Child/Car seat recommendations?

[Fastb4ck]

I have a 4 year old that loves coming with me everywhere, from everything I've read the airbag stays off if weight in the passenger seat is under 80lbs. Anyone here take their toddler around and what seat do you guys use?

 

[MoparMap]

If you have a gen 3 or 4 you can turn the airbag off through a switch in the center console under the armrest. I don't have any kids myself, but I know the passenger seat is also set up with LATCH connections for car seats, so I think it's actually pretty easy to get one in the car. There should be two small loops at the base of the seat back where it meets the bottom cushion and then a buckle type blade (what a seat belt looks like) behind the small removeable panel behind the seat back.

 

[Fastb4ck]

If you have a gen 3 or 4 you can turn the airbag off through a switch in the center console under the armrest. I don't have any kids myself, but I know the passenger seat is also set up with LATCH connections for car seats, so I think it's actually pretty easy to get one in the car. There should be two small loops at the base of the seat back where it meets the bottom cushion and then a buckle type blade (what a seat belt looks like) behind the small removeable panel behind the seat back.

Thank you so much, I didn't realize we could turn the airbag off.

 

[Steve M]

Thank you so much, I didn't realize we could turn the airbag off.

Clarification:

Gen 3 = yes, you can turn the airbag off (switch is in the center console)
Gen 4 = no, you can NOT turn the airbag off manually

 

[Steve M]

And one more thing...my Gen 4 does not have latch connections in the passenger seat.

 

[Siciliano15]

Ive taken my kid out with me many times hes 2. the seat detects that the weight in it is low so a little light lights up on the dash that automatically turns off the front air bag when hes in the seat there. I just strap the car seat to the car with the seat belt which is always a fine option.

 

[Goggles Pizano]

The feds required "smart airbags" for 2006 and later models.

 

[MoparMap]

Clarification:

Gen 3 = yes, you can turn the airbag off (switch is in the center console)
Gen 4 = no, you can NOT turn the airbag off manually

Thanks for the clarification! I didn't realize they removed that for gen 4. Good to know!

 

[gregrowell]

Thank you so much, I didn't realize we could turn the airbag off.

Used to take my little one (now 15) all the time. She loved it and would tell me 'Daddy go faster.' Turned off airbag, car seat strapped in....a little smaller seat works best to squeeze between the side bolsters....and it was some of the best times of my life, taking my precious girls for rides in 'the' last hand assembled, V10, AMERICAN roadster.

Getting a little expensive to keep running...but I love the car so much after 14 years of ownership.

 

[CharlieBravo]

is there actual latch or just the anchor behind the seat. At 4 you can use a booster with the seat belt most likely if your kid is over 40 lbs. that’s what I do.

 

[Blue Beast]

I haven’t used it in the Viper, but we used the Ride Safer Travel Vest for a rental car on a trip. Seemed to work good.

 

[Fastb4ck]

And one more thing...my Gen 4 does not have latch connections in the passenger seat.

Ahh yah I noticed that too, I have a gen 4. I imagine everything else on the seat is the same, if anything I could probably throw on a gen 3 passenger seat. I saw that there is an anchor point in the gen 4's though.

 

[Steve M]

Ahh yah I noticed that too, I have a gen 4. I imagine everything else on the seat is the same, if anything I could probably throw on a gen 3 passenger seat. I saw that there is an anchor point in the gen 4's though.

Yes, there is definitely an anchor point behind a small removable piece in the waterfall panel.

A Gen 3 passenger seat might work, but you'd have to double check that all of the sensors/connections are the same between the two generations. My guess is that there is an additional sensor or two in the Gen 4 seats that makes the automatic airbag sensing aspect work. If they are contained in the seat track, you might be able to swap a Gen 4 track on to a Gen 3 seat, but at this point I'm just guessing...someone with both generations handy and some time to waste could probably figure it out pretty quickly though.