product recalls

Rising product recalls and growing regulatory complexity are putting new pressure on engineering education. This article makes the case for integrating product safety compliance into university curricula — and outlines what a comprehensive program should include.

Compliance failures can devastate product development—leading to recalls, financial losses, and long-term brand damage. This article explores real-world engineering case studies, including Samsung’s battery recall, Volkswagen’s emissions scandal, Intel’s processor bug, and Boeing’s 737 MAX issues, revealing actionable lessons to strengthen compliance, safety, and quality processes across industries.

Recalls can create huge problems for manufacturers and product sellers. They can generate new product liability lawsuits that are harder to defend, involve a significant financial cost to implement, and create reputational problems with consumers and retailers. Manufacturers must carefully design a recall or other corrective action that is as effective as possible and adequate under the circumstances. Various government entities are issuing new requirements that can help with these efforts.

Recalls are a major contributor to product liability incidents and lawsuits, interactions with government safety agencies, disputes with suppliers and product sellers, and negative publicity with the buying public. New guides have recently been issued that can help a manufacturer and product seller to better understand how to prepare for and implement an effective recall.

Lester Electrical has issued a recall for Links Series Chargers, used with golf carts, as the control board can fail and overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. 

Hawthorne Hydroponics has issued a recall for Ideal-Air 175-pint industrial grade humidifiers. The humidifiers can overheat...

Koehler-Bright Star has issued a recall for Worksafe 3-D Cell Flashlights due to explosion hazard.

Zebra Technologies expands recall of power supply units for thermal printers due to fire hazard.

Baccus has issued a recall for Stanley Workbench LED Light and Power Stations due to shock and electrocution hazards.

Lorex has issued a recall for video monitors because the video monitor’s batteries can overheat, swell and expand and cause the battery cover to open or come off and expose hot batteries, posing a burn hazard to consumers.