What is a Product Recall?

A product recall occurs when a product is found to be harmful or otherwise dangerous to consumers. The term can relate to any number of products from food, medicine, or health and beauty aids, to electronics, appliances, furniture, and even vehicles. In some cases a product recall simply indicates a warning to the consumer that some part of the product may be faulty and require replacement or repair. In other cases, the product may need to be returned to the manufacture for complete replacement or refund. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is a government agency that assembles a product recall list and includes as many details as available concerning each recall. You can sign up for an email alert or search the website. You can also call the hotline number, 1 (800) 638-CPSC, for more information. Sometimes, companies are forced into issuing a product recall although many times they issue a voluntary recall. In serious cases, there may be a market withdrawal where products are ...  more

A product recall occurs when the manufacturer or a regulatory agency removes a product from the market or asks the public to return the product for corrective measures. Most product recalls relate to safety issues. A voluntary recall occurs when the manufacturer asks consumers to return the product or bring it in for repairs. A mandatory recall is a recall ordered by a regulatory agency pursuant to a law or regulation. Authority to recall products There are numerous federal agencies that have authority to recall products. These include the Consumer Product Safety Commission (consumer products), the Food and Drug Administration (food, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics), the Federal Trade Commission (mobile homes, heat pumps, solar furnaces, and motor vehicles), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (vehicle safety). Manufacturer's duty to warn As a general rule, a manufacturer has a duty to warn of a latent defect (a defect that existed at the point of manufacture) ...  more

Here are some suggestions on what to do if a baby product is recalled and how to avoid buying items that may be recalled in the future.  more