# Car Seat installation



## jnetty99 (Dec 4, 2012)

Looking at the Cruze 2013 model, do the seat belts use (emergency locking retractor) – ELR?

Looking to install rear facing car seat in the middle in back not with LATCH on the sides.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, as old as I am, a new subject to me as well with grandkids, no such thing as baby car seats when my kids were babies. Was also new to my son with a daughter now six years old, but got two more. Wouldn't even let him bring his own kid home from the hospital until some incompetent tech showed him the proper way to install a baby car seat. But was very well experienced with the first one. And doing this outdoors in very good weather, surprised my grandson's didn't freeze to death.

In my 2012, had two clips jammed in the crack of the rear seats on each side for a total of four, but for the package tray, that thingy under the rear window, has three upper clips. So for the center would use the two inside clips. You could never fit three baby seats in the back seat of the Cruze, or for any passenger car for this matter.

But those rear facing seats only use the two clips jammed between the seats, only the front facing seats use that 3rd clip mounted in the package tray.

Any baby car seat comes with instructions that should be followed. And on most rear facing seats using the cars safety belts, really not a spot to attach them. Personally feel who ever designed these seats did a very poor job using those cheap plastic snaps to attach the safety belt to the child and with a male child, can ruin them for life.

But it is the law, then trying to get the kid out of there in case of an emergency.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

When our grandkids were small, we mounted their car seats rear facing (as you are supposed to do) with the LATCH mounts. I mounted the seat in the middle of the rear seat using the innermost LATCH loops. I then connected the rear car seat strap down under the rear seat to help stabilize it. It was easy to pop the rear seat bottom loose to attach the strap to the seat supports under the rear seat. Don't know how easy this is on the Cruze.


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## cruzinred92 (Dec 4, 2013)

For my son's I have always used the innermost clips to attach the strap. I use the belt too tho. Some say don't some say do. It makes me fell better lol. You can pull the belt all the way out to make it lock when you adjust it and won't unlock until you release it all the way. As far as the elr in the event of an accident the belt locks to prevent you from going forward. The carseat manufacturer just doesn't want too much stress on the plastic of the seat so if you do get in an accident it doesn't stress it so much it brakes. Done me research there lol. Can't be to careful when it comes to the little ones.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Our rear bottom seat has plastic clips that break off if 1 is not diligent enough to figure out first ..Nickd wrote all about those , so I do not have too ..


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

If you're asking in order to know if you need to used the seatbelt locking clip during install or if the belts lock themselves, I don't think you need to use the clip. We have 4 kids and once in a while I have to take one or two of them in the Cruze, so I get pretty familiar with moving car seats from vehicle to vehicle. I'm not sure if you're using the belt for a specific reason or not, but if the child and seat combined weigh less than 65 lbs, and you prefer LATCH over a belt install, you can install with LATCH in the center position by using the inboard hooks from each of the side positions.


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## jnetty99 (Dec 4, 2012)

revjpeterson said:


> If you're asking in order to know if you need to used the seatbelt locking clip during install or if the belts lock themselves, I don't think you need to use the clip. We have 4 kids and once in a while I have to take one or two of them in the Cruze, so I get pretty familiar with moving car seats from vehicle to vehicle. I'm not sure if you're using the belt for a specific reason or not, but if the child and seat combined weigh less than 65 lbs, and you prefer LATCH over a belt install, you can install with LATCH in the center position by using the inboard hooks from each of the side positions.


I been using a safety clip for the infant car seat and about to change it to a rear-facing/forward facing convertible seat since my son is now bigger and barely fits on the infant seat. 

I just re-read the Cruze 13 manual about the seat belt and how to get it to lock so i don't have to use the safety clip. 

I have been using the seat belt because the center rear seat does not have LATCH anchors and the manual on the Cruze does not state that you can use the inner LATCH anchors for the center. To use only the seats with LATCH logos only.

Read something online about LATCH anchors are 11 inches apart and in the center the inner LATCH anchors would are not 11 inches and not recommend.


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