Shagster

Hey Guys!
Have any of you guys ever been able to dig up any crash test ratings on the C5 Corvettes in relation to using an infant car seat in the car? I'm considering taking my daughter for a ride-along but my wife is having a fit. She's in a rear-facing infant car seat (10 mos. old) & i'd turn the passenger airbag off, but i'd really like to have some info to give my wife to reassure her that's it's safe. Can anyone out there help?? Thanks!

jgump

I'd wait. I did not bring my children until they were at least 3, and in a booster. Also, they appreciate it more.

0Z06Joe@AutoBuffs

Ehhhh.... she will be fine just stick her next to the NOS!!!! She will fit good in the trunk well at only 10 months!!

candacedianne

My 78's manual showed a pic with the baby in the passanger side....I thought that was quite interesting..

Bill Dearborn

Since you have an 03 the passenge seat is set up to take child seats that use the standard LATCH fastening mechanism. On your seat back you will see two little tags just above the seat bottom. At those points on the seat bottom there are two slits (one on each side of the seat bottom) where the child seat slides through the seat cover and fastens to metal brackets fastened to the seat frame. This is what the brackets look like:


Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the LATCH System
Your vehicle has a passenger airbag. There is an airbag off switch in the glove box you can use to turn off the passenger's airbag. See Airbag Off Switch for more on this including important safety information.





Unless the passenger's airbag has been turned off, never put a rear-facing child restraint in this vehicle. Here is why:


Caution
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the passenger's airbag inflates. This is because the back of the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inflating airbag. Do not use a rear-facing child restraint in this vehicle unless the passenger's airbag has been turned off.

Even though the airbag off switch is designed to turn off the passenger's frontal airbag, no system is fail-safe, and no one can guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under some unusual circumstance, even though it is turned off. We recommend that rear-facing child restraints be transported in vehicles with a rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, whenever possible.

If you need to secure a forward-facing child restraint in the passenger seat, always move the passenger seat as far back as it will go.



Caution
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on when you have turned off the air bag, it means that something may be wrong with the airbag system. The passenger's airbag could inflate even though the switch is off. If this ever happens, do not let anyone whom the national government has identified as a member of a passenger air bag risk group sit in the passenger's position (for example, do not secure a rear-facing child restraint in your vehicle) until you have your vehicle serviced. See Airbag Off Switch .


If your vehicle is a convertible or has a removable roof panel, there are no top strap anchors in your vehicle. Do not secure a child seat in a convertible or a vehicle with a removable roof panel, if a national or local law requires that the top strap be anchored, or if the instructions that come with the restraint say that the top strap must be anchored.

Your vehicle has a passenger's airbag. See Airbag Off Switch . If your child restraint is forward-facing, always move the seat as far back as it will go before securing it in this seat. See Manual Seats or Power Seats . Never use a rear-facing child restraint in this seat unless the airbag is off.
Find the LATCH anchorages in the passenger seat. See Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) .
Put the child restraint on the seat.
Attach and tighten the LATCH attachments on the child restraint to the LATCH anchorages in the vehicle. The child restraint instructions will show you how.
If the child restraint is forward-facing, attach and tighten the top tether to the top tether anchorage if your vehicle has one. The child restraint instructions will show you how. Also see Top Strap .
Push and pull the child restraint in different directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, simply unhook the top tether from the top tether anchorage and then disconnect the LATCH anchorages.

Turn on the passenger's airbag when you remove the child restraint from the vehicle unless the person who will be sitting there is a member of a passenger airbag risk group. See Airbag Off Switch .


Caution
If the passenger's airbag is turned off for a person who is not in a risk group identified by the national government, that person will not have the extra protection of an airbag. In a crash, the airbag will not be able to inflate and help protect the person sitting there. Do not turn off the passenger's airbag unless the person sitting there is in a risk group. See Airbag Off Switch for more on this, including important safety information.

Top Strap Anchor Location
If your vehicle is a Z06, an anchor bracket for a top strap is located behind the passengers's seat in the cargo area. Anchor the top strap to the bracket.




Bill

EVIL_C5

ask her what they did back in the 60's and 70's when kids rode in parents laps. the wife gave me the go ahead to put the 4 month old in my car.

BOTYNV1

Same here, but I'm not your wife or mom so do as you wish and be safe

gonbad

My 2 1/2 yr old has been up and down the street we live on and that is it and that is all it will ever be. My car is a 98 and I cannot turn off the passenger side air bag. Therefore even with a booster she will not be riding in my car. It is one of the reasons I will probably move up to a newer year C5 or a C6 in the not to distant future.

c5BlackBeauty

I'd wait a bit longer but I'm conservative about those things. I have a 7 year old and she still hasn't gone for more than a ride around the parking lot thing.

EVIL_C5

I dont know what the fear is for, GM makes a corvette to be someones only car and people have kids. im sure all concerns have been addressed in testing over the years.

it has the same latch mount as my truck and CTS and I can turn the airbag off.

not like im going to be going 150 mph with the baby in the car, but theres no reason I cant take him to day care or on a short cruise to the car hangouts.

illmac77

stormrider

My parents used to stuff my sister and me in my step dad's 66 vert after church and drive around Tucson looking at houses they could never afford. I think breathing in all those gas fumes is why I turned out the way I did

FactoryRaceCar

You took the words right out of my mouth

00 Rooster

great thread guys...the wife unit is pregnant and we are expecting our first so I am interested in all this debate.


Guess the kid can't ride in the hatch like me dog does Don't tell my wife

Shagster

Thanks for the info you guys are to funny .

malikaimandhc

We have a first baby boy, his age is only 6 months and 13 days. We are deciding to get the safest car seat for our kid. My husband wanted to get one car from these best convertible car seats here.
But I need some better option too. I hope you will share useful suggestions.

bobs77vet

I wouldn't take on this battle.....just pass on it for several years.

just take photos while parked

laurent_zo6

Whatever seat you choose, make sure to do this (from .healthychildren.org). Air bag MUST be turned off.

Place the harnesses in your rear-facing seat in slots that are at or below your child's shoulders. Ensure that the harness is snug (you cannot pinch any slack between your fingers when testing the harness straps over the child's shoulders) and that the harness chest clip is placed at the center of the chest, even with your child's armpits.
Make sure the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehicle with either LATCH or a locked seat belt. If you can move the seat at the belt path more than an inch side to side or front to back, it's not tight enough.
Never place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has an active front passenger airbag. If the airbag inflates, it will hit the back of the car safety seat, right where your child's head is, and could cause serious injury or death.
If you are using a convertible or 3-in-1 seat in the rear-facing position, make sure the seat belt or lower anchor webbing is routed through the correct belt path. Check the instructions that came with the car safety seat to be sure.
Make sure the seat is at the correct angle so your child's head does not flop forward. Check the instructions to find out the correct angle for your seat and how to adjust the angle if needed. All rear-facing seats have built-in angle indicators or adjusters.
Check the car safety seat instructions and vehicle owner's manual about whether the car safety seat may contact the back of the vehicle seat in front of it.
Still having trouble? Check with a certified CPST in your area who can help. See the end of this article for information on how to locate a CPST.

billschroeder5842

Jeezuz... just don't...