U.S. regulators say that Amazon is now responsible for facilitating and fulfilling recalls for any dangerous or faulty products sold on the company's app and website. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) July 30 ruling stems from a lawsuit the agency filed against the company in 2021, after identifying more than 400,000 hazardous products sold to consumers on Amazon's platform. That included faulty carbon monoxide detectors, hairdryers without electrocution protection, and children's sleepwear that violated federal flammability standards. In its ruling, the CPSC said that, because Amazon distributes the items itself, the company should be legally responsible for products that are defective or fail to meet safety standards, regardless of whether they come from a third-party seller.

The CPSC also said that Amazon failed to properly notify the public that the hazardous products were dangerous, and "did not take adequate steps to encourage customers to return or destroy them." Amazon argued that it had actually handed out refunds and told customers to stop using the products, although the CPSC said that the company didn't explicitly say that the items needed to be recalled. 

Amazon will next have to submit a detailed plan to the commission, outlining how the company plans to handle product recalls in the future, and how it will incentivize customers to return or destroy faulty or hazardous items. In a statement to CBS News, the company said that it stands behind the safety of every product in its store, and that it monitors listings to weed out potential safety issues.