While there is substantial research about consequences of supply chain complexity on disruption risks, little research focused on the root causes of product recalls. Recall rates in the automotive industry have seen a severe increase in recent years. This research addresses the relations between supply chain design and product recalls in the automotive industry from a product-, process and location perspective. The results of this study suggest that higher supply chain complexity contributes to increasing recall rates. A mitigation approach consisting of multiple action fields is provided, tackling recalls arising from increasingly deep, broad and dispersed supply chains.