How to check if something you own has been recalled

Why it's worth checking

Most recalled products are never returned. Recall notices go out through government websites and press releases that few people read, and the product in your kitchen or garage rarely comes with a warning attached. The fastest way to know is to look it up yourself: it takes a minute, and it's worth doing whenever you hear about a recall, buy something second-hand, or have a product that overheats, smells or behaves oddly.

Open Product Recalls to follow along. It collects recalls from government agencies in the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia and Asia into one searchable list.

Search by what's on the label

Agencies describe a product the way the maker labels it, so search with the words printed on the product or its packaging:

1. Start with the brand on its own, such as Galanz or Fisher-Price. A brand search catches every product and every year.
2. Add the product type if the brand is a big one: IKEA dresser, Ford F-150.
3. Try a model, lot or batch number exactly as printed. Recalls often list model numbers, UPC barcodes and lot codes, and the search looks through them too.

Every word you type has to match, so a short search finds more than a long one. If nothing turns up, drop a word.

Narrow it down

Use the filters when a search returns too much:

• Category: food, vehicles, kids and baby, electrical, health and beauty, or home and everyday.
• Country: where you bought it. A product sold in several countries is often recalled in each of them separately, sometimes weeks apart, so check the others too.
• Hazard: fire, choking, undeclared allergens, bacteria and so on.
• Published: the past week, month, three months or year.

Check that your product is actually affected

A recall rarely covers every unit ever made. Open the recall and compare its How to identify it section with your product:

• Model and serial numbers, usually on a label on the back or underside.
• Lot codes and best-before dates for food, printed near the date mark.
• UPC barcodes, the 12-digit number under the barcode.
• Dates sold: a recall may cover only items sold between two dates.

If your product matches, follow the What to do section. If you can't tell, contact the company named in the recall; the official notice, linked from every recall, has their phone number or website.

Keep up with new recalls

Every list has an RSS feed, including filtered ones. Search for a brand you own, or pick a category and country, then use the RSS link above the results to follow that exact list in a feed reader. When you come back, recalls added since your last visit are marked New.

Cars are different

A vehicle recall applies to specific vehicle identification numbers (VINs), so a search by make and model only tells you a recall exists. To know whether your car is affected, see how to check if your car has a recall.