Recalls Are Rising – Here’s Why

Product recalls are back in the spotlight, and across industries the numbers are climbing. In the UK alone, there have already been almost 180 recalls in 2026; in 2025 the US saw the highest number of recalls in the past decade, and has already recorded almost 250 in 2026. Recent cases span sectors: major automotive recalls from Lexus, Renault, Hyundai and Volkswagen; and consumer health and personal care incidents with children’s ibuprofen recalled in the US and two SPF-related recalls from Bondi Sands. The Takata airbag recall – the largest and most complex in history – affected over 67 million US inflators, which could explode on deployment due to propellant degradation, spraying metal fragments into vehicles. While the products differ, the pattern is consistent. Failures in quality, testing or oversight continue to surface at scale, raising questions about how effectively organizations are managing risk before products reach the market.

These incidents may appear isolated, but most modern recalls can be traced back to a small set of recurring issues such as manufacturing and process failures, mislabelled efficacy claims and contamination during production or storage. Whether it’s formulation that degrades faster than expected, an SPF product that fails to meet label claims, or contamination introduced through poor controls, the root causes are rarely unpredictable. In many cases, the failure sits within the quality system itself. Testing may not reflect real-world conditions, batch variability goes undetected and disconnected systems limit visibility across the product life cycle. Quality management systems (QMS) are designed to prevent these breakdowns, but gaps such as manual processes, siloed data and incomplete traceability can hinder early risk identification. The result is a reactive cycle – issues are only addressed once products have already reached consumers.

Breaking this cycle depends on how well organizations use technology to embed quality across the product life cycle. As firms advance in digital maturity, integrated systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) are becoming central to modern quality management. These platforms connect suppliers, manufacturing and customer feedback into a single real-time view, helping teams detect risks earlier and respond faster. With improved oversight, organizations can identify supplier failures as they emerge, rather than after defective products reach the market. Standardized digital documentation reduces fragmentation, ensuring that procedures, specifications and testing protocols remain consistent across sites. At the same time, enhanced traceability allows organizations to track products at batch level, accelerating recalls when needed and therefore limiting exposure. Ultimately, stronger, more connected quality systems do more than improve efficiency – they play a critical role in protecting consumers, ensuring that safety issues are identified, contained and resolved before they escalate.

To explore how leading solutions are addressing these challenges, read Verdantix Buyer’s Guide: Quality Management Software (2025) to learn what today’s QMS vendors have to offer.