Five Industries Saw Higher US Recall Volumes in 2025

U.S. recall activity reached one of the highest levels in the past decade, as the consumer products, food and drinks and pharmaceutical sectors all experienced higher recall volumes than 2024.

Roughly 3,295 recalls were recorded across the five industries analyzed, according to Sedgwick’s 2026 State of the Nation U.S. Product Safety and Recall Index report.

Sedgwick’s quarterly report provides analysis of recall activity across the automotive, consumer products, food and drinks, pharmaceutical and medical device sectors.

The consumer products industry recorded its highest annual total in more than a decade with 414 recalls, while the medical devices and automotive industries experienced modest declines in recall activity of 8% and 6%. The report shows there were 517 FDA food recalls, the most in the past nine years, with USDA food recalls increasing by 20%.

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In 2025, the Trump Administration established and advanced new regulatory priorities and shifted how policy changes are implemented. Penalties in the form of tariffs and incentives were used to encourage companies to shift production facilities to the U.S. or increase existing operations.

Conducting effective product recalls was also an important topic across several industries in 2025. Regulators issued heavy fines for delays in reporting product defects. Department secretaries made sweeping changes to long-standing policies around trade and health. That trend will likely continue in 2026, according to the report.

In January, the FDA issued guidance aimed at helping pharmaceutical manufacturers ensure batch uniformity and drug product integrity by complying with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP). In 2024, the majority of recalled pharmaceutical units were due to cGMP deviations. In 2025, it was responsible for the second-highest number of recalls, the report shows.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, tariffs continued to affect the automotive sector. The U.S. announced 25% duties on trucks and other medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and vehicle parts on the basis of national security.

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The automotive sector was impacted by new duties on imported steel, aluminum, vehicles, and vehicle parts and retaliatory tariffs other countries placed on U.S. vehicles.

However, the automotive sector saw a 13-year low for recalls with 27.42 million units impacted. The fourth quarter bucked that trend. NHTSA issued 252 automotive

recalls, up 17.2% compared from the third quarter. In contrast, the number of affected units fell by 23.1% to 7.10 million during the period. The report shows that equipment was the leading cause of recalls in the fourth quarter (43 events, up from 23 events in the third quarter).

Numerous trends continue to impact the automotive sector, so the report’s authors say it’s one that should be closely watched in the year ahead.

“With the dynamic situations regarding tariffs and fuel efficiency standards, automakers and suppliers must be nimble,” the report states. “This is a challenge for a heavily regulated industry where manufacturers need to make long-term plans regarding preferred suppliers, the location of their production facilities, and the development of new models.”