When Do Safety 1st Car Seats Expire? – Safety First Car Seat Expiration and Complete Guide
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Safety 1st Car Seat Expiration – When Do Safety 1st Car Seats Expire?
The essence of a car seat is for the safety of your child.
But there are other factors that contributes to this benefit. It’s about using a safe car seat.
Of course, car seats are produced to federal safety standards, but beyond that, what about the expiration, when do safety 1st car seats expire?
After expiration, a car seat is not guaranteed to be safe again.
Safety first car seats expiration dates range from 8-10 years and depends on the product line, or rather the type of the car seat (rear-facing, forward-facing, convertible or booster seats).
On this page, you will be learning specifically on safety first car seat expiration, however, I have a broader post on checking if your car seat is expired. The difference here is the focus on different safety 1st models.
What Does Car Seat Expiration Generally Mean and Why Car Seats Expire?
Because of the high safety standards car seats are required to meet, and because of the purpose it is to serve which is very delicate, a car seat has to remain in high integrity all through when it is been used.
However, as nature will have it, environmental factors play a major role in degrading the integrity of the car seat materials and as such may not be in a good form in years to come to still save a child in the event of a car crash.
That is why manufacturers set an expiry date for a car seat.
The safety tests carried out on newly manufactured units are only guaranteed within the lifespan (or useful years as some brands call it).
Other reasons are also why car seats expire and I’ll explain them all now.
Environmental Factors Causing Wear & Tear on Materials
A car seat will spend most of its useful life inside a car. While in the car, it is exposed to both sunlight and cold nights and cold seasons over several years.
This temperature exposure leads to wear and tear of the materials.
Even general handling also is a factor such as when it falls or slide to the ground.
On the other hand, if a car seat is involved in the slightest of accident, it should never be used again.
Changes in Safety Law, Improvement in Safety features and Technological Development
While safety laws and regulations are updated every now and then, manufacturers produce new models to meet new standards.
While on one hand new safety standards need to be met, on the other hand, improvement in technological developments also occurs.
Factory Defect – Recalls
As humans, we are not perfect but strive at perfection. Same way these technological products can come with defect once in a while,
You may ask, “but they are produced to federal safety standards, why a defect?”
Several safety test may be passed, but there could be something entirely different that could compromise safety as little as tilt in angle of a part. This can pass a test and only detected after release
More information on past recalls and history can be found on More information on recalls can be found on The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Child Seat Recall Campaign Listing.
What Is the Expiration Date on Safety 1st Car Seats
Safety first car seats expiration dates range from 8-10 years and depends on the product line, or rather the type of the car seat (rear-facing, forward-facing, convertible or booster seats).
Where to Find Expiration Date on Safety First Car Seat?
The expiration date of safety first car seats is calculated by adding the number of useful years to the date of manufacture. The date of manufacture can be located on a sticker placed on the back or side of the car seat. While the lifespan for a car seat can be found on safety first car seat manual.
A simple calculation will be as follows:
Date of Manufacture + Lifespan = Expiration Date.
Safety 1st Car Seats Expiration Dates
Below are expiration dates for all safety first car seats:
| Model | Useful life - Expiration Date | Location of Expiry Date | Manual (PDF Download) | Weight Limit | Height Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 years - after date of manufacture | label on side of the seat | r-f 5 - 40 lbs. f-f 22 - 65 lbs. | r-f 19 - 40 in. f-f 29 - 49 in. | ||
Grow and Go™ Comfort Cool 3-in-1 | 10 years - after date of manufacture | label on side of the seat | r-f 5 - 50 lbs. f-f 22 - 65 lbs. booster 40-100 lbs. | r-f 19 - 40 in. f-f 29 - 49 in. booster 43 - 52 in. | |
Grow and Go™ Extend 'n Ride LX | 10 years - after date of manufacture | label on side of the seat | r-f 5 - 40 lbs. f-f 22 - 65 lbs. booster 40-100 lbs. | r-f 19 - 40 in. f-f 29 - 49 in. booster 43 - 52 in. | |
10 years - after date of manufacture | label on side of the seat | PDF manual | r-f 5 - 40 lbs. f-f 22 - 65 lbs. booster 40-100 lbs. | r-f 19 - 40 in. f-f 29 - 49 in. booster 43 - 52 in. | |
10 years - after date of manufacture | label on back of the seat | r-f 5 - 40 lbs. f-f 22 - 65 lbs. booster 40-100 lbs. | r-f 19 - 40 in. f-f 29 - 49 in. booster 43 - 52 in. | ||
Jive 2-in-1 Convertible | 10 years - after date of manufacture | label on side of the seat | r-f 5 - 40 lbs. f-f 22 - 65 lbs. | r-f 19 - 40 in. f-f 29 - 49 in. | |
Grand 2-in-1 Booster Seat | 10 years - after date of manufacture | label on side of the seat | f-f 30 - 65 lbs. booster 40 - 120 lbs. | f-f 32 - 49 in. booster 43 - 57 in. | |
8 years - after date of manufacture | label on side of the seat | r-f 4 - 35 lbs. | < 32 in. | ||
onBoard™ 35 LT Comfort Cool Infant Car Seat | 8 years - after date of manufacture | label on side of the seat | r-f 4 - 35 lbs. | < 32 in. | |
8 years - after date of manufacture | label on the underside of the seat | r-f 4 - 35 lbs. | < 32 in. |
Safety First Grow and Go™ 3-in-1 Car Seat Expiration
The Safety 1st Grow and Go™ 3-in-1 car seat (read the review) has a lifespan of 10 years. That is, the expiration date is 10 years from the date of manufacture.
The date of manufacture can be found on a label on the side of the car seat.
Grow and Go™ 3-in-1 car seat manual.
Video Guide –
Safety First Grow and Go™ Comfort Cool All-in-One Convertible Car Seat Expiration Date
The Safety 1st Grow and Go™ Comfort Cool All-in-One Convertible car seat has a lifespan of 10 years. That is, the expiration date is 10 years from the date of manufacture.
The date of manufacture can be found on a label on the side of the car seat.
Grow and Go™ Comfort Cool All-in-One Convertible manual.
Video guide – same as above
Safety First Continuum All-in-One Convertible Car Seat Expiration Date
The Safety 1st Continuum All-in-One Convertible car seat (read the review) has a lifespan of 10 years. That is, the expiration date is 10 years from the date of manufacture.
The date of manufacture can be found on a label on the side of the car seat.
Continuum All-in-One Convertible Car Seat manual
Video guide – same as above
Safety First Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat Expiration Date
The Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible car seat (read the review) has a lifespan of 10 years. That is, the expiration date is 10 years from the date of manufacture.
The date of manufacture can be found on a label on the back of the car seat.
Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat manual
Safety First Jive 2-in-1 Convertible Car Seat Expiration Date
The Safety 1st Jive 2-in-1 Convertible car seat has a lifespan of 10 years. That is, the expiration date is 10 years from the date of manufacture.
The date of manufacture can be found on a label on the side of the car seat.
Jive 2-in-1 Convertible Car Seat manual
Safety First Grand 2-in-1 Booster Car Seat Expiration Date
The Safety 1st Grand 2-in-1 Booster car seat has a lifespan of 10 years. That is, the expiration date is 10 years from the date of manufacture.
The date of manufacture can be found on a label on the side of the car seat.
Grand 2-in-1 Booster Car Seat manual
Safety First onBoard™ 35 LT Infant Car Seat Expiration Date
The Safety 1st onBoard™ 35 LT (read the review) Infant car seat has a lifespan of 8 years. That is, the expiration date is 8 years from the date of manufacture.
The date of manufacture can be found on a label on the side of the car seat.
onBoard™ 35 LT Infant Car Seat manual
Video guide –
onBoard™ 35 LT Comfort Cool Infant Car Seat Expiration Date
The Safety 1st onBoard™ 35 LT Comfort Cool Infant car seat has a lifespan of 8 years. That is, the expiration date is 8 years from the date of manufacture.
The date of manufacture can be found on a label on the side of the car seat.
onBoard™ 35 LT Comfort Cool Infant Car Seat manual
Video guide – same as above
Safety First onBoard™35 Air 360 Infant Car Seat Expiration Date
The Safety 1st onBoard™35 Air 360 Infant car seat (read the review) has a lifespan of 8 years. That is, the expiration date is 8 years from the date of manufacture.
The date of manufacture can be found on a label on the underside of the car seat.
onBoard™35 Air 360 Infant Car Seat manual
Video guide – same as above
Is It Safe to Use an Expired Car Seat?
It is not a good idea to use an expired car seat because of the risk it pose.
Car seats are tested up to the limit of the number of years recommended for them to be used. Beyond these years, safety is no longer guaranteed.
Immediately a car seat reaches the expiry date; you must dispose of it.
How to Dispose of An Expired Car Seat?
Expired car seats are to be disposed of by removing the seat cover, cutting the harness straps, writing “DO NOT USE, EXPIRED” on it, and then putting it in a black garbage bag before taking it to where it is to be recycled.
Resource to Other Brand Manufacturer's Expiration Dates
While you may still be interested in learning the expiration dates on other brands, I have articles written on the following brands:
Final Wrap Up
I hope you were able to learn more things on Safety 1st Car Seats Expiration, the reasons why car seats generally expire, expiry dates of the different Safety 1st models, and more importantly, understanding the safety concerns on why expired seats should not be reused and how you can disposed of them.
Cheers to a great future with your children.
