Car modification: child tether anchorage?

Krassus

Golden Member
Jan 30, 2003
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According to the gov't of Canada, each car imported into the country must have something called 'child tether anchorage?' What is this and how much does it cost?
 

iwearnosox

Lifer
Oct 26, 2000
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It's one or more tapped holes behind the back seat, presumably in the floor pan. Not easy to do on your own I don't think.
 

TheBoyBlunder

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2003
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It's a big tether with a harness that deploys from the trunk. I'm pretty sure you can figure out what it'd be good for.
 

iwearnosox

Lifer
Oct 26, 2000
16,018
5
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Found this on, ahem, google for you:


Does anybody know what Tether Anchorage means? . . .
the RIV told me that before getting [my 1988 Hyundai
Excel] federally inspected, I need to make sure that
it has a tether anchorage.

Short answer: This has to do with a Transport Canada requirement
relating to child safety seats. I'm a bit surprised that the people
at the Registrar of Imported Vehicles weren't able to look up your
car's make, model, and year in their lists and tell =you= whether or
not the car has a tether anchorage. If the car requires a tether
anchorage but wasn't originally built with one, my understanding is
that the car is not Canada-legal and cannot be made Canada-legal.

Longer answer:

A "tether anchorage" is a threaded hole, in a reinforced portion of the
vehicle's body, into which you can install a "tether anchor".

A "tether anchor" is an assembly consisting of a bolt (which screws into
the tether anchorage), some washers, and a metal buckle with a hole in
it, onto which you can hook a "tether strap".

Note, BTW, the difference between a tether "anchorage" (the threaded
hole) and a tether "anchor" (the hardware that goes into the hole).

A "tether strap" is a length of seat belt material, wrapped around the
frame of a front-facing (toddler-sized) child safety seat. There is a
hook on the other end of the tether strap. After securing the child
seat into a rear seat of the car with the lap belt, you hook the tether
strap onto the tether anchor (installed in the tether anchorage), and
then tighten the tether strap.

The idea is that if you get in an accident, the tether strap will help
protect your child by keeping his/her seat from pitching forward or to
the side. Transport Canada requires a tether strap to be used with all
front-facing car seats -- and, additionally, all cars sold in Canada
since sometime in the late 1980's (I don't remember exactly when) have
had to include a place for the tether strap to be attached (i.e., a
"tether anchorage"). This requirement is codified as section 210.1 of
the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS).

A tether anchorage must be strong enough to withstand the forces of a
moderate-sized collision. Transport Canada's certification test for
tether anchorages is a kind of destructive "crash test" which manufac-
turers must perform in order to get a vehicle design approved for sale
in Canada. You can't simply drill a hole in the rear of the car frame,
thread it, and call it a tether anchorage. If a car wasn't originally
built with a tether anchorage, it is =not= feasible for a dealership or
mechanic to retrofit one, as there would be no way (without wrecking the
car) to demonstrate to Transport Canada's satisfaction that the tether
anchorage was strong enough! If a car needs a tether anchorage but was
not originally built with one, you're pretty much out of luck, period.

Fortunately, even though tether anchorages are not required in the US,
many cars built for the US do have them. It's easier for auto makers
to design a model using a single body design for both the US and Canada,
so they frequently include an anchorage and just don't bother to tell
their American dealers or customers about it. Asking people at a US
dealership about the tether anchorage will likely get you nowhere (they
will have no idea what in the world you are talking about). The best
way to find out if the anchorage is there is probably to stick your head
in the trunk and look for a threaded hole (more likely two holes) in
a reinforced part of the metal frame, under the shelf behind the rear
seats. In a hatchback, wagon, or minivan, check at the rear of the
hatch area, possibly on the sides of the car, probably with a plastic
pop-out covering the hole.

In any case, the RIV should be able to tell =you= whether your car meets
the tether anchorage requirement. If they don't think it does, you are
probably out of luck (and will have to re-export your car and get rid of
it in the States) unless you can get Hyundai's head office in the US or
Canada (=not= a random local dealership) to write you a letter certify-
ing that your vehicle (uniquely identified by its VIN) meets the tether
anchorage requirement (CMVSS 210.1).
 

This is a pic of one

It's just a slightly different style of seatbelt that allows you to put the seatbelt through the bottom of the child's seat so it will buckle the seat in correctly.
 

Krassus

Golden Member
Jan 30, 2003
1,153
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So the article basically says that if the car wasn't manufactured with it, there's no way to put it in? So then why are there so many imported Mits Spyders here in Canada? None of em had it installed originally!