Walmart Instant Pot Multicooker Recall Issued Due to Fire Risk

More than 100,000 instant pots sold exclusively by Walmart are being recalled, following reports of problems where the multicookers overheated, resulting in property damage and a fire hazard. 

The Walmart multicooker recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on March 1, impacting Gem 65 8-in-1 devices with “Instant Pot” printed on the label.

The action was taken after at least 107 reports involving overheating, five of which resulted in property damage. According to the recall notice, the problems are caused by a manufacturing defect that allows the cooker to overheat and melt on the underside.

The multicookers, also known as Instant Pots, are a popular kitchen tool that is designed to replace multiple methods of cooking and multiple appliances.

Instant Pots were one of the most popular gifts this past holiday season, with sales reaching $264 million. The official Instant Pot Community on Facebook has more than 1.3 million users. Millions of households across the country regularly use the product.

The Instant Pot Gem 65 8-in-1 multicooker is a multifunctional, programmable cooking appliance, which includes the functions of roasting, baking, stewing, slow cooking, rice cooking, searing/sautéing, steaming and food warming.

The recall affects approximately 104,000 Gem 65 8-in-1 multicookers with batch codes 1728, 1730, 1731, 1734, or 1746 printed on the rating label on the underside of the device. Instant Pot is also printed on the front of each multicooker.

The recalled instant pots were sold exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide and online at walmart.com from August 2017 through January 2018 for about $80. They were manufactured by Foshan Linshine Technology, of China, and distrubuted by Double Insight, Inc. of Canada.

Consumers with recalled Walmart instant pots are being urged to stop using them immediately and return the multicooker to Walmart to receive a free replacement. Consumers with questions can contact Double Insight by calling 888-891-1473, or by going to www.instantpot.com and clicking “Product Recall.”