Recall Guides
Learn how recalls work and how to protect yourself using official federal data. These guides cover the three agencies that manage US product recalls, the FDA (food and drugs), CPSC (consumer products), and NHTSA (vehicles) - explain severity classifications, and show you how to check 101,704 recall records for items in your home.
How the US Recall System Works
The three federal agencies that manage product recalls, how recalls are initiated, and what happens after a recall is announced.
How to Check If Your Products Are Recalled
Step-by-step guide to checking food, consumer products, medications, and vehicles for active recalls using federal databases.
Understanding Recall Severity Classes
What FDA Class I, II, and III mean, how CPSC and NHTSA classify recall urgency, and which recalls demand immediate action.
What to Do When a Product Is Recalled
Step-by-step: verify if your product is affected, claim your remedy, report injuries, and navigate FDA, CPSC, and NHTSA processes.
Most Recalled Product Categories
Rankings of highest-recall categories from FDA, CPSC, and NHTSA: food, children's products, vehicles, and emerging categories.
Recalled Products Still in Your Home: How to Do a Full Household Audit
Millions of recalled products stay in use because owners were never notified. A room-by-room guide to checking your home for active recalls.
FDA vs USDA Food Recalls: What You Need to Know
Two different federal agencies handle food recalls in the US. Which agency covers what, how their processes differ, and why it matters for your safety.
Methodology
The guides on PlainRecalls are grounded in 101,704 federal recall records aggregated from three U.S. agencies: the FDA (openFDA Enforcement API), CPSC (Recalls API), and NHTSA (Recalls API). Every guide on this page is written by reviewing the actual filings, cross-referencing agency classification systems, and surfacing patterns that matter for consumer decisions. We do not speculate beyond what the public federal record shows.
How We Produce Guides
- Data-first drafting. Each guide starts from the federal record. Claims about recall volume, severity distribution, or agency scope are traceable to openFDA, CPSC, and NHTSA feeds.
- Editorially compiled. Narrative framing is drafted and edited by our editorial team against the source records before publication.
- No paid placement. Severity classifications and recall records are taken directly from federal agency databases. We do not accept payment for coverage, placement, or rankings.
- Verification before action. Every guide directs readers to verify recall status with the issuing agency before making safety decisions. Our database may lag agency announcements by 24-72 hours.
Data Sources
- FDA openFDA Enforcement API - food, drug, biologic, and medical device recalls
- CPSC Recalls API - consumer product recalls (toys, appliances, furniture, batteries)
- NHTSA Recalls API - vehicle, tire, and car-seat recalls
The full data collection, processing, and classification methodology is documented at /methodology.