Madewell Sandals

What went wrong

The notice saysThe metal shank can dislodge and break through bottom of the outsole, posing a fall hazard.

On sandals, clogs and slippers a fall hazard usually means the foot can slip out or the sole can catch: a strap or toe post that pulls loose, a sole that is slick on smooth floors, or a platform that splits. These shoes have little structure holding the foot, so one failed part is enough to throw off a step.

How to tell if your pair is affected

Product description in the noticeThis recall involves all Madewell Sightseer sandals from the spring 2015 collection. Sandals with the following 10 style numbers and names in all sizes are being recalled: C0275 Sightseer Knotted Slide Sandal C0276 Sightseer T-Strap Thong Sandal in Black Leather C0277 Sightseer T-Strap Thong Sandal in Metallic Colorblock C0278 Sightseer Buckle Gladiator Sandal C0279 Sightseer Slide Sandal C1105 Sightseer Crisscross Sandal C5893 Sightseer T-Strap Toe-Loop Sandal C5895 Sightseer Ankle-Wrap Sandal in Shiny Silver C5897 Sightseer Lace-Up Sandal C6090 Sightseer Ankle-Wrap Sandal in Metallic Sand The style number is located on a sticker on the outsole.

The notice gives no style numbers or barcodes, so you match on what it does give: the brand and style (Sandals), the sale period (February 2015 to July 2015), where it was sold (see “Sold at” above) and the “made in” label (Brazil). If a detail does not line up, the recall contact below can confirm.

What the notice tells you to do

RemedyConsumers should immediately stop using the recalled shoes and contact Madewell to return them for a full refund.

Recall contact, as printed in the notice: Madewell Inc. toll free at (866) 544-1937 anytime, email [email protected] or online at www.madewell.com and click on Important Notice for more information.

The recall is 11 years old, and the last pairs were sold about 11 years ago. The notice gives a phone number, an email address and a website for the firm; contact details that old may no longer work, while the CPSC notice stays online as the record of the recall.

How this recall compares

• With about 50,600 units, this is the 26th largest of the 95 footwear recalls in our archive that give a U.S. unit count. The median recall in the archive covers about 7,200 units, so this one is well above typical size.
• 26 other footwear recalls in the archive cite the same kind of hazard (falls), 9 of them in women’s footwear. The earliest in this group dates from 1998.
• The notice puts the sales window at about 6 months (February 2015 to July 2015), against a median of 7 months across recalls that state one. The recall came 1 month after the last sale date.
• The notice gives a price of $60 to $80. For sandals, clogs and flip-flops in the archive the typical stated price is about $24, so this pair sat at the pricier end of its group.
• The notice cites 8 reports before the recall. 36 of the 95 detailed notices in the archive cite no incidents at all.

Year, part, store and origin

• 2015 brought 4 footwear recalls in our archive, covering about 55,070 units in all. This was the 3rd of the year by date and the 1st largest by units.
• The notice names the metal part as the part that fails. 6 other footwear recalls in the archive name the same part in their hazard statement; the most recent is Sandals (2015).
• Made in Brazil. 3 of the 91 notices in the archive that name a country list Brazil (3%).
• 8 reports on about 50,600 units works out to roughly 16 reports per 100,000 units. The median across the 55 recalls that give both figures is 16, so this recall drew fewer reports per pair than most.
• At the stated price, the 50,600 units come to roughly $3.5 million of retail sales.

Against the other Madewell recall

Madewell also recalled Sandals on September 29, 2015. This recall came 1 month before it. It covered about 88.8 times as many units (50,600 against 570). Both notices give the same kind of failure (the metal part), so treat a pair from either line the same way. These sold for less, $60 to $80 against $100. They were on sale longer, about 6 months against 5 months. The notice cites 8 reports, the later one 1.

Comparisons use the 103 footwear recalls in our archive, read from the CPSC recall database on October 20, 2026. See data and methods.