Melissa & Doug Fire Truck Toy Recalled Over Choking Risk
If you bought a Melissa & Doug fire truck toy in the past year, sold exclusively at Target, take it away from your child right now and check the date code on the bottom.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall on September 17 of about 84,000 Melissa & Doug Lights & Sounds Fire Truck Activity Board toys due to a choking hazard. The black plastic connector piece designed to look like a fire hose can detach from the toy, leaving a small component that can block a child's airway if swallowed.
Melissa & Doug has already received 26 reports of the hose port coming loose. One child received a minor cut. No choking incidents have been reported yet — but the CPSC isn't waiting for that to happen.
The toys were sold exclusively at Target stores and Target.com from July 2025 through August 2026, priced at around $30.
How to Tell If Your Toy Is Affected
Flip the toy over and look at the battery compartment on the bottom. The date wheels have two arrows — if the first arrow points to 25 and the second points to 4 or 5, your toy is recalled. If the first arrow points to 26 and the second points to 3, also recalled. You can also check the packaging for date codes OET 25100, OET 25150, or OET 26064.
The toy itself is a red plastic compact fire engine about 10.5 inches tall with four black wheels, a rotating white ladder, and various buttons that activate lights and sounds. "Melissa & Doug" is embossed on the battery compartment box.
What to Do
Don't throw it in the trash and move on — Melissa & Doug is offering three options and you'll want to claim one.
Go to melissaanddoug.com/recall and register the toy. You can choose a free replacement fire truck activity board, a full refund of $30 sent as a check, or a $40 store credit on the Melissa & Doug website. Whichever you choose, you'll be asked to remove the batteries, write the word "RECALL" on the front of the toy in permanent marker along with a unique code from the registration process, cut off the black hose, and upload a photo of the destroyed toy before disposing of it in regular household trash.
Questions? Call Melissa & Doug toll-free at 800-718-5365, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
Why Small Parts Recalls Matter
Choking is the leading cause of accidental death in children under one year old and a major risk for toddlers up to age four. Small parts — defined by the CPSC as anything that fits entirely into a cylinder 1.25 inches in diameter and 2.25 inches long — can completely block a child's airway in seconds. Unlike food, toy parts don't compress or dissolve, making them especially dangerous.
The CPSC estimates that every year roughly 40 children in the United States die from choking on toys and toy parts. For every death, there are many more hospitalizations and emergency room visits. This is why federal law prohibits toys intended for children under three from containing any small parts — and why recalls move quickly when a piece separates from a toy that parents have reasonably assumed is safe.
Melissa & Doug markets itself specifically to parents of young children as a premium, developmental toy brand. The expectation attached to that brand positioning — that the toys are built carefully and meet the highest safety standards — is exactly why 84,000 parents need to know about this one.
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