passenger assist handles & adding them to my vehicle

[DebC]

Hello,

I just traded my 2004 Escape for my new (to me) 2010 Explorer about a week ago. In my Escape there were passenger assist handles (which I've recently learned in my searching for help on this are a.k.a. "oh **** bars") located above the tops of the rear passenger doors. These worked GREAT for attaching my two German Shepherd's seatbelt harnesses to! Unfortunately in my Explorer there are no bars and I have to first find some and then someone to put them put on.

I have Googled my butt off, checked umpteen online auto parts stores and nobody seems to have these. I've checked the Ford web site, parts division, can't find them there either. I've used every term I can think of as to what they're called.

So my first question is what technically are they called so I can find some to purchase and do you know of a place that carries them?

Next ... I'm definitely not a mechanic or body work person. I don't expect that using these for this purpose is going to be as safe as using seatbelts but seatbelts just do not work. The dogs get tangled up in them, one almost broke her leg she got so twisted up among other things. I did not realize when I first started using these bars for this that they are apparently just "snapped on" more or less to some kind of screw bracket or something. I thought they were directly screwed into the frame of the vehicle. From what I've seen on these boards which tells me I might be wrong, they might just snap off and be useless in a panic stop instead of remaining in place. Yes? No?

If that's the case IS there a way to attach these bars *securely* to the vehicle (preferably without looking like crap!). It would be best if when they are attached that they at least look like they came factory installed. I don't want to make a visual hack job of my vehicle.

Now that I have the Explorer I need to do this in four places instead of two. The dogs so far have been confined to the cargo area (third seat is down). So, not only do I need these above the 2nd row of seats I need them in the cargo area. So, if there's anything tricky about putting them there please let me know.

To give you a visual might help. The dogs have seatbelt harnesses. I have a 2ft heavy duty leash knotted to the handle that's attached to the vehicle one above each side back door. This leash hangs down and clips to the harnesses mid-shoulder area. They can lay down but they can't go more than 2ft in any direction. It works slicker than snot, sooooo much better than attaching to the seatbelts!

Thanks for any and all help.
Deb

 

[Chris K.]

Deb,

To do what you're wanting sounds to me like someone would have to take the head-liner and/or back seat/cargo area window trim pieces down, weld-in and thread some bases and then bolt/screw in some factory or aftermarket handles right through the existing trim.

So my suggestion is have you looked at one of these?

http://www.fetchdog.com/pet-supplies/dogcartravel/dogbarriers-safety/steel-pet-barrier/A40050

Seems like you could move it from behind the rear seat all the way back in the cargo area and use that as the anchoring points you're looking for.

Chris

 

[DebC]

Thanks, but a barrier is not what I'm looking for.

I was hoping this would be a simple thing but it sounds like maybe not. I sure don't want anyone tearing out the liner etc. Was hoping this could be done by use of a metal plate screwed on top of and through the liner to the frame and then attach the handles to the metal plate. Does that sound workable?

Deb