How do you install a Car Seat in a 2000 Toyota Solara?

Answer 1

As a current owner of a 01 Solara, a huge support of safety for children in vehicles and the father of small children myself, this is one I feel I can answer. Several years ago my first child went from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing. I felt a little nervous about putting a car-seat in my car and how it would wear out my leather. With proper care and knowing my kid was safe the seats didn't matter. The truth is that, the seats are just as good today as the day I bought the car. So don't worry about the leather if you have them they are tough. OK, back to the installation.

First off, it is highly recommended that if your only installing one seat then put it in the middle of the back seat. It is the safest place for your child. Otherwise, the left or the right seat would be good if you have a child in a booster-seat as well.

What you need are a piece of kitchen drawer lining (the rubbery type) 12-18 inches wide by 24 inches long. You pick the colour you want, you can buy it from your local Walmart. Also, you need a piece of swimming noodle (3 inch diameter, 60 inches long, foam tube, used by kids in a pool), again from the kids department at walmart.

You need to cut the noodle into pieces of 16 inches. Depending on the bottoms of your carseat you will 1 to 3 pieces. If you need to use three piece secure them together with Duct Tape. The foam noodle provides upward pressure on the seat to ensure stiffness. Start with One piece of foam. Wrap the foam in some of the kitchen drawer liner. The foam noodle is towards the back of the solara's rear seat and the liner covers the seat moving forward.

Place the carseat on the liner, with the rear portion of the base resting on the foam. The carseat should be tilting forward with the gap between the top of the carseat and your backrest to be between 5-7 inches. Slip the 3 point belt through the back portion of the carseat and clip it into the buckle. Take the tether strap and clip it into the anchor point of the car directly behind the carseat. you can leave it loose for now.

Now the fun! Place you knee into the middle of the carseat and put your weight into it the carseat should look flush against the solara's seats. Now pull the seat belt so that all slack is removed and pull as tight as you can. Without releasing the tension of the belt and you are still in the carseat, you need to activate the tension spring on the seatbelt. You can do this by quickly pulling the solara's belt at the top of the seat. It may take you several attempts of quick short jerks to have the tension engage. Once it does, hold it! Pull the seat beat in the opposite direct to maintain the tension on the spring and slowly get out of the carseat. If you are successful, you can pull the top of the seat belt and it should remain locked. The carseat should be firmly into in place because the foam noodle is applying back pressure to the bottom. Pull the tether strap nice and firm and slip it between the carseat and the car's seat.

To know that you have installed it properly, the carseat should not have move than an inch of play moving side to side when you push and pull the front of the carseat.

If you want a certified specialist to do this, there are several places you can go to. In Canada, St. John Ambulance offers several clinics throughout the year that provide carseat clinics. In the US, I am sure there is an equivalent organization that provides the same service. Otherwise your safest bet is to call your local police or fire Station to see if a member of their staff is certified in carseat installations and make an appointment with them. The service is normally free of charge.

I hope this was useful and understandable.