Car seat expiration, read off the seat itself

Why there is a date at all

Federal law requires the month and year of manufacture on the label. Expiration is the manufacturer’s own policy, not a federal rule. Makers cite plastic wear, temperature cycles in a parked car, evolving standards, and the limits of their own testing. The formula every maker uses is the same: date of manufacture + stated useful life = expiration date.

What that means practically: the one thing to find is the manufacture date on your seat's label, and the one thing to read is your maker's stated figure for your seat. The stated figures, by maker.

The short answers

Do car seats expire?

Car seat makers state a useful life for each seat, usually 6 to 10 years from the date of manufacture. Federal law requires the month and year of manufacture on the label; the expiration itself is the manufacturer's own policy, stated in the manual or stamped on the shell.

Where is the expiration date on a car seat?

Look for the date of manufacture on a label on the shell — typically on the underside of the seat, the back of the shell, or the base. The useful-life statement ("Do not use this child restraint after…") is in the manual or moulded into the plastic.

How do I work out the expiration date?

Date of manufacture + the maker's stated useful life = the expiration date. The stamp on your own seat is authoritative — this site helps you find it and shows each maker's stated figures with sources.