The Dodge Ram [known these days as a Ram] is one of the most popular large pickup trucks in the United States, competing with models like the Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Honda Ridgeline, and Chevrolet Silverado, which means that it’s also used by a large number of families to transport children to school and around as a means of transportation. However, transporting children safely in a pickup truck means having some basic knowledge of car seat safety, which is reviewed below. This article is about achieving successful 3 across car seat installations in the Dodge Ram.
You know the basics of best practices in car seat safety: I typically suggest keeping children rear-facing as long as possible (until 4 or 5 like the Swedes), followed by harnessing until they can safely use booster seats (until at least 5, like the Swedes), and then boostering until the 5 step test is passed (typically between 10, 11, and 12). Beyond that, I suggest keeping kids in the back seat until at least 13, and delaying teen solo driving until 18 if possible. These recommendations are based on what we know about child safety at various ages, and about what configurations offer children the best odds of surviving crashes without serious injury.
However, for this information to be of use, you need to know which car seats in particular are going to fit in your Dodge Ram, especially when it comes to 3 across installations and puzzling convertible seats, infant seats, boosters, and combination seats together. I had the chance to test out a number of seats in a Dodge Ram recently, and here are some of the installations I was able to achieve.You can access the complete 3 across guide for every vehicle here and the complete list of recommended seats here. The Canadian car seat guide is available here. 3 across car seat images are courtesy of Wikipedia.
2019, 2020 Dodge Ram (DT)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian 3RXT (x3).
Diono Radian 3RX (x3).
Clek Oobr (x3).
Graco 4Ever, Diono Monterey, Graco 4Ever (reader tip – thank you!)
Combi Cocorro (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30, Britax Pinnacle 90, Clek Foonf.
Clek Fllo, Britax Pinnacle 90, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Clek Foonf, Britax Frontier 90, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier 90, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon ClickTight, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Pavilion G4, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Graco TurboBooster.
Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco TurboBooster.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard G4.1, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon ClickTight, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon G4.1, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Pavilion G4, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Tips and Tricks:
The fifth generation of the Dodge Ram in the Quad Cab edition (4×2 or 4×4) with the 5’7″ box is just under 229 inches long and 82 inches wide. The Crew Cab (4×2 or 4×4) with the 6’4″ box is just under 242 inches long and 82 inches wide. All of this means that you won’t have any trouble with most 3 across installations. If you do find yourself having some trouble, just switch to seat belt installations on the outboard seats instead of LATCH installations to get a bit more space.
It’s important to note that the middle seat is a short one in the Ram, and that you won’t be able to fit most seats there that require 100% of the seat base to be on the seat. Most seats obey the 80% rule, in that a 20% overlap is allowed, but some seats–like the Clek Fllo–do not, and require the entire base to sit on the vehicle’s seat. Thanks to a reader for this tip!
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Dodge Ram (DS, DJ, D2)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian 3RXT (x3).
Diono Radian 3RX (x3).
Clek Oobr (x3).
Graco 4Ever, Diono Monterey, Graco 4Ever (reader tip – thank you!)
Combi Cocorro (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30, Britax Pinnacle 90, Clek Foonf.
Clek Fllo, Britax Pinnacle 90, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Clek Foonf, Britax Frontier 90, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier 90, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon ClickTight, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Pavilion G4, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Graco TurboBooster.
Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco TurboBooster.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard G4.1, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon ClickTight, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon G4.1, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Pavilion G4, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Tips and Tricks:
The fourth generation of the Dodge Ram in the 2wd Crew Cab edition is roughly 228 inches long and 79 inches wide, which means that you shouldn’t have any trouble with most 3 across installations. If you do find yourself having some trouble, just switch to seat belt installations on the outboard seats instead of LATCH installations to get a bit more space.
It’s important to note that the middle seat is a short one in the Ram, and that you won’t be able to fit most seats there that require 100% of the seat base to be on the seat. Most seats obey the 80% rule, in that a 20% overlap is allowed, but some seats–like the Clek Fllo–do not, and require the entire base to sit on the vehicle’s seat. Thanks to a reader for this tip!
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Dodge Ram
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Combi Cocorro (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30, Britax Pinnacle 90, Clek Foonf.
Clek Fllo, Britax Pinnacle 90, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Clek Foonf, Britax Frontier 90, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier 90, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon ClickTight, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Pavilion G4, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Graco TurboBooster.
Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco TurboBooster.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard G4.1, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon ClickTight, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Marathon G4.1, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Britax Pavilion G4, Clek Fllo, Britax Frontier G1.1.
Tips and Tricks:
The 2002-2008 generation of the Dodge Ram is between 208 and 295 inches long, depending on which trim and cab level you select, and uniformly 80 inches wide. In other words, you’ll be able to fit pretty much any car seats you’d like to in 3 across configurations; the biggest issue to watch out for will be front-to-back space; depending on your cab, you might not have any or you might have a ton to play with. This is a universal issue among pickup trucks when it comes to 3 across installation challenges.
If you find my information on best practices in car and car seat safety helpful, you can do your shopping through this Amazon link. Canadians can shop here for Canadian purchases. Have a question or want to discuss best practices? Send me an email at carcrashdetective [at] gmail [dot] com.