FDA Warns Recalled Mighty Bliss Heating Pads Carry Risk of Severe Injury and Death

The recalled Mighty Bliss Heating Pads have been linked to 31 reports of injuries from shocks, burns and skin irritation

Federal safety regulators have reclassified a Mighty Bliss heating pad recall, giving it Class I designation after hundreds of adverse reports have been identified among users of the defective heating pads, including incidents of users suffering electrical shocks and burns that could result in serious injury or death.

More than 500,000 heating pads sold on Amazon.com and Walmart.com under the “Mighty Bliss” brand name were originally pulled from the market in October, with health officials warning consumers to stop using the devices immediately and to unplug them, due to the risk that the heating pads may overheat or spark, which could lead to burn injuries and fire hazards.

Mighty Bliss heating pads are designed to be flexible, so they can contour around areas of the body while providing heat through electrical elements. The devices are filled with a gel, fluid, or vegetable matter to help distribute the heat evenly across the heating pad surface to provide temporary relief of aches and pains. However, by October 2022, the agency had become aware of at least 286 consumer complaints of users reporting the devices overheating, sparking, burning or experiencing other electrical problems, which had resulted in 31 injuries, such as shocks, burns, rashes or other irritations.

While no explanation was initially given as to why the devices may spark or overheat, it appeared the problem was related to defective electrical components that could reach much higher levels of heat than intended, or cause shock hazards. The FDA warned that use of the recalled electric heating pads can lead to electric shock, skin irritation, rashes, blisters, or burns. Severe burns may lead to skin infection or the formation of scar tissue.

Although no additional reports of injury have been disclosed, the FDA upgraded the Mighty Bliss heating pad recall to a Class I recall on December 20, 2022.

A Class I recall status is the most serious of its kind, and means that the use of a product has a high probability of causing of causing serious injuries or death.

The recall includes 544,212 Mighty Bliss electric heating pads manufactured between Jan 8, 2021 to Jan 3, 2022, and distributed from July 29, 2021 through July 21, 2022 through Amazon.com and Walmart.com.

Affected model numbers include:

• MB-001 (NA-H1121B): large (21” x 24”) Blue Electric Heating Pad
• MB-002 )NA-H21C): Extra-large (20’ x 24”) Blue Electric Heating Pad
• PE-MtyBls-HeatPad-12×24-Gry-V2(NA-H1121B): Large (12” X 24”) Grey Electric Heating Pad

Product lots range from 210108 to 220103 and can be found on the recall website. Product model and lot numbers can be found on the Mighty Bliss heating pad label listed in black text beneath the product instructions.

In the updated heating pad recall notice, officials are recommending that customers take the following actions:

• Check your heating pad to determine if you have a recalled Mighty Bliss electric heating pad. If you have this product, stop using it and follow the recommendations in the recall notice.
• Do NOT use the recalled Mighty Bliss electric heating pads.
• Do NOT purchase the recalled Mighty Bliss electric heating pads.
• Verify receipt of the recall notification at the Whele LLC website: https://www.mightyblissheatingpadrecall.expertinquiry.com even if you no longer have the product on hand.

Consumers with questions about the recall are being encouraged to contact Whele LLC at  866-918-8768. Consumers who have experienced adverse reactions or quality problems linked to the recalled product can report the concerns to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.