More than 700,000 air fryers in the U.S. and Canada are being recalled after several people reported the devices caught fire or melted, causing at least one child to be injured.
The recall includes 772,000 Insignia air fryers and air fryer ovens sold at Best Buy, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced Thursday. The electronics retailer received more than 100 reports from North American customers stating that their air fryer or air fryer ovens had caught fire, burned or melted.
The devices resulted in seven cases of minor property damage, and two injuries, including an injury to a child's leg, CPSC reported. The commission did not provide specific details as to the extent of the injury.
The affected products were sold in stores and online through the Best Buy website, as well as on eBay and Google, from November 2018 through February 2022. The products ranged in pricing from $30 to $150, the commission said.
"Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled air fryers and air fryer ovens and return the product to Best Buy for a refund in the form of a credit for use at Best Buy stores or Bestbuy.com," CPSC added. "Best Buy is contacting all known purchasers directly to arrange returns and providing pre-paid shipping boxes and labels and return instructions."
In total, Best Buy said it sold about 635,000 of the recalled products in the U.S. and another 137,000 in Canada. According to CPSC, the affected products have the following model numbers: NS-AF32DBK9, NS-AF32MBK9, NS-AF50MBK9, NS-AF53DSS0, NS-AF53MSS0, NS-AF55DBK9, NS-AFO6DBK1 and NS-AFO6DSS1.
The brand name Insignia is on the top or front of each unit, and a rating label can be found on the underside, identifying the brand and model number, the commission added.
The latest recall does not mark the first time an air fryer product has gone up in flames. In November, a woman posted a viral video of her burned stovetop after an air fryer purchased from Costco exploded while she was attempting to make a hash brown.
"[Ten] firemen and one hash brown later," read the caption of the video, which received millions of views when it was originally posted on TikTok.
Months earlier, a 4-year-old girl alerted her parents when she noticed her family's air fryer had caught fire after her father made chicken nuggets and french fries. The child's father responded by grabbing the air fryer with his bare hands and throwing it into their pool, Newsweek previously reported. However, the family's stove was completely destroyed by the fire.
Since air fryers are capable of heating whatever surface they sit on, it is advised to never place the devices on or near a hot gas or electric burner, or inside a heated oven, according to product safety manuals.
Newsweek contacted Best Buy for additional comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
