I discovered that a child restraint seat cannot be safely or securely installed on the driver side, middle bench of my minivan using the shoulder seat belt because when tightening the belt to secure the seat, the belt buckle pushes up on the seat reclining lever, which is located directly above the buckle, and reclines the seat. I read and reread my manual and in no place does it contraindicate that position for the safety seat. The dealer could not even install the seat properly for me and the service technician agreed that this was a safety concern, possible even for a passenger just using the shoulder belt since any force pushes up on the buckle which hits the recline lever and reclines the seat. GM customer assistance recommends getting the dealer to install a top strap and tether (the service technician did not suggest this) to secure the seat at my expense. (I understand that 2001 models have a latch option now for anchoring seats without the use of seat belts. None of this, however, addresses the poor and potentially dangerous design of having the seat recline latch directly above the seat belt buckle. I truly fear any sudden stop which puts pressure on the seat buckle will, in turn, lift up that lever, recline the seat and cause injury to the passenger who was properly buckled. Meanwhile, until I find out if the dealer can install a top strap and a tether between the seat fold to secure the seat without using the shoulder belt and buckle, I have no peace of mind transporting my 4 children, two of whom still need car seats. Thank you for any assistance.

- Baltimore, MD, USA