Disable 2nd and 3rd Row Seatbelt Airbags

[aporthole]

You’re right...my wife has the pinnacles in her car. Boulevard rings a bell.

You can probably guess who did the car seat shopping in our household.

Sweet. The Boulevards with the blue clips can use the inflatable belts. If the child weighs less than 40 lb, you can install with the vehicle's lower anchor LATCH system.

Here are the instructions for the Boulevard.

❖ For convertible car seats (G Series: Roundabout, Marathon, Boulevard, Advocate):

Note: The steps are the same for installing a convertible rear or forward facing.

o Use vehicle belt (not lower connectors) for installations with children who weigh more than 40 lb.

o Installation with a Ford or Lincoln inflatable seat belt system:

▪ Do not use the built-in lock-offs if the car seat includes lock-offs – keep the lock-offs closed.

▪ While holding the shoulder and lap belt portions together, route the vehicle belt through the appropriate belt slots. (rear or forward as necessary) Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.

• Rear-facing: ensuring that the vehicle belt is routed UNDER the harness buckle strap.

▪ Continue installation as per the Ford or Lincoln Vehicle Owner’s Manual:

• Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to the direction the tongue is coming from) for that seating position until you hear a snap and feel the latch engage. Make sure the tongue is latched securely by pulling on it.
• To put the retractor in the automatic locking mode, grasp the lap portion of the inflatable safety belt and pull upward until all of the belt is pulled out. • Allow the belt to retract to remove the slack (storing excess webbing).The retractor will click as it retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
• Remove remaining slack from the belt. Force the seat down with extra weight, e.g., by pressing down on the child restraint while pulling up on the shoulder belt (pull down on the lap belt for inflatable safety belts) in order to force slack from the belt.
▪ Verify that the vehicle belt is tight and that the base is secure. The base is secure when it moves less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) front-to back or side-to-side at the vehicle belt path.
▪ Attach the Versa-Tether to designated anchor on the back of the vehicle seat and remove slack

 

[Deadman]

Deadman, are your Britax seats those EXACT ones, the Grow With You Plus, or do they just look similar but have a different name like the Britax Frontier or Britax Pinnacle?

The Grow With You and Grow With You Plus just came out in the last few weeks. If you’ve had your seats for more than a month, double check the exact model. If yours is the Britax Frontier or Pinnacle, those are both approved for use with the Ford inflatable belts and very easy to install with them. They yield a very solid install. I’ve personally installed the Frontier ClickTight in an Explorer with the inflatable belts many times.

Double check your exact model for both seats and report back. If it is the Grow With You, those are not approved for use with the inflatable belts, but the Frontier, Pinnacle, and Pioneer all are and I can get you the inflatable belt install instructions for those.

Mine are Pinnacle click tight, I just looked. They look very similar, sorry for confusion.

We have had them installed on these inflatable seat belts for a couple years already and we always wondered if it was a good idea or bad idea!

 

[Deadman]

(Yup...those are the same ones I have. Good luck getting the green/blue clips under the back cushion to lock off over the big, bulky inflatable seatbelt)

Mine don't have any green/blue clips that I recall. Mine are the click tight thing, so you just push that big arm down over the belts.. I'm assuming this click tight has probably ruing our inflatable seatbelts already by crushing them so tightly.

 

[aporthole]

Deadman, the install with the Pinnacle ClickTight with the inflatable belts is only slightly different than it is with a standard belt. You just have to add the step of switching the lap portion of the belt into automatic locking mode by pulling it all the way out from the lower retractor before closing the ClickTight panel.

o Installation with a Ford or Lincoln inflatable seat belt system:
▪ Refer to the CRS User Guide for installation Lap-Shoulder Belt.
• Frontier 90/CLICKTIGHT and Pinnacle 90/CLICKTIGHT the lap-shoulder belt is routed through belt path with CLICKTIGHT open
▪ While holding the shoulder and lap belt portions together, route the vehicle belt through the appropriate belt path. Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.
▪ Continue installation as per the Ford or Lincoln Vehicle Owner’s Manual:
• Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to the direction
the tongue is coming from) for that seating position until you hear a snap and
feel the latch engage. Make sure the tongue is latched securely by pulling on it.
• To put the retractor in the automatic locking mode, grasp the lap portion of the
inflatable safety belt and pull upward until all of the belt is pulled out.
• Allow the belt to retract to remove the slack (storing excess webbing).The
retractor will click as it retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
▪ Continue installation as per the child restraint user guide – closing CLICKTIGHT.
▪ Verify that the vehicle belt is tight and that the child seat is secure. The child seat is
secure when it moves less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) front-to back or side-to-side at the
vehicle belt path.
▪ Attach the Versa-Tether to a designated anchor (see vehicle owner’s manual) and
remove slack.
• NOTE: Top tether use is always recommended by BRITAX.

 

[Deadman]

Deadman, the install with the Pinnacle ClickTight with the inflatable belts is only slightly different than it is with a standard belt. You just have to add the step of switching the lap portion of the belt into automatic locking mode by pulling it all the way out from the lower retractor before closing the ClickTight panel.

o Installation with a Ford or Lincoln inflatable seat belt system:
▪ Refer to the CRS User Guide for installation Lap-Shoulder Belt.
• Frontier 90/CLICKTIGHT and Pinnacle 90/CLICKTIGHT the lap-shoulder belt is routed through belt path with CLICKTIGHT open
▪ While holding the shoulder and lap belt portions together, route the vehicle belt through the appropriate belt path. Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.
▪ Continue installation as per the Ford or Lincoln Vehicle Owner’s Manual:
• Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to the direction
the tongue is coming from) for that seating position until you hear a snap and
feel the latch engage. Make sure the tongue is latched securely by pulling on it.
• To put the retractor in the automatic locking mode, grasp the lap portion of the
inflatable safety belt and pull upward until all of the belt is pulled out.
• Allow the belt to retract to remove the slack (storing excess webbing).The
retractor will click as it retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
▪ Continue installation as per the child restraint user guide – closing CLICKTIGHT.
▪ Verify that the vehicle belt is tight and that the child seat is secure. The child seat is
secure when it moves less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) front-to back or side-to-side at the
vehicle belt path.
▪ Attach the Versa-Tether to a designated anchor (see vehicle owner’s manual) and
remove slack.
• NOTE: Top tether use is always recommended by BRITAX.

Awesome, Thanks. Thats exactly how we have them installed now!
Thanks for the information!

 

[hellohithere]

Hi there. I’m a certified child passenger safety technician (aka car seat tech).

What is the make and model of car seats that you have and how much do the kids weigh?

There is no way to disable the inflatable seat belts but there are a number of seats that are approved for use with the inflatable belts as well as seats that have a very high LATCH lower anchor weight capacity (some as high as 55 lb child weight).

Aporthole, oldest child is 25lbs and youngest is 15lbs. I have the Nuna Rava that I'm mainly worried about. I also have the Nuna Pipa and the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 but I'll likely transition kids to the Rava well before they reach 35lbs. Thanks in advance!

 

[aporthole]

Aporthole, oldest child is 25lbs and youngest is 15lbs. I have the Nuna Rava that I'm mainly worried about. I also have the Nuna Pipa and the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 but I'll likely transition kids to the Rava well before they reach 35lbs. Thanks in advance!

Sweet. I also have a Nuna Rava. You can use the vehicle’s lower anchors to install rear-facing up until kiddo weighs 35 lb rear-facing or 40 lb forward facing. When your oldest reaches one of those limits, I would suggest passing the Rava down to the younger child and getting a new seat for the older one that either has a higher lower anchor limit or one that is compatible with the inflatable seat belts like the Britax Frontier ClickTight.

It is only the outboard 2nd row seat that are equipped with the inflatable belts so if you have a 2nd row bench, you can install the Rava in the center or anywhere in the 3rd row. I have run into trouble installing the Rava in the 3rd row seat on the sides since those 2 seating positions have non-removable head restraints. The center one comes off though.

This post goes over the current options available for car seats approved for use with the inflatable belts. https://thecarseatlady.com/vehicles/safety-features/inflatable-belts/

 

[hellohithere]

Sweet. I also have a Nuna Rava. You can use the vehicle’s lower anchors to install rear-facing up until kiddo weighs 35 lb rear-facing or 40 lb forward facing. When your oldest reaches one of those limits, I would suggest passing the Rava down to the younger child and getting a new seat for the older one that either has a higher lower anchor limit or one that is compatible with the inflatable seat belts like the Britax Frontier ClickTight.

It is only the outboard 2nd row seat that are equipped with the inflatable belts so if you have a 2nd row bench, you can install the Rava in the center or anywhere in the 3rd row. I have run into trouble installing the Rava in the 3rd row seat on the sides since those 2 seating positions have non-removable head restraints. The center one comes off though.

This post goes over the current options available for car seats approved for use with the inflatable belts. https://thecarseatlady.com/vehicles/safety-features/inflatable-belts/

Thank you for the advice! What are your thoughts on the Clek Foonf and the Diono RXT seats?

 

[aporthole]

I also own a Clek Foonf and have worked extensively with the Diono seats.

The Dionos are extremely finicky and often difficult to install. They can be useful in some situations, like fitting 3 kids in a very small width backseat, but outside of those situations, they are very rarely worth their frustrations.

The Clek Foonf is less frustrating than the Dionos but it is huge and heavy. It also works well in tight 3-across situations but isn’t nearly as user-friendly as the Rava or the Britax Frontier.

 

[hellohithere]

I also own a Clek Foonf and have worked extensively with the Diono seats.

The Dionos are extremely finicky and often difficult to install. They can be useful in some situations, like fitting 3 kids in a very small width backseat, but outside of those situations, they are very rarely worth their frustrations.

The Clek Foonf is less frustrating than the Dionos but it is huge and heavy. It also works well in tight 3-across situations but isn’t nearly as user-friendly as the Rava or the Britax Frontier.

Great. I'll look into the Britax Frontier. Thank you for all the info.

 

[txracer16]

Just curious and maybe someone can educate me as my kids have been out of car seats for several years but I still get asked this question often by customers. Why would you not use the seat anchors? Why use the belts at all?

 

[Deadman]

Just curious and maybe someone can educate me as my kids have been out of car seats for several years but I still get asked this question often by customers. Why would you not use the seat anchors? Why use the belts at all?

I'm not the expert here, but from my understanding the anchors are only made for up to like 40 lbs typically.

 

[hellohithere]

Just curious and maybe someone can educate me as my kids have been out of car seats for several years but I still get asked this question often by customers. Why would you not use the seat anchors? Why use the belts at all?

The LATCH seat anchors vary by brands, but usually are limited to 35 to 50 pounds before needing to switch to seatbelts.

 

[aggiegrad05]

https://jalopnik.com/the-new-ford-expeditions-airbag-seatbelts-still-dont-wo-1842616306

An article discussing the incompatibility of the airbag seatbelts with many car seats.

 

[armoredsaint]

when my 2 kids are older and get to the limit of the LATCH we are screwed.

 

[aporthole]

when my 2 kids are older and get to the limit of the LATCH we are screwed.

Nope, not screwed. There are a number of seats approved for use with the inflatable seat belts as well as seats that can use the LATCH lower anchors until 55 lb child weight.

I’m a certified child passenger safety technician (aka car seat tech), 2018 Expy owner, and mom of 3 kids. I’m happy to help advise on what will/won’t work.

@armoredsaint what seats do you have (make and model) and how old/big are your kids?

 

[Deadman]

Nope, not screwed. There are a number of seats approved for use with the inflatable seat belts as well as seats that can use the LATCH lower anchors until 55 lb child weight.

I’m a certified child passenger safety technician (aka car seat tech), 2018 Expy owner, and mom of 3 kids. I’m happy to help advise on what will/won’t work.

@armoredsaint what seats do you have (make and model) and how old/big are your kids?

Yep, our seats are compatible according to the manufacturer!

 

[AAOO]

Quit your crying. We never had car seats and if you’re posting here you’re still alive. That’s what tinted windows are for. Strap them little turds down with some tow straps and roll on down the road!

 

[armoredsaint]

Nope, not screwed. There are a number of seats approved for use with the inflatable seat belts as well as seats that can use the LATCH lower anchors until 55 lb child weight.

I’m a certified child passenger safety technician (aka car seat tech), 2018 Expy owner, and mom of 3 kids. I’m happy to help advise on what will/won’t work.

@armoredsaint what seats do you have (make and model) and how old/big are your kids?

thanks for the help, they both have britax car seats, the youngest is still rear-facing Advocate, almost 2 y.o. and about to be front facing, the 4 year old is front-facing Frontier - both are the click n tights and newer.

@aporthole

 

[aporthole]

thanks for the help, they both have britax car seats, the youngest is still rear-facing Advocate, almost 2 y.o. and about to be front facing, the 4 year old is front-facing Frontier - both are the click n tights and newer.

Good news and bad news. The Frontier is compatible with the inflatable seat belt system but the Advocate ClickTight is not. The Advocate can use the vehicle's LATCH lower anchors until the child weighs 30 lb in rear-facing mode, 35 lb in forward-facing mode. Depending on how much the 2yo weighs, if you could possibly make it another year to year and half before he/she hits 35 lb, you could pass down the Frontier from the older child then, and consider a dedicated booster for the older child at that point when they are close to 6.

If you want to make life easy, I'd suggest snagging a second Frontier now while you can still find one. They were discontinued last year so stock is dwindling down. Britax's replacement for the Frontier (the Grow With You ClickTight) is NOT compatible with the inflatable belts. Albee Baby is one of the few reputable retailers I know of that still has some Frontiers in-stock: https://www.albeebaby.com/britax-fr...xAgY6tNh4OeitGq3u44fuufLyjyzX_1hoCu-kQAvD_BwE

You could also consider any of the Graco combination seats like the Nautilus, Atlas, or Tranzitions/Wayz which are all compatible with the inflatable belts. They aren't quite as "nice" as the Britax seats.

If you have a 2nd row bench, you could put the Advocate in the middle with the regular seat belt or in the center of the 3rd row where the head restraint is removable. The outboard 3rd row seats have compatibility issues with most forward-facing seats due to the non-removable head restraints.

o Installation with a Ford or Lincoln inflatable seat belt system:
▪ Refer to the CRS User Guide for installation Lap-Shoulder Belt.
• Frontier 90/CLICKTIGHT and Pinnacle 90/CLICKTIGHT the lap-shoulder belt is routed through belt path with CLICKTIGHT open
▪ While holding the shoulder and lap belt portions together, route the vehicle belt through the appropriate belt path. Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.
▪ Continue installation as per the Ford or Lincoln Vehicle Owner’s Manual:
• Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to the direction
the tongue is coming from) for that seating position until you hear a snap and
feel the latch engage. Make sure the tongue is latched securely by pulling on it.
• To put the retractor in the automatic locking mode, grasp the lap portion of the
inflatable safety belt and pull upward until all of the belt is pulled out.
• Allow the belt to retract to remove the slack (storing excess webbing).The
retractor will click as it retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
▪ Continue installation as per the child restraint user guide – closing CLICKTIGHT.
▪ Verify that the vehicle belt is tight and that the child seat is secure. The child seat is
secure when it moves less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) front-to back or side-to-side at the
vehicle belt path.
▪ Attach the Versa-Tether to a designated anchor (see vehicle owner’s manual) and
remove slack.
• NOTE: Top tether use is always recommended by BRITAX.

The Frontier's install with the inflatable belts is only slightly different than it is with a standard belt. You just have to add the step of switching the lap portion of the belt into automatic locking mode by pulling it all the way out from the lower retractor before closing the ClickTight panel.

o Installation with a Ford or Lincoln inflatable seat belt system:
▪ Refer to the CRS User Guide for installation Lap-Shoulder Belt.
• Frontier 90/CLICKTIGHT and Pinnacle 90/CLICKTIGHT the lap-shoulder belt is routed through belt path with CLICKTIGHT open
▪ While holding the shoulder and lap belt portions together, route the vehicle belt through the appropriate belt path. Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.
▪ Continue installation as per the Ford or Lincoln Vehicle Owner’s Manual:
• Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to the direction
the tongue is coming from) for that seating position until you hear a snap and
feel the latch engage. Make sure the tongue is latched securely by pulling on it.
• To put the retractor in the automatic locking mode, grasp the lap portion of the
inflatable safety belt and pull upward until all of the belt is pulled out.
• Allow the belt to retract to remove the slack (storing excess webbing).The
retractor will click as it retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
▪ Continue installation as per the child restraint user guide – closing CLICKTIGHT.
▪ Verify that the vehicle belt is tight and that the child seat is secure. The child seat is
secure when it moves less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) front-to back or side-to-side at the
vehicle belt path.
▪ Attach the Versa-Tether to a designated anchor (see vehicle owner’s manual) and
remove slack.
• NOTE: Top tether use is always recommended by BRITAX.