Kids Off-Road

[mtbjeep]

Hi all. Curious if a 6yr old can be in their booster in the front seat when off-road. Does 4lo disable the airbag? This is not for extreme rock crawling, if that matters.

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[Fast-n-Furious]

Several months I took my 5-year-old and 8-year-old to some blue trails, not much rocks, lots of ups and downs flex and sharp turns. My 5-year-old was in his convertible booster seat in the back with the 5-point harness. My 8-year-old was just using the seat belt in the back. I've never had either kid in the front passenger seat so far.

 

[mtbjeep]

Several months I took my 5-year-old and 8-year-old to some blue trails, not much rocks, lots of ups and downs flex and sharp turns. My 5-year-old was in his convertible booster seat in the back with the 5-point harness. My 8-year-old was just using the seat belt in the back. I've never had either kid in the front passenger seat so far.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've always had him in the back with the booster seat but his visibility and interaction is somewhat limited. As the trails are green/blue I think he would be fine up front but my concern is the airbag.

 

[azwjowner]

I would be extremely surprised if 4low disabled the airbag. If I roll over or pitch nose first off a trail, I want those airbags deploying. I also suspect it would be illegal for the Jeep to silently disable the airbags without notification to the driver.

 

[mtbjeep]

I would be extremely surprised if 4low disabled the airbag. If I roll over or pitch nose first off a trail, I want those airbags deploying. I also suspect it would be illegal for the Jeep to silently disable the airbags without notification to the driver.

That's a good point. Some of my previous vehicles had the ability to manually turn off the passenger airbag and there was an icon on the dash. That was a nice feature, especially when you weren't a big fan of the passenger Other vehicles I've had only turned on the airbag when a certain amount of weight was placed on the passenger seat, again with an icon on the dash.

 

[HK1s]

Just let the 6 yo drive instead of just watching, 4 low isn't that fast. You can have the booster seat.

 

[Maverick909]

all new cars have a weight sensor for the front passenger airbag system. I personally wouldnt have my daughter in the front until out of a booster seat.

 

[S2k Chris]

Depends on the trail and the level of risk. It’s unlikely that you’ll be going fast enough for airbags to even go off; IIHS says generally about 16mph. You aren’t generally going that fast offroad (unless dessert running I guess?) and it’s unlikely you’re going to hit anyone else. My thought is unless you’re worried about other yahoos being stupid around you, you’ll be fine.

 

[Chris D]

If they can't press the clutch, it is rather hard to drive. As soon as my little one was able to shift he could drive off road. Don't rush it, they will grow faster than you can imagine.

 

[cander58]

Kids don't know what they're missing. Leave em in the back seat.

 

[UncleJimmy]

AFIK why would there be a problem? As mentioned if they are in a booster seat, facing forward and the seat belt is aligned correctly over the shoulder there should be no issues. Airbag off is weight sensitive but with the seat belt on correctly that should not be a problem. To be safe, double-check the owners' manual and booster seat manual. The main concern with kids in the front seat is rear facing so the head is too close to airbags during deployment, but properly buckled in it should not be a problem. They do need to be mature enough not to take the shoulder seat belt off etc.

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