Replace Your Car Seat After A Major Crash
If your vehicle has been in a crash, many things will go through your mind. Hopefully the first one is being confident your child is safe because they are strapped in correctly! While vehicle repairs may be top of mind, caregivers can sometimes forget that their child's car seat has been through a crash as well.
In the case of a major crash, you must replace any car seat that was in the car at the time of the crash. No matter what. Even if a child was not riding in it at the time. The car seat has done its job - it has protected the child from the impact of the crash. Since it has taken the brunt of the crash forces, its structural integrity has been compromised and it must be replaced. The good news is that insurance sometimes covers the cost of a replacement car seat.
If your vehicle has been in a minor crash, some manufacturers will say it's okay to continue using the car seat. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines a minor crash as one in which all of the following things are true:
The vehicle can be driven from the crash site
The vehicle door nearest the car seat was undamaged
No occupants suffered any injuries (remember - even slight whiplash or a strained neck, which may appear days later, are considered an injury)
Airbags did not deploy
There is no visible damage to the car seat
Instead of listing out manufacturers and their many different stances on car seat replacement in various kinds of crashes, I'm going to give you some homework: Read Your Manual!
The only true source of accurate information about what to do after a crash is the manufacturer of your car seat. All manuals have a section about what to do with a car seat after a crash - read it over so you'll have the information when you need it!
