Maintenance procedure · Written to ASD-STE100 Issue 9 · Formatted to ANSI Z535

Product Recall Check

Searching the official U.S. recall databases for anything you own, by product category, manufacturer and date
ApplicabilityHousehold products with a manufacturer name and a model number — appliances, tools, toys, furniture, electronics and similar consumer goods. Does not cover motor vehicles, tires or child car seats; see the VIN and recall check for those.
Task time12 min to 22 min editorial estimate, not a measurement
PersonnelOne
Revisionv1 · 2026-08-04
BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.

Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.

Summary

Every product recall in the United States is public, and every recall database is free to search — the hard part is knowing which agency covers your product, and what to search by. This page teaches the general skill: gather your product's manufacturer name and model number, choose the right database, then search by product category, by manufacturer, and by date. It uses the Consumer Product Safety Commission's own recall register and recalls.gov, the single government site that also links to the recall lists for food, drugs, cosmetics, and more.

This page does not cover motor vehicles, tires, or car seats — those are searched by VIN through a separate government database, and the VIN and recall check on this site walks through that search instead. If your search here turns up a match, the next step is simple: stop using the product and contact the manufacturer for the repair, replacement, or refund the recall notice describes.

Necessary equipment

ItemNote
Internet accessSearch the recall databases online.
Manufacturer name and model numberRead both from the label on your product before you search.
Camera or phone optionalPhotograph the recall notice for your records.

Identify your product

Estimated 2 min to 2 min

  1. Find the manufacturer name on your product.
    • Look at a label, a plate, or a printed mark.
    • The instruction manual and the box also show the manufacturer name.
    <1m
  2. Find the model number on your product.
    • The model number is on the same label as the manufacturer name.
    • The instruction manual and a receipt also show the model number.
    <1m
  3. If your product has a serial number, record it.
    • A recall notice can list a range of serial numbers, not one number.
    • Record the serial number even when you already have the model number.
    <1m

Choose the correct database

Estimated 2 min to 2 min

Federal agencies aggregated by recalls.gov
Manufacturer or standard verified
Six agencies

Source: Recalls.gov · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04

  1. Open recalls.gov to search every federal recall list at once.
    • This one government site links to the recall lists of six federal agencies.
    • When you are not sure of the agency for your product, use this site first.
    <1m
  2. Use the CPSC database at cpsc.gov for a general household product.
    • The CPSC is the lead agency for most household products.
    • Household products include an appliance, a tool, a toy, or a piece of furniture.
    <1m
  3. Use the FDA list for a food, a drug, a cosmetic or a medical device.
    • The FDA publishes these recalls apart from the CPSC list.
    • Follow the FDA link from recalls.gov.
    <1m
  4. For a vehicle, a tire or a car seat, use the VIN recall procedure.
    • NHTSA is the lead agency for vehicle recalls.
    • A separate procedure on this site covers the VIN search steps.
    <1m

Estimated 2 min to 4 min

  1. Select the product category on the search page.
    • The category list ranges from Appliances to Yard and Garden.
    • If no exact match exists, then choose the closest category.
    <1m
  2. If you know the purchase year, enter a date range.
    • A date range narrows the list of results.
    • Leave the date range blank when you do not know the purchase year.
    <1m
  3. Read the title of each result in the list.
    • The title names the manufacturer and the type of product.
    • Open a result if the title matches your product type.
    1m

Compare your product with a recall

Estimated 1 min

What a recall notice identifies affected units by
Manufacturer or standard verified
The model number and, often, a serial number range

Source: GE Appliances, a Haier Company, Recalls Bottom Freezer, French Door Refrigerators Due to Fall Hazard (Recall 22-117) · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04

  1. Compare the model number in the recall notice with the model number on your product.
    • The two model numbers must match exactly.
    • A recall for one model does not cover a different model.
    <1m
  2. If the notice gives a serial number range, then compare it with your serial number.
    • The recall covers your product only when its serial number falls in the range.
    • When a recall gives no serial number range, it applies to every unit of that model.
    <1m
  3. Treat your product as affected only when both numbers match.
    <1m

Act on a match

Estimated 4 min to 10 min

  1. Read the full recall notice to make sure it matches your product.
    • The notice names the hazard the product presents.
    • The notice gives the remedy and a contact for the manufacturer.
    1m
WARNING

STOP USE OF THE PRODUCT BEFORE YOU CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER.
A recalled product can cause a fire, a shock or an injury.

  1. Contact the manufacturer by the phone number or the website in the notice.
    • Give the manufacturer the model number and the serial number.
    • Ask the manufacturer what remedy it will provide.
    2m
NOTICE

DO NOT REPAIR THE PRODUCT YOURSELF BEFORE YOU FOLLOW THE REMEDY FROM THE MANUFACTURER.
A repair you make yourself can void the recall remedy.

  1. Follow the remedy the manufacturer gives you.
    • The remedy is a repair, a replacement part, or a refund.
    • The notice states whether the remedy costs you anything.
    1m

Register for recall alerts

Estimated 1 min to 2 min

  1. Register for email alerts about future recalls.
    • One registration can cover recalls from CPSC, FDA and USDA.
    • Follow the recall email link from recalls.gov or from cpsc.gov.
    1m
  2. When you buy a new product, repeat this search.
    <1m

Terminology

This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.

product recall
Also called: recall notice, recalled product, product safety recall
recall database
Also called: recall list, recall search, cpsc recall search
model number
Also called: model no, model #, product number
serial number
Also called: serial no, serial #, SN
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Also called: CPSC, consumer product safety commission
remedy
Also called: recall fix, recall repair, recall refund

When to use a professional

This procedure is entirely online. You do not need a technician to search a database.

If a recall matches your product, contact the manufacturer for the remedy the notice describes. Do not repair the product yourself. An unauthorized repair can void the remedy.

A product with no open recall today can still be unsafe. Report a safety concern to CPSC through SaferProducts.gov.

Common questions

How do I know if my appliance has been recalled?

Find the manufacturer name and the model number on the appliance, then search the CPSC recall database at cpsc.gov by product category, or search recalls.gov to check every federal agency at once. Compare the model number, and the serial number if the recall gives a range, against your appliance. If both match, stop using it and contact the manufacturer.

What is the CPSC recall search?

It is the free public database the Consumer Product Safety Commission keeps of every consumer product recall it announces. You can filter it by product category, by hazard type, and by date, and each result gives the affected model numbers, the hazard, and the remedy.

Is there one place to check every kind of recall?

Yes. recalls.gov is a single U.S. government site built by six federal agencies — the CPSC, the NHTSA, the FDA, the USDA, the EPA and the Coast Guard — as one shared entry point for their recall lists. Start there if you are not sure which agency covers your product.

My space heater seems old. How do I check if it was recalled?

Find the manufacturer name and model number on the rating plate, then search the CPSC heater category at cpsc.gov, or search recalls.gov. Space heaters are recalled fairly often, so it is worth checking even a unit you have used for years without a problem.

What do I do if my product is on the recall list?

Stop using it immediately. Contact the manufacturer using the phone number or website the recall notice gives, and follow the remedy it describes — a repair, a replacement, or a refund; the notice will say whether it costs you anything. Do not repair a recalled product yourself.

What if my product does not appear on any recall list?

No match today is not a guarantee for the future. Register for email alerts through cpsc.gov so a later recall reaches you, and if you believe the product is unsafe anyway, report it to CPSC through SaferProducts.gov.

Does this page cover car recalls too?

No. Vehicles, tires and car seats are recalled by VIN through NHTSA, a different search from the one this page walks through. See the separate VIN and recall check on this site for that search.

Sources

Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.

  1. Tier 1Recalls & Product Safety WarningsU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  2. Tier 1GE Appliances, a Haier Company, Recalls Bottom Freezer, French Door Refrigerators Due to Fall Hazard (Recall 22-117)U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  3. Tier 1Recalls.govRecalls.gov, a joint site of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency · accessed 2026-08-04 · re-verification due 2027-01-31
  4. Tier 1Recalls.gov Subscription List Sign-UpU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-08-04 · re-verification due 2027-01-31
  5. Tier 1Recalls, Market Withdrawals & Safety AlertsU.S. Food and Drug Administration · accessed 2026-08-04 · re-verification due 2027-01-31
  6. Tier 1SaferProducts.gov Public SearchU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-08-04 · re-verification due 2027-01-31

Revision history

Current version 1 · updated 2026-08-04 · next review due 2027-08-04

  1. v1 · 2026-08-04Initial draft. Sourced from CPSC's recall register and email sign-up page, recalls.gov, an FDA recall page, and one CPSC recall notice used as a worked example of what a notice identifies by. Scope limited to non-vehicle household products per the rule 7 boundary with the VIN and recall check; USDA scope not asserted beyond what recalls.gov itself states, because fsis.usda.gov returned HTTP 403 on every fetch attempt.

Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.

Comments and corrections

Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.

Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.

The comment system is not connected yet. Comments are stored in GitHub Discussions through Giscus, outside this site, so that a redeploy cannot destroy them.