What Is a Tether?
Everything You Need to Know about Using a Tether with Your Car Seat
There are so many confusing things about car seats for parents and tethers rank right up there with “do I use LATCH and the seat belt together?” (the answer to that one is, for the most part, no). We have a tether use rate of much less than 50% in the U.S.*, about the same as it was back in the mid-70s. Yes, you read that correctly! It’s gone up and down, but it’s still right around the same—pathetic.
*The last major study done on tethering. We have more up-to-date field data, but it’s limited in scope.
What is a tether and where is it found?
Let’s get some vocabulary out of the way so we’re all talking the same language. A tether (aka top tether, top tether strap, top strap) is a long piece of seat belt material that has a clip on the end located at the top back of a convertible, all-in-one (3-in-1 or 4-in-1 included), or combination car seat.
A convertible car seat rear-faces for a baby, toddler, and sometimes preschooler, then turns forward-facing for an older child.
An all-in-one rear-faces, forward-faces, then becomes a belt-positioning booster for a school-aged child.
A combination car seat is a forward-facing harnessed car seat that converts to a belt-positioning booster seat. Some manufacturers call their seats “harness-to-booster” seats.
When the car seat is used forward-facing, the tether is attached to a vehicle tether anchor and the tether secures the top of the car seat to keep it from moving. Oh, and can I say just one little thing before moving on? It’s most definitely not a teether.
Your car seat tether may be a single strap that comes from the center of the back of the seat or it may have 2 straps that come from the edges in a V-shape, sometimes called a dual strap. Marketing teams love to give them fancy names, but they’re all simply tethers. They’re usually 1.5” wide, like the harness straps, but one car seat has a 1” tether and that’s OK.
Why should I use a tether?
This simple strap can keep a child’s head from moving forward—a movement called “head excursion”—in a crash by 4-6”. That’s really a huge number in the car seat world! It can mean the difference between the child sustaining head injuries from hitting the front seat or side pillar in a crash and walking away giggling.
Tether use lessens serious neck injuries by reducing head acceleration and neck loading. By attaching the car seat to the vehicle more tightly, the tether allows the vehicle and car seat to absorb more of the crash forces, not the child.
Using the tether attaches the top of the car seat to the vehicle, improving the installation. Using the seat belt or lower anchor connectors (LATCH strap) to install the car seat attaches the bottom half of the car seat to the vehicle seat, so using the tether to connect the top of the car seat stabilizes the installation.
You may be thinking, “But my kid is harnessed. There’s no way they can hit the front seat.”
A few things: one of the most common harnessing errors we see is a loose harness, which means the child can move too far forward. Another common error is a loose installation, which also means the child can move too far forward. Plus, the harness will stretch in a crash (as will the seat belt or LATCH belt), which means the child will move forward. Using the tether helps keep the child back.
Federal safety standards allow head excursion of 32” when a tether is not used, and 28″ when the tether is connected. Let’s see what that 32” looks like inside a real car instead of on a crash test sled:
This car is a mid-sized SUV with the front passenger seat set to a relatively comfortable distance. It’s roughly where I have my driver’s seat set and I’m 5’6”. It can be moved further back, but when we have back seat passengers, I set it about here to give them more legroom.
(Caution: geeky diagram-y stuff!) Below is the federal standard diagram that shows how to measure for head excursion. Once you add the car seat onto the vehicle seat, you have to realize there will be an extra several inches of car seat behind the child’s head, though FMVSS 213 does take that into account (as do manufacturers; they can build up their headwings to be 6” thick, but the car seats must still pass with head excursions of no more than 28” with tether and 32” without the tether). A note about the above pic, as anyone who has taken a pic to show chest clip placement to someone else (or tried to make themselves look thinner!), perspective is very difficult to capture. My 0 line is actually closer to where the Point Z circle in the diagram below than it looks.
Notice that 32″ runs into the front passenger seat. This vehicle is a mid-sized SUV with a very comfortable 2nd row for space. Think about how 28″ or 32″ would look in a compact or sub-compact car.
How easy is a tether to use?
Clip it on, snug it up, and go. Yep, it’s that easy. Why haven’t you done it yet? Ohhhh, right, if it was that easy, you would have done it already. Of course! Sometimes there are snags to using it, but that’s why you have us techs at your disposal. But first, have you consulted your manuals? That’s right, you’ve got to read your car seat and vehicle manuals. Power to parents and caregivers!
How long have tethers been around?
Tethers have been on forward-facing U.S. car seats since September 1, 1999, and they’ve been on Canadian car seats since 1980. Tether anchors, the hardware in vehicles to which you attach the tether, were phased in beginning with vehicles manufactured on September 1, 1999 (model year, aka MY 2000), and all minivans, SUVs, and light trucks had to have tether anchors starting September 1, 2000 (MY 2001).
Keep in mind that the actual date of manufacture of the vehicle is more important than the MY because a vehicle can be considered a particular MY vehicle before the September 1 release date. Got it? Look at the sticker on the driver’s side door and it should tell you when it was made. Now if all of that is gibberish to you and your car is MY 2001 and newer, don’t worry about a thing—you’ve got tether anchors, so use them!
What if the car you are driving was made before September 1, 1999, even maybe in 1995. You’re definitely thinking that it doesn’t have tether anchors. That may not be a problem—maybe. Most vehicles manufactured before 1999 can be retrofitted with tether anchors—IF you can find the parts now. If you’re handy, you may even be able to DIY—I added tether anchors in my 2000 Toyota Sienna myself.
Because it is a safety feature, some vehicle manufacturers offer a free installation program, though to be honest, most charge now since retrofits don’t happen often anymore. If you want to DIY, all you need is a part number, a torque wrench plus some instructions, and about $15 for the part. For installation programs, contact a child passenger safety technician with access to a LATCH manual.
Because child passenger safety is not a black and white field (so many shades of gray!), you’ll find exceptions in a lot of places and one is in tethering. Most modern vehicles have top tether anchors, but convertible vehicles are exempted. Because convertibles are exempted doesn’t mean they don’t have the anchors; vehicle manufacturers may add the tether anchors because it gives them higher scores in customer satisfaction surveys and IIHS ratings.
Where can I find tether anchors?
Federal standards (FMVSS 225 for you research types) require tether anchors in at least 2 positions to go with the lower anchors aka LATCH (the T stands for Tether—remember, LATCH is a set), plus an additional top tether anchor position for 3 total. Larger vehicles, like minivans and 3-row SUVs, may have more, but they aren’t required (buyer beware!). Tether anchors can be found just about anywhere. They can be in the ceiling of a wagon or SUV, in the back ledge of a sedan, in a back wall of a wagon, SUV, or van, in the cargo area, on the back of the vehicle seat, or under the vehicle seat.
OK, you’ve convinced me. How do I tether my car seat?
Crack open your vehicle manual to the child seat/safety section (it’s right behind the seat belt section) and find your tether anchor. You’ll want to use the tether anchor directly behind the seating position where you’ve installed the forward-facing car seat; meaning if you’ve installed the car seat on the passenger side (we call that outboard), you have to use the passenger outboard tether anchor. You can’t use the center tether anchor for that seat.
Tethers can be up to 20° off-center, but that’s to account for things like speakers that may be in the way or to give vehicle manufacturers more leeway in where they can put the anchor. If you have a truck, keep on reading because those are different. Repeat after me: Trucks. Are. Different.
Photo provided by M. Porter, CPST-I.
What if you can’t find your vehicle manual? Google, my friend, Google! Simply type in your vehicle model year, manufacturer, and make, and use the words “owner manual” and there will be several sites to help you (e.g., “2018 Chevrolet Traverse owner manual”). Most vehicle manufacturers now have their owner’s manuals online for easy access; some are frustratingly difficult to access and require you to provide your VIN to prove you deserve access to read the manual as if you belong to a special club.
Another thing your vehicle manual can help you with is how the tether should be in relation to the vehicle head restraint. Some manuals specify that the tether should go over the top of the vehicle head restraints, others specify it should go under, and perhaps yours specifies that the head restraints should be removed. What if your car seat has a dual-strap tether, found on Britax car seats? Read both the car seat manual and the vehicle manual! You may not be able to fit the tether in between the posts of the vehicle head restraint and your question may be answered for you.
What if I’m not sure this metal thing in the cargo area is a tether anchor?
If you’re not sure the metal loop in your cargo area is a tether anchor, then don’t use it. Cargo loops aren’t always tested to the strength specifications that tether anchors are, so they may not hold in a crash. If you can’t find your vehicle manual and your best friend Google is moody today, order a manual for yourself from your dealer or eBay so you can be sure that your child is safe.
How do I tether my car seat in my truck? It looks really complicated!
Tethering a car seat in a truck definitely requires reading the truck’s owner’s manual! This isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of answer. In some extended/quad cabs, the truck manual will have you route the tether through a loop (either coated metal or a webbing strap) at the top of the truck seat over to the loop or anchor at the adjacent truck seat; this is called indirect routing. The owner’s manual will tell you whether or not you will have to place the tether in front of or behind the head restraint posts.
Some trucks, like the Honda Ridgeline, have you route the tether around a metal guide and down to a tether anchor on the floor next to the truck seat or directly behind the car seat (center seating position).
And still other trucks have you place the car seat on the vehicle seat, pull the vehicle seat back forward, attach the tether to the tether anchor on the wall, reattach the seat back, and install the car seat.
This is what happens when the federal standards aren’t specific enough in the design area for tether anchors. Most are the indirect routing type with the loops, but the placement of the tether in front of or behind the truck’s head restraints varies.
I’m including these pics of a 2008 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab just because when I saw them a couple of months ago, I learned a new way to tether (and I’ve been in this profession for a very long time)! It shows that using the owners’ manuals is a vital piece of the puzzle.
Photos provided by M. Porter, CPST-I.
When should I use the tether?
All the time a child is forward-facing and harnessed!
Am I required to use a tether?
No, not by law (unless you’re in Canada or a proper use state, which sneakily means you have to use your car seat properly). You’re also not required by law to feed your children healthy food, but you do it anyway because it’s good for them, right? Same thing here. If you are using the lower LATCH connectors, you should use the top tether because it’s part of that system and the system works better when all pieces are used. And you should always use the tether when installing a car seat with the seat belt. It’s a safety feature, so why wouldn’t you use it?
A few car seats do require the use of a tether as a part of their instructions, which may limit their use in your vehicle if you don’t have a tether anchor or have a low weight limit on it and you choose to remove the tether once your child reaches the weight limit. As part of your research for a car seat, you may want to check out its owner’s manual online and see if it requires tether use if you’re considering placing it in a position where a tether anchor isn’t available.
How about use of the tether in booster mode?
Some combination seats (forward-facing harnessed seats that convert to a belt-positioning booster) allow the use of the tether with the lower anchors when used as a booster. This isn’t as a safety feature for the child, but more for the other passengers in the vehicle when the child isn’t riding in the seat. The LATCH system keeps the car seat attached to the vehicle in the event of a crash so it doesn’t become a projectile and fly into the driver or a passenger. Best practice, of course, is for the child to buckle it in whenever they get out of it. Real life, at least in my family, was that the seat belt rarely got buckled over the booster so I always shopped for a seat that allowed for the use of LATCH.
Can I tether my rear-facing car seat? It seems so wobbly at the top and the tether would really secure it.
That is an interesting question. Let’s start with some basics first. Car seat installation should be checked at the belt path, which is where the seat belt or LATCH belt goes through the car seat, not at the top of the seat. The further away you get from the belt path, the more the car seat will move.
Most car seats don’t allow rear-facing tethering; however, some rotating seats are the exception as are those with special tethers.
Which seats allow rear-facing tethering?
Clek Fllo with Q-tether
Clek Foonf with Q-tether
Cybex Callisto G360 and G360 Select
Diono Radian 3R (discontinued)
Diono Radian 3RX (discontinued)
Diono Radian 3RXT (discontinued)
Diono Radian 3R (discontinued)
Evenflo Revolve360 Extend and Slim
Graco Turn2Me
Maxi-Cosi Andi 360
Maxi-Cosi Emme 360
Nuna REVV
Safety 1st Turn and Go 360
UPPAbaby Knox (discontinued)
What do I take from this article?
Well, you should tether your forward-facing car seat, of course! Let’s get a 100% tether use rate. Every time you install a forward-facing car seat, either with a seat belt or with LATCH, attach the tether. It’s simple. If you don’t have a tether anchor, look into getting one installed in your vehicle TODAY. Educate your friends and family on the importance of the tether strap.
Giving proper credit where proper credit is due: the LATCH manual by the SafeRideNews team is *the* authority on tethering and retrofitting tethers.