FMVSS 213: Child restraint systems explained.

What FMVSS 213 says it is for

The eCFR heads this section "Child restraint systems; Applicable unless a vehicle or child restraint system is certified to § 571.213b." Under 49 CFR part 571, the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are the numbered standards that set safety performance requirements for motor vehicles and equipment. The text below is quoted from 571.213 as current through October 29, 2026.

This standard specifies requirements for child restraint systems used in motor vehicles and aircraft.

The purpose of this standard is to reduce the number of children killed or injured in motor vehicle crashes and in aircraft.

What it applies to

The application section of the standard says:

This standard applies to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses, and to child restraint systems for use in motor vehicles and aircraft, manufactured before December 5, 2026. FMVSS No. 213b applies to child restraint systems manufactured on or after December 5, 2026.

Applicability is decided by the text of the standard as written, including any exclusions it lists, and by the date-specific rules in it. This page does not decide whether a particular vehicle or item is covered.

How the standard is organized

The eCFR text of 571.213 has these top-level sections:

• S1: Scope
• S2: Purpose
• S3: Application
• S4: Definitions
• S5: Requirements
• S6: Test conditions and procedures
• S7: Test dummies
• S8: Requirements, test conditions, and procedures for child restraint systems manufactured for use in aircraft
• S9: Dummy clothing and preparation
• S10: Positioning the dummy and attaching the system belts

In all, the text has 62 numbered headings. Use the finder above to search them; for example, a search for "test" lists the headings that mention tests.

Key requirements, quoted from the text

These are excerpts from the requirements sections of 571.213, in the order the standard presents them. Long paragraphs are shortened where marked; the eCFR has the complete text, tables and figures, which this page omits.

S5 Requirements. (a) Each motor vehicle with a built-in child restraint system shall meet the requirements in this section when, as specified, tested in accordance with S6.1 and this paragraph. (b) Each child restraint system manufactured for use in motor vehicles shall meet the requirements in this section when, as specified, tested in accordance with S6.1 and this paragraph. Each add-on system shall meet the requirements at each of the restraint's seat back angle adjustment positions and restraint belt routing positions, when the restraint is oriented in the direction recommended by the manufacturer (e.g., forward, rearward or laterally) pursuant to S5.6, and tested with the test dummy specified in S7. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S5.1.1 Child restraint system integrity. When tested in accordance with S6.1, each child restraint system shall meet the requirements of paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section. (a) Exhibit no complete separation of any load bearing structural element and no partial separation exposing either surfaces with a radius of less than 6 mm or surfaces with protrusions greater than 9 mm above the immediate adjacent surrounding contactable surface of any structural element of the system. (b)(1) If adjustable to different positions, remain in the same adjustment position during the testing that it was in immediately before the testing, except as otherwise specified in paragraph (b)(2). [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S5.5 Labeling. Any labels or written instructions provided in addition to those required by this section shall not obscure or confuse the meaning of the required information or be otherwise misleading to the consumer. Any labels or written instructions other than in the English language shall be an accurate translation of English labels or written instructions.

S5.6 Printed Instructions for Proper Use. Any labels or written instructions provided in addition to those required by this section shall not obscure or confuse the meaning of the required information or be otherwise misleading to the consumer. Any labels or written instructions other than in the English language shall be an accurate translation of English labels or written instructions. Unless written in all capitals, the information required by S5.6.1 through S5.6.3 shall be stated in sentence capitalization.

S5.7 Flammability. Each material used in a child restraint system shall conform to the requirements of S4 of FMVSS No. 302 (571.302). In the case of a built-in child restraint system, the requirements of S4 of FMVSS No. 302 shall be met in both the “in-use” and “stowed” positions.

S5.9 Attachment to child restraint anchorage system. (a) Each add-on child restraint system other than a car bed, harness, school bus child restraint system, and belt-positioning seat, shall have components permanently attached to the system that enable the restraint to be securely fastened to the lower anchorages of the child restraint anchorage system specified in Standard No. 225 (§ 571.225) and depicted in Drawing Package SAS-100-1000, Standard Seat Belt Assembly with Addendum A, Seat Base Weldment or in Drawing Package, “NHTSA Standard Seat Assembly; FMVSS No. 213, No. NHTSA-213-2003” (both incorporated by reference, see § 571.5). The components must be attached by use of a tool, such as a screwdriver. In the case of rear-facing child restraints with detachable bases, only the base is required to have the components. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S6.1 Dynamic systems test for child restraint systems. The test conditions described in S6.1.1 apply to the dynamic systems test. The test procedure for the dynamic systems test is specified in S6.1.2. The test dummy specified in S7 is placed in the test specimen (child restraint), clothed as described in S9 and positioned according to S10.

S6.2 Buckle release test procedure. The belt assembly buckles used in any child restraint system shall be tested in accordance with S6.2.1 through S6.2.4 inclusive.

S7 Test dummies. (Subparts referenced in this section are of part 572 of this chapter.) S7.1 Dummy selection. Select any dummy specified in S7.1.1, S7.1.2 or S7.1.3, as appropriate, for testing systems for use by children of the height and mass for which the system is recommended in accordance with S5.5. A child restraint that meets the criteria in two or more of the following paragraphs in S7 may be tested with any of the test dummies specified in those paragraphs.

S8 Requirements, test conditions, and procedures for child restraint systems manufactured for use in aircraft. Each child restraint system manufactured for use in both motor vehicles and aircraft must comply with all of the applicable requirements specified in Section S5 and with the additional requirements specified in S8.1 and S8.2.

S8.1 Installation instructions. Each child restraint system manufactured for use in aircraft shall be accompanied by printed instructions in English that provide a step-by-step procedure, including diagrams, for installing the system in aircraft passenger seats, securing a child in the system when it is installed in aircraft, and adjusting the system to fit the child.

S8.2 Inversion test. When tested in accordance with S8.2.1 through S8.2.5, each child restraint system manufactured for use in aircraft shall meet the requirements of S8.2.1 through S8.2.6. The manufacturer may, at its option, use any seat which is a representative aircraft passenger seat within the meaning of S4. Each system shall meet the requirements at each of the restraint's seat back angle adjustment positions and restraint belt routing positions, when the restraint is oriented in the direction recommended by the manufacturer (e.g., facing forward, rearward or laterally) pursuant to S8.1, and tested with the test dummy specified in S7. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S9.1 Type of clothing. (a) Newborn dummy. When used in testing under this standard, the dummy is unclothed. (b) [Reserved] (c) 12-month-old dummy (49 CFR part 572, subpart R). When used in testing under this standard, the dummy specified in 49 CFR part 572, subparts R, is clothed in a cotton-polyester based tight fitting sweat shirt with long sleeves and ankle long pants whose combined weight is not more than 0.25 kg. (d) Hybrid II three-year-old and Hybrid II six-year-old dummies (49 CFR part 572, subparts C and I). [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S9.2 Preparing clothing. Clothing other than the shoes is machined-washed in 71 °C to 82 °C and machine-dried at 49 °C to 60 °C for 30 minutes.

S9.3 Preparing dummies. (Subparts referenced in this section are of Part 572 of this chapter.)

S10.1 Car beds. Place the test dummy in the car bed in the supine position with its midsagittal plane perpendicular to the center SORL of the standard seat assembly, in the case of an add-on car bed, or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the specific vehicle shell or the specific vehicle, in the case of a built-in car bed. Position the dummy within the car bed in accordance with the instructions for child positioning that the bed manufacturer provided with the bed in accordance with S5.6.

S10.2.1 Newborn dummy and 12-month-old dummy. Position the test dummy according to the instructions for child positioning that the manufacturer provided with the system under S5.6.1 or S5.6.2, while conforming to the following: (a) [Reserved] (b)(1) [Reserved] (2) When testing rear-facing child restraint systems, place the newborn, or 12-month-old dummy in the child restraint system so that the back of the dummy torso contacts the back support surface of the system. For a child restraint system which is equipped with a fixed or movable surface described in S5.2.2.2 which is being tested under the conditions of test configuration II, do not attach any of the child restraint belts unless they are an integral part of the fixed or movable surface. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

Test conditions and procedures as stated

These excerpts come from headings of 571.213 that cover test conditions, procedures or similar subjects.

S6.2 Buckle release test procedure. The belt assembly buckles used in any child restraint system shall be tested in accordance with S6.2.1 through S6.2.4 inclusive.

S8 Requirements, test conditions, and procedures for child restraint systems manufactured for use in aircraft. Each child restraint system manufactured for use in both motor vehicles and aircraft must comply with all of the applicable requirements specified in Section S5 and with the additional requirements specified in S8.1 and S8.2.

Defined terms

The standard defines 20 terms in its definitions section. Definitions are quoted from the eCFR.

• Add-on child restraint system means any portable child restraint system.
• Backless child restraint system means a child restraint, other than a belt-positioning seat, that consists of a seating platform that does not extend up to provide a cushion for the child's back or head and has a structural element designed to restrain forward motion of the child's torso in a forward impact.
• Belt-positioning seat means a child restraint system that positions a child on a vehicle seat to improve the fit of a vehicle Type II belt system on the child and that lacks any component, such as a belt system or a structural element, designed to restrain forward movement of the child's torso in a forward impact.
• Booster seat means either a backless child restraint system or a belt-positioning seat.
• Built-in child restraint system means a child restraint system that is designed to be an integral part of and permanently installed in a motor vehicle.
• Car bed means a child restraint system designed to restrain or position a child in the supine or prone position on a continuous flat surface.
• Child restraint anchorage system is defined in S3 of FMVSS No. 225 (§ 571.225).
• Child restraint system means any device, except Type I or Type II seat belts, designed for use in a motor vehicle or aircraft to restrain, seat, or position children who weigh 36 kilograms (kg) (80 lb) or less.
• Contactable surface means any child restraint system surface (other than that of a belt, belt buckle, or belt adjustment hardware) that may contact any part of the head or torso of the appropriate test dummy, specified in S7, when a child restraint system is tested in accordance with S6.1.
• Factory-installed built-in child restraint system means a built-in child restraint system that has been or will be permanently installed in a motor vehicle before that vehicle is certified as a completed or altered vehicle in accordance with part 567 of this chapter.
• Harness means a combination pelvic and upper torso child restraint system that consists primarily of flexible material, such as straps, webbing or similar material, and that does not include a rigid seating structure for the child.
• Rear-facing child restraint system means a child restraint system, except a car bed, that positions a child to face in the direction opposite to the normal direction of travel of the motor vehicle.
• Representative aircraft passenger seat means either a Federal Aviation Administration approved production aircraft passenger seat or a simulated aircraft passenger seat conforming to Figure 6.
• School bus child restraint system means an add-on child restraint system (including a harness) manufactured and sold only for use on school bus seats, that has a label conforming with S5.3.1(b). (This definition applies to child restraint systems manufactured on or after June 30, 2025.)
• Seat orientation reference line or SORL means the horizontal line through Point Z as illustrated in Figure 1A.
• Specific vehicle shell means the actual vehicle model part into which the built-in child restraint system is or is intended to be fabricated, including the complete surroundings of the built-in system. If the built-in child restraint system is or is intended to be fabricated as part of any seat other than a front seat, these surroundings include the back of the seat in front, the interior rear side door panels [continues in the eCFR]
• Tether anchorage is defined in S3 of FMVSS No. 225 (§ 571.225).
• Tether strap is defined in S3 of FMVSS No. 225 (§ 571.225).
• Tether hook is defined in S3 of FMVSS No. 225 (§ 571.225).
• Torso means the portion of the body of a seated anthropomorphic test dummy, excluding the thighs, that lies between the top of the child restraint system seating surface and the top of the shoulders of the test dummy.

Limits of this page

This page quotes the text of 49 CFR 571.213 as published in the eCFR, current through October 29, 2026. It omits tables, figures, cross-referenced test procedures in other parts, and the preambles and rulemaking history that explain the rule. It does not tell you whether a given vehicle, part or product complies, how to run a test, or what a manufacturer must certify. Compliance questions go to the manufacturer's engineers, qualified counsel or NHTSA. The eCFR is an editorial compilation, not the official legal edition of the Federal Register.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• eCFR: 49 CFR 571.213, Child restraint systems; Applicable unless a vehicle or child restraint system is certified to § 571.213b. (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR part 571, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)