Target Teakettle Recall Follows Reports of Burns, Melting Pots

About 717,400 tea kettles sold exclusively at Target stores were recalled this week, following multiple reports of water spilling from the spout and the base of the pot melting on stove burners, which could pose a serious burn hazard for consumers.  

The Target Chefmate Tea Kettle recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on August 20, after at least 13 incidents were reported. Five of the reports claimed that steam traveled up the handle creating hot handles, three of the reports involved of hot water spilling from the spout, and four reports claimed the tea kettle base melted onto the stove burner.

Because the tea kettles leak steam, once all of the water has evaporated the base can become extremely hot and melt, the CPSC concluded. The CPSC also reports that the leaking steam can cause the kettle to fail to whistle, increasing the likelihood that a consumer will allow the pot to evaporate all of the water.

The recall involves Chefmate 2-quart tea kettles that were sold with a black enamel finish and have a black resin handle with the Chefmate logo stamped on the bottom of the aluminum tea kettle. About 716,000 were sold in the United States and another 1,400 were sold in Canada.

The affected tea kettles were manufactured in China and Indonesia by PT Maspion and Shaghai Xiang Mao Stainless Steel and imported by Wilton Industries Inc. of Woodridge, Illinois where they were sold exclusively at Target stores nationwide and online at Target.com from January 2006 through May 2013 for roughly $9.

The CPSC recommends that consumers with recalled Chefmate tea kettles should stop using them immediately and return them to any Target store or contact Wilton Industries at (866) 255-9237 for a full refund.  They can also visit the company website at www.wilton.com.