2003 Recalls
408 recalls · Page 8 of 9
2003 Recall Year Insight
Federal agencies issued 408 product recalls indexed by PlainRecalls in calendar year 2003. That represents about 0.40% of the 101,704 total recalls we track from 1995 through the present, and averages roughly 1.1 recalls per day across the FDA, CPSC, and NHTSA 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 9 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 15 critical, 35 moderate, and 0 lower-severity recalls. The page references 43 distinct recalling firms operating in 6 distinct product categories, with 26 of 50 records disclosing affected-unit counts. Issuing-agency distribution on this slice leans toward CPSC (26), NHTSA (24), 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, or NHTSA for the system-of-record on any specific recall. PlainRecalls indexes this archive for research and consumer awareness purposes.
CPSC, Murray Inc. Announce Recall of Riding Lawn Tractors
Murray Inc., of Brentwood, Tenn.
KIA 2001-2002: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY
KIA
CPSC, Random House, Inc. Announce Recall of Children's Board Book Sets
Random House Inc., of New York, N.Y.
CPSC, The Betesh Group Announce Recall of "Busy Bug" Plush Toys
CPSC, The First Years® Inc. Announce New Safety Instructions to Prevent Injuries for Combo Baby Tubs/Step Stools
The First Years Inc., of Avon, Mass.
NISSAN 2002: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
NISSAN
CPSC, BRIO Corp. Announce Recall of Toy Trumpet
The BRIO Corp., of Germantown, Wis.
INTERNATIONAL 2001-2002: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
INTERNATIONAL
CPSC, Fireworks of Alabama Announce Recall of Bamboo-Stick Sparklers
Fireworks of Alabama, Inc. of Adamsville, Ala.
CPSC, Playnation Play Systems Announce Recall of "Fun Buckets" on Backyard Play Sets
Playnation Play Systems of Kennesaw, Ga.
BUICK,PONTIAC 2003: STEERING
BUICK,PONTIAC
SUBARU 2003: SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
SUBARU
CPSC, Robert Bosch Tool Corp. Announce Recall of Skil® Warrior Drill Battery Chargers
Robert Bosch Tool Corp., of Chicago, Ill.
BUICK,CADILLAC,CHEVROLET,GMC,PONTIAC 2003: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
BUICK,CADILLAC,CHEVROLET,GMC,PONTIAC
CHEVROLET,GMC 2003: SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
CHEVROLET,GMC
CPSC, Exmark Recalls Lazer HP Riding Mowers
Exmark Manufacturing, of Beatrice, Nebraska
CPSC, Toro Company Recall Z-100 Riding Mowers
The Toro Company, of Bloomington, Minn.
CPSC, Young's J.K. Inc. Announce Recall of Novelty Lighters
Young's J.K. Inc., of Portland, Ore.
MAZDA 2002-2003: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:FOG LIGHTS
MAZDA
KENWORTH 2002-2003: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
KENWORTH
LEXUS 2003: EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
LEXUS
CPSC, Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. Announce Recall of ATVs
Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) of Irvine, Calif.
VOLVO 2003: VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR
VOLVO
CADILLAC,CHEVROLET,GMC 2003: STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
CADILLAC,CHEVROLET,GMC
CPSC, Eton America Announce Recall of Youth All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)
Eton America LLC, of Spartanburg, S.C.
CPSC, Thomas & Betts Announce Recall of Emergency Exit Signs
Thomas & Betts Corporation of Memphis, TN
CPSC, Trak Inc. Announce Recall of Snowshoe Bindings
Trak Inc., doing business as Karhu Inc., of Burlington, Vt.
CPSC, UWATEC AG Announce Recall of 1995 Aladin Air X NitrOx Dive Computers
UWATEC AG, of Hallwil, Switzerland
CHRYSLER,DODGE 2000-2002: SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
CHRYSLER,DODGE
PLYMOUTH 2000-2002: SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
PLYMOUTH
DODGE 2003: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
DODGE
BMW 2002-2003: SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
BMW
CPSC, Cooper Lighting Warn About 500-Watt Halogen Bulbs
Cooper Lighting Inc., of Peachtree City, Ga.
CPSC, Zenith Announce Recall to Repair Large-Screen, Analog Projection Televisions
Zenith Electronics Corp., of Lincolnshire, Ill.
MITSUBISHI 2003: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
MITSUBISHI
CPSC, Xerox International Partners Announce Retrofit of Network Laser Printers
Xerox International Partners, of Palo Alto, Calif.
PORSCHE 2002: CHILD SEAT:TETHER: STRAP/WEBBING
PORSCHE
CPSC Announces Recall of Baseline Design Beanbag Chairs
Baseline Design, of Linwood, Pa.
CPSC, Tim Hortons Announce Recall of Travel Mugs
Tim Hortons of Oakville, Ontario, Canada
INTERNATIONAL 2003: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
INTERNATIONAL
CHEVROLET,GMC 2003: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
CHEVROLET,GMC
CPSC, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Announce Recall of Woody Dolls
CPSC, Hufco-Delaware Company and Evenflo Company Inc. Announce Recall to Repair Gerry® and Evenflo® Portable Wood Cribs
Hufco-Delaware Company, of Miamisburg, Ohio
CPSC, Magic Cabin Announce Recall of Wooden Teething Rings
Magic Cabin of Madison, Va.
CHEVROLET,GMC 2003: VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
CHEVROLET,GMC
PORSCHE 2000-2003: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
PORSCHE
KIA 2002: SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER
KIA
CPSC, Polaris Industries Announce Recall of ATVs
Polaris Industries, Inc., of Medina, Minn.
CPSC, Build-A-Bear Workshop Announce Recall of "Founding Bear" Stuffed Bears
Build-A-Bear Workshop, of St. Louis, Mo.
HONDA 2003: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
HONDA
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 - consumer product and vehicle recall feeds for 2003
Every figure on PlainRecalls is rendered directly from official FDA, CPSC and NHTSA recall records, no number is typed in by an editor. Figures cover calendar year 2003 across the FDA, CPSC and NHTSA federal recall feeds. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.