Yes, there is an active lawsuit against Amazon involving defective Instant Pot pressure cookers that have caused serious burn injuries. On November 3, 2025, plaintiff Ashley Nicole Chandre filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for Colorado after suffering severe burns when her Instant Pot—purchased from Amazon in June 2023—malfunctioned while pressurized in December 2023. The pressure cooker’s faulty lid lock mechanism allowed the lid to open while the contents remained under pressure, causing scalding liquid and food to explode outward and burn her.
Settlement estimates for similar burn injuries range from $125,000 to $950,000 depending on injury severity, making this a significant litigation landscape for affected consumers. The defects in these pressure cookers stem from manufacturing failures in critical safety components. Rather than isolated incidents, these lid and pressure indicator failures represent a pattern that led Instant Brands itself to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2023—a move driven by mounting litigation costs over safety defects combined with unsustainable debt.
Table of Contents
- What Exactly Are the Pressure Cooker Defects in the Amazon Instant Pot Lawsuit?
- How Do These Pressure Cooker Defects Cause Severe Burn Injuries?
- What Are the Estimated Settlement Amounts for Instant Pot Burn Injuries?
- Why Did Instant Brands File for Bankruptcy Over These Pressure Cooker Lawsuits?
- What CPSC Recalls Have Been Issued for Defective Instant Pot Pressure Cookers?
- What Legal Claims Are Included in the Instant Pot Lawsuit Against Amazon?
- Who Can File a Claim for Instant Pot Burn Injuries and What Are the Next Steps?
What Exactly Are the Pressure Cooker Defects in the Amazon Instant Pot Lawsuit?
The Instant Pot pressure cookers at the center of this litigation shipped with faulty lid lock mechanisms or failed pressure indicator systems that allowed lids to open while the internal contents remained under dangerously high pressure. In a functioning pressure cooker, the lid should lock firmly in place and refuse to open until pressure inside has normalized to safe levels. The defective units either failed to lock properly or showed incorrect pressure readings, creating a false impression that it was safe to open the lid. When a consumer attempted to open a pressurized cooker, the sudden release of pressure caused the superheated liquid and food inside to violently erupt.
These aren’t design issues that only affect extreme users or unusual circumstances—they represent manufacturing defects that could trigger on any pressurized cycle. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) specifically recalled the Instant Pot Gem 65 8-in-1 Multi-Cooker (model IP-DUO60) due to lid detachment caused by manufacturing defects in the lid hinge. This recall demonstrates that regulators and the company itself acknowledged systemic problems in the production process. A key limitation to understand: not every Instant Pot unit from this era has failed, which is why determining whether your specific cooker is affected requires checking the model number against recall lists rather than assuming all units from that period are dangerous.
How Do These Pressure Cooker Defects Cause Severe Burn Injuries?
Pressure cookers operate by trapping steam and raising the temperature inside to cook food faster. A standard Instant Pot reaches pressures of 5.7 to 6.2 PSI with internal temperatures exceeding 240°F (116°C). When a lid opens while pressurized, the sudden decompression releases all that trapped heat and steam outward in an explosion. The scalding liquid that escapes can reach temperatures that cause third-degree burns instantly, even on minimal contact. In Ashley Chandre’s case, the defective lid allowed pressurized contents to escape, resulting in serious burn injuries that justified her lawsuit against Amazon.
However, if the pressure cooker functions correctly and the user follows safety instructions, these devices are generally safe for home cooking. The risk comes specifically from the manufacturing defects that bypass built-in safety mechanisms. Even a conscious consumer who checks the pressure indicator before opening could be misled by a failed pressure gauge that shows safe levels when pressure remains dangerous. This is why the defect is particularly harmful—it targets the exact moment when a consumer believes they have verified safety and is about to open the device. The burn injuries resulting from these explosions range from first-degree burns affecting small skin areas to severe third and fourth-degree burns requiring hospitalization, skin grafts, and extensive recovery, which explains why settlement amounts can exceed $900,000 for the most serious cases.
What Are the Estimated Settlement Amounts for Instant Pot Burn Injuries?
Individual settlements for Instant Pot burn injury lawsuits are estimated between $125,000 to $950,000 depending on the severity of the injuries sustained. A consumer who suffered minor burns might receive closer to the lower end of this range, while those who experienced severe third-degree burns, required hospitalization, underwent skin grafts, or face permanent scarring typically settle in the $400,000 to $950,000 range. These figures are based on broader pressure cooker settlement precedents and the documented injury severity in cases like the one filed by Ashley Chandre in November 2025.
To put these amounts in perspective, broader pressure cooker settlements across the industry have ranged from $25,000 to over $2,000,000 depending on the circumstances and extent of injuries. The variation reflects real differences in medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and permanent disability. A person who needed only outpatient treatment for limited burns would fall at the lower end, whereas someone who required emergency surgery, prolonged hospitalization, multiple skin graft procedures, and faces permanent disfigurement could justify claims at the higher end. The actual settlement any individual receives depends on documented medical evidence, the degree of negligence the court finds on Amazon’s and Instant Brands’ part, and whether the case settles or goes to trial.
Why Did Instant Brands File for Bankruptcy Over These Pressure Cooker Lawsuits?
Instant Brands, the manufacturer of Instant Pot pressure cookers, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 12, 2023, with mounting litigation over safety defects cited as a major factor alongside unsustainable debt. The company faced numerous lawsuits from consumers injured by defective pressure cookers—cases involving the exact lid lock and pressure indicator failures documented in this 2025 lawsuit against Amazon. Legal costs from defending these cases, combined with potential liability exposure from injury settlements, became financially unmanageable. The company emerged from bankruptcy on February 27, 2024, as Corelle Brands, which now owns and manages the Instant Pot brand and its associated liabilities.
The bankruptcy restructuring created a complex liability landscape for injured consumers. Corelle Brands is now responsible for the liabilities associated with pre-bankruptcy defective products, but the bankruptcy process affected claim procedures and settlement options. For consumers injured by Instant Pots purchased before the 2024 emergence date, claims may be structured differently than for injuries from products sold after the bankruptcy restructuring. Understanding which entity was responsible at the time of your injury—the original Instant Brands, the bankruptcy estate, or the post-emergence Corelle Brands—affects where you file your claim and what court handles your case.
What CPSC Recalls Have Been Issued for Defective Instant Pot Pressure Cookers?
The Consumer Product Safety Commission specifically recalled the Instant Pot Gem 65 8-in-1 Multi-Cooker (model IP-DUO60) due to lid detachment caused by manufacturing defects in the lid hinge assembly. This recall represents the most directly relevant CPSC action related to the pressure cooker lid failures documented in current lawsuits. The recall required consumers to stop using the affected units and contact the manufacturer for a replacement or refund. However, the recall was not automatic—consumers had to identify their model number and take action themselves, meaning some people may still be using recalled units without realizing it.
The limitation here is important to understand: a recall doesn’t prevent injury—it only provides a mechanism for remediation after the defect is identified. If you purchased an Instant Pot before CPSC formally issued the recall for your model, you may have been using a defective unit without warning. Additionally, the Gem 65 model (IP-DUO60) recall is specifically for that model, but other Instant Pot models may have similar or related defects. If you own an Instant Pot that was purchased around the same manufacturing period (2022-2023) and experienced a malfunction or escape of pressurized contents, it’s worth checking the CPSC website to see if your specific model has a recall or warning associated with it.
What Legal Claims Are Included in the Instant Pot Lawsuit Against Amazon?
The lawsuit filed by Ashley Chandre against Amazon includes multiple legal claims based on different theories of liability. The primary claims are: design defect (the pressure cooker was inherently unsafe due to flaws in how it was engineered), failure to warn (Amazon and the manufacturer failed to adequately warn consumers about the risk of lid failure), negligence (the company failed to exercise reasonable care in manufacturing and selling a safe product), and breach of implied warranty of merchantability (the product was not fit for its ordinary purpose of safely cooking food under pressure). These claims target both the product defect itself and the failure to communicate known risks to consumers. Design defect claims argue that the lid lock mechanism or pressure indicator should have been engineered differently to prevent failure.
Failure to warn claims focus on whether Amazon and Instant Brands adequately informed consumers about the specific risks of lid failure and what could happen if they opened a pressurized cooker. Negligence claims examine whether the manufacturer exercised reasonable quality control and testing before shipping the products. Breach of warranty claims assert that a consumer paying for an Instant Pot reasonably expects it to be safe to use for its intended purpose. When successful, these claims can result in damages covering medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and sometimes punitive damages intended to punish particularly negligent conduct.
Who Can File a Claim for Instant Pot Burn Injuries and What Are the Next Steps?
If you purchased an Instant Pot from Amazon (or elsewhere) and suffered burn injuries from a lid failure or pressure cooker malfunction, you may be eligible to file a claim in the ongoing litigation. You should document your injury with medical records, photograph any permanent scarring or damage, preserve the defective pressure cooker itself if possible, and gather your purchase receipt showing when and where you bought the unit. The timeline is important—statutes of limitations vary by state, but you generally have a limited window to file a claim, so acting soon is critical.
The next step is to consult with a lawyer experienced in product liability cases, particularly those handling pressure cooker or Instant Pot litigation. Many attorneys handling these cases work on a contingency basis, meaning they only collect fees if you win a settlement or judgment. An attorney can evaluate your specific injuries against the settlement range ($125,000-$950,000), determine the appropriate defendants (Amazon, Instant Brands, Corelle Brands), identify which court has jurisdiction based on where you live, and handle all filing procedures. Given the complexity of the bankruptcy restructuring and multiple potential defendants, professional legal guidance is essential to maximize your recovery.
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