June 27, 2023
Dear Chairman Hoehn-Saric and Commissioners Feldman, Trumka, and Boyle:
Consumer Reports, the independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan member organization, writes regarding the BlendJet 2, a battery-powered personal portable blender, that is linked to reports of serious mechanical and electrical hazards. We ask the CPSC to urgently investigate these reports and take all necessary steps to protect the public.
Recently, CR analyzed saferproducts.gov reports and publicly available reviews and found numerous complaints connecting the BlendJet 2 to serious hazards. These reported hazards included broken blades from regular use, overheating, and melted charging cables.
Specifically, CR found seven reports on saferproducts.gov and numerous reviews on bbb.org that reference these hazards. In one saferproducts.gov report, a consumer states that their BlendJet 2 was charging, caught fire, and then “exploded and started a larger fire in our kitchen,” and also reports that “the fire chief identified the rechargeable battery as the cause of the explosion.” Another person reports that the “tips of the blending blades broke off,” and they “possibly swallowed one of them.” Basic statements from BlendJet have been posted publicly in response to these two reports, but not to the other five reports on saferproducts.gov.
The BlendJet 2 is not currently included in CR’s blender ratings, and CR has not yet spoken to the manufacturer directly. All models in our personal blender ratings are corded, which is a current criterion for inclusion. CR now has samples of the BlendJet 2 in-house, and we are determining next steps for evaluating the product. In the meantime, we want to alert the CPSC, given the need for an investigation and the potential impact on the safety of the public.
The reported issues associated with the BlendJet 2 may put consumers at risk of injury or death. Moreover, we are concerned this product may not be certified to applicable standards, such as UL 982. The CPSC should immediately investigate potential hazards tied to this product and take all actions that may be needed to alert the public to safety risks and protect them from harm.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Sincerely,
Ashita Kapoor, Associate Director, Product Safety
William Wallace, Associate Director, Safety Policy
Oriene Shin, Policy Counsel
Click here for letter to CPSC.