengers' foot space. If the seat goes on the rear bench, the strap hinders the cargo area (stroller), particularly if the seat goes in the middle. Seat in the middle of the rear bench also hinders access to the left rear seat & is a struggle to get the baby in & out. We are considering the right position of the rear bench - fairly easy to access, and should still be able to get decent rear seat access for other passengers, flipping the middle bench forward as necessary. The big problem with the seat on the rear bench is what to do when we need the rear out or flipped down for cargo, which happens with surprising regularity.

Is it permissible to have the tether strap go up to the roof? I could then have the seat on the middle bench & not have the strap in the way for the other passengers.

Anyone out there have any solutions?

Cheers,
Eric

 

What is a tether strap? My kids are still in child seats but unfortunately, I don't understand your question....

 

visit your Ford dealer parts counter and they will give you the tether bold as well as detailed installation instuctions for free. For my 91 SWB the tether location recommended was behind the rear seat on the right hand side. I also had another addition to the family so I installed another one in the left hand side, mirror image to the first one. As far as other locations possible, you would have to check with either ford or the local authorities. I know the police here in edmonton are willing to assist parents in this.

You can also tether the car seat to the male end of the middle seat belt in the back row if you want use the middle seat but you do lose a seating position this way.

 

Well, I answered my own question once I took a good look at it & talked with a guy at work. FYI the tether strap is also referred to as the top strap in the manual for my other vehicle. It goes from the top center of the seat to the floor behind the seat to keep the seat from rocking forward during a collision.

Tony had the anchor installed when he bought his Caravan & he had the same concerns (he has a 10 year old son who's into hockey & soccer & there's a lot of carpooling involved). I assumed the strap had to incline down to the floor, but apparently it can run straight down the rear of the seatback.

I put the seat on the middle bench just inside the sliding door. The springs under the seat cushion are installed through 3/8 holes - same size as the tether anchor bolt. There was one spring in just the right location, so I unhooked it (no need for a comfy seat cushion when the baby seat's permanently installed) & bolted up the anchor. The anchor now comes out with the seat, keeping the floor flat for cargo. FWIW, the seat frame is a lot thicker than the floor sheet metal is. So the strap runs down the rear or the seatback to just under the cushion - nobody's footroom gets hindered.

I also hit on a novel idea for keeping the shoulder belt for that seat out of the way of the backseat passengers, since the belt stays fastened permanently. I took the middle lap-only belt off the rear bench & attached it to the same anchor (at the side of the middle bench) as the regular belt. The added lap belt stays attached all the time & the shoulder belt just dangles at the side - I have to tie it up yet. If the baby seat comes out for another passenger, the shoulder belt is still available. I'll hit the wreckers to get another lap belt for the rear bench.

Cheers,
Eric

 

The shoulder belt for the middle bench stays out of way for the rear passengers when you fasten its anchor to the coat hanger above the sliding door.