To check your water heater, find the brand, model number, and serial number on the rating plate on its side. Then search that brand and model on CPSC.gov's recall list and the manufacturer's website. If it matches, follow the notice, which may say to stop using the heater until a certified technician makes the free repair.
Where do you find the model and serial number?
You find them on the rating plate, a printed label on the outside of the water heater, usually on the side of the tank jacket or the tankless cabinet. Manufacturers treat this label as the heater's ID. A.O. Smith's manual tells owners ordering parts to "provide complete model and serial numbers (see rating plate)," and it says that if you can't reach the installer, "contact the company listed on the rating plate on the water heater."
Three details on the plate matter for a recall search:
| Rating plate item | Why it matters for a recall |
|---|---|
| Brand or company name | Tells you whose recall list to search |
| Model number | Recalls list the exact models covered |
| Serial number | Identifies your exact unit, and some recalls cover only certain date codes |
Some recalls are about a part rather than the whole heater, and the part has its own label. CPSC's November 3, 2021 recall of Usines Giant Factories gas water heaters, for example, turned on the gas control valve. It said the valve "model numbers and date code are located on a label on the right-hand side of the bracket holding the Emerson control valve." So if a notice names a part, look at that part's label too.
Take the photo with the power or gas left as it is. You don't need to open anything or remove covers to read a rating plate.
How do you search for a water heater recall?
You search it on CPSC.gov, the federal agency that announces consumer product recalls, and then on the manufacturer's site. The steps:
- 1Go to cpsc.gov/Recalls. The recall search has fields for a date range, hazard type, and product category, so you can narrow the list.
- 2Search by brand and product. Try the brand name plus "water heater," and also the product category CPSC uses. It keeps a category page for gas water heaters that lists recalls in that group.
- 3Open each possible match and compare. Read the model numbers, date codes, and "sold at" details in the notice against your rating plate.
- 4Check the manufacturer's website. Recall notices give a phone number and a web address for the company running the recall. The Giant notice, for example, said to visit the company's site and click "Recall Information."
- 5Sign up for alerts. CPSC's recall page invites you to "subscribe for recall emails," which covers future recalls on things you already own.
A search that finds your brand but not your model usually means your heater isn't covered. A search that finds nothing at all doesn't prove a heater is trouble-free. It only means there is no recall for it. If the heater shows signs of a problem, that's a separate question from whether it is recalled.
What do water heater recalls usually involve?
Water heater recalls usually involve a part that can let combustion gases, fire, or pressure get where they shouldn't. Two CPSC gas water heater recalls show the pattern:
- VESTA.DS VST brand tankless water heaters, October 16, 2025. CPSC's hazard statement: "The exhaust duct can crack, allowing gases to escape inside of the home, posing a carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning hazard that can result in death or serious injury." The remedy is a repair.
- Usines Giant Factories gas water heaters, November 3, 2021. The hazard: "The heater's Emerson control valves can fail to close properly, causing soot to accumulate on the burner, posing a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning." The remedy is a replacement control valve installed by a certified technician.
Both came back to carbon monoxide. That is the hazard that makes a water heater recall worth checking, because the CPSC calls carbon monoxide a "colorless, odorless, poisonous gas." You can't notice it on your own.
Older recalls on CPSC's site cover other brands and parts, such as White-Rodgers' April 28, 2004 recall of LP and convertible gas water heater temperature controls, which could let soot build up on the burner. Recalls are narrow on purpose. Each one covers specific models, date codes, and places where the product was sold, which is why the rating plate check comes first.
What should you do if your water heater is recalled?
Follow the recall notice's instructions exactly, starting with whether you can keep using the heater. For the VESTA.DS tankless recall, CPSC's instruction was: "Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled water heater and contact VESTA.DS to have a certified technician install the free repair." It added: "Consumers who must continue using the water heater while awaiting repair should have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their homes." The Giant notice said to "immediately contact Usines Giant Factories, who will arrange to have the Emerson control valve replaced by a certified technician."
In practice, for a gas water heater:
- Read the notice's first instruction. If it says stop using the heater, turn the gas control knob to OFF, following the lighting label on the tank. Our page on how to turn off the gas covers the appliance shutoff valve.
- Call the number in the notice, not a number from a search ad. Have the model and serial number ready.
- Put a working CO alarm near the sleeping areas while you wait, if you don't already have one.
- Keep the records. Save the notice, your call date, and the repair paperwork.
The manufacturer arranges the recall repair. A plumber can still help you confirm which model you have, check the venting and gas connection, or replace the heater if you'd rather not wait. Our page on where to put carbon monoxide alarms covers alarm placement.
### What if you smell gas or a CO alarm goes off?
Then the recall check waits. Get everyone outside to fresh air. The CPSC's instruction for suspected carbon monoxide is to "get outside to fresh air immediately, and then call 911." For a gas smell, leave and call 911 and Southwest Gas at 877-860-6020 from outside. Our page on whether a water heater can cause carbon monoxide explains the warning signs, and what to do when the pilot is out and you smell gas covers the gas side.
How do you report a water heater problem that isn't recalled yet?
You report it to the CPSC on SaferProducts.gov. The CPSC's recall page says: "If you believe you've found an unsafe product, report it to CPSC on SaferProducts.gov." The site, run by the CPSC, says a report "will let CPSC and other Americans know you found a dangerous product." It also publishes reports in a searchable database, so you can look up your model and see whether other owners have reported the same issue.
Report it to the manufacturer too, using the company on the rating plate. A pattern of reports is part of how a problem becomes a recall.
Signs worth a service call, recalled or not:
- Soot on or around the burner or the draft hood. That's the exact symptom named in the Giant recall.
- A yellow burner flame. Southwest Gas says a working gas appliance "should have a clear, steady blue flame," and that "Yellow flames may indicate improper combustion."
- A cracked or separated vent pipe or exhaust duct, the part named in the VESTA.DS recall.
- A CO alarm that sounds when the water heater runs.
HQ Plumbing & Air services, repairs, and replaces gas water heaters across the Phoenix area, including vent and gas connection checks. See our water heater service.
Rating plate first, then CPSC.gov, then the notice's own instructions.