In recent years, reports of the prevalence of counterfeit and unsafe car seats and harnesses being sold online have been on the rise, putting children at risk. Unwitting parents might think they’ve found a great price on a name brand car seat only to end up buying a knockoff that hasn’t been crash-tested. Bogus seats might look nearly identical to genuine seats, but a close inspection usually reveals troubling details, such as flimsy plastic, lack of crash-absorbing padding, low-grade belts and weak clasps and clips — all of which mean the child is less protected.
To determine whether a seat is real or counterfeit, AAA Northeast offers parents and caregivers the following tips:
- Genuine seats come with a detailed instruction booklet and registration card, usually tucked inside a compartment or placed on the seat itself in the shipping box.
- All car seats approved for use in the U.S. are clearly marked with regulatory compliance and safety information labels. Approved seats are required to list the manufacturer and date of manufacture and often include an expiration date. Newer seats include QR codes that will take you to the manufacturer’s website. Seats should also include a sticker that states: “This child restraint system conforms to all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards,” as well as a date of manufacture and often an expiration date.
- All car seats sold in the U.S. are required to have a three-point harness.
- Check every label for misspellings, off-center text or odd use of English language possibly caused by poor translation.
- If you’re still uncertain, provide the serial number to the manufacturer and ask for help confirming whether the seat is real or a dupe.
To avoid buying a counterfeit car seat in the first place, parents and caregivers should keep the following in mind:
- Buying car seats directly from the manufacturer is a safe way to avoid unscrupulous sellers.
- If buying from a major retailer, only shop from authorized sellers listed on car seat manufacturer websites.
- If buying online from a store that features a marketplace, make sure the car seat is shipped and sold from the first-party seller, like Amazon or Walmart, not a third-party reseller. A seller’s customer service number should be an 800 number or have a U.S. area code.
- Consider buying a car seat in person from an established retailer.
- Avoid auction, drop-ship and foreign deal sites, like Temu, Wish, eBay and Alibaba, and be skeptical before buying from an advertisement on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok that isn’t clearly from the manufacturer or authorized seller.
- Never buy a used seat from garage or yard sales, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist since there’s no way to guarantee it hasn’t been involved in a crash.
