A popular model of Instant Pot cookware is being recalled because it could overheat and burn people, according to its manufacturer.
Double Insight, the parent company that makes the Instant Pot Gem multicooker, announced this week in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that people who own the Gem 65 8-in-1 models should immediately stop using them and return them to Walmart, where they were sold exclusively.
Recall: Instant Pot Gem multicooker sold at Walmart could overheat
In a recall notice Thursday, the company said that it “has received customer reports of the product overheating, resulting in localized damage to the underside of the product. The overheating is the result of a tooling misalignment during the manufacturing process, which created a gap between the bottom of the inner pot and the top surface of the heating plate in the product. This gap can cause the multicooker to overheat and melt on the underside, posing a fire hazard to consumers.”
The impacted Instant Pots have the following four-digit batchcodes (located on the rating label on the pot’s underside) 1728, 1730, 1731, 1734 and 1746.
The problem was first reported by Consumer Reports days ago, with the company actively looking for a solution that wouldn’t involve a recall. But with the risks becoming more publicized, Instant Pot went ahead with the voluntary recall.
“Now that the maker of Instant Pot has announced a formal recall, more people should get the information they need about the problem and the specific steps they need to take to stay safe,” William Wallace, senior policy analyst for Consumers Union, the advocacy division of Consumer Reports, said. “At the same time, the company should investigate whether safety issues are limited to just the recalled products — and if there are other products affected, it should expand its recall and its warnings to consumers.”
For more information, customers are advised to call 888-891-1473 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday or go online at www.instantpot.com and click on “Product Recall.” You can also visit www.gemmulticooker.com for more information.
