Counterfeit and fake car seats are a rapidly growing concern in child safety. Even parents and caregivers who conduct extensive research can be tricked into purchasing car seats that do not meet U.S. regulations or safety standards.
Potential red flags associated with counterfeit and fake car seats include incorrect grammar, spelling, or sentence structure; foreign languages on the label that do not include English; the absence of a car seat manual and/or registration recall card; and missing information that is required in the United States. This mandatory information must be in English and on labels that are permanently affixed on the child restraint. Labels must include the following information and verbiage in order to be compliant in the United States:
- Model name or number
- Manufacturer’s name, address, and telephone number
- The statement “Manufactured In,” followed by the month and year of manufacture or year-month-day
- Place of manufacture, which is a city and state or foreign country
- The following statement must be on one or more labels: “This child restraint system conforms to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards.”
- Minimum and maximum weight and height requirements labeled in English imperial and metric units
- Recall information
Parents and caregivers should report any unsafe, defective, and/or non-compliant car seats to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In addition to contacting the NHTSA, individuals should report the unsafe car seat to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
If you have any additional questions, please contact BTPD at 248-433-7755.