For the second consecutive year, more than 1 billion units of food, drugs, medical devices, automobiles, and consumer products were recalled in the U.S. According to Sedgwick’s latest state of the nation recall index report, 2022 was a record-breaking year for the number of units recalled, reaching nearly 1.5 billion.

With regulatory scrutiny continuing to increase, 2023 may shape up to be another 1 billion unit year, requiring businesses across industries to remain vigilant on matters of product safety and recall preparedness.

2022 recall data highlights:

• Automotive recalls decreased 12.6% in 2022 compared to 2021. The sector also experienced a 10.3% decline in the number of units recalled, marking a nine-year low.
• While the number of consumer product recalls increased by nearly a third (31.2%) in 2022 over 2021, the number of units recalled almost halved (45.4%), from 42.8 million in 2021 to 23.4 million in 2022.
• FDA food recalls experienced a 700.6% increase in the number of units impacted in 2022. With 416.9 million units recalled, this represents a 10-year high. While the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food recalls held steady in terms of the number of events, the volume of units recalled decreased significantly (87.0%) from 13.4 million pounds in 2021, to 1.7 million pounds in 2022.
• While pharmaceutical recall events fell by a third (32.5%) in 2022, the number of impacted units recalled more than doubled (114.4%) to 567.3 million. This marks a 10-year high for the industry.
• Recall events in the medical device industry increased by 8.8% in 2022, up from 837 events in 2021 to 911. The number of units impacted decreased 27.2% from 2021 to 438.7 million units in 2022.

What’s ahead in 2023:

• Electric vehicles (EVs) will remain a key focus for the automotive industry, regulators, and lawmakers in 2023, as the U.S. continues to move toward a zero emission future. Manufacturers may also find their vehicle’s “smart features” the target of new regulations, as cybersecurity becomes a greater threat in increasingly connected vehicles. With experts recommending that industry standards should be developed, regulators may begin work on this task in 2023.

“The year ahead will likely be characterized by the same strict regulatory enforcement that all industries saw in 2022,” shared Chris Harvey, Sedgwick senior vice president of brand protection. “Regulators have now fully returned to pre-pandemic levels of activity and are making up for lost time with a steady slate of long awaited guidelines and modernizations to existing regulations. Businesses will face the tough challenge of remaining agile with their operations to accommodate new regulations, while simultaneously anticipating and preparing for potential economic and geopolitical issues.”

Automakers with the most Recalls in 2022: 

1. Ford: 9,141,131 cars, 72 recalls.
2. Tesla: 4,132,303 cars, 21 recalls.
3. General Motors: 3,415,313 cars, 34 recalls.
4. Fiat-Chrysler/Stellantis: 3,338,259 cars, 33 recalls.
5. Nissan: 2,037,432 cars, 16 recalls.
6. Kia: 1,490,939 cars, 26 recalls.
7. Hyundai: 1,468,531 cars, 24 recalls.
8. Mercedes-Benz: 1,417,652, 35 recalls.
9. Volkswagen: 1,100,114 cars, 47 recalls.
10. BMW: 1,038,420 cars, 26 recalls.