Product recalls – information for consumers
When a product that you have bought is recalled, you may have rights to a refund or replacement, or the company may offer to repair the product.
About product recalls
Recalls are issued by suppliers to remedy safety issues with their products.
The remedy offered could involve:
- returning the product for a refund
- repairing the product
- supplying replacement parts or new instructions.
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Recalls not on this website
This website doesn't cover recalls for every type of product. For:
- food, see the Ministry of Primary Industries Food Safety website(external link)
- medicines, see Medsafe recall portal(external link)
- road vehicles, see the New Zealand Transport Agency recall website(external link).
Products bought from overseas also won't be on the Product Recalls website unless they are also sold by New Zealand retailers.
Australia – Product Safety Recalls Australia(external link)
United States – Consumer Protection and Safety Commission(external link)
Canada – Health Canada(external link)
Global – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)(external link)
Your rights
Your rights to get a refund or a replacement depend on whether the fault makes the product unsafe.
Faulty products – Consumer Protection(external link)
If the company chooses to repair the product (for example, by fitting a new part), they should:
- arrange for this to be done for you
- pay any reasonable costs involved, and
- keep your inconvenience to a minimum.
What to do with a product that's being recalled
The recall notice will tell you what’s wrong with the product and what you need to do about it. It should contain:
- enough information for you to identify the product, understand the potential hazard and know what to do, and
- contact details if you need more information.
You may be asked to return the product to a retailer, or directly to the manufacturer using a postage-paid envelope or courier.
Throwing away a recalled product
If a recalled product has a low value, you may decide it's easier to throw it away than to get it repaired or replaced.
If you decide to throw away a recalled product, we recommend that you:
- contact the supplier so they can account for your product, and
- make sure that the faulty product cannot be used again.
This helps the company to monitor the numbers of affected products and whether the recall has been effective.
Make sure the product cannot be reused or on-sold later – this could put the new owner at risk as they may be unaware of the fault.
Issues with a recall
If you are having trouble or concerns with a product or a recall, contact the retailer or supplier first.
The supplier is responsible for the safety of the product and putting issues right. Contacting the supplier also helps them become aware of issues and gives them a chance to sort it out for you.
If you don't like the remedy being offered as part of a recall, talk to the supplier about what you want. If the supplier won't agree, look into your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA).
Consumer Guarantees Act – Consumer Protection(external link)