Child Car Seat Recalls In The UK: How To Check Your Seat's Label Against Every Current Recall, And What To Do

Child car seat recalls in the UK are published by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), not DVSA. Check the brand, model and batch code on your seat's label against the list below. If it matches, stop using the seat and contact the retailer or maker for a refund or replacement.

Find your seat

Check Your Car Seat In One Minute

Find the label on the back or base of the seat, note the model and the batch or date code, and search for it here.

1. 1
   Model nameOn the manufacturer’s label, usually underneath or on the back of the seat.
2. 2
   Batch or serial numberRecalls often cover only certain batches.
3. 3
   Production dateWeek and year of manufacture, on the same label.
4. 4
   Approval labelThe orange label with the regulation (R44 or R129) and approval number.

1. Find the label. It is usually on the back of the seat, underneath, or on the base. Infant carriers often have it under the shell.
2. Note the model name and the batch number or date of manufacture.
3. Check the approval label. UK-legal seats carry an "E" mark with R129 (often called i-Size) or ECE R44.¹
4. Search using the finder above, or compare with the table below.

Check ISOFIX bases separately. A base can be recalled even when the seat that clips into it is fine.

Current UK Child Car Seat Recalls

These are the child car seats, carriers and bases recalled in the UK, newest first, taken from GOV.UK's product safety alerts.

Source: GOV.UK product safety alerts, checked 15 October 2026.² Only certain batches of each product are affected; the notice gives the batch numbers.

Each row links to the official notice, which gives the exact models, batch numbers and instructions. The list is refreshed every week from GOV.UK. One recent example: in May 2026 Maxi-Cosi recalled FamilyFix Slide Pro bases made between 6 September 2025 and 24 March 2026, because the safety indicator could show the seat as secure when it was not fully connected. Owners were told to stop using the base and follow Maxi-Cosi's repair or replacement instructions.³

What Goes Wrong With Recalled Seats?

Most recent recalls involve infant carrier handles that can loosen or detach, harnesses that may not lock, buckles that may deform, and bases that may not hold the seat.

Infant carriers feature most often, because they are lifted, carried and clicked in and out many times a day. Many of these faults show no sign until the moment they matter, so checking the label is the only reliable way to know.

What To Do If Your Seat Is Recalled

Stop using it straight away unless the notice says otherwise, keep it until the retailer or maker tells you how to return it, and use another approved seat in the meantime.

1. Stop using the seat, or follow the notice exactly if it allows limited use.
2. Don't throw it away yet. You may need to return it, or show the label, for a refund or replacement.
3. Contact the retailer or maker using the details in the notice.
4. Use another approved seat suitable for your child's height and weight until the problem is fixed.
5. Tell anyone else who uses the seat, such as grandparents or a childminder.

Child seat recalls are normally fixed with a repair kit, a replacement part, a new seat or a refund. If a shop or website won't help, the official notice is your evidence.

Quick Checks Every Time You Use The Seat

A recall check covers manufacturing faults, but everyday wear and fitting matter just as much. Each time you fit the seat or put your child in it:

• Click test: the seat or base should click firmly into the ISOFIX points or be held tightly by the belt, with little side-to-side movement.
• Harness: pull the straps snug, so you can fit no more than a finger or two under them at the collarbone.
• Buckle: press it closed and tug to check it holds.
• Handle: on an infant carrier, check the handle locks in the carrying position.
• Indicators: if the base has a green or red indicator, check it shows correctly, and don't rely on it alone.

If anything feels loose, worn or different, stop using the seat and check it against the recall list and the maker's instructions.

Grandparents, Childminders And Second Cars

Seats kept in a second car or used by grandparents are easy to forget. Note the model and batch of every seat your child uses, and check each one. If you move a seat between cars, check the fitting each time, as the belt routing and ISOFIX positions differ between cars.

Why You Might Not Hear About A Recall

Retailers and makers often don't know who owns a seat, especially second-hand ones, so register your seat with the maker when you buy it.

GOV.UK notes that some child car seat owners won't get a recall letter, because the manufacturer has no details for them.⁴ Unlike a car, a child seat has no keeper record. Registering the seat on the maker's website, or keeping the receipt from a shop that holds your details, gives the maker a way to contact you. Seats passed on or bought second-hand lose that link, which is one more reason to check the label yourself.

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Rules and good practice

Child Car Seat Law In The UK

Children must normally use a child car seat until they are 12 years old or 135 cm tall, whichever comes first.⁵

The driver is responsible, and can be fined up to £500 if a child under 14 isn't in the correct car seat or wearing a seat belt.¹ R129 seats must be rear-facing until the child is over 15 months old, and only seats with an "E" label for R129 or ECE R44 may be used.¹ See car recall law.

Do Car Seats Expire, And Should You Replace One After A Crash?

There's no legal expiry date, but makers give a recommended lifespan, and a seat that has been in a crash should be replaced.⁶

Plastics and harness webbing age with heat, sunlight and use, so check the maker's guidance for your seat's lifespan. After a crash, even a minor one, replace the seat: damage can be invisible, and your insurer may cover the cost.⁶

Second-hand Car Seats

The Child Car Seats UK advice is not to buy a second-hand seat, because you can't know its history and crash damage may be invisible.⁶

If you're given a seat by someone you trust, ask whether it has been in a crash, check that the instructions and all parts are there, check the label against the recall list, and register it with the maker in your name.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can A Child Seat Go In The Front?

Yes, but you must deactivate any front airbag before fitting a rear-facing baby seat in a front seat.¹

Is My Motorhome's ISOFIX Seat Part Of A Recall?

Several 2026 motorhome recalls cover rear-seat ISOFIX fittings.⁷ See motorhome recalls.

Are US Recalls Relevant?

Only if the same model and batch was sold in the UK. US recalls don't always apply to UK-sold seats, so check the model and approval label against the UK list.

Does A Car's Seat Belt Recall Affect My Child Seat?

It can, if the child seat is fitted with that belt. Check your car's registration too. See seat belt recalls.

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Sources: GOV.UK product safety alerts (Office for Product Safety and Standards), GOV.UK child car seat rules, Child Car Seats UK. Updated 15 October 2026.