A product recall is a request to return to the maker a batch or an entire production run of a product, usually due to the discovery of safety issues. The recall is an effort to limit liability for corporate negligence (which can cause costly legal penalties) and to improve or avoid damage to publicity. Recalls are costly to a company because they often entail replacing the recalled product or paying for damage caused by use, although possibly less costly than consequential costs caused by damage to brand name and reduced trust in the manufacturer.

A country's consumer protection laws will have specific requirements in regard to product recalls. Such regulations may include how much of the cost the maker will have to bear, situations in which a recall is compulsory (usually because the risk is big enough), or penalties for failure to recall. The firm may also initiate a recall voluntarily, perhaps subject to the same regulations as if the recall were compulsory. In the case of a compulsory recall, consumers who fail to dispose of it or return it to the manufacturer for replacement or refund could be fined for as much as $5000.

Noun

recall (countable and uncountable; plural recalls)

1. The action or fact of calling someone or something back.
2. Memory; the ability to remember.
3. In Information retrieval, the fraction of (all) relevant material that is returned by a search

• French: rappel (fr) m.

• Greek: ανάκληση (anáklisi) f., εντολή επιστροφής (entolí epistrofís) f.

• Automotive@ (4)

• Home: Consumer Information: Home and Family: Safety (5)

• Keep Kids Healthy
  keepkidshealthy.com
  Search for product recalls, including toys and infant products, by manufacturer, type and date.
• CPSC Recalls and Other Press Releases
  cpsc.gov
  U.S. agency, Consumer Product Safety Commission, lists recall information by date, product, product category, and company.
• Product Recalls Australia
  recalls.gov.au
  Product recall information based on notifications provided to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer.