What goes wrong with shoes
Almost every footwear recall in our archive falls into one of five groups. Each has its own typical failure, its own kind of wearer and its own way of being fixed.
A fall-hazard recall means the shoe can fail while you are standing or walking on it.
1,848,815 unitsMostly adult / unisexLatest 2026 42 recalls ChokingEvery choking-hazard footwear recall in our archive involves children’s shoes, and almost all of them involve a decoration: a flower, pearl, rhinestone, pom-pom, unicorn horn, snap, rivet or logo tag that can come off and fit in a small child’s mouth.
3,963,300 unitsMostly children’sLatest 2026 9 recalls Chemicals and leadChemical recalls are about what the shoe is made of rather than how it breaks.
393,300 unitsMostly children’sLatest 2022 10 recalls Cuts and scrapesLaceration recalls cover shoes with metal or hard parts that can cut the wearer or whoever handles the shoe: metal thread or wire that pokes through the lining, rivets or studs with sharp edges, metal trim that peels away, or in a well-known 2001 case, a metal strip in the sole of a cross-training shoe that could cut the lower leg..
730,000 unitsMostly children’sLatest 2016 12 recalls Impact and crushImpact and crush recalls are about protective footwear that does not protect as labeled.
356,260 unitsMostly men’sLatest 2024The five groups side by side
The choking group accounts for the most pairs, about 3,963,300 U.S. units or 53% of everything recalled in the archive. Recalls in the chemicals and lead group most often came before any report reached the firm (100% of detailed notices cite none), and the impact and crush group is the least likely to end in a refund (43% of labeled remedies).
| Hazard | Recalls | Median units | Kids’ | No reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falls | 27 | 3,900 | 22% | 38% |
| Choking | 42 | 17,400 | 100% | 25% |
| Chemicals and lead | 9 | 17,150 | 67% | 100% |
| Cuts and scrapes | 10 | 9,450 | 60% | 0% |
| Impact and crush | 12 | 7,000 | 0% | 82% |
3 recalls do not fit these groups: Hunting Boots (2015); Scarpa T2X Telemark Ski Boots (2005); adidas Superstar Ultra and Pro Team Shoes (2004). They appear in the full archive.
Groups are assigned from the hazard named in each notice’s title, then from its hazard text. A recall is counted once, under its main hazard. Year-by-year totals are on the trends page.