The Risks of Installing Aftermarket Seats

Upgraded seats can enhance both the driving experience and increase resale value of your vehicle, but if not installed properly they could even pose serious safety hazards.

Car seat manufacturers do not approve third-party aftermarket products, and while you can physically bolt in a new seat, there may also be electrical and wiring issues to address when doing so.

Safety

Installing new seats may seem straightforward, but it is essential to ensure that any modifications won’t void the vehicle warranty or alter safety systems. Furthermore, changing seat mounting points could pose risks in case of an accident.

There are many third-party aftermarket products for cars which purport to make head restraints more comfortable or provide additional support, yet Transport Canada and car seat manufacturers warn against their use. They pose a potential risk to children’s safety.

An aftermarket head support cushion could cause shoulder harness slack during a collision, increasing the chance of ejection from its restraint and risk of injury or death for children in that seat. Furthermore, adding a chest clip cover may create gaps and spacing that obstruct its optimal placement during an impact and thus increase risk.

Weight

Aftermarket seats provide numerous advantages when installed properly. They offer comfort and safety features that can enhance driving experiences while increasing resale values of cars. In addition, aftermarket seats add interior styling options with various colors and patterns available to enhance their beauty and functionality.

Not all aftermarket seat accessories are safe to use; many are unregulated and may interfere with the performance of a restraint system, leading to gaps or spacing in harnesses, or pushing chest clips out of their optimal positions, potentially increasing risk in an accident and leading to injuries and deaths.

Comfort

Seat accessories may seem harmless at first, but they could actually compromise a child’s car seat safety. If they do not fit with the model of car seat they are being used with properly, gaps or spaces could occur which lead to improper restraint and increase risk during a crash.

Sports seats provide the optimal combination of comfort and performance to enhance driving experiences for enthusiastic drivers. Furthermore, these seats can give your vehicle an individual look while increasing resale value.

Before making aftermarket seat modifications to your car, always consult with the sanctioning body or race team involved to make sure they won’t negatively impact its safety systems. Removing airbags or replacing seats could even be against their rules!

Design

Sport seats can make your car look more stylish while adding value, but they may pose a potential safety risk. When installing aftermarket seats in your vehicle, be sure to follow all manufacturer recommendations so as to prevent injury or damage to yourself or others.

Consult a professional when installing aftermarket seats to make sure they won’t interfere with the seat belt pretensioners or airbag systems in your vehicle, and use only products which have been thoroughly tested against compatibility with your car’s restraint system.

Bolting in aftermarket seats to most street cars can be as straightforward as unbolting the old ones and replacing them. But in race cars where seats are side-mounted to bases, this task may become more involved; welders may need to attach cross bars between subframes, transmission tunnels, and exhaust tunnels in order to provide rigid structures on which seat brackets can mount securely.