Pressure Cooker Recalls and Reported Problems

Electric pressure cookers and multi-cookers are sold on the promise that they are safer than the rattling stovetop pots of the past. For the most part they are, but the same fault keeps appearing in US recall notices: a lid that can be opened, or comes off, while the pot is still under pressure. This page summarizes the main recalls announced through the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), one official warning that is not a recall, and the everyday problems owners run into that have nothing to do with a defect.

The main pressure cooker recalls

Figures and remedies come from the CPSC notices linked under Sources. We could not confirm which remedy programs are still open. The Insignia unit count is left out because we could not read it in the notice.

A warning that is not a recall: Gourmia GPC625

On February 24, 2026 the CPSC issued a public warning about Gourmia GPC625 six-quart digital pressure cookers, about 43,500 of which were sold between 2017 and 2020, most of them at Best Buy. The agency says the cooker can be opened while still under pressure, that the float valve is hard to see, and that the pot’s volume markings are inaccurate. It had five incident reports, four involving severe burns.

The difference matters to owners. A warning is what the CPSC issues when no recall it considers acceptable has been agreed, so there is no refund or replacement program to claim from. The agency’s advice is to stop using the cooker and dispose of it.

What about Instant Pot?

We found two CPSC notices from Double Insight, the company then behind the brand, and neither is about lids. A 2015 recall covered about 1,000 Instant Pot cookers because of an electric shock risk. A 2018 recall by the same company covered multicookers sold at Walmart because of a fire hazard; read that notice for the models involved. We found no Instant Pot recall for a lid opening under pressure, but a search is not proof, so check your model on the CPSC site.

How to check your cooker

1. Unplug it and let it cool. The model number is on the rating label, which is on the side or the underside depending on the brand.
2. Compare it with the notice. With the Ninja recall, a code printed after the model number is not part of the model: a label reading “OP301 I07” is an OP301.
3. If it matches, stop pressure cooking and contact the company. See how to check whether a product has been recalled for other brands, and how recall refunds work if the company does not respond.

Reported problems that are not defects

Consumer Reports’ guidance on multi-cookers describes several ways owners get into difficulty with cookers that are working as designed:

• Overfilling. Pressure can push liquid out through the vent. Stay below the maximum fill line, and below halfway for beans, grains and other foods that swell.
• A lid that is not fully locked. Reporting on the Crock-Pot recall, Consumer Reports said the company named overfilling, failing to lock the lid and misusing the quick-release valve as the common errors behind detached lids.
• Venting too soon. Releasing pressure quickly can spray hot liquid. Letting the pressure fall on its own for about ten minutes first is the gentler method.
• The burn warning. Consumer Reports’ testers repeatedly triggered a “food burn” alert while making chilli in one model. It is a safety cut-out, most often set off by thick or starchy food sitting on the base.
• A sealing ring that smells. The silicone ring holds food odors. Consumer Reports suggests a short soak in vinegar before washing, and keeping a second ring for sweet dishes.
• It is not as fast as the box suggests. Coming up to pressure and releasing it can each add ten to fifteen minutes.

Buying one now

• Search the model number on the CPSC site first. This matters most for second-hand cookers, because several of these recalls cover models sold years ago.
• Look at how clearly the lid shows that it is locked, and whether you can see the float valve.
• Register it, keep the manual, and read the fill limits before the first use. An air fryer or any other counter-top cooker deserves the same check; small kitchen appliance safety has the general rules.

How we researched this

This summary is based on CPSC recall notices and one CPSC warning, and on Consumer Reports’ published guidance on using multi-cookers. We did not test any cooker. The recalls apply to the listed models only, and the incident counts are those reported when each notice was issued.