Substandard car seats could prove deadly; how to spot a fake

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- An ABC News investigation found car seats being sold online that don't meet federal safety standards.

Hospitals and state transportation departments are reporting an alarming increase in unapproved car seats.

Here is how you can spot a fake.

Every car seat sold in the United States should have the federal motor vehicle safety standard stamp of approval, meaning they've been examined and determined to be safe. But an ABC News investigation found that some don't.

ABC News asked Dr. Alisa Baer, a certified child safety technician, to review three car seats purchased from Temu and Amazon, and she spotted red flags right away.

"So, the first thing is to notice that in this listing here, I am not seeing any mention of the brand name," she said. "Sometimes price can be a red flag."

Baer said if you buy a cheap car suit that is a knockoff of a name brand, your baby might not survive a crash that they could have survived had they been in a car seat that met U.S. safety standards.

Baer inspected the three car seats that ABC News purchased, and she determined all three were not certified for use in the United States.

Both Temu and Amazon removed the listings following the investigation. Temu told ABC News that products found to be non-compliant "are promptly removed." Amazon said it has "proactive measures in place to prevent prohibited products from being listed."

How can you tell whether your car seat is safe to use? Every federally approved car seat will have a certification sticker, with labels both in English and Spanish, including the manufacturer's name and toll-free number.

If you buy a car seat shipped directly from a foreign country, that could be another red flag, experts say.

Car seats, even if made overseas, must still go through a thorough inspection once they arrive in the United States.