Your child’s old car seat may be useful to another family, but only if you can confirm it’s safe.
Check its full history, manufacturer’s usable life, labels, parts, manual, and recall status before passing it on.
If it fails a check, look for a trade-in or recycling program that takes it, or follow local disposal instructions.
Don’t donate or sell a damaged seat for someone else to repair.
Use the NHTSA Secondhand Seat Checklist
NHTSA says you should consider a secondhand seat only when every statement below is true:
- It has never been in a moderate or severe crash.
- The label shows its manufacture date and model number, so you can check its age and recall status.
- It has no unresolved recall.
- All parts are present.
- You have the instruction manual from the seat or manufacturer.
Also inspect the shell, harness, buckle, foam, and adjustment hardware.
Check the manufacturer’s instructions for the allowed service life and any model-specific replacement rule.
Don’t assume every car seat has the same six-to-eight-year lifespan.
Record the Seat’s Details
Use this worksheet for the model, manufacture date, usable-life instructions, recall check, known history, parts, and manual.
Download the used car seat information worksheet (PDF)
A completed sheet is a record of your checks. It is not a safety certificate or approval to pass the seat on.
What to Do After a Crash
NHTSA recommends replacing a seat after a moderate or severe crash.
You may be able to keep using a seat after a minor crash, but only if all five conditions below apply:
- The vehicle could be driven away.
- The door nearest the seat was not damaged.
- No passenger was injured.
- No air bag deployed.
- The car seat has no visible damage.
Follow the car-seat manufacturer’s instructions even if all five conditions apply.
If the crash does not meet every condition, or the manufacturer says to replace the seat after any crash, stop using it.
Pass On a Seat Only After Every Check
You may be able to give a safe seat with a known history to family, a friend, or a reuse organization.
Give the next owner the manual and every original part.
Show them the model number, manufacture date, usable-life information, and your recall check.
Clean the seat only as the manufacturer directs because harsh cleaners and improper washing can damage some components.
Don’t assume a charity, shelter, church, or child-passenger safety technician wants a used seat.
Ask first and share the seat’s complete history.
Never leave a seat outside a donation center.
Use a Trade-In or Specialty Recycling Program
Retail and community car-seat collection events may accept expired, crashed, or damaged seats.
Programs change, so check the date, location, eligible seats, residency rules, and whether you need to remove accessories.
Don’t rely on an old event announcement as proof that the program still exists.
Because car seats combine several materials, they usually don’t belong in your curbside recycling cart.
A specialty recycler may ask you to remove the cover, harness, foam, metal parts, or labels.
Another recycler may want your complete seat.
Read the program’s instructions before you take anything apart.
Use Trash or Bulky-Waste Service as a Last Route
If you can’t find a trade-in or recycler, ask your waste provider whether the seat belongs in regular trash, bulky waste, or a transfer station.
Ask how you should prepare the seat.
If your provider tells you to make the seat unusable, follow its instructions and mark it clearly so nobody retrieves it for a child.
Don’t recycle loose straps, foam, or rigid plastic unless your local program specifically lists those separated materials.
Taking the seat apart doesn’t automatically make its plastic recyclable.
Before You Let the Seat Go
- Check who owns it. Return a borrowed seat or one supplied by an organization.
- Record the model and serial details if you’re making a warranty or insurance claim.
- Check recalls with the manufacturer or NHTSA.
- Choose where you’re taking the seat and read the program’s preparation rules.
- Remove personal labels or identifying information only after you no longer need them for a claim or recall.
You’ll need separate disposal instructions for other vehicle parts.
Our guides to car batteries and air bags cover two common examples.