Car seat compatibility?

Question

I have a 1996 Ford Explorer. Do you think if I were to buy a new car seat, it will be compatible with that older car? Or the car seats manufactured these days are only compatible with newer cars? By the way, I plan to buy Graco car seat.

Answer 1

You should be fine.  Car seats come with a locking device if you don't have the metal hooks in your seat.  Before buying make sure in the back of your new car seat there is a metal device that you remove from the seat and when you lace the seatbelt through the car seat  than you would use that metal device to lock the seat in tight.  Any fire station in your area should put you childs car seat in.

Answer 2

The age doesn't make it incompatible - its differently shaped/sized seats and seatbelts that affect how it will fit. However, locking seatbelts were not mandatory in cars until the 1997 model year, so the 1996 will likely not have locking seatbelts, except perhaps in the middle position, if it has a locking latchplate.

So, I would only get car seats that have built-in locking clips. Otherwise you are stuck using the metal locking clip that comes with car seats as another poster mentioned. And they are a pain in the butt! Locking for seats with built-in locking clips really narrows the field, too.

What type of seat are you looking for, for what age/size of child? For a newborn, the Graco SafeSeat1 or Chicco Keyfit22 or KEyfit30 would be perfect choices as infant carriers (although personally I really hate infant carrier seats, read my other answers for why if you're itnerested). All 3 of the aforementioned seats have built-in lockoffs on the base making installation in older vehicles a breeze.

If you want to skip the infant carrier stage, it further narros the field, as very few convertible seats will fit a newborn well (unless its a tall newborn) and even fewer will fit a newborn AND have lockoffs. Check out the Compass TrueFit, also sold as the First Years TrueFit. Fits newborns well, has built-in lockoffs, easy to install, and going from 5-70lbs it will last you a LONG time. Britax convertibles also have built-in lockoffs, but may not fit a newborn well depending upon the newborn's size.

aGain, you don't HAVE to have a seat with lockoffs, but it would make installation a lot easier. Even if you didn't want the lockoffs, though, I'd still recommend the same infant carriers, those 3 are the favorites of CPSTs (car seat techs).  The Graco Snugride (most likely the one you were looking at) is a great infant carrier seat, but it does not have built-in lockoffs.

Answer 3

This site will tell you for sure............

http://www.carseatdata.org/