How to check if a product has been recalled

Search the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s free recall list at cpsc.gov/Recalls using the product’s name, brand or model number. Each recall notice explains how to identify the recalled units and gives the remedy, such as a refund, repair or replacement from the company. Cars, car seats and tires are NHTSA’s; food and medicines are FDA’s.

Updated October 2026

Which agency to check

• Household and children’s products, such as toys, cribs, strollers, furniture and appliances: CPSC’s recalls.
• Cars, car seats, tires and vehicle equipment: NHTSA’s recall lookup. Car seats can appear in CPSC notices too.
• Food: FDA for most foods; USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service for meat, poultry and processed egg products. See what to do with recalled food.
• Medicines and medical devices: FDA.

Step by step

1. Collect the identifying details. Note the brand, model or item number, and any date code, lot number or barcode on the product or its packaging. Recall notices use details like these to tell recalled units apart.
2. Search CPSC’s recalls. At cpsc.gov/Recalls, search for the product and narrow the results by category, hazard or date. CPSC updates the data weekly as new recalls are announced.
3. Compare the notice with your item. Check its photos, model numbers, dates and where the product was sold.
4. If it matches, stop using it and follow the notice’s remedy: a refund, repair, replacement, new instructions or disposal, arranged with the company the notice names. Some remedies ask you to mark the item “RECALLED” and send the company a photo.
5. Don’t pass it on. Don’t sell it or give it away, and follow any disposal instructions; for example, some CPSC notices say not to put a recalled lithium-ion battery or device in the trash.

To hear about new recalls, choose CPSC’s recall emails on the same page. If you think a product is unsafe, or someone was hurt by one, report it at SaferProducts.gov.

“No recall found” isn’t a safety guarantee

A search only finds products that have been recalled and announced. A product can be unsafe without a recall, a recall can be announced after you search, and older or second-hand items are hard to match without a model number. Search again before you reuse or hand on an item.

Buying or selling used items

CPSC says it is illegal to sell any recalled product, and that this covers a consumer selling something second-hand in an online marketplace. Before you list an item, check cpsc.gov/Recalls. When you buy second-hand, run the same search before the item comes home.

Cribs need extra care. Since June 28, 2011, all cribs made or sold in the U.S., including resale, must meet federal safety standards that, among other changes, ended the sale of traditional drop-side cribs. CPSC notes that you can’t tell whether a crib meets the standards by looking at it, and that cribs in use before the rule was issued are unlikely to comply.

For a used car seat, use NHTSA’s checklist in the car seat guide.

Recall Bell is an independent app from intellidip. It is not a government service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA, CPSC, FDA or USDA. The agencies’ own lookups are free and are the official record. This guide is general information, not legal advice.