Baby car seat - expired or not ??

Question

I have a baby car seat made in 2002, and it says "do not use after dec 21, 2007" but i was told car seats are good for 10years ?? and it does have the canadian transport stickker on it !!! is it ok to use ?? baby is due in less then a month so i need to know .

thanks

Answer 1

The car seat's manufacture date is either on a sticker or is directly stamped into the plastic on the back or bottom of the seat.

Specific manufacturer recommendations on expiration vary, advising disposal between five and eight years after the manufacture date.

If your car seat is damaged, has been in an accident, or is past its expiration date, discard it even if you don't see anything visibly wrong with it.

Answer 2

Carseats usually expire after 6 years (some are are 5 and a few are 8).  It sounds like it's expired and needs to be destroyed.

Answer 3

NO! It is expired and needs to be replaced. I hope you'll consider deleting the listing, cutting the straps and trashing it. I know I'd want to know if I was unknowingly putting a child in danger.  Car seats expire 5-6 years after the date of manufacture, which is on a label somewhere on the seat. The plastic starts to degrade and won't stand up to a crash putting a child at risk for dying in even a minor wreck.  If it was in a crash, the harness could break right through the plastic, allowing the child to be thrown from the seat!  Another reason manufacturers refuse to be liable past 5-6 years is because regulations, standards, and crash tests change making older seats less safe than newer seats.  Condition and history doesn't matter when the seat is expired. And there's no way to tell by looking at a seat whether or not it is safe. You can't tell if a seat is safe by looking. The only way to tell is to put a baby in it and get in a wreck and see how the baby and seat come out of it.  And I wouldn't want to use my child as a crash test dummy.

Thanks!

Answer 4

Sometimes the rationale for the expiration date is that the plastic the seat is made out of can become old and brittle and will not withstand the impact of an accident as well as it should.  In the best interest of the baby, I would get a new seat.