Child seat and airbag

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Tue 23 Jan 2018 06:35
Child seat and airbag - Jamesey

I'm looking for advice re using a front-facing child seat in the front. I'm pretty sure it's not (easily) possible to disable the front airbag on my 09-plate Focus. I guess that officially the advice is that a child seat should not be put in the front, but I read that if you put the seat position back (i.e. away from where the airbag would inflate) then it should be ok. My son is just over 2 years and we have a good quality child seat.

Edited by Jamesey on 23/01/2018 at 07:03

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 23 Jan 2018 08:44
Child seat and airbag - RT

Put the child seat in the back?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 23 Jan 2018 09:22
Child seat and airbag - Bromptonaut

RoSPA advice

What does the car's handbook say?

EDIT - Please could mods update the link as the swear filter doesn't like 'child car seats' run into one word even as a link 'cos it contains a rude word for bottom!!!

www.childcarseats.org.uk

(I copied and pasted it - with luck I may have tricked the stupid software. A rare victory if so.)

Edited by Avant on 24/01/2018 at 21:59

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 23 Jan 2018 12:09
Child seat and airbag - badbusdriver

Are you not able to disable the passenger side airbag?, i'd have thought you should be able to on that age of car, possibly a key slot in the glove box?.

If you can't do this, put it in the back, better to be safe.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 23 Jan 2018 12:32
Child seat and airbag - Gibbo_Wirral

www.fordmanuals.org/page-2425.html

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 23 Jan 2018 13:25
Child seat and airbag - RT

Children between 3 and 12 aren't allowed in the front seats anyway - so any solution will last less than a year - unless it's a two seater.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 23 Jan 2018 13:49
Child seat and airbag - Wee Willie Winkie

Not true. It's perfectly legal if a suitable child seat is used.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 24 Jan 2018 18:13
Child seat and airbag - NAthan smith
Need to read up it’s perfectly legal for a child that age to be in the front providing a suitable child seat is used
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 23 Jan 2018 19:38
Child seat and airbag - Jamesey

Responding to posts above:
- I realise it's safer to put the child in the back
- the disable switch seems to be an 'optional extra', as stated on that fordmanuals link, my car does not have it

The offical Ford manual online appears to allow a child seat in the front with airbag:

Mass group: 9-18 kg Child safety seat
Front passenger airbag ON (All except Focus RS) - U1
U1 - Suitable for universal category child restraints approved for use in this mass group. However, we recommend that you secure children in a government approved child restraint, in the rear seat.

What I see is stressed everywhere is not putting a rear-facing baby seat in the front with an airbag.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 23 Jan 2018 20:40
Child seat and airbag - badbusdriver

If you realise it is safer to put your son in the back, why would you want to put your son in the front?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 25 Jan 2018 12:54
Child seat and airbag - Cyd

Statistically the safest place for a child is in the rear centre position, followed by the rear passenger side.

It is permissible to fit a front facing child seat in the front passenger side. The child will be protected by the dash airbag in the event of a frontal accident. The level of safety can be raised however, by moving the seat rearwards as far as practicle (all the way if no-one in rear.

Be aware however, that some child seats may interfere with the deployment of the seats side airbag, where it is fitted in the seat rather than the door. Some seats may even interfere with the deplyment of side air cutains. This sort of info isn't published, of course, so you'll just have to use your 'nous' when looking at the fit in your seat.

ISOFIX will make an appearance in the front seats soon (if it hasn't already).

The best solution is an ISOFIX mounted seat in the rear passenger position.

Some manufacturers do list seats best suited to their cars. Or if they don't their dealers may offer a limited range of seats - a nod to the wise (as it were).

Side impact protection is greater in the rear. My children ALWAYS rode in the rear.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 5 Feb 2018 16:37
Child seat and airbag - Avant

The above is a new poster so I'm not sure if he's trying to help or to get a free advert. In any case, if you click on these links it's at your own risk.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

Honest Used Car Prices

From which small car to buy at which price point to the best UK-built cars, our Top 10s have the lot. Click now for your shortlist.

Unsure of what to buy? Our Top 10s are here to help you....