Apple had an recall last year for swelling/defective batteries in iPhones, plus an earlier recall for iPods with overheating batteries. There have also been a couple of Apple power adapter recalls for laptops.
No, it was not for "swelling/defective batteries in iPhones.
"Apple has determined that a very small percentage of iPhone 5 devices may suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently. The affected iPhone 5 devices were sold between September 2012 and January 2013 and fall within a limited serial number range.
Apple contacted the owners of these iPhones directly by mail. It was NOT due to overheating. Note that it Apple covered them even though they were out of warranty.
Yes, you are correct they did recall some MagSafe power adapters about three years ago because of weak connectors at the magsafe connector. . . Apple also replaced those even though the warranties had expired.
I do dimly recall the overheating batteries on a few iPods. . . thanks.