2003 Recalls
370 recalls · Page 6 of 8
2003 Recall Year Insight
Federal agencies issued 370 product recalls indexed by PlainRecalls in calendar year 2003. That represents about 0.44% of the 83,949 total recalls we track from 1995 through the present, and averages roughly 1.0 recalls per day across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA, and USDA FSIS combined. Year-level views are the cleanest way to see macro patterns: volume spikes often correlate with new regulatory priorities (e.g., infant-sleep products after 2021, lithium-ion batteries after 2022), supply-chain contamination events, or changes in agency enforcement intensity, while quiet years can reflect either genuine product-safety improvements or reduced agency staffing and reporting lag. With 8 pages at 50 recalls each, browsing this year end-to-end gives a statistically representative sample of what the federal recall pipeline looked like in 2003.
On this page of 50 records, severity classification shows 13 critical, 37 moderate, and 0 lower-severity recalls. The page references 38 distinct recalling firms operating in 8 distinct product categories, with 31 of 50 records disclosing affected-unit counts. Issuing-agency distribution on this slice leans toward CPSC (31), NHTSA (19), which matters because each agency's recall authority, hazard framing, and remedy mechanism differ — an FDA food recall, a CPSC consumer-product recall, and a NHTSA vehicle recall are legally distinct instruments even when the underlying hazard language sounds similar. Reviewing the dominant agency for a given year is one of the fastest ways to understand where federal attention was concentrated.
Year-indexed browsing serves three practical purposes: historical research (tracking how a hazard class evolved over time), consumer action (finding whether a product purchased in 2003 was later recalled), and journalistic or regulatory context (understanding what the enforcement landscape looked like in a given period). Every record on this page links to a full detail view with the hazard, remedy, distribution, and agency-assigned recall number — always use that recall number to verify current status directly with the issuing agency before acting on time-sensitive remedies, because agencies amend, terminate, and expand recalls in the months and years after initial publication. Data on this page reflects federal agency public filings; the agency's live record remains authoritative for legal, medical, or safety decisions. Verify with FDA openFDA, CPSC, NHTSA, or USDA FSIS for the system-of-record on any specific recall. PlainRecalls indexes this archive for research and consumer awareness purposes.
KIA 2003: SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
KIA
CPSC, Country Home Products, Inc. Announce Recall to Repair Cordless Electric Lawnmowers
Country Home Products Inc., of Vergennes, Vt.
CPSC, DesignPac Inc. Announce Recall of Oil Lamps
DesignPac Inc. of Northlake, Ill.
CPSC, WestPoint Stevens Inc. Announce Recall of Electric Blankets
WestPoint Stevens Inc., of West Point, Ga.
CPSC, Fisher-Price Announce Recall of Little People® Animal Sounds Farms
Fisher-Price, of East Aurora, N.Y.
CPSC, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Announce Recall of Battery Packs
Panasonic Consumer Electronics, of Secaucus, N.J.
CHEVROLET,GMC,OLDSMOBILE 2003: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
CHEVROLET,GMC,OLDSMOBILE
CPSC, Battat Incorporated Announce Recall of Drumsticks Sold with Toy Drum Sets
CPSC, Dynacraft Industries Inc. Announce Recall of BMX Bicycles
CPSC, Thomson Announce Recall of Home Entertainment Amplifiers
CPSC, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. Announce Recall of Red Devil Gas Grills
e4L Inc., of Encino, Calif.
CPSC, Playskool Announce Recall of Magic Start Crawl 'n Stand Toys Sold Only at Wal-Mart
CPSC, Polaris Industries Inc. Announce Recall of Polaris Xpedition 325, Trail Boss 325, and Magnum 325 ATVs
Polaris Industries Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn.
LAND ROVER 2003: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES
LAND ROVER
CPSC, Kindermusik International Announce Recall of "Fiddlesticks" Instruments
Kindermusik International, of Browns Summit, N.C.
CPSC, Black Diamond Equipment Announce Recall of Bionic Crampons
Black Diamond Equipment, of Salt Lake City, Utah
LINCOLN 2000: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
LINCOLN
CPSC, TNT Fireworks Announce Recall of Party Poppers Sold at Wal-Mart
CPSC, Maytag Corporation Announce Recall of Kenmore Elite-Brand TRIO Model Refrigerators
Maytag Corp. of Newton, Iowa
AUDI 2001: TIRES
AUDI
LINCOLN 2003: WHEELS
LINCOLN
CPSC, Learning Curve Int'l Inc. Announce Recall of Lamaze Activity Toys
Racing Champions Ertl/Learning Curve Int'l., Inc. (RCE/LCI), of Chicago, IL
KIA 2002: SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
KIA
CPSC, Dollar Tree Stores Inc. Announce Recall of Plush Bears and Snowman Dolls
Dollar Tree Stores Inc., of Chesapeake, Va.
CPSC, Raven Industries Announce Recall of Handheld Remote Controls
Raven Industries, of Earth City, Mo.
KENWORTH,PETERBILT 2000-2001: SUSPENSION:FRONT:HUB
KENWORTH,PETERBILT
KENWORTH 2000-2003: SERVICE BRAKES, AIR
KENWORTH
BMW 2003: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
BMW
NISSAN 2003: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
NISSAN
CPSC, Hitachi Koki U.S.A., Ltd. Announce Recall to Repair Circular Saws
Hitachi Koki U.S.A., Ltd., of Norcross, Ga.
CPSC, Maytag Corp. Announce Recall to Repair Gas Ranges
Maytag Corp., of Newton, Iowa
CPSC, OWT Industries Inc. and Sears Announce Recall of Electric Routers Used in Woodworking
OWT Industries, Inc., of Pickens, S.C.
CPSC, The Toro Company Announce Recall of Snowthrowers
The Toro Company, of Bloomington, Minn.
ASTON MARTIN 2000: STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS
ASTON MARTIN
CADILLAC 2003: STEERING
CADILLAC
ISUZU 2002: STRUCTURE
ISUZU
CPSC, Raymond Oak Inc. Announce Recall of Toy Chests
FREIGHTLINER 2000-2001: SUSPENSION:FRONT:HUB
FREIGHTLINER
CPSC, Comarco Inc. Announce Recall to Replace Detachable Plugs On Power Adapters
Comarco Inc., of Irvine, Calif.
CPSC, S. Rothschild & Co. Announce Recall to Repair Girls' Hooded Winter Jackets
INFINITI 2000-2001: WHEELS
INFINITI
CHEVROLET,GMC,OLDSMOBILE 2002: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
CHEVROLET,GMC,OLDSMOBILE
CPSC, MOSA Sports Announce Recall of Bicycle Helmets
CPSC, Lands' End, Inc., Announce Recall of Little Kids' Parkas
Lands' End Inc., of Dodgeville, Wis..
HYUNDAI 2002-2003: TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE
HYUNDAI
CPSC, Trudeau Corp. Announce Recall of Fondue Sets
Trudeau Corp., of Woodridge, Ill.
CPSC, Blue Star Candles, L.P. Announce Recall of Christmas Candles
Blue Star Candles, L.P., of Lubbock, Texas
CPSC, Fire-Lite Alarms Announce Recall of Power Supply for Alarm Systems
Fire-Lite Alarms, Inc. of Northford, Conn.
CPSC, Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. Announce Recall of Small Engines
Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., of Irvine, Calif.
NISSAN 2002-2003: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
NISSAN
Nearby Recall Years
Browse recalls from adjacent calendar years to see how federal enforcement volume has shifted over time.
Data Sources
- Source: FDA openFDA Enforcement API — calendar-year recall filings for food, drugs, and devices
- Source: CPSC + NHTSA + USDA FSIS — consumer product, vehicle, and meat/poultry recall feeds for 2003
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.