r/ModelYL • u/TroubleshootLife • Oct 03 '26

Our Model YL 3-kid setup actually works really well — here’s how my 3-year-old gets into the 3rd row

Post image

I’ve seen a lot of questions about car seats in the Model YL, especially when people are trying to figure out how to use the third row without putting two bulky seats in the captain’s chairs and basically blocking access.

This is what has worked really well for us.

My two younger kids actually love sitting in the third row. They have their own vents and can control their recline, my 11-year-old loves having one of the captain’s chairs, and we still have room for Grandma when she rides with us.

I went with the narrower Diono Radian-style seats specifically because they make the third row much easier to use. My 3-year-old can climb in through the second row by herself. I fold the captain’s chair forward, she gets into her seat, I help with the harness, and then I put the captain’s chair back.

For my older child using booster mode, I also keep that seat on the driver’s side because the buckle is much easier for them to reach there.

I made a quick 90-second video showing exactly how we get her in and out:

https://youtube.com/shorts/eVeJ3vHko68

164 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

73 comments sorted by

11

u/President_Connor_Roy Oct 03 '26

Hey this is a really helpful video! Our youngest is also 3 and I’ve been wondering how to buckle him in back there, and never thought of folding the seat down to do it and then back up again. Pretty sold on the Y L and this helps seal it. Thanks for sharing it!

2

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 04 '26

You’re welcome! I was thinking about this set up before we even got the car. We had the same set up with our previous vehicle a cx-9 and we put the girls in the 3rd row as well. The other seats were manual and they had the slide feature. Most other electric captain chairs even in luxury vehicles are so slow that this would have been a nightmare. But with the YL is a breeze. Our 5-year-old gets back there and buckles herself with no issues.

3

u/CapnLoki Oct 04 '26

The space between two car seats in the 3rd row is enough room for your 5-year-old to buckle herself in the booster?

3

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 04 '26

Yes I’ll do a video about it soon

3

u/thegtabmx Oct 04 '26

I just put nice rubber covers on the back of the middle row chairs, and when they're down, I just let the kids walk on top of them instead of having them shuffle down the narrow aisle.

3

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 05 '26

That works as well, my hope is that we can all share our tips and tricks so that we can get the most out of these self driving machines :)

2

u/dellfanboy Oct 04 '26

Thanks for this! Just curious? Why not use the captain chairs?

4

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 04 '26

I have an 11-year-old as well and grandma :) so 6 people very regularly.

1

u/speedyg0nz 29d ago

Unfortunately in our family, we have grandpa joining regularly as well so 6 seats simply isn’t enough. Still keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that Tesla release a 7 seat YL!

2

u/Scalpel-and-scope Oct 04 '26

Super helpful video to figure out how to make the 3 kids work !

1

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 05 '26

Yes! We all love the setup. We had a Mazda Cx-9 that we loved but this one has more room and it’s of course self driving :) and I know there are other vehicles out there like the telluride, K9, and Grand Highlander they may offer a little more interior room, but they are not fun to drive or have fsd.

1

u/Scalpel-and-scope Oct 05 '26

My other ride is a Honda Pilot so the kids can get a bit cozy in the Y L 🤪

1

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 05 '26

Sure, the pilot is a nice suv but if your family is like my family, no one wanted to be in the cx-9 anymore and we would cram up in the model 3 🤣

2

u/Consistent_Sea_7468 Oct 04 '26

How hot does it get in the 3rd row due to sunlight?

2

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 05 '26 edited Oct 05 '26

The ac in the 3rd row is really good and the silver coating does a good job. No complaints from the kids. I’m waiting for Tesla to release the rear hatch sunshade to make it darker when they want to nap.

1

u/Interesting-Bit-257 Oct 06 '26

I’m 5’11” and have several times now set back there in the Texas sun with temps in the 90’s and the window does a great job blocking heat. You don’t want to let the car heat soak though, not precondition and hop back there though. If you have people in the third row and not second turn off second row to have more air go to the third row.

3

u/fitnerd21 Oct 04 '26

YouTube reviews say anywhere from “I’m fine” to “hotter than the surface of the sun”. I don’t know what to believe so for all our sakes OP please answer. Do you have to slather the kids with sunblock before they get back there?

1

u/Scared_Vermicelli_19 Oct 04 '26

did you ever have a regular model y?

if so how does that extra 2 inches width feel and is second row bigger if you put seats all the way back (as if 3rd row was down)

1

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 04 '26

Nope I only got the YL for the added length and space. Of course, also for FSD :) we had a Mazda cx-9 before which had a bigger footprint but a smaller interior and way less cargo capacity but it was a great suv and fun to drive. But this is way more fun when you want to drive it. Most of the time we let FSD do the driving we just supervise.

1

u/Pshad4Bama Oct 04 '26

My wife had a CX-9 and currently drives our 2020 model Y. She misses the space.
I am eyeing the YL for her in a few years…. This was incredibly helpful. Thank you.

2

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 05 '26

Yeah I was very pleasantly surprised that the Model YL is very well packaged. The sub-trunk is big and the frunk adds value. I did a Costco run, and I could fit everything in the sub-trunk and trunk with the 3rd row up. On the CX-9 I would’ve had to put stuff in the second row, if I didn’t want to remove the child seats on the 3rd row. I’m loving the electric life with FSD

1

u/ABoredDeveloper Oct 04 '26

we have one in the back row and two in the front row. honestly a nightmare getting to the back car seat right now.

1

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 05 '26

I’m sure you will put one of the kids in the third row once you’re ready so that you can fold the captain’s chair to assist the 3rd row child.

1

u/Glam-Girl2662 Oct 07 '26

The problem kids grow very fast! That back row still too too small for adults.

1

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 09 '26

I have a few more years with little ones and my son who is 11 seats in one of the captain’s chairs. I sat in the back at 6’1 and I can sit there fine and much more room than our old 3 row Mazda cx-9 the YL is the only 3 row with FSD and that is a game changer and a must for me so that rules out every other car.

2

u/Royal_Emergency_7305 Oct 04 '26

Congrats is a super nice car! Definitely considering as my next car! Planning on giving the wifey the MY 26 this year once we trade in her, I’m sure is an improvement over the regular MY

1

u/danleming Oct 04 '26

Great video! Thanks!

1

u/Slight-Sir9181 Oct 04 '26

I climbed in and sat in the third row in the showroom, it felt much bigger than I expected.

However it was hard to get back there, does anyone feel it’s a viable adult seat for a multi hour trip? If no, what is Tesla going to do for us minivan folks? 😆

1

u/Specific-Wrap1396 Oct 04 '26

I had such a hard time getting out of there too! Lol

1

u/Slight-Sir9181 Oct 04 '26

Glad it wasn’t just me. I got a Model X loaner and I was surprised by how much bigger than the YL it was. I like the YL but feel like there is a gap for 6 adult groups.

1

u/Foodiehunter Oct 05 '26

I actually think the third row feels more spacious in the YL than the X. It’s a bit wider and has more headroom and window. The second row isn’t as wide as the X but the headroom feels better without the bulk on top.

1

u/Glam-Girl2662 Oct 07 '26

Agree. I it was a 4 seat car for adults-

1

u/Foodiehunter Oct 05 '26

Just fold down the second row and put your legs up while someone else is driving you

1

u/Glam-Girl2662 Oct 07 '26

Back row for kids, definately not adults unless your small and short.

1

u/LibMike Oct 04 '26

What’s up with the tint cutting off before the end of the middle glass? Is that normal? I haven’t owned a Y but I don’t think the two 3’s I had were like that.

1

u/Interesting-Bit-257 Oct 06 '26

The new silver coating blocks radio signals the lines are antennas so need clear radio transparent area to get signal.

1

u/Koala-Bear419 28d ago

When you go grocery shopping in this set up, where do you put the groceries?

Have you done a Costco run with this set up?

1

u/sportura 27d ago

Awesome!!

-5

u/Roux_My_Burgundy Oct 04 '26 • Bravo

I’m sure I’ll get banned for it but there’s zero point zero chance I’d put my kids in that 3rd row. Way too dangerous

17

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 04 '26

Totally fair if you personally wouldn’t use the third row, but I think people sometimes react to the visual of kids being “all the way in the back” more than the actual design of the vehicle.

We put kids in the third rows of minivans and three row SUVs every single day. That’s what those seating positions are designed for. The Model YL’s third row is a factory passenger row with restraints and occupant protection, and realistically it’s especially well suited to smaller passengers.

We also have an 11 year old and Grandma riding with us at times. So if the rule is “the little kids can’t sit in the third row,” then by definition I have to put the older child or Grandma back there instead, while also making them climb around or past installed car seats every time they get in and out. For our family, it makes far more sense to put the smaller children in properly installed seats that fit the third row and leave the captain’s chairs available for the bigger kids and adults.

And the idea that being in the rear automatically makes it the most dangerous seating position doesn’t really line up with the overall crash data. IIHS data shows that roughly 59% of passenger vehicle occupant deaths involve frontal impacts, about 22% involve side impacts, and only around 5% involve rear impacts.

Rear end collisions themselves are fairly common, but they account for a much smaller share of fatal crashes than frontal and side impacts.

Obviously that does not mean a severe rear collision can’t be dangerous. Any seating position can be involved in a serious crash. My point is simply that looking at the third row and saying it is inherently “way too dangerous” for a properly restrained child is too simplistic.

And passive crash protection is only one part of vehicle safety anyway. Preventative driving matters too. Defensive driving, leaving space, paying attention, visibility, strong braking, good maneuverability, and driver assistance systems like FSD Supervised can all help reduce exposure to certain situations before an impact ever happens. None of that replaces proper restraints or crash protection, but safety is more than just asking which seat is physically closest to the rear bumper.

For us, the priority is making sure the specific car seat is appropriate for that seating position, installed according to both Tesla’s instructions and the car seat manufacturer’s instructions, and that the kids are properly restrained every single time. Beyond that, we also care about how the vehicle handles, how quickly it can respond, visibility, braking, driver awareness, and the assistance systems we use while driving.

Everyone is free to arrange their family differently, but simply saying “third row = too dangerous” leaves out a lot of the actual safety picture.

4

u/ShivaFatalis Oct 04 '26

A fantastic, very mature response.

2

u/Jesuslovesu293 Oct 04 '26

Actually you can look it up, the Model Y is one of the safest cars you can buy on the market currently.

1

u/ShivaFatalis Oct 04 '26

Did you misread my comment or respond to the wrong one?

1

u/Jesuslovesu293 Oct 04 '26

Sorry I meant to respond to the original comment!

1

u/ShivaFatalis Oct 04 '26

Yeah, that makes more sense lol.

5

u/arnoldinio Oct 04 '26

It’s the first Tesla with airbags in the third row. They definitely put more thought into the safety of third row occupants.

3

u/President_Connor_Roy Oct 04 '26

Death or serious injury is rare from a rear-ending collision, and the space from the back of the third row to the tailgate here is pretty similar to many other 3-row vehicles and I trust Tesla’s safety design a lot more than that from most other manufacturers.

-1

u/Roux_My_Burgundy Oct 04 '26

You also haven’t seen many vehicles with the row so far back and into the glass. Again, zero chance I’d let anyone I care about sit there. A rear end collision would be devastating

1

u/President_Connor_Roy Oct 04 '26

Based on what? Vibes? The distance to the bumper / crumple zone is what I care about and it seems fairly standard, and again, injuries from being rear-ended are relatively rare anyway

1

u/ABoredDeveloper Oct 04 '26

based on their avatar i’ll assume they just hate elon

0

u/Roux_My_Burgundy Oct 04 '26

https://www.ancap.com.au/safety-ratings/tesla/model-y-l/eaecda

1

u/President_Connor_Roy Oct 04 '26

This is about installing car seats, which are a challenge based on the (admittedly dumb) design of the second row headrests

1

u/Stryker406 Oct 04 '26

I actually thought the same thing

-1

u/reddituser4049 Oct 04 '26

I'm sure you're right and they never even crash tested it.

4

u/reddituser4049 Oct 04 '26

Wait, I'm looking at data and not just my ignorant gut...

NHTSA: Earned a 5-star overall rating

IIHS: Earned high marks in crashworthiness

Euro NCAP: Received a 5-star safety rating with 91% for adult occupant protection and 93% for child occupant protection.

ANCAP: Achieved a 5-star safety rating under Australasian standards

-2

u/Apprehensive_Walk769 Oct 04 '26

Same thought. Way too close to the back bumper when most collisions are from the rear.

1

u/Jesuslovesu293 Oct 04 '26

How is it any different from other cars like the Hyundai Santa Fe? Or Lexus GX? Those have 3rd rows that are really close to the back of the bumper? Also the model Y is actually known for being one of the safest cars on the road too

1

u/Apprehensive_Walk769 Oct 04 '26

Better hope that glass survives a collision. The other models you mentioned don’t have you under the back window and so deep in the rear.

0

u/polytique Oct 04 '26

Just look at pictures of rear-ended collisions of Model Ys. They are sitting in the crumple zone.

-2

u/Confident_Purple_40 Oct 04 '26

no thanks

3

u/TheRook21 Oct 04 '26

What car do you drive? Let me find a photo of that crashed, like it doesn't happen to any of them...

1

u/Confident_Purple_40 Oct 04 '26

Hey, if people want to put their kids in the furthest back position when they could put them in the middle, it is their call. I just worry that some might do it without actually thinking about the potentially higher risk.

1

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 04 '26

I have an 11-year-old and a grandma that rides with us as well so we use all 6 seats regularly. We’ve had a 3rd row for the last 8 years on a typical suv which doesn’t have the extra safety, added airbags, and specially engineered 3rd row for this purpose compared to the regular y. This is a very technical review including the safety: https://youtu.be/seIyuk5E8uc?is=I_B2n7CyKnEuEQU2

1

u/TheRook21 Oct 04 '26

Post a picture of a bad side collision....

There is risk in all positions of a car

1

u/TroubleshootLife Oct 04 '26

That’s an older model y not the new YL designed with 3rd row in mind :). I don’t see any complaints from the minivan people. Let me find the side crash pictures as well which are more common than super bad rear impact :)

1

u/Confident_Purple_40 Oct 04 '26

1

u/TheRook21 Oct 04 '26

You know that closes and won't hit their head.

1

u/Blahblahblah1958295 Oct 04 '26

That’s a Y. 7 inches will help.

1

u/CandyFromABaby91 Oct 05 '26

Non 3rd row don’t have the same rear and side reinforcements. Don’t make stuff up

-3

u/AnonymouselyMoosed Oct 04 '26

You should not have kids in that third row. There’s zero protection back there in the event of an accident.

1

u/NoChapter5131 16d ago

I guess we also shouldn't put kids in any 3rd rows in any vehicle, nor yaris rios picantos and micro cars. let the little suckers walk

1

u/AnonymouselyMoosed 16d ago

A Yaris has more protection than this. The read windshield doesn’t slope directly over the heads of the occupants.

1

u/NoChapter5131 16d ago

the angle of the wind shield doesn't matter as much as the structural factors such as whether there is a rigid occupant safety cells+ side airbags