[adamsesq]

We have 6 in the family and sometimes we actually all want to go out together. Our littlests are 11 and 12 and just over 5'. For right about $600 and a LONG wait (13 or 14 weeks) we were able to add a single seat in the back. I really wish the wait was not so long!

We opted for nothing fancy, just a single cloth covered seat that matches the seating in our JKU. The seat came pretty much fully assembled and included two metal plates (one template, one backing plate) and a hardware package. We opted for the single and not the bench because it folds AND still leaves a lot of room for junk. They kiddos say they will trade off who gets to sit back there.

The install was very straight forward. Remove the mat, fold back the carpet, lay out their template and drill 4 holes. 2 of the holes have screws to hold their backing plate into place and the other two go through the seat plate, the jeep floor and their back plate and into threaded slots. I can take the two holding the seat down out in about 2 minutes if we want it out for some reason. My wife spent more time being exact about cutting the rear deck mat than I did doing the whole install. The ONLY issue we had was that the seat belt bolts (seat belt and seat belt connector) to the seats were not tightened at all from the factory and their directions did not say to check them - I should have. We installed on the passenger side because the windshield washer assembly blocked part of the view on the driver's side.

My girls say it's very comfortable EXCEPT when we are bouncing around on a trail and they are not expecting it. They want some grab handles installed so I'll probably buy another set of matching handles that we have up front. (They say they also want some handles for when they sit in the middle of the factory rear seat but I'm not sure what to do about that one...) I think they 'look' crowded but they say it's not bad, even with my large storage box next to them.

I'd definitely do it again, but I'm not so sure how long it will be until they are too big to fit. There are not too many options for adding seats so I am very glad that Your source for SUV third and fourth row seats - Little Passenger Seats is a good one. They are a family business and were VERY responsive to my pre-sale questions.

 

[jkudave]

Nice install. Looks factory.

For the center seat grab handle, look for a paracord sound bar handle. They bolt to the center of the sound bar.

 

[GearHead71]

I have been considering this or the Teraflex bracket with a bench from a jk. I've read just about ever thread out there on them but can't decide which way to go! I like that the little passenger seats already have seat belts. But the jk seat would be cool because it tumbles forward, is easier to take out, and I could get matching Bartact seat covers!

Looks great!

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

 

[Lucky j]

Did is nice, but for thoses to be legal, I guess they must have go e thrue some crash test with dummies and can offer proof of passage.

And I did not see on the post, since this is probably just to show for how it sets up, but I assume that anything that will be wright beside anyone in that seat will be tiedown.

Other than this, this is nice!!

 

[adamsesq]

Did is nice, but for thoses to be legal, I guess they must have go e thrue some crash test with dummies and can offer proof of passage.

And I did not see on the post, since this is probably just to show for how it sets up, but I assume that anything that will be wright beside anyone in that seat will be tiedown.

Other than this, this is nice!!

Their website is very clear about what testing procedures they have gone through and what ratings each of their various seats have. I am more than satisfied that this seat fits our needs and safety concerns. Others may (and do) feel differently. It appears that only their full bench seat is actually DOT approved is that rating matters to you.

YES! Everything in the back is tied down when wheeling. In our short break down cruise we didn't put the straps back on the black and yellow box at first and Daughter Number D said it was bumping into her. I learned the hard way even before kids were in the back to strap down EVERYTHING when wheeling even a little bit - and I have the dents in the tailgate (and a wife) to remind me about it.

 

[Dodge4me]

We did the deluxe seat with factory cloth. An 8-seat Wrangler!! The only drawback to the full bench, is it does not fold. We have it facing rearward as that is our kid's favorite ride position. Takes about 15 min to turn around from front facing to rear. Youngest is now ten, and her legs have to be kept to the side in order to fit now.
You'll need to buy a hitch mounted step so your kidos can get in and out easily.
We are going to sell this one and get the single and mount it sideways for the extra leg room. This is for my Wife's mall crawler, so we have not been concerned with the off-road comfort, or loss of storage space.

 

[adamsesq]

We did the deluxe seat with factory cloth. An 8-seat Wrangler!! The only drawback to the full bench, is it does not fold. We have it facing rearward as that is our kid's favorite ride position. Takes about 15 min to turn around from front facing to rear. Youngest is now ten, and her legs have to be kept to the side in order to fit now.
You'll need to buy a hitch mounted step so your kidos can get in and out easily.
We are going to sell this one and get the single and mount it sideways for the extra leg room. This is for my Wife's mall crawler, so we have not been concerned with the off-road comfort, or loss of storage space.

VERY VERY nice. If we had a mall crawler I totally would want to buy this from you for it!!! In fact had I found one used just like it I would have purchased it. Can you tell I like it?

We specifically chose rear facing as the only option because I didn't want to get a roll bar extension and rear facing she is protected pretty well on the very odd chance of a roll over. Here head is just below the top rear bar. Plus I won't wheel that hard with her in the back.

 

[EUG]

My concern with adding seats is insurance coverage. Does anyone know if medical benefits would be paid in the case of an accident? I would think not since it isn't factory equipment, and especially not if it isn't DOT approved.

 

[adamsesq]

My concern with adding seats is insurance coverage. Does anyone know if medical benefits would be paid in the case of an accident? I would think not since it isn't factory equipment, and especially not if it isn't DOT approved.

Good question I think, especially based on all of the "internet knowledge" there is about people claiming that insurance won't apply in this or that situation. Please read your insurance policies (health and/or auto) carefully for exclusions. If something is excluded, it has to be in there. If you find an exclusion that might even arguably apply then this is definitely a discussion to have. I'm betting you won't find anything.

 

[Dodge4me]

We checked with our insurance just to be sure. No issues, fully covered.

 

[WaltA]

Please read your insurance policies (health and/or auto) carefully for exclusions. If something is excluded, it has to be in there. If you find an exclusion that might even arguably apply then this is definitely a discussion to have. I'm betting you won't find anything.

I would be surprised that there isn't anything excluding coverage of passengers riding in the cargo area of any vehicle. I remember something in mine that the passengers have to be in a place that has belts, which means I can put someone in the center of the rear seat of a Civic, but not a Mustang, even when the Mustang has a larger rear seat.

Do these seats attach to "factory" anchor points, and are the belts attached to "factory" anchor points? Just to note, many times vehicles have such anchor points in their design, even though the manufacturer doesn't end up using them.

 

[EUG]

I would be surprised that there isn't anything excluding coverage of passengers riding in the cargo area of any vehicle. I remember something in mine that the passengers have to be in a place that has belts, which means I can put someone in the center of the rear seat of a Civic, but not a Mustang, even when the Mustang has a larger rear seat.

Do these seats attach to "factory" anchor points, and are the belts attached to "factory" anchor points? Just to note, many times vehicles have such anchor points in their design, even though the manufacturer doesn't end up using them.

Exactly. I sold insurance in my early 20's and have seen many denied claims (never came across this though). It's impossible to list everything that's covered and also impossible to list all exclusions. A seat bolted to the roof of a car would probably not be listed as an exclusion.

Also, I would not go by what an agent tells you. Get it in writing. Most agents will easily answer questions verbally, but if they need to provide it in writing, they will get it approved by a manager, regional manager, or someone from corporate. Imagine the burden 10's of thousands of dollars in bills can have on your family. Let alone the injuries suffered...

 

[adamsesq]

Exactly. I sold insurance in my early 20's and have seen many denied claims (never came across this though). It's impossible to list everything that's covered and also impossible to list all exclusions. A seat bolted to the roof of a car would probably not be listed as an exclusion.

Also, I would not go by what an agent tells you. Get it in writing. Most agents will easily answer questions verbally, but if they need to provide it in writing, they will get it approved by a manager, regional manager, or someone from corporate. Imagine the burden 10's of thousands of dollars in bills can have on your family. Let alone the injuries suffered...

If you sold insurance you would know that what you just said is false. If it is not excluded in the policy then by law and by contract they have to cover it. Insurance is HIGHLY regulated and their contracts (policies) are very carefully written. They also by law are interpreted against the insurance company if there ever is a question of interpretation.

I totally agree with getting it in writing - you probably already have - it's called the policy. If there is a question as to the interpretation of the policy and you seek an answer from the insurance company on that, absolutely get that answer in writing too.

 

[adamsesq]

I would be surprised that there isn't anything excluding coverage of passengers riding in the cargo area of any vehicle. I remember something in mine that the passengers have to be in a place that has belts, which means I can put someone in the center of the rear seat of a Civic, but not a Mustang, even when the Mustang has a larger rear seat.

I think it's great to have this thread involve as these are important questions to have answered.

I'm not an insurance expert by any means but having been an attorney for 22 years* and one who started as a contracts/insurance attorney I have never seen a policy that says anything about having to be in a place that has belts. In fact most state laws do not even require that all passengers be belted...really they don't. Most state laws say that anyone can be anywhere in a vehicle even without belts once all belts are used. In most states if you had 6 in the JKU you could have a person ride in the back just laying there with nothing over them. Not wise but you could.

In fact most policies are written to cover anyone who is "riding in or on or in anyway associated with the vehicle." You could actually get out of the car, step behind it and have it roll over you and you would be covered. You clearly would not be in a position where there are belts...

* As an attorney I probably wouldn't let someone outside my family ride back there but it has nothing to do with insurance. But as a Firefighter/EMT for 19 years I have seen a lot of things and inspite of those things I am comfortable making this decision for my family. Everybody else should, IMNSHO, make their own decisions for their own families.

 

[EUG]

If you sold insurance you would know that what you just said is false. If it is not excluded in the policy then by law and by contract they have to cover it. Insurance is HIGHLY regulated and their contracts (policies) are very carefully written. They also by law are interpreted against the insurance company if there ever is a question of interpretation.

I totally agree with getting it in writing - you probably already have - it's called the policy. If there is a question as to the interpretation of the policy and you seek an answer from the insurance company on that, absolutely get that answer in writing too.

I would still not be comfortable doing this unless I had something in writing that showed specially that the 3rd row was covered. Maybe it's just me thinking too logically (I think), but I would think insurance companies would not trust people buy safe seats and install them properly. What would happen in the case where 2 people are sitting in the middle row, and 1 in the back (too crowded in the middle)? All the factory installed seats would not be not used. What if an improperly installed seat caused injury or death to other passengers?

I'm not trying to start an argument. These are real questions I have. If an adult makes his or her own decision to sit there, I don't care. But if I'm making the decision for someone, I have a lot of hesitation. The reliability and safety of the product would also be a concern of mine, but that's another topic. I thought about doing this install, but I'm just not comfortable with it.

 

[adamsesq]

I would still not be comfortable doing this unless I had something in writing that showed specially that the 3rd row was covered. Maybe it's just me thinking too logically (I think), but I would think insurance companies would not trust people buy safe seats and install them properly. What would happen in the case where 2 people are sitting in the middle row, and 1 in the back (too crowded in the middle)? All the factory installed seats would not be not used. What if an improperly installed seat caused injury or death to other passengers?

I'm not trying to start an argument. These are real questions I have. If an adult makes his or her own decision to sit there, I don't care. But if I'm making the decision for someone, I have a lot of hesitation. The reliability and safety of the product would also be a concern of mine, but that's another topic. I thought about doing this install, but I'm just not comfortable with it.

As I said earlier, I think it's a great discussion. At least _I_ don't think you are being a troll.

The "other seats are all used" point was relating to seat belt laws, not a legal required to use a different seat/position. And it doesn't come into play here because all little passenger seats come with seat belts.

Insurance companies HAVE to insure modifications all the time. If you put a super duper powerful engine in your car and then wreck into someone else on the street they cannot avoid paying because you modified the car. (Now if you are "racing" that is likely an expressed exclusion under the policy and for that they can exclude you.) But my whole point is and has been that assuming you have med pay they have a contract that says "we will pay medical payments for someone injured in your car UNLESS an exclusion to this policy applies and those exclusions are:...." I am not aware of any exclusion that would apply here. And contrary to what has been asserted the insurance company can't just make up one out of the blue.

It is definitely a decision you have to make for yourself and your family. If you are not comfortable with it don't do it and no one should give you any grief for that. If you want to get more info the people at little passenger seats have a lot of info to share.

 

[EUG]

Thanks, that is great to know. We have three in my family and two close friends who also have three in their familiies (all couples have one kid). It would be nice to carpool in the jeep with one of the families when we go out somewhere together, instead of taking my wife's Sorento. Used to hate having the only vehicle with more than 5 seats, but now I'm looking for reasons to drive. "Honey, you need anything at the store?" LOL

Banks is beautiful. I'm not too far away in Beaverton...

 

[adamsesq]

Thanks, that is great to know. We have three in my family and two close friends who also have three in their familiies (all couples have one kid). It would be nice to carpool in the jeep with one of the families when we go out somewhere together, instead of taking my wife's Sorento. Used to hate having the only vehicle with more than 5 seats, but now I'm looking for reasons to drive. "Honey, you need anything at the store?" LOL

Banks is beautiful. I'm not too far away in Beaverton...

Let's go hit Brown's Camp. I'm on the way! And I won't make your kid sit in the back

 

[westlaker]

I just found out this company not longer makes the Little Passenger Seats. Anybody have a used one I could buy?

 

[westlaker]

Has anybody tried the Teraflex third row seat bracket? I'm desperate.