Kmart shoppers are demanding the urgent recall of a popular kitchen buy owned by millions amid fears is may cause “death or injury”.
The retail giant’s 7-Cup Rice Cooker has attracted complaints from a band of consumers who have all reported experiencing the same issue with the gadget, which is priced at $14.
They says the gadget poses a fire risk, claiming that it has overheated, started letting off smoke, burned in places and let off a “chemical” smell after just a few uses.
Stream the world’s best reality, entertainment and true-crime shows free on 7plus >>
One Facebook user issued an “urgent warning”, demanding that Kmart address the issue immediately.
“Please recall your rice cookers! There are so many reports on the web of them burning out and catching fire,” the Kmart shopper wrote.
“They are dangerous! Our first rice cooker from you was great – lasted five years without issue. We have now purchased three in the last three months and all have burnt out with acrid smelling smoke on the first use.
“The last one was smoking so badly but was drawing electricity and we had to unplug it and race it outside.
“You have numerous customer reports on the web of these catching on fire. Is it going to take someone’s house to burn down before you recall them?”
A Kmart spokesperson has told 7NEWS.com.au that the product “complies with all required standards” and that it investigates any issues raised by customers (see full statement below).
7NEWS.com.au understands that Kmart’s rice cooker is protected by number of protection circuits to prevent overheating and fire.
However the heating element can overheat if the inner pot is not placed firmly flat on the heating plate during use or the bowl is damaged during use.
While the product has a 4.6 rating based on 696 reviews on the Kmart website, it is a different story on other review pages.
On Productreview.com.au, 15 reviewers have reported having the dangerous issues with the Kmart Rice Cooker.
“Agree – this product has a serious problem, should be recalled,” said one.
“Haven’t had mine that long. While using it today, it overheated and the parts started to burn. Luckily I smelt it. I came over to find smoke coming out of the ‘Warm/Cook’ button area.
“I really do think this needs to be recalled. Difficult to see in the photo but there is burnt/browning of the surface under the silver hotplate.”
Another urged customers to “please do not buy”.
“Purchased this month, third time using, we could smell a chemical burn from the product,” the reviewer wrote.
“Quickly unplugged it — all of the base is burnt. Very lucky we were close by otherwise it may of caused damage.
“Needs to be recalled immediately.”
One more warned that the gadget posed a “risk of death or injury”.
“Do not buy this rice cooker, it will catch fire,” one said.
“My house could have burned down. I can’t believe Kmart is still selling this product. Kmart should be ashamed of themselves knowing by all these reviews that it’s unsafe and it;s still on the shelves.
“I’ll be taking this further before somebody ends up dead.”
Another reviewer wrote: “Not even two months old, used five times and could smell a burning/electrical stench wile sitting on my back patio.
“Lucky I went to investigate and smell came from the rice cooker. Unplugged from wall and even the cord was hot and burn marks inside the bottom of the cooker housing.
“Big fire hazzard.”
Kmart responds
A Kmart spokesperson has encouraged anyone with an issue with its 7-Cup Rice Cooker to contact their local store.
“At Kmart, we take the quality and safety of all our products very seriously,” the spokesperson said.
“While this product complies with all required standards we investigate any quality issues that are raised with us.
“We encourage any customer who experiences an issue with a product to get in touch with our customer service team to ensure that it can be investigated properly.”
7NEWS.com.au understands that Kmart has sold this particular product for a number of years there has been no fire or electrical safety issue identified.