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What to do if a product you own is recalled
- Stop using it.
- Keep it out of reach of children.
- Contact the supplier to receive a repair, replacement or refund. Don’t delay contacting the supplier.
How to find out if a product is recalled
Recall of consumer products for safety reasons
There are different ways to find out about the recall of consumer products for safety reasons.
- Consumer product safety recalls are listed on the ACCC Product Safety website.
- Subscribe to receive email updates for recalled consumer products.
- Suppliers advertise recalls on their website, social media, instore and through the media.
- Suppliers may contact you directly about the recall if they have your current email address, phone number or mailing address.
Recall of other products by another agency
The recall of some products are managed by another agency and are listed on their website.
- Motor vehicle recalls
- Food recalls
- Therapeutic good recalls
- Agricultural and veterinary product recalls.
When a product is considered unsafe
A product is unsafe when:
- using it will or may injure a person, even if it has no apparent defect
- using it in a reasonably foreseeable way, including foreseeable misuse, will or may injure a person
- it is likely it does not comply with a mandatory safety standard under the Australian Consumer Law
- it is banned.
About compulsory recalls
There are situations when the Commonwealth Minister can order a compulsory recall. This requires the supplier to recall the product.
When the Minister can order a compulsory recall
The Commonwealth Minister may order a compulsory recall when:
- a product will or may cause injury to a person, or does not meet a safety standard or ban under the Australian Consumer Law
- it appears a supplier has not taken satisfactory action to prevent the consumer goods injuring someone.
What the Minister can order under a compulsory recall
The Minister can require suppliers to recall the consumer goods.
The Minister can also require suppliers to tell the public, or a particular group of people:
- that the consumer goods have a defect or dangerous characteristic, and what the defect or dangerous characteristic is
- when a reasonably foreseeable misuse or use of the goods is dangerous
- how to dispose of the goods.
Compulsory Takata airbag recall case study
In 2018, the Government announced the compulsory recall of vehicles fitted with defective Takata airbags. This followed an ACCC safety investigation.
The Takata airbag compulsory recall was made on the basis that:
- they may cause injury or death to drivers and passengers
- suppliers of vehicles with defective Takata airbags had not taken satisfactory action to prevent those vehicles causing injury or death to drivers and passengers.
The compulsory recall required suppliers to:
- recall all affected vehicles on a rolling basis and replace the airbag at no cost to the consumer and arrange towing or transporting a vehicle or providing loan cars in certain circumstances (priority was given to replacing airbags that presented the highest safety risk)
- contact affected consumers directly in line with an approved communication and engagement plan
- publish a vehicle identification number search tool on their website to allow consumers to identify if their vehicle is affected
- publish a recall initiation schedule on their website to advise consumers when vehicles were recalled
- report to the ACCC on progress
- replace all Takata airbags in Australian vehicles by 31 December 2020.
The Takata airbag recall is the most significant compulsory recall in Australia’s history, with over four million affected Takata airbag inflators and involving more than three million vehicle recalls.
Suppliers have an ongoing obligation to replace any remaining defective Takata airbags until they reach 100% completion.
If a consumer has not yet sought a replacement airbag during the operation of the recall, they should still contact their vehicle manufacturer for a free replacement.