PlainRecalls

Recall rankings

The most-recalled companies and years

Who carries the most product recalls on record, and when issuance peaked, counted as distinct recall events across the FDA, CPSC and NHTSA.

Compiled from official public sources by the editorial team.

These are the companies and years with the most U.S. product recalls on record, ranked by distinct recall events, not by danger.

Across 100,165 federal recalls (1995–2026), Zimmer Biomet, Inc. carries the most on record with 875 distinct events, and issuance peaked in 2016. A higher count usually reflects a larger product range and more regulatory scrutiny, not worse safety, read each notice for the actual hazard.

The headline

Across 100,165 federal recalls (1995–2026), Zimmer Biomet, Inc. carries the most on record (875 distinct events), and issuance peaked in 2016 (8,148).

100,165
total recalls ranked
875
top firm (Zimmer Biomet, Inc.)
2016
peak issuance year

Rankings count frequency of issuance, not units affected or severity, large diversified firms accumulate more records by scale alone.

Recalls issued per year

Distinct recall events across the FDA, CPSC and NHTSA, 2010–2025

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,000 201020122014201620182020202220242025 6,099

Most-recalled companies

Top 10 firms by distinct recall events on record

recalls

What this shows Recall count reflects frequency of issuance, not units affected or fault, large diversified firms accumulate more records by scale alone.

Source PlainRecalls, FDA, CPSC & NHTSA public recall data As of 2026

How to read these rankings

Counts are distinct recall events, not units affected, one recall covering millions of units counts the same as one covering a single batch. Most-recalled companies tend to be the largest and most heavily-inspected: more product lines and more regulatory scrutiny mean more notices, not necessarily worse safety. Names are normalized into a single canonical entity where unambiguous; parent and subsidiary stay separate when the agency notice names the subsidiary.

Year-over-year swings track recall-issuance activity, shifting regulatory priorities, new detection methods, supply-chain events, more than underlying product safety. Calendar-year aggregation may differ slightly from agency fiscal-year totals. Every ranked entry links to its full history, and every recall links back to the issuing agency for verification.

Use the rankings

Rankings reflect issuance frequency, not severity, always read the individual recall notice for the hazard and remedy.

Every figure on PlainRecalls is rendered directly from official FDA, CPSC and NHTSA recall records, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed across the full archive by distinct recall events, not by units affected, which the federal records report inconsistently. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.