Millions of Vehicles with Unsafe Child Seat Anchors on U.S. Roads

Recent data from CARFAX has showed that nearly one million vehicles currently on U.S. roads have open recalls for defective LATCH connectors, as shared in a press release.

LATCH—Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children—is the child seat anchoring system required in most vehicles since 2003. The anchors strap child seats to hold them firmly in place, helping keep children properly restrained.

Hundreds of thousands of vehicles have been recalled in recent years for child seat anchor defects, which have included faulty welds, misaligned anchors, and coatings that could interfere with or prevent proper installation. A wide range of vehicles across different makes and model years have been impacted.

California is estimated to have the highest number of vehicles with open recalls, at 132,900. It’s followed by Texas with an estimated 89,800 vehicles impacted, and Florida in third place with 60,700.

“LATCH systems are designed to protect our most vulnerable passengers,” said Faisal Hasan, vice president of data at CARFAX. “These recalls are not isolated to just one automaker or model year, so parents should check right away if their vehicle has an open recall and schedule free repairs as soon as possible.”