Used/Second Hand Child Safety Seats

Never purchase or borrow a used child safety seat under the following conditions:

  1. The seat has been involved in a moderate or severe crash.
    • NHTSA recommends that child safety seats be replaced following a moderate or severe crash in order to ensure a continued high level of crash protection for child passengers.
    • NHTSA recommends that child safety seats do not automatically need to be replaced following a minor crash.
    • Minor crashes are those that meet ALL of the following criteria:
      • The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site;
      • The vehicle door nearest the safety seat was undamaged;
      • There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants;
      • The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND
      • There is no visible damage to the safety seat.
  2. The seat is on recall by the government and has not been repaired.
  3. The seat has no date of manufacture and/or model number.
  4. The seat is older than 5 years.
  5. The seat is rusted, cracked, or has a broken frame or shell.
  6. The seat has missing parts, such as the buckle, chest clip, shield, or pad.
  7. If the instruction booklet is not present and the manufacturer has gone out of business.
  8. You don’t know the history of the seat or cannot find out that information.

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Source: Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Program, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2004.

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Last updated: 26 July, 2010

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