Most car seats expire between 6 and 10 years from the date they were manufactured, depending on the type of seat and brand. That expiration date is printed on a sticker on the seat itself, and using a seat past that date means the materials may no longer protect your child the way they did when new. Beyond expiration, a car seat should be replaced immediately after any moderate or severe crash.
Expiration Timelines by Seat Type
Not all car seats last the same amount of time. The type of seat matters more than the brand, though some manufacturers do build longer-lasting models. Here’s how the timelines generally break down.
Rear-facing infant seats tend to have the shortest lifespans. Most major brands, including Baby Trend, Britax, Chicco, and Evenflo, set expiration at 6 years from the date of manufacture. A few brands go longer: Nuna, UPPAbaby, Peg Perego, and Baby Jogger seats last 7 years, while Clek infant seats are rated for 9 years.
Convertible, combination, and 3-in-1 seats have wider variation. Basic Graco convertibles expire after 7 years, but the Graco Extend2Fit and 4Ever models last 10 years. Britax convertibles range from 7 years for older models to 10 years for ClickTight models. Diono’s 3-in-1 seats last 10 years when used with a harness, and some models extend to 12 years when used as a belt-positioning booster. The Maxi-Cosi Magellan tops the chart at 12 years.
Booster seats range from 6 to 12 years. Britax boosters expire after just 6 years, while Chicco boosters last 8, and Peg Perego boosters are rated for a full 12 years. If you’re buying a booster that needs to last through multiple children, these differences are worth checking before you purchase.
Where to Find Your Seat’s Expiration Date
Every car seat sold in the U.S. has a sticker showing the date of manufacture and, on most newer seats, the actual expiration date. Look on the side of the seat shell first. On infant carriers, the sticker is sometimes on the bottom of the shell instead. The manufacturing date is typically printed in month/day/year format. For infant seats with a detachable base, both the carrier and the base should have their own labels.
If the sticker is worn or missing, you can look up the model number in the manufacturer’s manual or website. Without a readable label confirming the manufacture date, there’s no reliable way to verify the seat is still within its usable life.
Why Car Seats Don’t Last Forever
A parked car’s interior can exceed 150°F on a hot day and drop well below freezing in winter. That repeated cycling between extreme temperatures breaks down the plastics in a car seat shell over time. Heat accelerates the release of chemical compounds from plastics, and UV exposure through windows degrades the polymers that give the shell its strength. After years of this, the plastic becomes more brittle and less able to absorb crash forces the way it was designed to.
The harness webbing also degrades. Repeated tightening, loosening, and exposure to spills, sunscreen, and sweat weakens the fibers. The foam padding that absorbs energy in a crash compresses and loses effectiveness. None of these changes are visible in the way a cracked shell would be, which is exactly why manufacturers set firm expiration dates rather than relying on parents to spot wear.
Safety standards also evolve. The original federal car seat standard, established in the 1970s, focused almost entirely on frontal crashes. A new side-impact protection standard was finalized in 2022, requiring seats to meet performance benchmarks simulating real-world door intrusion during a side collision. A seat made 8 or 9 years ago may still be within its expiration window but lacks the side-impact engineering built into current models.
When to Replace After a Crash
After any moderate or severe crash, the seat must be replaced. No exceptions, even if it looks fine. Internal structural damage isn’t always visible, and the energy-absorbing materials may have already done their job.
After a minor crash, the seat may still be safe to use, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines “minor” very narrowly. All five of the following must be true:
- The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site
- The vehicle door nearest the car seat was undamaged
- No passengers in the vehicle were injured
- No airbags deployed
- There is no visible damage to the car seat
If even one of those conditions isn’t met, the crash counts as moderate or severe, and you need a new seat. Many auto insurance policies cover the cost of replacement after a crash, so check with your insurer before buying out of pocket.
Buying a Used Car Seat
Used seats can be safe, but only if you can verify three things: the seat has never been in a moderate or severe crash, it has not been recalled, and it still has readable labels showing the manufacture date and model number. Without those labels, you can’t confirm the seat’s age or check its recall status through the NHTSA database.
The problem with buying from strangers is that you’re trusting their word on crash history. A seat can survive a significant collision with no visible damage. For that reason, if you do accept a used seat, get it only from someone you know and trust. Seats from garage sales, thrift stores, or online marketplaces with unknown histories aren’t worth the risk.
How to Dispose of an Expired Seat
Target runs a periodic car seat trade-in event where you can drop off any type of car seat, from infant carriers to boosters, and receive a discount toward a new one. Look for clearly marked drop-off boxes in stores during the event window. The seats are recycled rather than sent to landfill.
If no trade-in event is available near you, disable the seat before putting it in the trash so no one pulls it out and reuses it. Cut the harness straps, remove the padding, and write “EXPIRED, DO NOT USE” on the shell in permanent marker. Some municipalities accept the bare plastic shell in curbside recycling, but check your local program’s rules first since not all facilities process the type of plastic used in car seats.