Hi everyone, I've installed a front-facing car seat in the rear. According to the Prius 2012 manual (page 165), there should be three anchor brackets at the back of the rear seats. Oddly enough, I can't find any of those anchor brackets when looking for them in the luggage compartment. I ran my hand around the area they should be, roughly a foot below the head rest, and it feels as though there is something underneath the car seat upholstery which may or may not be an anchor though I have no idea why it wouldn't be accessible. I'm not looking forward to cutting up the upholstery for nothing. If I'm way off base and for some reason I need to look elsewhere for those anchors, I'd be happy for some tips. Thanks in advance!
I don't know in the back of my persona which has leather and all that business but not any seeding for a little person at all but I do see some anchor points and I need to go look I think there was even a strap in the glove box that was the tether for whatever you're tethering generally some kind of baby to child safety seat up to 80 lb I guess or something.
Are you looking at the paper manual that came with your car? If the manual came from the internet make certain it matches the localization of the vehicle itself. This is what they look like in the North American 2012 Prius: (circled)
Seems like you're describing the tie down brackets on the back of the rear seats, which is for tying down cargo in the back of the car, not for the child seat. The child seat is designed to be fastened with the existing seat belt, though some car seats have additional tie down straps. If I were you I'd simply drive to the nearest fire station and ask them. Most fire stations are willing to do that if they aren't out on call... In some states they even send you there to have your child seat inspected for safety. As in they're the ones who have to deal with extricating people after a car accident, so they're very experienced when it comes to right ways and wrong ways to strap in a car seat.
I'm guessing that you are referring to LATCH system ("Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children"). These anchors that are in the crack between the seat back and the seat bottom cushion. You could probably find them for the first time by putting the seat back down halfway and looking in the gap. Then you'd know where they are so you can reach in and latch the car seat.
Yeah there's anchors between the seat bottom and back, plus anchors up higher on the backside of the seat backs. (the top pic above is kinda confusing: those anchors are far side) Apparently you're not supposed to put 3 abreast seats, since the middle one will double up on the lower LATCH anchor points. We did this routinely for a while, and once I found out, well, kept doing it...
Aha! Now I understand why the current generation of safety seats use a much wider coupler for the LATCH fittings. Physically impossible to double-up now. (the top tether anchor is still the same bull snap type)
A possible answer to OP's question: It could be aftermarket upholstery installed on top of the stock that's hiding the anchors.
