No LATCH in 3rd row, solutions?

[aromaticriddle]

I missed the memo where Tesla removed LATCH booster and car seat attachments in the 3rd row of the model X. Before receiving our refreshed model X, we had rented an older model X to make sure it had everything we needed - that one had LATCH, but it has since been quietly removed from production vehicles.

Our current issue is with booster seats. I called the booster seat company (Chicco) and they said that LATCH is only needed when a child is *not* using the seat, to keep it from becoming a projectile during an accident. When a child is buckled into the booster seat using the seatbelt, everything is safe and ok. They suggested that we buckle up the empty car seat to keep things safe, but it is not practice for us to reliably remember to do multiple times a day, shuttling the kids around.

Does anyone have a solution to strapping in the booster seat into the 3rd row to keep it from becoming a projectile when a child is not in it, like LATCH would have provided?

 

[mxnym]

You could investigate using the RideSafer travel vest instead. That manufacturer also has some anchoring straps that may work as an alternative method if you don't like the vest idea. Beyond that, I must say that it seems to me like making it a habit to always have the seatbelt secured would be feasible. Finally, to get a bit more extreme, you could also consider that this booster-seat-is-a-projectile concern is relatively new and that the ramifications of not having the booster secured are likely similar to the ramifications of having any other item in the vehicle not secured (are you securing every item you haul in your vehicle every time?). Put another way, as a passenger or bystander could theoretically sue you for not securing the booster (or any other object) if it injured them, the primary reason the booster seat includes instructions to secure it may well be for the manufacturer's defense if you sue them in a similar scenario.

 

[aromaticriddle]

We have a RideSafer vest for occasional Uber rides and it works great! Yes, the booster seat company was very careful to not endorse having the booster seat installed without latch without a child buckled up in it.

I was thinking about a solution where the latch connectors could connect to 2 straps that run under the 3rd row seat and connect to the anchor connector on the back of the seat. Seems like that would keep the booster seat from moving around too much in an accident or hard-breaking scenario.

 

[lov2krz]

We have a 2022 refreshed X six seater and one infant (rear facing) and two 3 year old premature twins. All 3 child safety seats require the use of the latch system and the over the back tether strap. The manufacturers are clear that the adult safety shoulder belt can only be used when the child is 40 pounds or more and over a minimum height. We’re not there yet. The other alternatives discussed aren’t feasible.

Anyone have a solution for the 3rd row no latch option. We tried using the shoulder strap behind the car seat but the bottom of the car seat slides out from under itself in an emergency stop. Been there and not willing to deal with a terrified child again.

 

[venste]

I was thinking about a solution where the latch connectors could connect to 2 straps that run under the 3rd row seat and connect to the anchor connector on the back of the seat. Seems like that would keep the booster seat from moving around too much in an accident or hard-breaking scenario.

Were you able to find a solution that utilizes the anchor in the third row?

 

[aromaticriddle]

Were you able to find a solution that utilizes the anchor in the third row?

No, I have just been making sure that the seatbelt is routed through the booster seat back's seat belt guide + under the arm rest, hoping that would be enough to hold it in place in the event of a sudden stop.