When do Cosco car seats expire? This question may come to your mind when you get a Cosco car seat.
Cosco and Safety 1st come from the same company – Dorel Julivence Group, which also includes Maxi Cosi.
So you’ll find that there is no expiry date on the white manufacturing label. You’ll only get the date of manufacture. Along with the lifespan of each Cosco car seat, you can easily calculate the expiry date for Cosco car seats.
Cosco car seats expire due to various reasons. If you know when a Cosco car seat expires, you may also want to know how to deal with an expired Cosco car seat.
Don’t worry. You’ll find all the answers about the Cosco car seat expiry date.
To make it simple, we categorized Cosco car seats into three lists based on the car seat types. You can click the button for a quick view if you buy a Cosco car seat.
Infant
Cosco Infant Car Seats Expiry Date
Convertible
Cosco Convertible Car Seats Expiry Date
Booster
Cosco Booster Seats Expirty Date
What Do Car Seat Expiry Dates Mean?
A lot of parents may not know this point: your Cosco car seat expires after several years of use. How long a Cosco car seat is good depends on the expiry date. For Cosco car seats, the expiry date falls between 6 to 10 years.
The car seats have an expiry date, just like the food, medicine, etc. It’s just that the car seat expiry date is much longer. The expiration date on a car seat has a lot to do with your child’s safety.
The expiry date is given by the manufacturers and it’s not changeable. It reminds parents to use the car seat within the expiry for best performance and optimal protection.
Not only do you need to know the expiry date when you have a car seat, but knowing how long a car seat will serve when you go shopping for a new car seat is also important. The longer lifespan (the later expiry date), the better!
Positioning as a budget brand, Cosco car seats have entry-level safety features, but the usable life of Cosco car seats is as long as other premium brands, such as the Britax, Graco, Chicco, and Diono.
Why Do Car Seats Expire?
If you are thinking that manufacturers give their car seats an expiry date in order to increase sales, you’re totally wrong. Your Graco car seats expire due to various reasons:
Standard Change
Organizations like the NHTSA and experts would change or advance the safety standards for child car seats. They are always conducting crash tests and collecting data on crash injuries or death of children. Then come to the conclusion that is best to ensure your child’s safety in a car seat.
So it is always important to ensure that your car seat is up to date with your state’s newest standards as per local laws.
Technological Improvement
Car seat technology is continuing to improve. New car seats with new technologies are working better to enhance the protection of your precious. Old car seats may not have the most recent life-saving technologies even though they look in a good condition.
Recalls
The car seats are law-legally required to pass the crash tests before they are going to the market. Fatal faults may be found during the continuous testing conducted by the manufacturers.
At this time, they should recall all the models with that fault. If you have registered your Cosco car seat with the manufacturer, you’ll get an update if your model is on the recall list.
If you’d like to find which Cosco car seat was recalled in the past 10 years, you can check this list made by NHTSA.
Wear and tear
The wear and tear of materials (including the padding, foam, fabrics, and plastics) is another reason for a car seat to expire. It stays there since it’s been placed in the vehicle, no matter whether it’s rainy, hot, or cold.
Your kiddie sits in it for a long time, in and out of it thousands of times. It’s no surprise that it degrades and can’t perform as well as it’s new.
When Do Cosco Car Seats Expire -Infant
There are not many Cosco car seats for sale on the market. So it’s not a surprise that no Cosco infant car seats are available.
Cosco only manufactures convertible and booster seats, just like the Diono. So, no expiration date for Cosco infant car seats.
When Do Cosco Car Seats Expire - Convertible
Cosco convertible car seats do not perform well. They don’t have great height and weight limits, but this does not influence their long lifespan. The Cosco convertible car seats expire 8 or 10 years after the date of manufacture.
You can find the usable life in the user manual, or use the Cosco car seat expiration tool to check an expiry day for each convertible car seat.
8 Cosco Convertible and All-in-one Car Seats Expiry Date
| Model | Expiry Date | Location of Expiry Date | Online User Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apt 40RF Convertible Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| Scenera® Next Convertible Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| Scenera® NEXT Convertible Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| Scenera® Next DLX Convertible Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| MightyFit™ 65 Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| MightyFit™ 65 DX Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| MightyFit™ LX Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on side of car seat | User Manual |
| Easy Elite All-in-One Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on side of car seat | User Manual |
When Do Cosco Car Seats Expire -Booster
The Cosco booster seats expire 6 or 10 years after the date of manufacture. Only the Cosco Topside backless booster has a 6-year lifespan. Other boosters, including the high back booster and harness 2 booster (combination car seat), have a 10-year usable life.
To make it simple for you to know the expiry date if you have a Cosco booster seat, we also make a list, including the user manual of every listed Cosco booster.
9 Cosco Booster Seats Expiry Date
| Model | Expiry Date | Location of Expiry Date | Online User Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finale 2-in-1 Booster Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on side of booster seat | User Manual |
| Finale DX 2-in-1 Booster Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on side of booster seat | User Manual |
| Highback Booster Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on side of booster seat | User Manual |
| Pronto!™ Belt-Positioning Booster Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on side of booster seat | User Manual |
| Stack It Belt-Positioning Booster Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on side of booster seat | User Manual |
| Topside Booster Car Seat | Do not use this child restraint after the expiration date | Label on bottom of booster seat | User Manual |
| Rise Backless Booster Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of booster seat | User Manual |
How do I know If my Graco car seat is expired?
The expiration date for a car seat varies from car seat to car seat. Car seat expiration dates range from six to ten years, depending on the product.
Many Cosco car seats have a sticker on the back or side or bottom of the seat with the date of manufacture.
To find out when your Cosco seat expires, look in your manual for the lifespan of your seat or use the Cosco car seat expiration tool.
Then you’ll need to calculate get an expiry date of a Cosco car seat with the following equation:
Date of Manufacture + Car Seat’s Useful Time = Expiry Date
For example, you got a Cosco MightyFit 65 convertible and found its manufacture date written:
01/09/2017
We know that convertible car seats with a 10-year lifespan, then you’ll know the expiry date of your car seat is:
01/09/2027
It’s really easy, isn’t it?
What to Do with Your Graco Car Seat When It Expires
If your Cosco car seat expires (while most parents won’t notice that they are using an expired car seat), you should NOT use it anymore. They probably won’t work as expected to provide optimal protection.
You may follow these tips to deal with your expired Cosco car seats:
Participate in Target Trade-in Events
Target holds the car seat trade-in events twice every year; one in the first half of the year and the other in the second half (Sunday, September 11, 2022, through Saturday, September 24, 2022).
You can bring your expired Cosco car seat to a local store and exchange it for a 20% discount coupon for a new car seat. If you don’t want to buy another new car seat, for example, you don’t need one anymore, you can redeem the coupon for other baby home gear.
Donate the Expired Seat
This does not mean that you give an expired car seat to a friend as a gift or donate to a charity. The best way to donate an expired car seat is to give it to Child Passenger Safety Technicians, who can use it in their training classes.
If an expired car seat is still in good condition, it works normally. The CPSTs will demonstrate how to use it properly, like the harness procedure and installation.
Recycle Your Expired or Used Car Seat
Some materials in an expired car seat can be recycled, like plastics. You can check if a near recycling center would accept an expired car seat or which parts they’ll need. Then dismantle it and leave the recyclable parts at the recycling center.
Trash Your Expired Car Seat
Before you simply throw an expired car seat away in the trash, make sure you tear it down to avoid someone taking it as a normal car seat for use.
You may also mark these words ‘EXPIRED’ or ‘UNSAFE’ on the car seat shell.
Where is the expiration date on a Cosco car seat?
Cosco car seat expiration dates range from six to ten years, depending on the product. Many Cosco car seats have a sticker on the back or the side of the seat with the date of manufacture. To find out when the seat expires, look in your manual for the lifespan of your seat or refer to the information above on the expiry dates of the convertible car seats and booster seats.