UK carseat legal to use in USA???????

We have purchased the AutoBaby carseat (with AutoBase) made by Graco from Babies R Us.  It allows babies up to 29 lbs to travel rearward facing in the front or rear of most cars (I personally will only be using it in the backseat because it's much safer).  Our baby is due in May, and we will be travelling to the USA in September for a 6-week visit.  Our original plan is to take our carseat with us (also plan to use it on the plane), but someone told me that UK carseats do not conform to USA carseat safety standards, and that to be "legal" we will have to rent a carseat in the States. 
Does anyone know if this is true?  (I am really hoping that the person that told me this is just a daft Brit...lol)

And while on the subject.....assuming we can use our carseat, can we use the autobase too???  (we were not planning on bringing it)

Thanks.

Janna

Not sure but I did read somewhere that US seats don't conform to UK/EU regulations. However, Graco is a US brand so you might be ok.  Graco have separate UK & US sites so have a look at their US site (graco.com) and check if your carseat has the same specifications as the one they sell in the US.  Someone on here did mention a while ago that the US car seats have a strap across the chest that UK seats don't have.

US and UK car seats are different.  Both say they are safe and meet the safety standards of their country.

As a mom who has US carseats in the UK -- I say if you are comfortable with your baby's safety than don't worry about it.  Reality is it is only an issue if you get caught --- I have never been stopped in the US, nor questioned by anyone about what TYPE of car seat am I putting my kids into (except on the airplane -- go figure).  The car rental company won't know enough to ask where the car seat is from.

Personally, I do feel more comfortable with my kids in the 5 point harness with a chest strap; but that is just me.  I feel the US has stricter standards for safety than the UK (or maybe people in the US just follow the rules better).  e.g. I have not seen any infant put into the front seat of a car in the US --- see that often over here.  Also, kids under the age of 8 rarely sit in the front seat in the US (because of the air bag issue) -- can't believe the number of kids I see picked up from school sitting in the front seat!

Just ensure you install the car seat properly and have a great vacation!

the only time in your trip that this would be an issue is on the plane. if you are flying an american airline, they legally can't let you use a carseat on board unless it has an FAA approval sticker on it.  the car rental people won't even think about it as long as you have a seat.

I've flown overseas with Philip 5 times already, and they never looked for a sticker. Their rules (and I mean british airways here) were as follows: We could use the carseat on take off and landing only if it is a 5 point harness. ours wasn't (it was a newborn rearfacing car seat) so philip sat buckled in my lap for takeoff and landing, then sat in his carseat (rather than their bassinette) when the seatbelt signs were off and we were flying normally. Also, we used this same UK-purchased rear-facing car seat in the US. As it didn't have a base or anything and was only secured by the seatbelt, it worked in exactly the same way in both countries.