How to Report an Unsafe Product: CPSC, NHTSA and FDA
Which US agency takes a report about a dangerous product, how to file one at SaferProducts.gov, what happens to it afterward, and why a report will not get you a refund.
Research-based: public sources and consumer feedback, not hands-on testing. How we review
In this article
A product that overheats, breaks dangerously or injures someone is worth reporting even if you have already thrown it away or been refunded. Reports are how regulators learn that a problem is not a one-off. The difficulty is knowing where to send one: the United States has different agencies for household goods, vehicles and food or medicines, and it helps to reach the right one first time. This guide sets out which agency takes which product, what to include, and what happens afterward.
If someone is hurt or there is a fire
Deal with the emergency first: call 911, or Poison Control on 1-800-222-1222 for a poisoning or chemical exposure. Report the product once everyone is safe.
Key takeaways
- Household products, appliances, electronics and toys go to the CPSC at SaferProducts.gov
- Vehicles, tires and car seats go to NHTSA; food, medicines, cosmetics and medical devices go to the FDA
- A CPSC report is published in a public database, usually about three weeks after you submit it
- Your name and address go to the agency but are never published
- A report does not get you a refund; use the seller, the warranty or your card issuer for that
Who takes which product
| Product | Agency | How to report |
|---|---|---|
| Household goods, appliances, electronics, furniture, toys, nursery products, and off-road vehicles such as ATVs and go-karts | Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) | SaferProducts.gov, or the hotline on (800) 638-2772 |
| Cars, trucks, motorcycles, tires, child car seats and vehicle equipment | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) | “Report a Safety Problem” at NHTSA.gov, or the Vehicle Safety Hotline on 888-327-4236 |
| Prescription and over-the-counter medicines, medical devices, cosmetics | Food and Drug Administration (FDA) | MedWatch online form, or 1-800-332-1088 |
| Food, dietary supplements, pet food, tobacco products | FDA | The Safety Reporting Portal; the FDA’s “Report a Problem” page routes you to the right form |
| Vaccines | FDA and CDC | The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System |
If you are unsure, start with the agency that seems closest. The FDA’s reporting page in particular is built to send you to the correct form.
Reporting to the CPSC, step by step
Most products in a home fall under the CPSC, so this is the route most readers will use.
- Go to SaferProducts.gov and choose “File a Report”. The online form has four steps. You can also phone the hotline, or download a paper form and mail or email it. Use one method only.
- Describe the product. Brand, model, serial number and date code if you can find them, and where and when you bought it. Photographs of the product, the label and the packaging help.
- Describe what happened. How the product was being used, what went wrong, and any injury or near miss, with the date.
- Give your name and address. The CPSC requires them, and says they are never published. You choose whether the agency may pass your contact details to the manufacturer.
- Confirm that the report is true to the best of your knowledge and that you agree to publication.
A report can be published only if it includes the minimum the law requires: a description of the product, the manufacturer or brand, a description of the harm or risk, the approximate date, your category as a submitter, your contact details, and your confirmation. Complaints that are only about price or quality are not published.
What happens after you report to the CPSC
| Stage | Timing |
|---|---|
| The CPSC reviews the report and sends it to the manufacturer | Within five business days where practicable |
| The manufacturer may comment or claim the report is inaccurate | Ten business days from when it receives the report |
| The report is published in the public database, with any manufacturer comment | Generally about fifteen business days after you submit |
Publication is the visible result; do not expect a personal reply about what happens next. The value of a report is cumulative: the agency and other consumers can see how many similar reports exist. When California’s health department investigated glass fiber escaping from mattresses, for example, its researchers counted the complaints already sitting in this database; that case is described in our article on fiberglass in mattresses.
Reporting a vehicle problem to NHTSA
- Check first whether there is already a recall, using NHTSA’s lookup by vehicle identification number. If there is, the dealer carries out the repair free of charge.
- If the problem is not covered by a recall, file a complaint online or by phone. NHTSA says there is no fixed number of complaints needed before it opens an investigation, and that sometimes one is enough.
- Sharing your personal details with the manufacturer is optional.
Reporting to the FDA
- Keep the packaging. The codes, numbers and dates on it are what let the agency trace a product to its source.
- Photograph the label.
- If you had a reaction, speak to a health professional first, then report.
- The FDA suggests also telling the manufacturer named on the label and the store where you bought the product.
Before you report: keep the evidence
What to keep
- The product itself, unplugged and stored somewhere safe, until you know whether anyone needs to examine it
- Photographs of the damage, the label and the model number
- The receipt or order confirmation
- Packaging, manuals and any warning labels
- Medical records if anyone was injured
- A dated note of what happened, written while you remember it
If the product caused an injury or significant damage, speak to a lawyer before you dispose of it or send it back to the company, since it may be evidence.
What a report will not do
- It will not get your money back. A safety report is not a refund claim. For that, go to the seller, the warranty or your card issuer; our guide to returns, refunds and chargebacks sets out the order to try them in.
- It is not a recall. If you want to know whether the product has already been recalled, see how to check whether a product has been recalled.
- It is not a complaint about a seller’s conduct. Misleading advertising, fake reviews and non-delivery go to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general.
It is also worth leaving a factual review on the product page, so that the next buyer sees what happened. Our guide to reading negative reviews explains what makes a critical review useful to others.
How we researched this
This guide is based on the CPSC’s SaferProducts.gov filing pages and frequently asked questions, NHTSA’s consumer guidance on reporting vehicle safety problems, and the FDA’s pages on reporting problems. It describes US procedures as of October 2026 and is general information, not legal advice. We have not tested the reporting systems ourselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I report a dangerous product?
For household products, appliances, electronics and toys, report to the CPSC at SaferProducts.gov. Vehicles, tires and car seats go to NHTSA, and food, medicines, cosmetics and medical devices go to the FDA.
Will my name be published if I report to the CPSC?
No. The CPSC requires your name and mailing address but says they are never posted publicly. You decide whether the agency may share your contact details with the manufacturer.
How long does it take for a SaferProducts.gov report to appear?
Generally about fifteen business days. The CPSC first sends the report to the manufacturer, which has ten business days to comment before publication.
Will reporting a product get me a refund?
No. A safety report does not resolve your individual case. Use the seller’s returns process, the warranty, any recall remedy, or a dispute with your card issuer.
Can I report a product if nobody was hurt?
Yes. The CPSC accepts reports of a risk of injury as well as actual harm. Complaints only about cost or quality are not published.
Sources & Evidence
Where the facts in this article come from. Summaries are in our own words; follow the links to check them yourself.
More on: Product Safety & Recalls
