Product recalls surge to highest level since 2007, report finds

(InvestigateTV) — A new U.S. PIRG report found 420 product recalls last year, the highest number since 2007, with 882 injuries linked to products recalled in 2025. But consumer advocates say the numbers raise a bigger concern: how long it can take for dangerous products to be pulled from the market.

Teresa Murray, a consumer watchdog with US PIRG, has been tracking product recalls for years. She said the group’s “Safe at Home 2026” report shows safety problems can surface long before a recall is announced.

“The overall thing with this year was that there were 420 product recalls last year, which is the highest level since 2007,” Murray said.

Injuries often occur years before recalls

The report notes that injuries linked to recalled products do not always happen in the same year a recall is issued. In many cases, problems may be reported months, or even years, before action is taken.

One example is a Shark-Ninja pressure cooker. After more than 100 complaints and two dozen lawsuits, more than two million units were recalled.

Murray said complaints about the product showed up years earlier.

“The first complaints that I could find, on saferproducts.gov was people complaining about the pressure cooker that they were using, and presumably knew how to use, and the lid would just explode. And tons of complaints about injuries, burns, second degree burns –and again, that product didn’t get recalled until 2025," Murray said.

What consumers can do

Murray said consumers should start by researching products before they buy, especially items for children or their home.

She also urged caution when shopping online.

“It’s not to say that every e-commerce site out there is shady. But you don’t have as much accountability if you’re shopping online. You can’t touch it, feel it. And if there’s a problem, you don’t have a brick-and-mortar store to go to,” Murray said.

She also recommended regularly checking for recalls.

“The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) generally puts out recalls, generally once a week and so, usually every Thursday morning,” Murray said. “Just make it part of your routine on every Thursday morning or on the weekend or gosh, even once a month is better than what a lot of people do.”

And if consumers run into a problem, they should report it.

“It’s bad enough that it takes months or years sometimes to get a product recall, but if people are not even putting in the complaints, then those recalls may not happen at all,” Murray said.

InvestigateTV reached out to SharkNinja about the pressure cooker recall but has not received a response.