The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2023
Cosori recalled 2.2 million air fryers after 205 of them caught fire
A wire connection inside Cosori's air fryers could overheat and ignite. 2.2M units recalled after 205 fire reports and 10 burn injuries.
Cosori · 2023-02-23
What happened
Cosori's air fryers became a best-seller in North America, sold in bulk through Amazon and big-box retailers. Owners began reporting machines that caught fire, melted, overheated or smoked during use. By the time the recall was announced, Cosori and regulators had collected 205 such reports.
On February 23, 2023, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada jointly announced the recall of more than 2.2 million Cosori air fryers — over two million in the US, 252,828 in Canada and 21,490 in Mexico — across 22 model numbers. The cause: a wire connection inside the fryer could overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. Ten people reported minor, superficial burn injuries, 23 reported minor property damage, and 56 of the incident reports came from Canada.
The remedy was a full free replacement: owners cut the power cord, uploaded a photo of the disabled unit, and received a new air fryer or another Cosori product, with no receipt required. Consumers were told to stop using the fryers immediately, and the exchange ran through a dedicated recall site and a call centre.
Why it happened
- Cosori scaled to millions of units on a heating assembly whose wire connection could overheat under use — the defect surfaced as fires and melting long before the recall was announced.
- The recall only happened after 205 incident reports had accumulated across three countries, including 56 in Canada and 10 burn injuries — the pattern was visible months before regulators acted.
- The remedy destroyed the product: every owner had to cut the cord and prove it, and Cosori shipped a free replacement — the full cost of the defect landed on the company.
The lesson
A wire connection that could overheat stayed in millions of kitchens until 205 fires forced a recall. Stress-test the parts that carry current — replacing 2.2M units costs more than the test.
Aftermath
The recall covered 22 models sold in the US, Canada and Mexico. Owners who registered received a free replacement air fryer or another Cosori product; the only proof required was a photo of the unit with its cord cut. Cosori set up recall.cosori.com and a call centre for the exchange and told owners to stop using the fryers immediately. The joint CPSC and Health Canada announcement listed ten minor burn injuries and 23 reports of minor property damage among the 205 incidents.
Sources
- Global News — Cosori recalling millions of air fryers for fire risk, injuries reported in Canada (Feb 2023)
- Yahoo News Canada — More than 2 million Cosori air fryers recalled after reports of appliances 'catching fire, burning, melting' (Feb 2023)
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
Frigidaire's gas ranges delayed ignition long enough to build up gas
191,000 Aroeve air purifiers recalled after 37 overheating reports
Panasonic recalled 11,480 toaster ovens over an exposed power cord
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.