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EXPLODING car air bags, tumble dryers that catch fire and chocolates with potentially deadly salmonella - just a few of the products that have led to safety alerts and recalls recently.

Here is our guide to checking which product have been recalled and what to do if you've bought one of the affected items.

Whirlpool issued a safety warning for faulty tumble dryers under the Indesit, Hotpoint, Creda and Proline brand names
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Whirlpool issued a safety warning for faulty tumble dryers under the Indesit, Hotpoint, Creda and Proline brand namesCredit: Cascade News

What is a product recall? Is it similar to a safety notice?

Product recalls are an important means of protecting consumers from dangerous goods.

Many safety notices for products are issued as a precautionary measure, letting consumers know an item may be dangerous.

In more serious cases manufacturers or retailers issue a recall, warning customers not to use the product and asking them to return it.

Dodgy electrical goods sparked more than 4,500  fires last year, a charity found.

MPs slammed Whirlpool for its "woeful" response to potentially dangerous tumble driers sold under the Hotpoint, Creda and Proline brands after a fault was first identified in 2015.

One of the biggest recent recalls was by Toyota, which said airbags could explode because of a fault in 3.4million Prius and Lexus CT200h cars.

As a general rule, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer would usually have lead responsibility for the recall action.

But it's often left up to supermarkets to notify customers when products could put them at risk.

Alex Neill, from consumer group told the Sun Online: "The current product safety system means consumers are responsible for registering products and checking manufacturers' websites for recalls, when more responsibility should lie with manufacturers."

A company will sometimes issue a recall to limit the number of complaints.

An investigation by the Sun Online found that food recalls have gone up by 44 per cent in three years.

The government is to set up a new body to help protect people from faulty goods and recalls – in a victory for The Sun.

Ministers have listened to our demand to increase protection for consumers from unsafe products.

Poundworld recalled children's Halloween costumes amid safety  fears
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Poundworld recalled children's Halloween costumes amid safety  fears

What products have been recalled?

Here are some recent examples. Often the recall notice includes only products with certain batch codes or use-by dates, meaning others are not affected.

Please note this list is not meant to be comprehensive - check with shops or manufacturers if you have any concerns about something you have bought.

Where can I check if the product I am using has been recalled?

Sadly, there's no central database that lists all the recalls across the UK.

This makes it more difficult for consumers to actually know if the products they are using are safe.

Some websites do list the most recent recalls for different kinds of products:

  • For food you can check a .
  • A variety of the most recent recalls and safety notices are listed 
  • For car and vehicle recalls you can visit .
  • For electrical products, you can check the.
  • Check on the Government's website.
  • You can search for EU-wide product safety warnings on .

What can I do to stay safe?

If you are concerned about the safety of a product you own, always check the manufacturer’s website to see if a safety notice has been issued.

Remember to register your electrical appliance on

This will make it easier for manufacturers to contact you in case of a recall.

The onus is usually on you - the customer - to register the appliance with the manufacturer as if you don't there is no way of contacting you to tell you about a fault.

If you become aware that an item you own has been recalled or has any safety noticed issued against it, make sure you follow the instructions given to you by the manufacturer.

They should usually provide you with more information and a contact number on its safety notice.

In some cases, the manufacturer might arrange for the faulty product to be collected. In others cases, you will have to bring back the product yourself.

You should not be charged for any recall work - such as a repair, replacement or collection of the recalled item.

The government has also launched a new online service for prospective car buyers to check if a make of car has an active safety recall.

The service allows anyone wanting to buy a used car, and existing car owners, to check for an outstanding safety recall. All you need to do is enter your car’s registration number.

The service can be found .

What if I get hurt?

Under the  anyone who has been harmed by an unsafe product - even if you didn't buy it yourself - can sue the manufacturer.

The amount of money that can be claimed will depend on the harm suffered and there is no upper limit to the compensation you'll get.

You can sue if you sustain a personal injury bur also if there was damage to your private property caused by faulty goods.

The value of the damage must be more than £275.

If you take on the case and don't win then you should be aware that you could be liable for any legal costs - and those of the company too.

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