Data sources and licences
The register reads 5 files from 3 agencies. Each file is a work of the United States government or has a CC0 dedication. Each one can be used again without a fee.
| File | The register takes from it | Licence | Newest date |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHTSA recall filesstatic.nhtsa.gov, each day | Each recall campaign from 1966: the make, the model, the model year, the component, the units, the dates, the two advisories and the three summaries. | US government work | 3 Nov 2026 |
| NHTSA complaint filestatic.nhtsa.gov, each day | 2,264,318 complaint lines from 1995: the make, the model, the model year, the component and the date. The register does not read the text of a complaint. | US government work | 5 Nov 2026 |
| NHTSA investigation filestatic.nhtsa.gov, each day | Each investigation: the number, the subject, the component, the dates and the campaign that followed it. | US government work | 3 Nov 2026 |
| CPSC Recall Retrieval Web Servicessaferproducts.gov, on each recall | Each recall notice from 1973: the title, the products, the hazard, the remedy, the incidents, the firms, the sellers and the units. | US government work | 5 Nov 2026 |
| openFDA enforcement reportsopen.fda.gov, each week | Each product record for food, drugs and devices: the recall number, the event number, the class, the status, the firm, the reason, the quantity, the distribution and the dates. | CC0 1.0 | 3 Nov 2026 |
Licences
A work of the United States government has no copyright in the United States (17 USC 105). The NHTSA files and the CPSC records are such works.
FDA publishes openFDA with a CC0 1.0 dedication. The openFDA licence page states it. openFDA sends this disclaimer with each answer of its service:
Do not rely on openFDA to make decisions regarding medical care. While we make every effort to ensure that data is accurate, you should assume all results are unvalidated.
The agencies do not endorse this register or its use of their data.
Not included: USDA meat, poultry and egg recalls
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the US Department of Agriculture publishes the recalls of meat, poultry and egg products. They are not on this register.
The FSIS site refuses a request from a program. The register reads only the files that an agency opens to programs. It does not copy a site that refuses them.
FSIS publishes its recalls on fsis.usda.gov.
How the register reads the files
- NHTSA: the register reads the data files that NHTSA publishes for download. It does not read the pages of nhtsa.gov.
- CPSC: the CPSC service gives the recalls of one range of dates for each request. The register keeps a copy of each year. Each build reads the current year and the year before it again.
- FDA: the register reads the full openFDA export of enforcement reports each day. FDA makes a new export each week.
If a file does not load, the register keeps the last good copy, and the data date on each page does not change.
Use of this register
A page of the register can be quoted with a link to it. The make pages and the month pages have a CSV file of their table. The agency files at the links above are the source for a full copy of the data.
Last checked against the agency pages: