How we rate severity
Government agencies do not all use the same scale, so we apply one simple, consistent rating to every recall. This is our interpretation to help you gauge urgency quickly. It is not an official government rating.
A death has been reported, or the hazard can directly kill (for example, a vehicle the agency says to stop driving). Act now.
An injury has been reported, or the hazard can cause serious harm such as fire, burns, or a crash. Take action promptly.
A real hazard has been identified, usually with no injuries reported yet. Follow the steps on the recall page.
A precautionary or labeling issue. Low risk, but still worth knowing.
By agency
CPSC
CPSC does not publish injury counts in a fixed field, so we read the hazard and incident text. A reported death makes it Critical; a kill-capable hazard like fire or a reported injury makes it Serious; reported incidents make it Moderate.
FDA
We map the FDA's own classification directly: Class I is Critical, Class II is Serious, Class III is Moderate.
NHTSA
If NHTSA tells owners to stop driving or park outside, we mark it Critical. Otherwise we read the consequence: a crash, fire, or injury risk is Serious, and a general defect is Moderate.