Child Safety Advocates at Intermountain Seeing a Rise in Number of Counterfeit Car Seats Bought Online

Child safety advocates at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital are seeing a rise in parents unknowingly purchasing counterfeit car seats online for their children.

These seats are almost always purchased online and are enticing because of the steep price discounts compared to major brands. What often confuses parents is that these seats are found on the websites of major national retailers through third-party sellers.

“It’s hard to tell a car seat is counterfeit from a small picture online, and many parents think they found a great deal from a major retailer,” said Michelle Jamison, community health program manager at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “Once they realize there’s a problem and try to return it, the site they got it from has already been taken down.”

For years, Intermountain Primary Children’s has offered in-person and virtual car seat checks to help educate parents about proper installation and correct use of car seats. Jamison says that’s where caregivers started noticing more counterfeit seats popping up.

The types of counterfeit car seats caregivers are starting to see more of look legitimate and can cost hundreds of dollars. However, many of these are missing key components that keep children safe in a crash, and they worry that using these seats could have deadly consequences.

They say the best way to avoid counterfeit car seats is to buy directly from the manufacturer’s website or go to a store to purchase the seat. All these models will be legitimate and meet safety standards.

“Parents may think an in-store purchase is more expensive but what they’re getting is the peace of mind their child’s car seat is safe,” said Jamison. “While some models are pricey, there are less expensive ones that are still crash-tested and safe.”

There are several things required on car seats to meet stringent federal safety standards, and parents should look closely to see if any are missing to know if it’s counterfeit.

All car seats must have a manufacturer's label, including the car seat's name, date of manufacture, branding, model number, and expiration date.

This information is used to help register your car seat, allowing manufacturers to notify you of any recalls. Counterfeit car seats don’t have the number, which makes it ineligible to register.

To meet safety standards car seats in the U.S. must also include warning labels in English and Spanish. They can be found on the back of the car seat but are also required in the area near where the baby’s head goes at the top of the seat.

Counterfeit car seats are often missing the labels, or they’re written in another language. Sometimes these labels have grammatical errors, and the wording doesn’t make sense.

Experts note a missing chest clip is an immediate sign a car seat isn’t safe. They’re required in the United States but not in every country, which is why counterfeit seats usually don’t have them.

“If you determine that you have a counterfeit car seat, stop using it immediately and contact the retailer to notify them that they sold a counterfeit,” Jamison said. “You may be able to recover the cost of the seat if you used a credit card or purchased through a major retailer.”

Parents can also report it through STOPfakes.gov, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the U.S. Department of Commerce via their contact form. They should also submit a report through their state’s consumer protection agency.

For help evaluating or installing your car seat, find a technician near you or call Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital to book a virtual or in-person car seat check at 801-662-CARS. For more information, go to primarychildrens.org/safety.