How to Pick a Ford Car Seat

Check out your local and national guidelines to find the best car seat for your Ford, and make sure to read your owner’s manual before installing the seat.
Written by Sophie Boka
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
When you’re riding with a little one, it’s crucial to find the right car seat for your Ford. All new Fords come equipped with standardized LATCH anchors to lock in your child’s car seat. But to ensure your child is fully-protected, review your owner’s manual and follow official safety guidelines.
Of course you want to find the right car seat for your child. You’re a great caretaker. You’ll settle for nothing less. But what makes a car seat the right car seat? You have to consider your kid. You have to think about your car. Then there’s pricing, safety ratings, aesthetic—not to mention all of the opinions online. Suddenly, the simple task of finding a car seat has become totally overwhelming. 
But there’s no need to sweat. We get it, picking the right car seat can be a daunting task. But it doesn’t need to be. Our experts have scoured the car seat market and curated a list of recommendations for Ford drivers so you can skip the stress and get back to family fun.
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How to choose a car seat for a Ford

The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
sets the standards for all things car seats. To help you narrow down your seat, they recommend you start by considering your kid. How old are they? How much do they weigh? What’s their height?
From there, the NHTSA makes a few general recommendations. Your child will likely need to start out in a rear-facing seat until they exceed the manufacturer’s height and weight maximum, which usually happens around age three. They’ll move up to a front-facing seat from ages four to seven. Then, your child will transition to a booster seat that they should use either until age 12 or until they’re taller than four foot nine.
Need a visual? Check out our table below to determine which type of car seat your child needs.
Category
Age groups
Features
Types
Rear-facing
0-12 months and up to three years
Protects neck and spinal cord during crashes
Infant car seat, convertible seat (for 12+ months), or all-in-one seat (for 12+ months)
Forward-facing
Four to seven years OR over manufacturer’s weight and height limits for rear-facing seats
Uses a harness and tether to limit forward movement during crashes
Convertible seat, all-in-one seat, or combination seat
Booster seat
Seven to 12 years OR over manufacturer’s weight and height limits for front-facing seats
Raises the child so the vehicle’s seat belt fits properly
Combination seat, all-in-one seat, high back booster seat (for cars without headrests), or backless booster seat (for cars with headrests)

The best car seats for Ford owners

You have to pick the seat that’s right for your baby—both your kid and your car. To help point you in the right direction, we’ve rounded up some Ford favorite recommendations. Just be sure to check the dimensions of your rear seats before adding to cart.
  • Rear-facing seats: Chicco Fit2 ($319.99) or Graco SnugRide ($204.99)
  • Front-facing (convertible) seats: Graco SlimFit ($199.99) or Diono Radian 3R ($199.99)
  • Booster seats: Diono Everett NXT ($149.99) or Graco Turbobooster ($52.99) 
If you want to compare car seats’ ease-of-use ratings, use
NHTSA's Car Seat Finder
. Remember to compare in the correct category for your infant. If you’re on the hunt for a booster seat, you can use the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) booster ratings
to help you choose a seat.

Installing a car seat in a Ford

Okay, you’ve purchased the car seat; now what? You can get the best car seat on the market, but it won’t keep your kid safe if you don’t install it correctly. As of 2002, all Fords come equipped with attachment points made specifically for car seats. These points conform to the International ISOFIX standards, sometimes called LATCH (“Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children”). 
The NHTSA provides detailed instructions for
installing each type of car seat
. It’s important to read those. But the basic steps are the same: 
  • Read the instruction manual for both the car seat and your vehicle. It may seem boring, but it’s the only way to ensure your child’s safety.
  • Attach the car seat or seat base with either the seat belt or ISOFIX/LATCH lower anchors
  • Test the seat. Does it move more than an inch? If so, secure it more tightly.
  • Buckle your child in and make sure the straps are snug.
For maximum safety, experts suggest placing the car seat behind the front passenger seat. While it may seem that the middle rear seat would be the most protected, the outer seat is recommended for a few reasons: 
  • The law-required, standardized ISOFIX attachment anchors are often located by the outer rear seats. If your child is buckled in without them, their safety could be jeopardized. 
  • It’s easier to keep an eye on your child while you’re driving.
  • When you remove your child from the passenger side of the car, you can do so while protected from traffic.
Whatever you do, don’t put your car seat in the front next to you. While it’s certainly tempting to have your little one close by, the front seat is not designed for a car seat. If your baby is upfront, you are actually putting them at risk of danger

The best family Fords for car seats

Ever since 2002, all Fords have come equipped with the law-required ISOFIX/LATCH anchors. But car seat anchors aren’t the only feature that determines a kid-friendly car. Here are three great Ford models built for you and the crew.

Ford Explorer

Starting price: $33,745
NHTSA safety rating: 5 stars
IIHS safety rating: Good (2022 Top Safety Pick+)
IIHS LATCH ease of use: Acceptable
The
Ford Explorer
is ready for any journey—be it a family road trip or just a trip to the grocery store. This Ford can tow up to 7 passengers, making it the perfect carpool vehicle. With plenty of room, you’ll have more than enough space for all your cargo
To keep the family entertained, the Explorer comes equipped with its FordPass™ Connect 4G LTE WiFi hotspot for up to 10 devices. But if you prefer a bit of karaoke, SiriusXM is sure to have something the whole family can sing along to. And the Explorer comes equipped with auto high beams, rear-wheel drive, and reverse-sensing and lane-keeping systems, so you can feel an increased sense of safety when you drive.

Ford Edge

Starting price: $36,145
NHTSA safety rating: 5 stars
IIHS safety rating: Good (2022 Top Safety Pick)
IIHS LATCH ease of use: Acceptable
The
Ford Edge
is a pretty brilliant option when it comes to entertainment. It comes with Ford’s Sync® 4 with enhanced voice recognition and entertainment system to keep everyone engaged on the road. Need some background noise to keep the peace? Turn on Sirius XM for exclusive access to some of the best music and talk shows. 
It doesn’t skimp on safety, either. The Edge features the Ford Co-Pilot360, a next-level suite of driver-assist technologies including pre-collision assist, a rearview camera, and more. And don’t forget the FordPass, which allows you to connect up to 10 devices to the Internet.

Ford Expedition

Starting price: $52,080
NHTSA safety rating: 5 stars
IIHS safety rating: Good 
IIHS LATCH ease of use: Acceptable
Rally the sippy cups! The
Ford Expedition
comes equipped with 15 cup holders, so you’ll have plenty of storage for your little one’s snacks. The Expedition seats 5, so there’s room in the back for a couple of car seats if needed. As for entertainment, your Expedition is fixed with Ford’s SYNC 4 system and a 12-inch center stack screen. What more could you ask for? 
Ford loves to stack its cars with plenty of safety features, and the Expedition is no exception. When you drive the Expedition, you can utilize the BLIS® (Blind Spot Information System) with cross-traffic alert and a lane-keeping system for the ultimate safe ride. No need to worry about nightfall with your Explorer’s auto high-beam function. And its rearview camera will be the ultimate tool for remembering to put your stroller in the trunk after buckling up the kids. 

Car seat laws by state

Need to double-check that your Ford is in compliance with state laws? Check out our table below. Simply search for your state, click, and review the detailed regulations.
State
Minimum requirements for adult seat belt
Maximum base fine
6+ years
$25
7+ years OR 57 inches or 65+ pounds
$50
5+ years AND 57+ inches
$50
6+ years OR 60+ pounds
$100
8+ years OR 57+ inches
$100
8+ years
$81
8+ years AND 60+ pounds
$50
8+ years OR 66+ pounds
$25
6+ years
$60
57+ inches
$50
4+ years AND 57 inches or 40+ pounds
$100
7+ years
$79
8+ years OR 40+ pounds where only a lap belt is available
$75
8+ years
$25
6+ years
$25
8+ years OR 80+ pounds OR 57+ inches
$60
57+ inches
$50 for children restraint, $30 for booster seat
9+ years OR above manufacturer’s height and weight restrictions
$100
57+ inches OR 80+ pounds
$50
8+ years OR 57+ inches
$50
8+ years OR 57+ inches
$25
8+ years OR 57+ inches
$10
8+ years AND 57+ inches
$25
65+ pounds OR 57+ inches
$25
8+ years OR 80+ pounds OR 57+ inches
$50 if child is under 80 pounds or 57 inches; $10 for others
6+ years
$100
8+ years
$25
6+ years
$500
7+ years OR 57+ inches
$50
8+ years or 57+ inches
$75
7+ years
$25
8+ years
$100
8+ years OR 40-80 pounds in seats without shoulder belts
$25
8+ years OR 57+ inches
$25
8+ years
$75
8+ years OR 57+ inches
$50
8+ years OR 57+ inches
$115
8+ years
$75
8+ years OR 80+ pounds OR 57+ inches
$85
South Carolina
8+ years OR 57+ inches *only if* belt fits correctly
$150
5+ years OR 40+ pounds
$25
9+ years or 57+ inches
$50
8+ years
$25 (minimum)
8+ years OR 57+ inches
$25
8+ years AND 20+ pounds
$25
8+ years
$50
57+ inches OR 4+ years where only a lap belt is available
$124
8+ years OR 57+ inches
$20
8+ years OR 80+ pounds and 57+ inches
$75
9+ years
$50
MORE: 8 pro tips for long car rides with kids

How to find affordable Ford insurance

If you’re searching for a car seat, you want to make sure your kid is protected. A great way to protect your family on the road is with great
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FAQs

Since 2002, all Ford models are required to be built with mandatory ISOFIX/LATCH anchors to secure car seats. That said, these anchors may be more accessible in some models than others. The
IIHS child seat anchor
rating is a great way to check the accessibility of your vehicle’s LATCH system.
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