Sale of Illegal “Portable Car Seats” are a Growing Cause for Concern
Editors Note: The NHTSA has issued their own warning as of November, 2019 – Also, be sure to check out our list of Recommended Portable Car Seats, ideal for carpools and travel and our Recommended Carseats for Airplane Travel. Also see our more recent guide about Cheap Portable Carseats.
If you see something for sale online that claims to be a “child safety seat” or “booster” or “car seat” but it comes from a manufacturer that you have never heard of and it doesn’t say that it meets federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) please be suspicious and do some research. It may be a legitimate product but it may also be an illegal death trap.
Amazon is FLOODED with products from China claiming to be car seats that are being sold by 3rd party sellers. Please don’t be mislead into thinking these are a safe alternative to a car seat or booster seat that meets FMVSS 213 standards. As much as the seller wants you to believe that this product is “Compact and reasonable design make it enjoy the safety of traditional child seat”, it is neither safe nor reasonable.
A few examples of the type of products available through 3rd party sellers on Amazon:
Seat Cover Car Portable Child Safety Seat Baby Car Seat to Baby Seat 1-6 Years Old
CdyBox Portable Car Safety Seat Cover Travel Vest Harness Cushion for Baby Kids Infant Children (Blue)
Adjustable Portable Babies Child Infant Car seat safety Belt Harness Blue
Multi-functional Child Safety Seat Cushion for Dining Chair / Car Seat
BESTINTHEBOX Portable Child Baby Safety Car Seat Seats Carrier Brown
FEITONG® New Car Child Safety Cover Shoulder Seat belt holder Adjuster Resistant Protect
I could keep going because there are more products like this for sale on the internet but hopefully I’ve made my point.
A few years ago Jennie got her hands on one of these types of products and did a lovely “review” of it:
YIREN-Trouble: A Review of an Illegal Chinese Car Seat
I know most of our readers don’t need any further convincing that putting a child in one of these contraptions in a moving car is a really, really, bad idea. But just to highlight how bad the outcome really could be – check out this video courtesy of Surrey County Council & Britax.
I’m not sure what’s going on with the video because I always see it. If you don’t see it at first, try refreshing the page. I apologize for whatever is going on. I’m going to contact our IT dept about the issue. Hey Darren….
I just wanted to mention that there is no video on this page from Surrey County Council & Britax. (Unless I’m missing the link somewhere)
Oh there is it… .KQ it was weird that it wasn’t there and now is!
I don’t see the video.
These have REALLY exploded on Amazon. Seems there are more each time I look.
Well now I see it. That was weird.
I agree – the problem is definitely getting worse with more and more of these death traps being sold online to unsuspecting parents and caregivers. We all need to be sounding the alarm over these insanely dangerous products. Amazon also needs to be more diligent in finding and removing the listings of products that can’t legally be sold in this country because they don’t meet federal safety standards.