Over 300,000 Air Fryers Sold at Walmart, Target Recalled After Users Suffer Burns

Empower Brands recalled 319,000 air fryers over a faulty part that may lead to burns, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

The company recalled two models — the black- and cinnamon-colored PowerX DUAF-10 and DUAF-005 Vortex dual-basket air fryers — after it received 41 reports of the air fryers breaking during use, involving three burns. The recalled products are sold both online and in stores at Target, Walmart and Kohl's, as well as other stores across the U.S. between August 2021 and October 2023, retailing for between $60 and $190, depending on the model.

A plastic piece that can be used to connect two foods inside the air fryer was found to potentially break during use, posing a burn hazard, according to the commission. The agency said people who own the air fryers should immediately stop using them and contact Empower for a full refund.

Air fryers boomed in popularity during the pandemic, with sales increasing by 76% between 2020 and 2021, totaling 25.6 million units sold or nearly $1 billion in sales, according to a report by The NPD Group. Videos tagged with the hashtag #airfryerrecipes have 4.5 billion views on TikTok, with people sharing easy recipes to make in the countertop-friendly convection ovens.

Despite their popularity and convenience, however, there have been several recalls of air fryers due to fire and burn risks. In February, small home-appliance company Cosori recalled 2 million air fryers in the U.S., Mexico and Canada due to hundreds of reports of the air fryers “catching fire, burning, melting, overheating and smoking.”

Similarly, Secura in September recalled about 6,400 air fryers over fire and burn hazards. A wire connection in those air fryers can overheat, resulting in a risk of fire or burns, the company found after receiving nine reports of the air fryers catching fire, burning and smoking.