Overheating Nutribullet blenders may be burning users

It turns out that Samsung hardware owners aren’t the only ones who need be concerned over exploding hardware. A number of Nutribullet users have reported that their blenders have exploded and/or overheated, in some cases causing nasty burns.

The past six months have seen a number of reports of hardware overheating and in some cases exploding, most commonly because of troublesome lithium-ion batteries, but that’s not always the case. A report initially raised on Australian news show Today Tonight Adelaide, suggests that even a mains-powered blender, the Nutribullet, is at risk of exploding.

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Several users reported to the program that they had experienced burns after their Nutribullet exploded. In one case, the blades appeared to spin faster than usual before exploding, while in another the mechanism that turns the blade shattered and “sent [the] Nutribullet flying,” as per Good Housekeeping. And unfortunately, these incidents keep happening. In May, Good Housekeeping published another report of a woman whose exploding Nutribullet allegedly gave her second-degree burns.

As Cristal Miranda told 41 KSHB Kansas City, she was using the power blender to prepare refried beans. Miranda claimed that the beans had been cooling for more than two hours when she placed them in the Nutribullet, and while her particular model features a “souperblast” setting that allows users to work with hot contents, Miranda says she wasn’t using that setting. “When I went to open them, it felt warm,” she said of the beans, “When I went to open it that thing burst like completely.”

In some Nutribullet models, hot contents can cause warping and pressure buildup, especially if the blender is operated in excess of one minute. But Miranda noted, “I didn’t push the button for the heating. There’s a little circle that you click on. I didn’t do that because I was going to refry them.” But regardless, the beans ended up very hot, and when ejected out of the blender, struck Miranda in the face and the chest, leaving her with severe burns.

“I can sort of remember my screaming. Because I’ve never felt so much pain, immediately I dropped to the floor,” said Miranda. Her doctors have informed her that recovery period could take up to a year.

Legal action is being taken against Nutribullet. In the case of one man, who claims his face was burned when he was using the blender to make a sauce, his legal representative suggested that there was far too little warning information about the potential for explosions on Nutribullet packaging and literature.

The attorney warned that millions of people owned the Nutribullet blender and were unaware of its potential hazards.

Although Nutribullet owner Homeland Housewares, has yet to issue an official statement in response to the original Australian news report, it has in the past suggested that explosions were possibly the fault of counterfeit blenders built without the safety considerations of the official brand (thanks Metro).

We may need to learn more about this potential issue from the manufacturer before making any judgment, but if you use a Nutribullet, be aware of potential overuse, and of any overheating components.

Article originally published in March 2017. Updated on 05-04-2017 by Lulu Chang: Added news of another Nutribullet explosion.