Safety Seat Expiration Dates?
Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at
10:25 am
I know child safety seats have expiration dates, but what is the reason/importance of this date? What is likely to happen if you use a seat beyond this date?
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I don’t know of any expiration date on a safety seat, provided it has not been involved in an accident. If you are looking for a new one, look for a tag that says it meets or exceeds the requirements of FMVSS 213 and 225.
Car seat technology is always evolving, as are vehicles’ ability to secure seats properly and consistently.
Plastic stresses and warps. Straps and fabrics fray and rip. Instruction manuals get lost or destroyed. Important instructional labels fade, tear or fall off completely.
Your manufacturer may no longer stock replacement manuals and parts. Maybe the company has gone out of business entirely.
ALL car seats expire 6 years from the date of manufacture. This date is printed on the bottom of the seat.
They expire because car seat technology is always changing. They also expire because the plastic wears down.
Go on to Youtube and look up the video "Britax 10 year car seat crash test"
Basically, you’re turning your child into a human crash test dummy by using an expired seat.
Is the seat going to explode on the day it expires? No, but I wouldn’t risk using an old seat as it could fail in an accident. You may be able to get away with a couple month use. But it’s 2009, I wouldn’t trust a seat that expired last year. You never know what can happen.