How to Safely Put Car Seat in a Single Cab Truck: The Ultimate 2022 Guide

1. Front Car Seat

When installing a car seat in the front of your vehicle, make sure you disable the passenger airbags. This is crucial for your young child under two years of age.

So, if you use a rear-facing seat or a forward-facing seat, ensure the air bag system is off.

Many studies have shown that the air bag system can cause a serious injury and literally smash your child.

Don't forget that SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. claims that placing child seats in the front seat can increase the risk of death by 30% in a case of a car crash.

So, it might be better to follow the procedure and disable the passenger-side airbags.

2. Back Seat

If you have a child riding in the pickup truck, there must be a rear seat to attach your child's car seat or booster seat to.

Nowadays, various one-row trucks, extended cab trucks, pickup trucks, etc., have the LATCH installation system. So, you can easily install the age-appropriate car seat correctly.

However, if you own a smaller pickup, you will probably struggle with the car seat installation in your motor vehicle.

Many car seat manufacturers, CPSTs, and experts recommend that your car seat base must be 80%-100% in contact with the vehicle seat.

If, however, the car seat base crosses and hangs over the vehicle's back seat, then your car seat is not correctly installed in the back seat of the vehicle. Bear that in mind.

In addition, there is a high possibility that the child's seat (rear-facing seat) won't have a correct angle for the installation process in smaller cub trucks.

So, to avoid risks of accidents and severe injuries, the best solution would be to check the vehicle manual and the car seat instruction (owner's manual) and check what is right and what is wrong.

3. Side Seats

Side seats are considered the unsafest places to install car seats and let your child ride there, regardless of using a child's car seat or a vehicle's seat belt system.

Moreover, the side seats are not spacious enough to allow the child's seat to be placed and installed correctly.

So, in the case of a car crash, the children seated in the side seats will be injured not from the car collision but launched against the vehicle's interior.

1. Behind the Seat Anchors

Numerous trucks have their tether anchors behind the rear seat. This way, you need to fold the seat down and reach the tether anchors.

Although the installation process might take your time, you undoubtedly want maximum security and stability for your child, so make sure you set up the seat correctly and find the proper tether anchor.

2. Webbing Loops

You can find the webbing loops behind the seat's headrest.

To install your car seat using this device, you will have to pull the seat tether through the seat loop behind the headrest and attach the tether anchor to the webbing loop behind the middle seat's headrest.

3. Behind the Seat Loops

Since these loops differ from the ones in the particular vehicle you're using, you need to check the vehicle's manual to follow the safety procedure and correctly place the child restraint system.

In most cases, the car seat tether will be pulled through a webbing loop and then attached to a seat loop directly behind the vehicle seat and connected to the circle behind the center seat or the adjacent outboard position.

The middle seat might be more shallow than the outboard seats, so check that the system fits the vehicle manufacturer’s instructions.

After you've attached the seat to your vehicle, the remaining setup process is quite similar to installation in every other car.

However, if you're not confident when placing the seat, you can consult CPSTs. Find reliable experts here. 

Arizona Car Seat Laws

As the law states, all children under eight years of age must use a proper seat. For children under the age of three, the recommended seats are rear-facing.

The law claims that children must ride in the back seat.

However, there is nothing wrong if they ride in the front, as long as the passenger seat fits them and the active airbag system is OFF.

Florida Car Seat Laws

Regarding Florida, it's a fundamental rule that children under five must be restrained in the harness car seat, following their growth and development.

All children under twelve should be in rear seats, but if your trucks don't have these seats, children can sit in the front of the middle seat if you turn off the airbag system.

Indiana Car Seat Laws

According to Indiana authorities, all children under sixteen must be adequately restrained in vehicles. In addition, all kids under the age of eight must be in the rear, forward-facing, or booster seats.

Regarding the single cab truck, the rule is the same - turn the airbag OFF.

Texas Car Seat Laws

Concerning this state, there isn't a precise regulation on where the children should sit. But, when in Texas, make sure your kiddos use proper seats and turn off the airbags.

PRO TIP

You can find the laws for all US states on the following link.

Can you put a baby in a car seat in a single cab truck?

Yes, you can. However, experts and manufacturers do not recommend it since keeping your children in the back seat is better.

But you can as long as the airbags are off.

Can you put a carseat in a two-door truck?

Yes, you can install it in the front as long as you don't activate the airbags.

Can you put a carseat in a single cab truck in California?

Yes, you can, if you don't have a back seat, so it's legal to do so.

At what age can a child sit in the front seat?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, all children under the age of thirteen need to be restrained in the back seat, with a proper head restraint, shoulder belt, lap belt, etc.

Of course, they need to use appropriate car seats if they're younger.