Target Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Filed Over Severe Burns From Instant Pot Explosion

Lawsuit alleges safety features on an Instant Pot pressure cooker sold by Target failed to prevent burn injuries due to a defective float switch, which allowed the lid to be removed while the contents were still pressurized.

A Minnesota woman has filed a product liability lawsuit against Target, alleging that it sold an Instant Pot pressure cooker that was defectively designed and unreasonably dangerous, containing a safety features that failed to prevent the lid to be removed before all pressure was released, causing an explosion that left her with severe burns.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Shayanna Barr in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on July 11, seeking damages from Target and Midea America Corp as defendants.

Electronic pressure cookers such as the Instant Pot have risen in popularity over recent decades, driven by marketing that has promoted supposedly advanced features, which are supposed to prevent the explosions that have plagued older, stove-top models.

However, a number of similar pressure cooker explosion lawsuits have been filed in recent months against Target, Walmart, Amazon.com and manufacturers of various different devices that contained defective safety features, including Instant Pot, Crock Pot, Ninja Foodie and others. Each of the complaints raise similar allegations that the modern electronic devices are prone to explode when the lid is removed, even after it appears all steam has been released from the pot.

While Instant Pot has been named as a defendant in many pressure cooker lawsuits in recent years, the most recent complaint seeks damages against Target and Midea America Corp, amid Instant Pot’s parent company filing for bankruptcy in June 2023, in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, where an automatic stay order has been issued.

Target Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Lawsuit

According to the complaint filed by Barr, she was using an Instant Pot Duo Crisp on August 21, 2022, when the device allowed her to rotate and open the pressure cooker’s lid, even though there was still built up pressure inside the pot. This malfunction caused the pressure cooker to explode, forcefully ejecting the scalding contents all over her body, resulting in serious and substantial burn injuries.

The complaint indicates that marketing materials indicated the Instant Pot pressure cooker contained an effective a float switch, a crucial safety feature in modern pressure cookers. This switch is supposed to rise as the cooker heats up and builds pressure, thereby locking the lid securely in place to prevent it from being opened while pressurized.

However, the Target pressure cooker lawsuit alleges that the float switch in Barr’s Instant Pot failed to function as intended, by allowing her to easily rotate and remove the lid of the pressure cooker, after it appeared all pressure had been released. However, that was not the case, and the pressure cooker float switch did not properly engage or provide the safety lockout feature it was designed and advertised to do.

Pressure Cooker Recalls and Lawsuits

As more of these electric pressure cookers have been introduced in recent years, the CPSC has issued several recalls over problems with pressure cooker explosions, where lids were able to be opened while contents are under pressure, allowing hot contents to be expelled and causing a scald or burn injury to individuals in the immediate area.

Last year, a Best Buy Insignia pressure cooker recall was announced for nearly 1 million devices, and a Sensio pressure cooker recall pulled about 900,000 devices off store shelves. Both were linked to pressure cooker explosions linked to failures of the lid safety designs.

Given design problems linked to sold by various manufacturers, including Instant Pot, Crock Pot, Ninja Foodi and others, financial compensation may be available to those who have suffered injuries due to pressure cooker explosions. Pressure cooker injury lawyers provide free consultations to help determine whether individuals nationwide are eligible to pursue a lawsuit.