Hello,

I have a 2007 S2000 with the airbag seat weight sensor. Thus far we exclusively drive our daughter in my wife's car, but in the event I have to drive her in the S, I want to make sure I can install a car seat properly.

First off, which child seat are you using?

In my searches here, I came across a post that indicated one of the differences between US and Canadian market S2000s is that cars sold in Canada have the anchor point installed (somewhere in the rear firewall I would imagine) to attach the child seat rear tether. Can anyone who has installed a child seat in the S2000 confirm that this is the case? And if so, indicate where this anchor point is located and/or ideally post a picture?

Thanks very much for your help,
Phil

 

Just to go along with this post, I know on earlier s2k's they did not recommend children under the age of 12 in the car, it was listed in a couple areas. Did that change with the newer model s2k's with the dual stage air bags or did they still keep the same warning ?. I drive my 10 year old son in the car occassionally.

 

No, the warnings haven't changed, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Transport Canada both still recommend that children under 12 ride in the back seat. As per the manual, "Since this vehicle does not have a back seat, we strongly recommend that you do not carry any child who is not large enough or mature enough to ride in front."

Despite the advanced airbags, the manual still says to "Never put a rear-facing child seat in this vehicle" (presumably wanting to avoid any catastrophic injuries in the event the sensor that would deactivate the passenger airbag was to malfunction). And after providing instructions for installing a forward facing child seat (with no mention of the rear tether, the subject of my original post) and booster seat, the manual reiterates that since there is no back seat, "we recommend that you do not carry a larger child, age 12 or under, as a passenger."

As to your question about your 10-year old son, age is a very subjective consideration - it's just easier for regulators to put one number out there rather than a list of criteria. Luckily, Honda has provided more detailed criteria:

1. Does your son sit all the way back against the seat?

2. Do his knees bend comfortably over the edge of the seat?

3. Does the shoulder belt cross between his neck and arm? (this is the biggest issue, and unfortunately many shorter adults can have a problem with the shoulder belt not really fitting properly - serious neck injuries can occur if the shoulder belt fits across the neck).

4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching his thighs?

5. Will he be able to stay seated like this for the whole trip? (this is the only one that could be linked to age/maturity... the belt doesn't work if the child has squirmed halfway out of it).

- If you answer no to any question, the child needs to ride on a booster seat.

In all cases involving a child, whether it be forward facing car seat, booster or just using the shoulder belt, the seat should always be in the furthest back position.

 

So all that said, I don't and didn't intend to drive my daughter in the car often. But I can imagine there will be a time when it might be necessary, and enjoyable, and with everything in life being something of a calculated risk, want to do as much as I can to make it as safe as possible.

I find it odd that the manual in the U.S. makes no mention of the rear tether. I can't recall where I read it, but someone mentioned that the Canadian cars had the anchor point installed, which was the reason for asking in this forum.

Cheers,
Phil

 

Thanks for the reply on this, that is great , I think my son meets all of those criteria, so thanks for the help/info.

Hopefully someone can answer the part about the tether. bump.