Heated Boot Insole Lawsuit Alleges Amazon Foot Warmers Ignited, Burned Foot

Federal officials issued a warning last year urging consumers to immediately stop using certain iHeat heated insoles sold on Amazon after determining that defective lithium-ion batteries could overheat, ignite or explode.

A New Jersey pipefitter has filed a lawsuit indicating heated insoles he bought off Amazon.com suddenly caught fire, leading to severe burns on his foot.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Rodrigo Iparraguirre-Olivare and his wife, Lucy, in New Jersey federal court on February 5, naming Amazon.com, Shenzhen Tejiali Technology Co. Ltd. and Zhangfengqing (the latter two doing business as iHeat) as defendants.

The iHeat heated insoles are rechargeable inserts placed inside boots, shoes and other footwear, which use built-in heating components designed to keep the wearer’s feet warm. Many models allow users to adjust heat levels through onboard controls, remote devices or smartphone-based applications.

Recently, these kinds of heated insoles have been increasingly linked to reports of overheating, battery failure and thermal runaway, with some devices igniting and catching fire during normal use. Consumers have reported second and third-degree burns, sometimes requiring surgical debridement and resulting in permanent nerve damage, chronic pain, loss of sensation and lasting mobility problems.

As a result, Iparraguirre-Olivare joins a growing number of heated insole lawsuits filed against Amazon and heated insole manufacturers, each alleging that the products were sold without adequate testing or proper warnings to consumers of the risks of burn injuries or overheating.

According to the complaint, Iparraguirre-Olivare purchased the iHeat insoles on Amazon.com, which were delivered in January 2024. He used the insoles inside of his boots for about two weeks during his work as a pipefitter.

However, the lawsuit indicates that while he was using them, the lithium-ion battery within one of the soles caught fire during normal use, leading to burn injuries. The lawsuit blames the fire and injuries on the allegedly defective design of the product and a failure to adequately test them by the manufacturers, as well as Amazon’s failure to ensure that the items it sells to consumers are safe.

“As a direct and proximate result of the Subject Insoles catching fire, Rodrigo
suffered physical injuries, pain and suffering, mental anguish, economic losses and other injuries compensable by law.”

— Rodrigo Iparraguirre-Olivare et al v. Amazon.com et al

Iparraguirre-Olivare presents claims of violations of the New Jersey Product Liability Act, design defect, manufacturing defect, failure to warn and loss of consortium.

iHeat Heated Insoles Warning: CPSC

The lawsuit follows a federal safety warning issued over similar iHeat heated insoles sold on Amazon. On July 10, 2025, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned consumers to immediately stop using iHeat heated insoles after determining that the products posed a serious burn and fire hazard.

According to the CPSC, the insoles’ internal lithium-ion batteries could overheat, explode or ignite, even when the devices were turned off. At the time of the warning, federal regulators said they had received 11 reports of fires, explosions and other thermal incidents involving the heated insoles, including eight reports of burn injuries, some of which involved second- and third-degree burns. Consumers were urged to dispose of the products following local hazardous waste procedures.

Iparraguirre-Olivare’s complaint alleges that Amazon later issued a Product Safety Alert advising customers to stop using the insoles due to the same battery risks, but claims that the defendants failed to issue a formal recall or adequately warn consumers before injuries occurred.

Heated Boot Insole Lawsuits

Heated insole attorneys are currently reviewing potential claims on behalf of consumers nationwide who suffered burns and injuries after the devices overheated or caught fire. The investigations focus on incidents where these battery-powered products allegedly malfunctioned during ordinary use, leading to serious injuries, including:

• Burns to the feet or toes
• Heated insole overheating, igniting or catching fire during normal use
• Emergency medical treatment or hospitalization for burn injuries
• Surgery or skin grafts related to foot burns
• Ongoing pain, scarring or mobility limitations

These foot warmer lawsuits seek to hold manufacturers and sellers, including online marketplaces like Amazon, accountable for allegedly distributing unsafe products without proper testing, safeguards or warnings.

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