Around the world, people consume and enjoy a variety of products. Unfortunately, there comes a time where there is a default in the making of a product which can cause serious harm to the consumer if they continue to use it. This is called a product recall, and several different types of products have been recalled in the U.S.
Some of the biggest product recalls occur in the automotive industry and the pharmaceutical industry, but any type of product can be recalled if it causes a major threat to the consumer’s health or life.
Dangers of Product Recalls
As noted above, product recalls cause a major threat to the consumer’s health or life. With defective vehicle parts, they can cause death or serious injury to the driver if they were in a wreck, or even if they were simply driving. Medication recalls can also cause death or serious threats to health. Other dangers of product recalls can include broken bones, cancer, liver disease or illnesses, and even less severe injuries, such as cuts or scrapes.
Product recalls don’t only affect consumers— the companies that created the product also suffer financially. Because their product is causing a threat to human health, the product must be taken off shelves and production of it must cease. The company then has to absorb the cost of correcting the issue, replacing the product, and possibly even reimbursing the consumers who purchased the product. Bigger companies are usually equipped to handle a recall and don’t take a hard hit, but smaller companies can be devastated by a recall.
Types of Product Recalls
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) organizes product recalls into three different categories:
⦁ Class I: This type of recall is the most urgent. Products with a Class I recall can cause serious injury or death, and must be pulled off shelves immediately/halt of shelves.
⦁ Class II: This type of recall isn’t as urgent as a Class I, but it still has the ability to cause serious injury or a temporary illness. These products must also be prohibited.
⦁ Class III: This type of recall is the least urgent because the products aren’t expected to cause injury or illness— but they do violate FDA regulations. However, these products are also prohibited from being sold.
What to Do if You Have a Recalled Product
Unfortunately, it’s not unlikely that you have, have had, or will have a recalled product in your possession because product recalls are pretty common. Fortunately, the majority of product recalls don’t cause serious problems, but it’s still important to know what to do if you have a recalled product.
Stay Calm
Remember, there are three classes of recalls— and not all product recalls are urgent Class I recalls— so it’s important to stay calm. Also keep in mind that it may be a specific batch of medication, food products, or vehicles/machines/toys manufactured during a specific time that’s subject to the recall. However, if you’re feeling sick and you’ve consumed a product that was recalled, you should contact your doctor.
Discontinue Using the Product
When it comes to vehicle recalls, drive your vehicle with caution (or not at all, depending on the type of recall). For food and drug recalls, don’t consume the product even if it’s been labeled a Class III recall. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and just discard the food or medication that’s been recalled. In some cases, you can return the defective product in exchange for your money back.
Check the Recall Notice
When a company has to recall one or more of their products, they’re required to put out a recall notice. In today’s digital world, most people will find out about the recall via TV/radio ads, social media, or even by word of mouth. Still, you can visit the FDA’s website for a variety of different consumer warnings, nhtsa.gov for car recalls, recalls,gov for federal products, and safercar.gov for car safety equipment.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer
As mentioned earlier, some product recalls can seriously harm consumers. In some cases, contacting a personal injury lawyer that specializes in product liability, such as Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, may be a valid option. Products go through a variety of tests to ensure safety before consumers get a hold of them, so in reality so many product recalls shouldn’t happen.
Food and drug product recalls seem to cause the most panic among consumers, so if a certain food or medication is making you sick, stop consuming it and call your doctor.
