California Product Recall Lawyer

Product Recalls - An Overview

Every year, hundreds of products are subject to a product recall because they are found to be unsafe. Toys, baby furniture, children's jewelry, sporting equipment, food, appliances, electronics, tools, clothing, vehicles and prescription drugs all rank among the most commonly recalled products. The one characteristic all recalled products share is that they can cause death, injury or serious illness.

Unsafe products cause an estimated 27,000 deaths and countless accidents and injuries every year. Despite this, the tally of unsafe products sold to consumers continues to rise. Since 1990, the annual number of product recalls in the United States has grown 85 percent. Product recalls issued by just one government agency, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, rose from 359 in 2004 to 472 in 2007.

Who Issues Product Recalls?

Most product recalls come from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC is the primary government agency responsible for product recalls. It oversees more than 15,000 types of consumer products, from coffee makers and toys to lawn mowers and fireworks.

Products outside the purview of the CPSC fall under the oversight of other federal agencies. For example, the U.S. Department of Transportation oversees automobiles, trucks and motorcycles. The U.S. Food and Drug administration is responsible for recalled food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices.

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Recalled Products Go Undiscovered

Unfortunately, product recalls can be slow in coming. Dangerous products remain on store shelves for years as government regulators investigate consumer complaints. Recent budget cutbacks at key regulatory agencies have only added to these backlogs.

Even after a product recall is ordered, recalled toys, recalled food and other dangerous products remain in consumers' homes. In fact, only 15 to 30 percent of recalled products are ever returned. In many cases, no purchase records exist. By the time the danger is discovered, sellers have no way of tracking down recalled toys, recalled foods or other recalled products.

What Leads to a Product Recall?

A product recall can come about in two ways. The first is when a government agency such as the CPSC orders the product recall. The second is when the manufacturer or distributor of an unsafe product voluntarily initiates a product recall.

The CPSC issues a product recall when it finds a significant risk of accident or injury to consumers. The risk might be from a defect in the product or its violation of safety standards. Consumer complaints are a key way in which the CPSC learns of the need for a product recall.

Surprisingly, companies that make or sell unsafe products have no legal duty to initiate a product recall. Sometimes, a manufacturer voluntarily initiates a product recall. It may do this to reduce its liability for accidents and injuries or in anticipation of a government-ordered product recall.

Children are Most at Risk

More than a third of product recalls each year involve recalled toys and baby products. Toy accidents alone accounted for more than 220,000 injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms during 2006. Most of these accidents and injuries involved children younger than 15. Unsafe toys killed 22 children in 2006 and 26 in 2005.

Some say this surge in product recalls is due to corporate greed. Companies cut corners on safety in order to maximize profits. Whatever the cause, these products pose serious dangers. In recent years, one of the most common dangers in recalled toys has been lead. Some recalled food caused hospitalizations and death. Other recalled products posed risks of fire, severe injury, choking, strangulation, electrocution and other accidents.

Responding to a Product Recall

Upon learning of a product recall, the owner's first step should be to stop using it. To prevent accident or injury, immediately remove the dangerous product from your home.

Your next step should be to obtain and read the product recall notice. For recalled toys, recalled foods and product recalls of other common household items, the product recall notice will be posted on Recalls.gov, a Web site that serves as a central clearinghouse for all government recall notices.

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Accident or Injury from a Recalled Product

The Reeves Law Group has successfully represented thousands of accident victims and has obtained exceptional results in all types of serious and catastrophic injury cases. If you or a loved one has been injured by a recalled product, we may be able to help you receive compensation for your losses. Call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us for a free consultation.

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