Car seatsHow to
How to Register a Car Seat for Recall Notices
Mail the card that came with your car seat or register on the maker's site, then add NHTSA's recall emails or SaferCar app so a recall reaches you.
To register a car seat, mail the card that came with it or use the registration form on the maker’s website, with the model number and date of manufacture from the seat’s labels. Then add NHTSA’s car seat recall emails or its free SaferCar app. If the seat is recalled, the maker can mail you the notice.
Registration is how a recall finds you instead of the other way around. NHTSA calls it “a quick registration,” and a few minutes now saves a search later.
Why register a car seat?
NHTSA puts it simply on its car seat page: “The car seat manufacturer can contact you directly about recalls and safety notices.” Its recall page adds that manufacturers notify registered owners by first-class mail within 60 days of notifying NHTSA of a recall decision.
Without a registration, the maker has no address for you. You would only learn about a recall by checking yourself, which NHTSA recommends doing twice a year anyway.
It matters because many car seat recalls are fixed by mail. In our count of NHTSA’s child seat recall campaigns from 2016 to 2025, the remedy most often named a replacement part, remedy kit, new label, corrected manual or registration card sent to owners. Recent examples from NHTSA’s records include a new label mailed for several Safety 1st booster models in 2025 and a remedy kit mailed for the Chicco MyFit the same year. A part that arrives in your mailbox only helps if the company knows your address. See car seat recalls for the full list of recent campaigns.
How to register, step by step
- Find the labels with the model number and date of manufacture.
- Send in the card that came with the seat, or
- Register online on the maker’s website. NHTSA’s car seat page has a brand list, from 4moms to WayB, that leads to each maker’s site.
- Keep a note of the model number, date and the date you registered, with the receipt.
NHTSA’s own wording: “Send in the card that came with your car seat or complete a quick registration on the manufacturer’s website.” If you cannot register with the manufacturer, NHTSA asks you to contact it for help.
Add NHTSA’s own alerts
Registration covers your seat with its maker. NHTSA also offers:
| Alert | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Email alerts | General car seat and booster seat recall emails | Sign-up link on nhtsa.gov/recalls |
| SaferCar app | Sends an alert to your phone when a recall is found for equipment you entered | iOS and Android, linked from the same page |
NHTSA describes the app this way: “When SaferCar discovers a safety recall for the vehicle or equipment you entered, it will send you an alert on your phone.”
When you move, or pass the seat on
Keep your registration current
If you move, update your address with the maker so a recall letter reaches you. If you pass a seat on to family, give them the model number and date so they can register it in their own name, and make sure it passes NHTSA’s used seat checks first.
A travel system has two parts and two registrations: the car seat under NHTSA’s program, the stroller with its maker under CPSC’s rule. CPSC’s baby gear registration rule excludes car seats covered by NHTSA’s registration program, so the car seat card and the stroller card are separate. For other baby gear, see recall alerts for baby products.
Back to car seat recalls for how to look a seat up, or see car seat after a crash for when a registered seat needs replacing.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to register my car seat?
NHTSA strongly encourages it, saying your child's safety could depend on it: registered owners are the ones manufacturers notify directly by mail when a seat is recalled. Registering takes a few minutes with the card or the maker's website.
Can I register a car seat I did not buy new?
Contact the maker with the model number and date of manufacture from the seat's labels. If you cannot register with the manufacturer, NHTSA's car seat page says to contact NHTSA for help, and you can still sign up for NHTSA's car seat recall alerts.
Where is the car seat registration card?
It comes with the seat when new. If it is lost, use the registration page on the maker's website; NHTSA's car seat page has a brand list that leads to each maker's site.
Does registering a car seat cover the stroller in a travel system?
No. The car seat is registered under NHTSA's program and the stroller is a CPSC product, so register the stroller with its maker too and check it at cpsc.gov/Recalls.
Sources
- Car Seats and Booster Seats (Register Your Car Seat)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Check for Recalls: Vehicle, Car Seat, Tire, EquipmentNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- 16 CFR 1130.1(b): scope of CPSC product registrationElectronic Code of Federal Regulations
- Used Car Seat Safety ChecklistNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Filed under Car seatsStart with Car Seat Recalls: How to Check Yours and What to Do
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