Recall Issued After Faulty Crockpots Burn 99 People

People thinking of using a certain crockpot as a pressure cooker for Thanksgiving meals should set them aside immediately, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. Sunbeam Products is recalling its Crock-Pot 6-Quart Express Crock Multi-Cookers because of a problem with the lid that has caused at least 99 injuries, including first-degree burns, CBS News reports. The CPSC says the device's lid doesn't always lock properly, which can "cause the lid to suddenly detach while the product is in use, posing burn risks to consumers from hot food and liquids ejected from the product." The agency says consumers should contact Crock-Pot immediately to obtain a free replacement lid.

More than 900,000 of the crockpots were sold in the US by retailers including Walmart, Target, and Amazon between July 2017 and this month, reports NBC Boston. Almost 30,000 were sold in Canada. The CPSC said the recall affects model SCCPPC600-V1, a number that's shown on a label on bottom of the unit. It says the cookers have date codes K196JN through K365JN and L001JN through L273JN, which appears on a prong of the electrical plug and the bottom of the base. The agency says consumers waiting for a new lid should "immediately stop using the recalled Crock-Pot in pressure cooker mode, but may continue to use for slow cooking and sautéing." (More product recall stories.)