Guide

Product recalls in the United States: CPSC, FDA and NHTSA

The United States does not have a single recall authority. Jurisdiction follows product type, and three federal agencies handle the large majority of consumer recalls. Knowing which agency to check is the first step to finding a notice that affects you.

Consumer products: the CPSC

The Consumer Product Safety Commission covers the broadest range of everyday goods — toys, furniture, children’s items, appliances, electronics, clothing and similar. Recall notices are published at cpsc.gov/Recalls and typically state the affected model or item number, the hazard, and the remedy offered. You can subscribe to CPSC email alerts or follow new recalls via their RSS feed.

Food, devices and cosmetics: the FDA

The Food and Drug Administration handles recalls of food (with one important exception below), medical devices, over-the-counter and prescription drugs (that lane is out of scope here), cosmetics and dietary supplements. Food and device recall notices appear at fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts. The FDA grades its recalls: Class I indicates a reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death; Class II covers situations where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote, or effects are temporary or medically reversible; Class III involves products that violate regulations but whose use is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.

A common point of confusion: meat, poultry and processed egg products (liquid, frozen or dried) fall under the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), not the FDA — while intact shell eggs remain with the FDA. If you are checking a recalled meat or poultry product, the relevant authority is fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

Vehicles: NHTSA and the VIN lookup

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration oversees safety-related defects and recalls for cars, trucks, motorcycles, tyres, child car seats and other motor-vehicle equipment. Recall notices appear at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The practical tool for owners is the free VIN lookup: enter your 17-character Vehicle Identification Number and the site shows all outstanding safety recalls that apply to your specific vehicle.

On remedy: in the United States, a manufacturer is not legally required to provide the free recall remedy if the vehicle was first sold more than 15 calendar years before the recall notice is given — or 5 years for tyres — under 49 U.S.C. § 30120. In practice many manufacturers repair older vehicles voluntarily; the notice itself will state what is offered.

The cross-agency portal: recalls.gov

recalls.gov is a federal portal that aggregates notices from CPSC, FDA, NHTSA, FSIS and other agencies in one searchable interface. It is a useful first stop if you are unsure which agency covers a given product.

What this means in practice

For food check FDA or FSIS (meat/poultry); for everyday consumer goods check CPSC; for your vehicle check the NHTSA VIN lookup; for medical devices check FDA. Or use recalls.gov to search across agencies at once. Every notice states the specific products, lots or model numbers affected and the remedy — the official notice always prevails over any summary.

Browse our United States recall index — it aggregates CPSC, FDA and NHTSA records with links back to each official notice.