Finding Out What to Do with Recalled Products

Fortunately, when a defect is discovered with a product, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission usually works with the manufacturer to organize a recall. Sometimes the recall simply involves getting a part from the manufacturer and replacing a part that came with the product or adding it to the product to make it safe. For instance, blinds that may have presented a choking hazard to small children have sometimes been able to be repaired by adding one small part to them, which is made available for free by the manufacturer. In other cases, you may need to return the product altogether. If you have a product and you’re not sure whether or not it’s defective, here’s what you can do to find out.

Check the website.

The first thing you want to do is go to the manufacturer’s site and see if there has been a recall notice posted. These are usually posted very prominently on the site so that anybody who comes to investigate will be sure to see it. You may also get a notice in the mail if a product has been recalled and, if you do, it will usually contain instructions telling you what to do about the problem.
Failing that, you can go to Recalls.gov and see a list of the latest products that have been recalled. You can also search for any products that you suspect may have been recalled that you own. The website will give you detailed information on how to handle the recall notice.

Don’t sell it!

You can get in serious legal trouble for selling a recalled product. Don’t do it. Even if somebody offers to take it off of your hands and repair it themselves, don’t sell the product until you have at least performed the manufacturer advised fix or have had it replaced with a new and functional product.
People get injured every year because of defective products. If you find out that you were injured because of a product that was recalled, you may want to consider contacting a defective product lawyer. They’ll know about whether or not there was a recall on the product and will be able to let you know how to proceed. You may be able to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer to get compensation for the injuries and any property damage you suffered due to the defects in the product that you purchased.