Do car seats really expire?

Yes. Each manufacturer sets a useful life for its seats, typically 6 to 10 years from the date of manufacture, and up to 12 for some seats. Plastic and straps wear with heat, cold and daily use, and safety standards and technology change. The date is on a label or stamped into the seat, and it's in the manual.

When does the clock start: the day I bought it or the day it was made?

For most brands it's the date of manufacture, printed on a label on the seat, not the date you bought it. A seat that sat in a warehouse for a year has a year less to go.

Where is the expiration date on a car seat?

Look for a label or stamp on the bottom, back or side of the seat, or under the cover. It either gives a date ("Do not use after...") or a number of years after the date of manufacture. The manual says it too. If you can't find a label with the date of manufacture and model number, don't use the seat: you can't check it for recalls.

Is it illegal to use an expired car seat?

Federal law doesn't set car seat expiration dates. The federal safety standard (FMVSS 213) requires a label with the month and year of manufacture, and each manufacturer sets its seats' useful life. We haven't reviewed state laws. Evenflo says there won't be a warrant for your arrest, but it recommends replacing a seat once it expires because seats aren't usually tested beyond their useful life.

Do I have to replace a car seat after a car accident?

After a moderate or severe crash, yes. NHTSA says a seat doesn't automatically need replacing after a minor crash, which it defines by five conditions. Some brands, including Chicco, Clek, Doona and Evenflo, say to replace the seat after any crash.

What should I do with an expired car seat?

Make it unusable so nobody else picks it up: cut the harness straps, remove the cover and write "EXPIRED, DO NOT USE" on the shell. Then recycle it if you can, for example at one of Target's car seat trade-in events.

Car Seat Expiration Checker

Tap your seat's brand and when it was made: see when it expires, plus recalls for it.

How to find your car seat's expiration date

Find the labels. Look on the bottom, back and sides of the seat and under the cover. Graco stamps the useful life into the plastic, and Cosco prints the expiration date on the bottom of the seat.
Look for the expiration. The label or the manual says something like "Do not use this car seat after [date]" or "Do not use this car seat [number] years after the date of manufacture."
If you only find the date of manufacture, add the brand's useful life. Graco's example: made March 15, 2020, plus 10 years for a steel-reinforced booster, means the seat expires March 15, 2030.
Still not sure? Check the manual for your model, or call the maker. The number is on the seat's label.

The clock starts on the date the seat was made, not the day you bought it, for most brands. If a seat has no label with its date of manufacture and model number, don't use it: you can't check it for recalls.

Car seat expiration by brand

What each manufacturer publishes about how long its seats last. Your seat's own label always wins.

Brand	How long seats last	Where to look
Graco	Graco gives a 10-year useful life for belt-positioning boosters and for harnessed seats with a steel-reinforced belt path, and 7 years for harnessed seats with a plastic-reinforced belt path (such as the Contender 65 Convertible).	Each Graco seat has its date of manufacture on one of its labels. The useful life is in the manual or stamped into the plastic of the seat.
Britax	Britax gives a service life of 6 to 10 years from the date of manufacture, not from when you bought the seat. Its rough guide: infant seats 6 years, convertibles generally 7, ClickTight convertibles 10, Harness-2-Booster seats 9 and belt-positioning boosters 6. Your seat's user guide has the exact figure.	The date of manufacture is on the seat's serial label.
Chicco	Chicco gives a designed lifespan from the date of manufacture by seat type: infant seats 6 years, rotating convertibles 8, all-in-one seats 8 or 10, harness boosters 8 and boosters 8.	Look on the underside of the seat or on the base for the manufacturer's label, and check the manual for your model.
Evenflo	Evenflo says all of its car seats and booster seats now have a 10-year expiration from the date of manufacture. Seats made before January 2025 may have a different expiration date, so follow the date on your seat.	Every Evenflo seat has its date of manufacture on a label, usually on the bottom, side or back of the seat. The expiration date is on a label too, with the model name and number.
Clek	Every Clek car seat expires nine years after its date of manufacture.	Clek's support site has a page for each model (Liing, Liingo, Foonf, Fllo, Oobr, Olli, Ozzi) showing where the date-of-manufacture label is.
Maxi-Cosi	Maxi-Cosi says its car seats expire 8 to 12 years after manufacture, depending on the product, and points you to the instruction manual for your seat.	Many Maxi-Cosi seats have a sticker on the back with the date of manufacture.
Safety 1st	Safety 1st says its car seats expire 8 to 12 years after manufacture, depending on the product, and points you to the instruction manual for your seat.	Many Safety 1st seats have a sticker on the back with the date of manufacture.
Doona	Doona says its car seats expire six years after the date of manufacture.	Doona says the expiration date is typically printed on the manufacturer's label or a sticker on the back or bottom of the seat, or given in the instruction manual. If you can't find it, contact Doona.

We don't list brands whose rule we couldn't confirm, including Cybex, Cosco, Nuna, Diono, UPPAbaby, Joie, Peg Perego, and Baby Trend. For those, the seat's own label or manual gives the date.

The checker is free, and nothing you enter leaves this browser.

Do you need a new car seat after a crash?

NHTSA says to replace a car seat after a moderate or severe crash. A seat doesn't automatically need replacing after a minor crash, which NHTSA defines as one where all of these are true:

The vehicle could be driven away from the crash site.
The vehicle door nearest the car seat wasn't damaged.
Nobody in the vehicle was injured.
The airbags, if the vehicle has them, didn't deploy.
There's no visible damage to the car seat.

Some brands are stricter. Chicco, Clek, Doona and Evenflo say to replace a seat after any crash, even a minor one. NHTSA also says to always follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Car seat recalls and registration

The checker above lists NHTSA's child-seat recalls for your brand and build date. A recall only applies if the model name or number on your label matches. To hear about future recalls, register your seat with the maker: mail in the card that came with it or register online (NHTSA links most brands' registration pages). NHTSA also sends car seat recall alerts by email and through its SaferCar app.

What to do with an expired car seat

Make sure nobody can pick it up and use it: cut the harness straps, take off the cover, write "EXPIRED, DO NOT USE" on the shell and put it in a dark garbage bag. Then recycle it if you can.

Target's car seat trade-in takes any car seat, including bases, boosters and expired or damaged seats, and gives you a 20% off Target Circle bonus toward a new car seat, stroller or select baby gear. The most recent event ran September 20 to October 3, 2026; Target announces the next one on its trade-in page.
Clek recycles its own seats: you buy a kit with a prepaid shipping label and get a 10% off code.
Your city or county recycling service may take car seats too.

The new side-impact standard (December 5, 2026)

NHTSA's side-impact standard for car seats, FMVSS 213a, applies to seats made from December 5, 2026, after NHTSA moved the date from June 30, 2025 in a rule published September 9, 2026. The updated standard, FMVSS 213b, becomes mandatory the same day. It doesn't change your seat's expiration date, which is still on its label.

Shopping for a new seat?

See our rankings of infant car seats, convertible car seats and booster seats.

Car seat expiration FAQ

Do car seats really expire?: Yes. Each manufacturer sets a useful life for its seats, typically 6 to 10 years from the date of manufacture, and up to 12 for some seats. Plastic and straps wear with heat, cold and daily use, and safety standards and technology change. The date is on a label or stamped into the seat, and it's in the manual.
When does the clock start: the day I bought it or the day it was made?: For most brands it's the date of manufacture, printed on a label on the seat, not the date you bought it. A seat that sat in a warehouse for a year has a year less to go.
Where is the expiration date on a car seat?: Look for a label or stamp on the bottom, back or side of the seat, or under the cover. It either gives a date ("Do not use after...") or a number of years after the date of manufacture. The manual says it too. If you can't find a label with the date of manufacture and model number, don't use the seat: you can't check it for recalls.
Is it illegal to use an expired car seat?: Federal law doesn't set car seat expiration dates. The federal safety standard (FMVSS 213) requires a label with the month and year of manufacture, and each manufacturer sets its seats' useful life. We haven't reviewed state laws. Evenflo says there won't be a warrant for your arrest, but it recommends replacing a seat once it expires because seats aren't usually tested beyond their useful life.
Do I have to replace a car seat after a car accident?: After a moderate or severe crash, yes. NHTSA says a seat doesn't automatically need replacing after a minor crash, which it defines by five conditions. Some brands, including Chicco, Clek, Doona and Evenflo, say to replace the seat after any crash.
What should I do with an expired car seat?: Make it unusable so nobody else picks it up: cut the harness straps, remove the cover and write "EXPIRED, DO NOT USE" on the shell. Then recycle it if you can, for example at one of Target's car seat trade-in events.

How we built this

Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, read on October 23, 2026. Where an organization doesn't publish a clear answer, we say so and tell you where to look instead of guessing.

The recall list comes from NHTSA's recall data file (child restraints), updated 2026-10-23.

Spotted a mistake or a change? Email [email protected] (see our contact page) with what's wrong. Ezvid Wiki is published by Ezvid, Inc. and isn't connected to any company named here. How we research.

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