Rear seat conversion and safety

[Pennie]

Hi all, I'm new, so please be gentle!

I have a 960 CD estate with the rear-seat conversion carried out just after purchase.

This morning I had my 4 and 5 year old children in their car seats in the boot and was stopped by somebody saying it wasn't safe.

The car seat manufacturer said they would not recommend using their seats in the boot, only because they hadn't tested them, although rear facing travel was, in their opinion, safer.

They suggested I contact Volvo for their take on the situation.

So I searched the internet and found you. I'd love to hear opinions please!

Thanking you in advance

[imac]

Originally Posted by Pennie

Hi all, I'm new, so please be gentle!

I have a 960 CD estate with the rear-seat conversion carried out just after purchase.

This morning I had my 4 and 5 year old children in their car seats in the boot and was stopped by somebody saying it wasn't safe.

The car seat manufacturer said they would not recommend using their seats in the boot, only because they hadn't tested them, although rear facing travel was, in their opinion, safer.

They suggested I contact Volvo for their take on the situation.

So I searched the internet and found you. I'd love to hear opinions please!

Thanking you in advance

I would NEVER put kids in the back of an estate full stop. If some idiot smashed into the back of you at speed there would be next to no protection for the kids in the third row of seats.

Just my opinion....

[Mike_Brace]

Volvo did provide factory seat for rear, and I would consider them safe. Rear facing is a lot safer than front facing (all RAF transport planes have rear facing seats). The Volvos are extremely tuff - there is another thread on ther tuffness and some pics (I think its on page 2). The rear crumple zone is fairly short but very effective. I would sooner have kids in the Volvo rear seats than a people carrier if I was unfortunate enough to be rear ended. Certainly on a front or 3/4 impact a lot safer as the seats face back.
I used them in my 240 for years back in the 80s and 90s - its how I got into my Volvos having six kids!
Feel and be safe.

Mike

[imac]

Originally Posted by Mike_Brace

Volvo did provide factory seat for rear, and I would consider them safe. Rear facing is a lot safer than front facing (all RAF transport planes have rear facing seats). The Volvos are extremely tuff - there is another thread on ther tuffness and some pics (I think its on page 2). The rear crumple zone is fairly short but very effective. I would sooner have kids in the Volvo rear seats than a people carrier if I was unfortunate enough to be rear ended. Certainly on a front or 3/4 impact a lot safer as the seats face back.
I used them in my 240 for years back in the 80s and 90s - its how I got into my Volvos having six kids!
Feel and be safe.

Mike

The only concern is when children are sitting in the factory seats (we have them in our 855) their legs are so very close to the rear of the car. All you need is to be rammed into by some idiot drunk or suchlike and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't come out of it very well. Same goes for the people carriers that put the rear seats right up against the boot door.

I think when I produce some children I will buy an APC!!!

[7050man]

Pennie, my V70 classic was purchased new back in 2000 for just this reason, ie have seven seat capability.
But a few things that you may want to consider;

1, if your children are young (no older than ten or eleven yrs old ) then they will be able to ride comfortably in the back. As they get older (and bigger), they will not be able to sit there for too long, as their legs can't stretch out.

2, regarding the safety issues, this was a concern for me. As a result I would not undertake motorway driving and I drove ultra defensively and with greater awareness.
That said, the V70 is an extremely strong car. I can personally vouch for that because in 2004 a French artic. lorry knocked my car off the M25 and it rolled over twice, but that's another story. In the event of someone running directly into the back, the boot section is designed to keep its shape, with the impact being absorbed over the back wheelarch, ie this is where it will crumple. There is also a strong reinforced frame around the tailgate which helps the car keep its shape and underneathe the bumper, there is an iron girder that could probably stop a railway locomotive!
As has been already mentioned, facing backwards is the best way to be if your car runs something else at any speed over a few miles an hour, so in the event of you having an accident, they are better in the back.

3, In our experience, the seven seats were great for ferrying lots of kids around locally,(In fact there were fights to see who could sit in the back) but as I've already said not on longer distances.

4, I should think that your 960 is every bit as strong as my V70 was, but I should check with your dealer about keeping its shape etc. YOu mentioned car seats in the back. I would suggest that they will not be fitted as the manufacture would recommend and as a result will not be safe, but again check with the seat manufacture as to the type of fitting that is required.

I hope this helps.
Jez

[migrator]

What type of 'rear seat conversion' has been fitted in your 960 estate? Is it the Volvo supplied system that folds away into the floor space when not required abd is it complete with the two full three point seat belts? Or is it a non-Volvo aftermarket kit that just fits the 960?

There is nothing wrong with the Volvo supplied 'rear facing seats' for these estate cars. One of the main reasons that we are running Volvos here is the safety aspect. Can you see Volvo manufacturing and supplying/fitting unsafe components to the cars? I would think not.

Are you using these rear facing seats with any additional booster type seats? Such an action might well give rise to safety comments from well meaning people.