NEWS RELEASE
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
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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
If a car seat has any of the red flags outlined above, additional research is required to determine if the child restraint can be used legally in the United States.
To confirm if the car seat is legal and safe for use, find the label with the manufacturer’s name, address, and phone number and contact them about the seat directly. Additionally, parents and caregivers can confirm if the car seat is legal and safe by verifying if it is on the American Academy of Pediatrics list of current U.S. seats or by visiting a car seat inspection station with a certified child passenger safety technician.
If you receive an unsafe car seat, let the retailer know and return it. If the car seat is not required to be sent back, discard it. Do not donate the car seat.
Parents and caregivers should also report any unsafe, defective, and/or non-compliant car seats to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through this online form or by calling 888-327-4236. In addition to contacting the NHTSA, individuals should report the unsafe car seat to the U.S. Department of Commerce at www.StopFakes.gov.
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