Sedgwick: European Product Recalls Reach Highest Quarterly Total in 11 Years

European product recalls in the first quarter reached the highest quarterly total in 11 years, reaching 3,925 events across five industries, a new report shows.

Sedgwick brand protection’s latest European Product Safety and Recall Index shows the number surpassed 3,500 recalls for the fifth straight quarter.

The report analyses recall data in the automotive, consumer product, food and beverage, pharmaceutical and medical device industries the U.K. and E.U.

The report shows recall activity in the first quarter in the automotive and consumer product sectors recorded their highest quarterly level in more than a decade. The food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and medical device sectors saw moderate quarter-to-quarter declines. The food and beverage sector saw the steepest drop (14.5%), while pharmaceutical and medical device recalls fell by 8.8% and 8.7%.

Sedgwick’s report also provides insights into the regulatory landscape and what’s in store for product safety stakeholders throughout 2025. In the first quarter, U.S. tariffs were a dominant concern, creating uncertainty across industries and complicating supply chain planning. Authors of the report expect that trend to persist into the second quarter and likely beyond.

“The automotive industry is one of the hardest hit sectors in the current tariff battle taking place between the U.S. and the rest of the world,” the report states.

The report also anticipates “a lot of supply chain changes ahead.”

Policymakers in Europe continue to pursue measures to address competitiveness gaps and to promote fair trade practices across certain sectors. Regulators also continue to focus on artificial intelligence and sustainability, with both the E.U. and UK implementing new AI frameworks.

In March, the European Commission published its Industrial Action Plan for the European Automotive Sector, based on findings from the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Automotive Industry launched in January to address the automotive industry’s biggest challenges.

The project pledges €1.8 billion to create a and competitive supply chain for battery raw materials, and outlines a plan to accelerate innovation and the transition to clean mobility. The commission is also expected to advance the regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles through public-private investments of €1 billion over the next two years.

The report shows the automotive sector across the E.U. and U.K. saw a 26.5% quarter-to-quarter increase, with the total number of recall events rising from 196 in Q4 2024 to 248 in Q1 2025, marking the highest quarterly figure recorded in more than a decade.

Injury-related hazards were the predominant cause of automotive recalls, with 191 events attributed to this risk in the first quarter, an increase from 168 in the previous quarter. Fire was the second most reported cause, accounting for 47 recall events, more than tripling from the 14 cases seen in Q4, according to the report.