A Texas woman claims that the Ambiano 9-in-1 programmable pressure cooker (made by Aldi, Inc.) exploded while she was using it and caused her to suffer from substantial burn injuries. She filed a lawsuit against the company in the U.S. District Court for the District of Texas and seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
This is one of many pressure cooker lawsuits that have gone through the court system, filed by customers who trusted that the products were safe as advertised and then allegedly got hurt. Earlier this year, a Louisiana man also filed a personal injury lawsuit against Aldi, alleging that the same pressure cooker unexpectedly exploded and burned him.
Aldi Pressure Cooker’s Safety Devices Allegedly Failed to Perform as Expected
According to the Texas plaintiff’s complaint, she was using her pressure cooker when she was able to rotate and open the lid while the unit was still under pressure. Its scalding hot contents were forcefully ejected onto her—something she claims was the result of the cooker’s supposed “safety devices” failing to work as expected.
The Louisiana plaintiff made similar claims, stating that the cooker’s safety features failed and allowed him to open the lid while the cooker was still under pressure. His complaint refers to the Aldi 9-in-1 programmable pressure cooker’s user manual, which describes the safety devices on page 16.
Specifically, the manual states that the cooker is equipped with the following:
- Float Valve: The float valve is supposed to pop up and lock the lid while the pressure is building up in the cooker. “When the float valve pops up,” the manual reads, “never attempt to open the lid of the pressure cooker.”
- Pressure Regulator: This allows the user to release extra pressure when needed so they can safely open the lid.
- Lid Position Sensor: This monitors whether the lid is in a safe position for pressure cooking.
Both plaintiffs claim that these safety devices didn’t work as expected, and allege that they were able to open the lids with normal force while the units remained pressurized, even though it looked like all the pressure had been released.
Hundreds of Thousands of Pressure Cookers Recalled for Burn Hazards
Many pressure cookers have been recalled because of burn hazards. In October 2023, for example, Best Buy recalled about 930,000 Insignia pressure cookers because they had incorrect volume markings on the inner pot. This could cause consumers to mistakenly overfill the pot, which could lead to the contents being ejected when the pressure cooker is vented.
A couple of months before that, Sensio recalled Bella, Bella Pro Series, Cooks, and Crux electric and stovetop pressure cookers due to a potential burn hazard. About 860,000 units were affected. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) noted that the pressure cooker’s lid could be unlocked and removed during use, causing the hot contents to unexpectedly splash out, potentially burning customers.
At the time of the recall, Sensio had received 63 reports of incidents, including 61 burn injuries. Some of these involved second-and third-degree burns to the face, torso, arms, and hands.
Exclusively focused on representing plaintiffs, especially in mass tort litigation, Eric Chaffin prides himself on providing unsurpassed professional legal services in pursuit of the specific goals of his clients and their families. Both his work and his cases have been featured in the national press, including on ABC’s Good Morning America.
