Sunbeam MultiCooker Explosion Lawsuit Alleges Defective Pressure Cooker Caused Severe Burns

Lawsuit claims defective Sunbeam MultiCooker safety mechanisms allowed the lid to open while dangerous pressure remained inside.

A Pennsylvania man has filed a product liability lawsuit alleging he suffered painful injuries and permanent scarring while preparing a family meal with a Sunbeam and Newell Brands MultiCooker electric pressure cooker.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Thomas J. McCree in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on October 26, naming Sunbeam Products Inc. and Newell Brands Inc. as defendants.

McCree claims the manufacturers failed to warn consumers about known dangers of their electric pressure cooker devices.

Electric Pressure Cooker Risks

Modern pressure cookers are electric kitchen appliances that cook food rapidly by trapping steam inside a sealed chamber, creating high temperatures and pressure. Because the contents can reach dangerously high temperatures, the appliances typically feature safety mechanisms designed to prevent the lid from opening until the internal pressure has been released.

However, a number of pressure cooker lawsuits claim faulty safety features may allow the lids to be unlocked or removed while dangerous pressure remains inside the appliances.

When these mechanisms fail, built-up pressure can force scalding food, liquid and steam out of the cooker, potentially striking anyone nearby. Such incidents can result in severe burns to the face, chest, arms and hands, sometimes requiring hospitalization, skin grafts and prolonged medical treatment.

Sunbeam Multicooker Allegations

According to the complaint, McCree was using a Sunbeam Multicooker electric pressure cooker on May 18, 2025, when it exploded under pressure. He experienced excruciating pain and permanent scarring, suffered severe burns to his left forearm, left wrist and abdomen, and required medical treatment.

McCree maintains that he was using the appliance as intended to prepare food for himself and his family, and had not misused or modified the pressure cooker before the incident.

The lawsuit alleges the Sunbeam Multicooker was defectively designed and manufactured, claiming the device allows users to open the lid while the pressure cooker is still under pressure, or when the device appears to have released pressure, but has not.

As a result, McCree argues the product is unreasonably dangerous for users, and that representations about its safety are misleading, putting users at risk of serious bodily injury.

Moreover, the complaint indicates there were other designs available that were safer, and that Sunbeam failed to test the product or warn consumers of the defects and the danger the device posed to users.

“As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ intentional concealment of such defects, failure to warn consumers of such defects, their negligent representation, failure to remove a product with such defects from the stream of commerce and their negligent design of such products, Plaintiff used an unreasonably dangerous multicooker, which resulted in significant and painful bodily injuries.”

— Thomas J. McCree v. Sunbeam Products Inc. et al.

The lawsuit raises allegations of strict product liability, negligence, breach of implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, and breach of implied warranty of merchantability. It seeks compensation for damages, including serious bodily injuries, medical expenses, physical pain, mental anguish and diminished enjoyment of life.

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