IIHS Rates Latch Access in 102 Cars; Only 3 Earn Top Ratings - Cars.com News
com, we've been evaluating car-seat fit and ease of installation using a vehicle's Latch system for more than five years and reporting our findings in our Car Seat Checks . The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is now conducting similar tests. The agency today released results of its evaluation of 102 car models' Latch systems and only three cars — the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class and Volkswagen Passat — met its criteria for the top rating of good. The Latch system uses two kinds of anchors to secure child-safety seats in a car's backseat. Top tether anchors secure the top of a forward-facing convertible or combination seat, limiting a child's forward head motion in a crash. While the Latch system is federally required in any car with a backseat made after 2001, our tests have led us to conclude that some Latch systems are better than others. With only three cars earning the top score of good on a scale of good, acceptable, marginal or poor, 44 received an acceptable rating, 45 were judged marginal and 10 cars earned a poor score. In IIHS' tests, the Latch system is rated good if:. The lower Latch anchors are no more than three-quarters of an inch deep in the seat bight, where the back and bottom cushions meet. this simulates attaching a car seat's Latch connector to the anchor, though the force required depends on the type of Latch connector on a particular car. Source: www.cars.com
