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One of NHTSA’s many important functions is to make sure motor vehicles and car seats meet all Federal safety standards. Sometimes a motor vehicle or motor vehicle safety equipment (such as car seats and boosters) does not comply with these safety standards, or there is a safety related defect. If this happens, a recall may occur in order to fix the problem. Take steps to stay informed as soon as you purchase a car seat.

To ensure you are notified in the event of a recall, be sure to register your car seat. Write your name and address on the postage-paid card that comes with the car seat and mail it. You can also register your car seat online at our website:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/register/childseat/index.cfm

Manufacturers are required to notify you of a recall.

You should also sign up to receive e-mail alerts about car seat and booster seat recalls from NHTSA:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/subscriptions/index.cfm

When you hear about a car seat or booster seat recall, be sure to:

Find out which models and manufacture dates are involved.
Call the manufacturer or visit their website for more information and to verify if your car seat or booster seat has been recalled; or
Call NHTSA’s toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

Before you call, have the following information:

Manufacturer’s name
Model Name
Model Number
Date of Manufacturer

If your car seat is recalled get it fixed right away

Use of a recalled car seat or booster seat
If you don’t have another car seat or booster seat to use, keep using the recalled seat while you wait for the repair kit—if the recall notice says you can. Using a recalled car seat or booster seat is almost always safer than letting a child ride in just a seat belt. Many problems are minor but some are serious. All problems should be fixed as soon as possible.

If you are considering using a second-hand car seat, use the checklist below. If you can check off each one of these statements, then the second-hand seat may be okay to use.

The seat has never been involved in a moderate to severe crash.
The seat has labels stating date of manufacture and model number. You need this information to find out if there is a recall on the car seat or if the seat is too old.
The seat has no recalls. If you do find a recall on the car seat, you should contact the manufacturer as some problems can be fixed.
The seat has all its parts. If the seat is missing a part, contact the manufacturer as some parts can be ordered.
The seat has its instruction book. You can also order the instruction manual from the manufacturer.

NHTSA recommends that car seats be replaced following a moderate or severe crash in order to ensure a continued high level of crash protection for child passengers. Car seats do not automatically need to be replaced following a minor crash.

What defines a minor crash? A minor crash is one in which ALL of the following apply:

The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site.
The vehicle door nearest the car seat was not damaged.
None of the passengers in the vehicle sustained any injuries in the crash.
If the vehicle has air bags, the air bags did not deploy during the crash and
There is no visible damage to the car seat.

Never use a car seat that has been involved in a moderate to severe crash. Always follow manufacturer’s instructions.

3-in-1 Car Seat: Offer you the advantage of using the same seat for the following positions: rear-facing, forward-facing with harness, then booster. Please note: some manufacturers call 3-in-1 car seats to those that go from FF Harnessed, Booster with Back to Backless booster (No rear facing mode).

Aftermarket products: Parts and products sold for replacement or as accessories to original equipment – sometimes referred to as “non-regulated” products. Not recommended for use with car seats, unless produced and allowed by original car seat manufacturer for use with its product. Check instructions.

All-in-One: Offer you the advantage of using the same seat for the following positions: rear-facing, forward-facing with harness, then booster.

Automatic Locking Retractor: provides the ability to “lock” the seat belt at a set position. This is an important piece when installing car seats. Check vehicle manufacturer’s manual for more information.

Anchor: A tether anchor is a piece of hardware in the vehicle that a car seat’s top tether hooks to. Lower anchors are horizontal bars in the vehicle seat that provide a secure anchor for the car seat’s lower attachments.

Belt-positioning booster seat (BPB): A booster seat raises your child so that the vehicle lap and shoulder adult seat belts restrain him or her safely.

Belt path: The path that the seat belt or LATCH strap passes around or through the car seat. Some seats have multiple belt paths. For example, convertible car seats (please see below) have one belt path for rear-facing use and a separate one for forward-facing use.

Booster seat: A booster seat correctly positions the seat belt by “boosting” the child so the lap and shoulder belt fit properly. The lap belt should be low and tight across the hips and the shoulder belt should fit cross the chest and not rest against the neck or face. Proper belt fit is very important. Booster seats can have high back (for use in vehicles with no head restraint) or no back/backless (for use in vehicles with head restraint).

Buckle: Accepts the latch plate and holds the seat belt in place.

Car seat: A child restraint (CR), a child restraint system (CRS), or a child restraint device (CRD): A crash-tested seat, device or system that is specially designed to provide child crash protection. General terms for these systems including child safety seats, car seats, boosters or booster seats, vests or car beds, and which meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213.

Caregiver: A person responsible for a child's well-being and safety.

CPS: Child passenger safety

Car bed: A restraint, usually for small, premature, or medically fragile babies who should ride lying down either on their backs or on their stomachs. In most cases, the baby lies flat. The vehicle seat belt is used to anchor the car bed perpendicular to the direction of travel. The infant's head is placed toward the center of the vehicle and not next to the door. An internal harness secures the child in the car bed. Be sure to carefully read the instructions as there may be other methods of securing allowed for certain car beds.

Chest Clip: The chest clip is the part on the harness straps of the child safety seat used to position the straps properly on the child. The chest clip should be placed at armpit level.

Children with special transportation needs: Children whose physical or behavioral conditions sometimes make the use of specially designed restraint systems necessary.

Combination seat: A type of forward-facing car seat that is used with an internal harness system to secure a child. With removal of the internal harness, it is used as a belt-positioning booster.

Convertible seat: A car seat that converts from rear-facing for babies and smaller children to forward-facing for older and larger children.

Detachable base: A separate base for a rear-facing only car seat that can be installed in the vehicle. The car seat portion can be removed from the base, and used as a carrier.

Emergency locking retractor: A retractor on a seat belt system that locks when the vehicle slows or stops suddenly.

Forward-facing car seat: A car seat intended for use only in the forward-facing position for a child at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds up to the specified limits of the seat, set by the manufacturer.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard: Regulations that define minimum safety performance requirements for motor vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment. These regulations are intended to protect the public against unreasonable risk of crashes that occur as a result of the design, construction, or performance of motor vehicles. The regulations are also designed to protect the public against unreasonable risk of death or injury in the event crashes do occur. The one that applies to car seats is FMVSS 213.

Harness: Rear-facing, forward-facing, combination, convertible, 3-in-1, and all-in-1 car seats come equipped with harness straps which are fed through harness slots. These straps keep the child securely within the car seat to minimize the impact of a crash by spreading the energy over the strongest parts of the body.

Harness buckle: The device that secures the straps that contact your child’s shoulders, hips, and groin.

Harness retainer clip: See chest clip.

Harness adjuster: Used to tighten or loosen the harness of a car seat.

Harness slot: The part of the car seat where the harness straps pass from the front to the back of the car seat. Seats come with at least one and as many as four sets of slots. Always remember that for rear facing seats the harness straps should be placed in the slots at or below the child’s shoulders and for forward-facing seats the harness straps should be placed in the slots at or above the child’s shoulders.

High-back booster seat: See Belt positioning booster

Infant-only seat: See Rear-facing only seat

Inspection station: A dedicated location staffed by Certified Child Passenger Safety technicians needed to regularly teach parents and caregivers how to install their car seats. An inspection station may also be referred to as a “checking station.”

Labels: These are located on the seat, and indicate the following: (1) Meets Federal standards for safety; (2) Weight and height guidelines for the specific seat; (3) basic outline of the installation procedures; (4) manufacturing data, including date of manufacture, the manufacturer’s name and address, and a model number; (5) Air bag warning; and (6) Federal Aviation Administration certification for use in an aircraft.

LATCH: Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. Attachments on a LATCH-equipped car seat fasten to lower anchors and a tether anchor in a LATCH-equipped vehicle. LATCH is required on most car seats and most vehicles manufactured on or after September 1, 2002. System used to help make child restraint installation easier.

Lap belt: A seat belt secured to the framework of a seat or car and fastening across the lap of a driver or a passenger.

Latch plate: The seat belt part that connects the seat belt webbing to a buckle in the vehicle.

Level indicator: A safety benefit that helps parents and caregivers identify the manufacturer's recommended correct recline angle for rear-facing seats. The recline angle is important especially for young babies as it keeps their fragile necks and heads from falling forward and restricting their airways.

Lower anchorage attachments: Part of the LATCH system, a piece of belt webbing that clips or clamps onto to the lower anchorage on the vehicle structure. These attachments are used in place of the vehicle seat belt to secure the car seat to the vehicle.

Rear-facing: Refers to the position where the child's car seat is turned to face the back of the vehicle. The rear-facing position supports the entire head, neck, and back, cradles and moves with the child to reduce stress to the neck and spinal cord in a crash.

Rear-facing only seat: A child restraint system designed for use only by a young child in a rear-facing position – also called an “Infant-only” seat.

Recalls: Voluntary or required actions taken by manufacturers in conjunction with NHTSA to correct problems or deficiencies once products have been distributed or sold. Manufacturers must offer free repairs or replacement for products recalled for violations of safety standards.

Recline adjustor: Adjusts the angle of the car seat so the child is in the proper position in either the rear-facing or forward-facing position (when child has outgrown the seat limits for rear-facing use).

Registration card: A postage-paid return card that comes with every car seat; should be returned to the manufacturer so owners can be notified of any recalls.

Retractor: A mechanism that works with the seat belts to gather and store extra seat belt webbing.

Retrofitted: Installing, fitting, or adapting a device or system for use with something older. An example of this would be to retrofit seat belts to a school bus that did not come equipped with seat belts.

Safety belt: See Seat belt

Seat belt: The webbing, anchor, and buckle system that restrains a passenger or car seat in a vehicle; also known as a safety belt.

Seat Belt Syndrome: A range of symptoms that might occur as a result of the seat belt doing its job in a crash or sudden braking. Children should be buckled in with a lap and shoulder belt, to provide upper body protection. If a child uses a lap belt only, he or she can suffer internal organ injuries and injuries to the lumbar spine (lower back).

Smart Air Bag System: Also known as advanced air bags. A smart air bag system detects when a child is present and automatically deactivates the air bag or enables it to deploy safely. Manufacturers who do not provide a qualifying “smart” system would be required to have new and more prominent air bag warning labels inside the vehicle. Manufacturers would also be permitted to install cutoff switches so parents can deactivate the passenger air bag when a child is seated in front of it.

Snug harness: Harness straps that do not allow slack; the strap lies in a relatively straight line without sagging yet does not press into the child's shoulders creating an indentation. You should not be able to pinch the webbing vertically.

Switchable retractor: A retractor that can be switched from emergency locking retractor to an automatic locking retractor for use when installing car seats.

Technician: A person who successfully completes the standardized Child Passenger Safety Technician certification course. The certification courses use a NHTSA training course and Safe Kids Worldwide serves as the certifying body.

Tether: See Tether strap or see Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)

Tether anchor: The kit or installed hardware bracket used to secure the tether hook and strap at the designated anchor point in the vehicle. The tether strap and hook attach directly to the anchor bracket.

Tether strap: Belt webbing that anchors the top of the car seat to the vehicle. It helps to keep the restraint from moving forward and reduces head movement in a crash. Should be used when installing a car seat using the seat belt or the LATCH system.

Webbing: The fabric part of the seat belt that crosses the body and holds a person or a car seat in place.