Why is there a date on car seats to quit using them?

Question

Is the date for the durability of the plastic, the teather straps?!?! or is it just to make you go and buy a new seat. (if you have more than one child, or if it's given to a family member. (only if it's been taken care of with no accidents!!!)) Just curious...thank you! (if you have a professional answer, please tell what you are to know this thanks)

Answer 1

Most plastics suffer some aging when exposed to direct sun light and high temperatures (hot car on a summer day).  One manufacturer has this info on its website.

Q: What is the life span of the seat?

Answer:Seven years from the date of manufacture under normal use conditions. This date can be found on a label located on the back of the seat.

http://www.safeguardseat.com/child/faqs....

Here is another citation.  This time from a Auto Repair certification organization.

Question: What is the suggested life span of my car seat and why?

Answer: Car seats have a suggested life span of six years. With the changes in legislation, automobiles and technology, we suggest that a car seat be replaced upon its sixth year from the date of manufacture.

http://www.goldclass.com/html/safety/chi...

Answer 2

They want more money from you...

Answer 3

They cannot guarantee the seats will perform up to the required standards after the expiry date due to deterioration, and do not want to be held accountable in a lawsuit if subsequently found to be at fault!

The onus of responsibility then falls on the owner!

Answer 4

Mainly, 2 reasons:

1)The materials they are made of weaken over time, meaning the car seat may not hold up in a crash. Check out this video of a 10 year old car seat in a crash:

http://home.comcast.net/~dcbsr/test/Brit...

B/c the plastic has weakened so much, the harness breaks through the seat and send the kid flying! This is what parents risk when using an expired car seat. Years old 150 degrees in a cooped up car in the summer and below zero in winter as well as moving the seat in and out and just regular usage, weakens the seat to a point it isn't safe anymore. The industry standard expiration is 6 years after date of manufacture. It doesn't matter when its actually bought, but rather when it was made. Nor does it matter if you buy it and then store it for a while. It still expires 6 years after date of manufacture. A few seats (usually ones reinforced by steel) have 7 year expiration dates.

2)a 6 year old car seat will not meet current safety regulations, and in fact, even if brand new in the box, could fail current tests. As we advance and learn more every year, standards change and older seats aren't as safe as new ones. Examples: seats in the 80's only rear faced to 20lbs. Now that we know kids need to stay rear facing much longer, all current convertible seats go to at least 30lbs, many higher than that. Overhead shield seats (with the little bar that comes down) used to be standard, until it was learned the danger they pose to smaller kids and that a 5 point harness was safer, now only 1 manufacturer still makes them. Shield boosters used to be common, until we learned kids were submarining under them (slipping out underneath them) and hitting their face on them in crashed. Now its illegal to make them. Infant seats used to have only 3 point harnesses, in the last 2 years its been learned how much safer and better a 5 point harness is, and manufacturers are stopping production of 3 point seats. Just several examples of how older seats do not meet current safety standards.

Also, older seats are frequently missing parts and manuals, making them less safe to use.

As for my professional status: I'm hoping to become a certified car seat technician (CPST) and am passionate about child passenger safety. Vehicles are the #1 killer of people aged 0-18. That means cars kill more kids than drowning, household accidents, SIDS, etc. you name it, cars are more deadly to our kids. So its worth making absolutely sure they're as safe as we can make them in the car. That means:

1)keeping them rear facing AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!

2)once turned forward, keeping them in a 5 point harness as long as possible

3)not using a booster until at least 5 years of age

4)keeping them in a booster until they are 4'9" tall, 80lbs and pass this 5 step test:

  1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?

2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?

3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?

4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?

5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

I've been researching car seats for a little over a year now, gathering info from techs at http://www.car-seat.org and the top contributor status on here came almost exclusively from answering car seat related questions.

Answer 5

Carseats expire because plastics degenerate.

Answer 6

LOL they want ya to buy ANOTHER ONE!  .......NAH there's probably a good reason...  other than raiding yer wallet...  XD

Answer 7

just like there is a date on lots of things it is time to junk it.

Answer 8

Safety reasons, if you dont know what to look for just go visit your local fire department and they will be happy to assist you.