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Quick List: Britax Car Seat Expiration
How long are Britax car seats good for? The car seat type is the leading factor. So we list a given range for expiration for each Britax car seat type. The materials and model number sometimes may affect, too, but not make a big difference.
1. Britax infant car seat expiration – 6 years from the date of the manufacture.
2. Britax convertible car seat expiration – 9~10 years after the date from manufacture.
3. Britax all-in-one car seat expiration -10 years after the date from the manufacturer.
4. Brtiax combination car seat expiration – 9~10 years from the date of manufacture.
5. Britax booster seat expiration – 10 years after the date from manufacture.
If you want to know when do Britax car seats expire, you’ve come to the right place. This ultimate guide introduces everything about the expiry date of your Britax car seat, like the reason why the car seat expires, where to find the expiration date for a Britax car seat, etc.
Britax is one of the car seat brands that straightly display the expiry date on the white label so that you don’t need to do a calculation like the Graco.
When a Britax car seat expires depends much on the car seat type. Infant, convertible, or booster seats may have a different expiry date, you can click on the icon below to view the details. We also listed the expiry date of all Britax car seats for each type so that you don’t need to find it.
Infant
Britax Infant Car Seats Expiry Date
Convertible
Britax Convertible Car Seats Expiry Date
Booster
Britax Booster Seats Expirty Date
What Do Car Seat Expiry Dates Mean?
You usually are very careful when shopping for food to notice the expiry date, but what about a car seat? Does a Britax car seat expire? Will you be in trouble if you are using an expired car seat?
Well, car seat expiration dates are only meant to expect a few years of usage that the seat will protect your baby before technological advancements and tearing.
Typically, Britax car seats expire between 6 and 10 years after the manufacture date. Therefore, you should always check yours when you get a Britax car seat so that it can serve your kiddie before the expiry date.
The expiry dates do not necessarily mean that your Britax seat becomes useless immediately as soon as that day comes. It is not even illegal to have an expired Britax car seat.
The truth is that, in the United States, manufacturers are not required by law to put an expiry date on the car seats. Even though most of them, like the Britax, Graco, Chicco, and more, do so to make parents aware that the car seats only guarantee safety for a limited period.
How Long Are Britax Car Seats Good For?
Britax Car Seats manufactured June 2010 or after:
Infant car seats have a useable life of 6 years.
Convertible car seats (excluding the Classic line) have a useable life of 7 years.
ClickTight Convertible car seats have a useable life of 10 years, like the Britax Marathon ClickTight.
Harness-2-Booster seats have a useable life of 9 years, like the Britax Grow with You ClickTight.
Belt-Positioning Booster seats have a useable life of 6 or 10 years. Refer to the user guide of your specific belt-positioning booster seat.
Britax Car Seats manufactured through June 2010:
The useable life for most Britax infant car seats (including the base), older infant/child car seats, youth seats, and belt-positioning booster seats manufactured through June 2010 have a service life of 6 years. Frontier Harness-2-Booster seats manufactured from 2008-2010 have a service life of 9 years.
You should know that all Britax car seats sold on the market till now (in 2022) should be manufactured after 2010. Otherwise, they all pass the expiry date.
Why Do Car Seats Expire?
Some people beliven that manufacturers emphasize car seat expiry dates as a marketing ploy. However, just like most daily use essentials expiring, a child safety seat expires not just because of the daily wear and tear, there are various reasons why they expire:
Improved techniques
Just like you cannot expect your 10-year-ago phone to be still as good as new phones, the same goes for your child’s car seat. New safety features and techniques are added constantly and old car seats produced several years ago can not compete with newer ones.
Car seats made recently will have new or improved technologies that tests have proven to save lives. For example, Britax applies ClickTight for newer models, while the older models like the Allegiance and Emblem do not have that feature.
That’s why every car seat is required to pass crash tests to ensure your child’s safety while riding it.
Recalls
It’s not uncommon for companies to recall their products. That includes car seats. It’s best to register your car seat the very first time you get it. Then you can get updates in case the recall happens to the car seat your bought.
The recalls happen when the car seat has been found to be faulty in testing or reported by a lot of customers. If the faulty can’t be fixed, the manufacturer will let users know that it’s not safe to use.
You can also visit this site to check if your car seat is on recall or not,
Or check this list before avoiding buying a car seat on recall.
Discontinuation
Sometimes, safety standards for child safety seat change. As a result, previous models won’t fit for continued use. For example, some states update their regulations on age or size requirements for rear-facing from 1 year old to 2 years old. If you just prepare an infant car seat for rear-facing, you’d better purchase a car seat with extended rear-facing per rule.
Another typical case is when the car seat experienced a crash. The government regulations make it clear that a car seat can’t be continued to use if it was once used in a crash. Car seat manufacturers also notice this in the car seat user manual.
Wear and tear
You can imagine how much your car seat would go through during its useful life. Your child would sit in the seat hundreds of times, in and out. More than that, they may stay in the vehicles since the installation and are exposed to varying temperatures with the seasons (from cold to hot and back again).
The heat, humidity, and cold would have a huge effect on the materials of car seats.
Plastic parts are the first affected. The contraction and expansion of the plastic will eventually result in bad effects on the car seat, like bumps and disinform.
Metal frames are less affected. Great humidity in rainy weather may cause rust, which reduces safety in case of a collision.
Last but not the least, the fabrics that may be worn and torn from frequent use.
When Do Brtiax Car Seats Expire -Infant
According to Britax, their infant car seats commonly last for six years. So if you have purchased a Britax infant car seat that was manufactured in 2010 or after, it’ll expire in six years from the date of manufacture.
The expiry date of Britax infant car seats can be easily found on the white sticker on the back of the car seat – near the top of the seat alongside your child’s head, under the fabric padding.
Besides the manufacture date and expiry date, the white label also includes the model number and other car seat information.
To make it simple, we have listed the most popular Britax infant car seats and their expiry date
4 Britax Infant Car Seats Expiry Date
| Model | Expiry Date | Location of Expiry Date | Online User Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-Safe 35 Infant Car Seat | 6 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on infant car seat and base | User Manual |
| B-Safe 35 Elite Infant Car Seat | 6 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on infant car seat and base | User Manual |
| B-Safe Ultra Infant Car Seat | 6 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on infant car seat and base | User Manual |
| Endeavours Infant Car Seat | 6 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on infant car seat and base | User Manual |
| Britax B-Safe Gen2 Infant Car Seat | 6 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on infant car seat and base | User Manual |
| B-Safe Gen2 FlexFit Infant Car Seat | 6 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on infant car seat and base | User Manual |
| Britax B-Safe Gen2 FlexFit+ Infant Car Seat | 6 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on infant car seat and base | User Manual |
It’s understandable that Britax infant car seats have the shortest 6-year useful time, they are designed for newborns and infants. The best is for toddlers younger than 24 months old. That’s not a long riding time, especially since babies won’t drink or play in an infant car seat.
When Do Britax Car Seats Expire - Convertible
According to Britax, convertible car seats have a usable life of between 7 and 10 years. Convertible car seats with the ClickTight feature will last longer up to 10 years. This includes all-in-one car seats, like the Britax One4Life.
Common convertible car seats without the ClickTight feature have a useful time of 7 years only, not including the Classic line (these are not available right now on Britax’s official website).
That’s a very short period for use. So only two models are available now on the market –Britax Allegiance 3 Stage Convertible Car Seat and Britax Emblem 3 Stage convertible car seat.
Supposedly, ClickTight is a newly added feature for recent-made models. And convertible car seats with ClickTight are more expensive.
10 Britax Convertible and All-in-one Car Seats Expiry Date
| Model | Expiry Date | Location of Expiry Date | Online User Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advocate ClickTight Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on label under seat cover | User Manual |
| Advocate ClickTight ARB Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on label under seat cover | User Manual |
| Boulevard ClickTight Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on label under seat cover | User Manual |
| Boulevard ClickTight ARB Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on label under seat cover | User Manual |
| Marathon ClickTight Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on label under seat cover | User Manual |
| Marathon ClickTight ARB Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on label under seat cover | User Manual |
| One4Life ClickTight All-in-One Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on label under seat cover | User Manual |
| One4Life ClickTight ARB All-in-One Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on label under seat cover | User Manual |
| Allegiance 3-Stage Convertible Car Seat | 7 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on label under seat cover | User Manual |
| Emblem 3-Stage Convertible Car Sea | 7 years after the date of manufacture. | Located on label under seat cover | User Manual |
When Do Britax Car Seats Expire -Booster
Depending on whether the car seat with a 5-point harness or not, the Britax booster seats expire nine or ten years after the manufacture date.
Harness-2-booster seats (or called combination car seats) have a usable life of 9 years, like the Britax Grow with You ClickTight. The ClickTight feature does not affect the useful life of a booster.
Things change for belt-positioning booster seats, which have a useful life of 6 or 10 years, depending on the specific models.
Newer models like the Highpoint and Skyline come with a long 10-year lifespan.
9 Britax Booster Seats Expiry Date
| Model | Expiry Date | Location of Expiry Date | Online User Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grow With You ClickTight (Regular, ClickTight, Plus) | 9 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of booster seat | User Manual |
| Highpoint 2-Stage | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of booster seat | User Manual |
| Skyline 2-Stage | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of booster seat | User Manual |
| Midpoint Belt-Positioning Booster | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of booster seat | User Manual |
| DualFit Harness-2-Booster | 9 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of booster seat | User Manual |
| Pioneer Harness-2-Booster Seat | 9 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of booster seat | User Manual |
| Frontier ClickTight | 9 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of booster seat | User Manual |
How do I know If my Britax car seat is expired?
Britax attached a white label on each car seat. On this label, the company gives you some information regarding that car seat.
The car seat name, model, manufacture date, and expiration date have been written on the label. You don’t even need to do the calculation that is required to know when Graco car seats expire.
From this point, Britax beats Graco. The former provides a straightforward answer to this question – When does a Britax car seat expire
What to Do with Your Britax Car Seat When It Expires
Donate the Expired Seat
An expired car seat means that it can not provide optimal protection for a child. So you cannot just donate it to friends or families regardless of its good condition.
However, you can donate it to the Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) who are car seat experts and may need an expired car seat for training in car seats, harnessing procedures, and vehicle/car seat differences.
This might be a good way to deal with an expired car seat. It works as a real example to benefit more people.
Trade in the Expired Car Seat
If your car seat reaches or exceeds the expiry date and you’ll need to purchase a new one, it’s a good idea to trade in the expired car seat to get a discount.
Every year, Target starts the trade-in event twice – one is in the first half of the year and the other is in the second half of the year. In 2022, the first happen in April; the second will happen in September from Sunday, September 11, 2022, through Saturday, September 24, 2022.
Bring the expired car seat to its store and find the drop-off boxes located near Guest Service and put your Britax expired car seat in it.
You’ll get a 20% off coupon for a new car seat. The coupon can be used in-store or online.
Bookmark this link for the Target Trade-in program in case you want to trade in an expired Britax car seat
Walmart also launched a car seat trade-in program. But you can’t directly trade in an expired car seat in Walmart stores.
Walmart cooperates with TerraCycle for the car seat trade-in program. You’ll get a $30 Walmart gift card for trading the expired Britax car seat.
It’s a pity this Walmart car seat trade-in program ends in 2019. Now Walmart only trade-in electronic gadgets on its online store.
Recycle Your Expired or Used Car Seat
If you don’t want to donate or trade in the expired car seat, you can recycle it as well. However, not all parts of the expired car seat can be accepted by the recycling program.
You should check the local recycling program near you and ask them if they accept what materials, plastic or metal. Some recycling programs may want you to dismantle the useful parts from the expired car seat.
If so, you may need to remove any unrecyclable materials like padding, fabric, or even metal. Some may even need you to follow their guidelines and pay for the shipping box.
It seems this way is not as good as other methods to do with an expired Britax car seat, even not as good as the next one – trash it.
Trash Your Expired Car Seat
You should trash the expired car seat if you cannot recycle it, trade it in or donate it. Before throwing it into the trash bin, break the seat apart to avoid other people taking it for use and putting their child at risk.
Remove the padding, straps, metal, and cover and mark the seat’s plastic “unsafe” or “expired.”
Buy A New Car Seat (Optional)
It’s not uncommon that you find your Britax car seat is expired. For example, you’re planning to use a Britax infant car seat for the second baby but the infant car seat was purchased 7 years ago.
If this is your case, you may need to purchase another car seat. If you’re loyal to Britax and are fond of the ClickTight feature like us, it’s best to get another Britax car seat. Better to buy one that has a long useable time before it expires.
Further Information
Does Britax Car Seat Base Expire
Yes. The Britax car seat bases have a useable life, just as its infant car seats, up to 6 years. You can find the car seat-based expiry date in the infant car seat and base.
Is it legal to use an expired Britax car seat?
Once your Britax car seat is expired, you should not use it anymore. Even it’s not illegal to own an expired car seat. The truth is, in the United States, car seat laws do not require manufacturers to place an expiry date on their products. Even most manufacturers will do that.
It’s not safe to use an expired car seat that will put the little passenger at risk. Parents can decide to use an expired car seat or not, after all, the traffic police don’t know whether your car seat is expired or not. But as a good parent, you should NOT do that.
If you find that your car seat reaches its expiration date, you may follow the above advice to deal with it.
How to Maximize a Britax Car Seat Useful Time before Expiry Date
You can’t extend the useable life of a Britax car seat. It’s given by the manufacturer due to safety reasons.
However, parents can do something to maximize the serving time before a Britax car seat expires – use the car seat as per the instructions in the user manual:
- Install the car seat properly with the LATCH or seat belt.
- Inspect the seat regularly for checking for missing or loose parts.
- Clean the seat regularly to keep the car seat clean and comfortable.
- Stick to the size limit for rear-facing, forward-facing, or booster, or LATCH (commonly the harness limit).