What to do if something you own is recalled

Stop using it first

When a recall says a product can catch fire, cause injury or make you ill, the risk is already in your home. Stop using it straight away, even if it has always worked fine: many recalls follow a handful of incidents among thousands of units, and there's no way to tell whether yours is one of the bad ones.

Then open the recall on Product Recalls and read its What to do section. It comes from the official notice, and it tells you exactly which remedy the company is offering.

The usual remedies

A recall remedy is almost always free. Expect one of these:

• Refund. Return the product to the store or the maker for your money back.
• Repair. A free fix, either a kit sent to you, a visit from a technician, or, for vehicles, a dealer appointment. In September 2026 Health Canada's recall of Galanz Retro refrigerators offered a free in-home repair by a qualified technician.
• Replacement. A new unit, or a safe replacement part.
• Proof of destruction. For cheap or dangerous items, companies often refund you once you've made the product unusable. The CPSC's September 2026 recall of Kesyup mattresses, for example, asked owners to write "Recalled" on the mattress with the date and email a photo before disposing of it.

You usually don't need a receipt; the model or lot number shows the product is affected. Keep the product until you know which remedy applies, because some companies want it returned and others want a photo.

Food and drink

• Don't eat it, even if it looks and smells fine. Salmonella, Listeria and lead can't be seen.
• Return it to the store for a refund, or throw it away in a sealed bag.
• For bacterial contamination, wash surfaces, containers and hands that touched the food.
• Allergy alerts only matter if you have that allergy. Everyone else can eat the product safely, but anyone cooking for a guest with the allergy should check.
• If you've eaten it and feel unwell, contact a doctor and mention the recall.

Medicines and medical devices

Don't stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Many drug recalls concern a single lot with a labelling or quality problem, and stopping abruptly can be riskier than the fault. Call your pharmacist or doctor: they can swap your supply for an unaffected lot or an alternative. For a medical device, the recall usually tells patients and clinicians what to do separately.

Batteries, chargers and electrical products

Unplug the product and store it somewhere it can't start a fire: away from beds and anything flammable, and not on a charger. Never put lithium-ion batteries in household rubbish or recycling bins; damaged ones can ignite in the truck. Use a battery drop-off point or follow the disposal instructions in the recall.

Children's products

Take the product out of reach of children at once, including from grandparents' houses and daycare. Cribs, bassinets and sleep products recalled for suffocation risks should not be used "just for naps" while you wait for a remedy.

If the company doesn't respond

Keep a note of when you contacted them. If you get nowhere, report it to the agency that published the recall; the official notice, linked from every recall, names it. For an unrecalled product you think is dangerous, report it to your country's product safety agency too: recalls often start from consumer reports.