Questions and Answers: How to recognize a fake car seat

As families prepare for vacation travel, there’s one more item they need to check before the trip: your child’s car seat. Experts are warning about counterfeit car seats after a worrying rise in the number of such seats being bought by unwitting parents. These seats are sold at major online retailers that allow third-party sellers, enticing parents at a significantly lower cost.

Salvador Vargas, child passenger safety technician and program manager for the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Injury Prevention Program, offers families advice on how to spot a fake and other important information about car seat safety.

What are fake car seats?

Counterfeit car seats are cheaply manufactured seats that do not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). They are dangerous to children’s lives because they are not designed to withstand an accident or do not provide the same protection as those that meet federal standards.

We have found that fake car seat belts hug the child’s body differently and the seat itself is constructed differently. That is the big concern.

What warning signs can families look out for to avoid purchasing a counterfeit car seat?

First, families can purchase from reputable sellers, either directly from the car seat manufacturer or other major retailers. When purchasing online from a third-party seller, there is a risk that it is a used seat with an unknown history or a counterfeit car seat.

Second, make sure there are labels and stickers everywhere on the seat. The Manufacturers Alliance for Passenger Safety has also published a guide on what families should pay attention to.

These labels and stickers look very confusing, but this is required by law. FMVSS 213 dictates what characteristics the seat must have to meet crash test standards. It must be said that the car seat has met federal safety standards here in the United States

A car seat that meets federal safety standards in the United States includes the following:

• A manual with installation instructions
• Label with model name or number
• Manufacturing label with name, address, telephone number and date of manufacture and/or expiry date
• Labeling with specific height and weight limits for children, an airbag warning label for rear-facing car seats, and a statement that the car seat meets the standards for use on an aircraft (if the seat is certified for use on an aircraft)
• Registration cards

Another red flag to look out for is whether the labels or manual contain spelling or grammatical errors. It’s simple things like this, but the easiest way to recognize them is that certain labels are missing from the seat. The best way to do this would be in a physical store.

This also applies to seats for 6 to 8 year olds. As children get older, we tend to assume that they are safer. However, by law, children in California must sit in a car seat or booster seat until they are at least eight years old or 5 feet 4 inches tall. This is to ensure that the seat belt sits correctly. These must also meet federal safety standards.

What are the dangers of using expired car seats?

You should not use an expired car seat as it may not protect your child in an accident. Car seats deteriorate for a variety of reasons, including the following:

• The materials, such as plastics, can break down over time, especially when exposed to the sun.
• They may not comply with the latest security standards.
• Like anything else that is used regularly, they wear out over time.

Can I use a used car seat?

When it comes to used car seats, the most important thing is to know who to get them from. There have been cases where someone found a car seat on the side of the road, cleaned it up and sold it online or at a flea market. You definitely won’t know the history of this seat.

However, a friend or family member will be willing to share whether there was an accident. This is important because, like bicycle helmets, they need to be replaced after an accident. Sometimes there are cracks or breaks in the shell that are not visible from the outside and can affect the seat’s performance in a second impact. For this reason, we typically advise families to replace the seat, regardless of how serious the accident was.

Where can I find information on how to properly install car seats?

You can make an appointment with a local child safety technician to have your seats checked before your trip. SafeKids.org has a search function to find a local technician. You can also call your local California Highway Patrol office as they offer free car seat inspections. Our team at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford or your local children’s hospital can also help.