European Union Says Tower One-Touch Pressure Cooker Is Under Recall

There's significant confusion over the possible recall of a European-made pressure cooker sold on Amazon that has been causing pressure cooker explosions. According to a post from Europe's RAPEX, the Rapid Alert System for Non-Food Products, the 6-Liter Stainless Steel One-Touch Pressure Cooker from brand Tower is dangerous and shouldn't be used. In fact, the European Union outlet says the pressure cooker is recalled.

European Union Announces Recall Of Tower Pressure Cooker

In an alert submitted by European Union member nation France, regulators write: "the working pressure of the safety device and the mechanical resistance of the opening systems are inadequate. If the lid is opened abruptly, the lid's gasket may be ejected from the lid causing hot liquid to shoot out of the pressure cooker. It is also possible that the upper part of the manometric rod may become partially detached and therefore the safe opening system no longer works properly."

Tower Disputes Recall, Says Product Is Safe

Sounds pretty cut-and-dried, doesn't it? RAPEX, an arm of the European Union, comes out and says the Tower One-Touch Pressure Cooker is defective and dangerous. The product sounds like a mess, one able to cause severe and permanent life-threatening injuries to consumers. The only problem? Tower says it's not true. At least, the company isn't aware of any recall.

Which?, a UK-based consumer safety organization, reported on this story first, publishing a blog post on the RAPEX announcement on February 11, 2019. But the next day, the organization was informed by Tower Housewares, a company based in Britain, that it wasn't aware of any recall. Tower says it has no knowledge that its pressure cooker is under a recall.

The company also said that it has all of the applicable European Union test certifications that certify the pressure cooker as safe to use. Tower says there have been no reported safety incidents with the model in the United Kingdom, though it provided no details on possible incidents occurring in other European countries.

Confusion Emerges Over Pressure Cooker Recall

Strange, isn't it? If we believe the European Union's official product safety service, Tower's 6-liter One Touch Stainless Steel pressure cooker is under an urgent safety recall, but the company itself has no knowledge of this. The RAPEX alert even provides details on the "recall," saying affected models have the model number T90103 printed on the base of the pressure cooker, with the barcode 5055195872791 on the box. And the announcement clearly states that "the product does not comply with the requirements of the Pressure Equipment Directive and the relevant European standard EN 12778."

What To Do If You Have An Affected Pressure Cooker

Which? says that, while it's the responsibility of a manufacturer to inform customers of a product recall, there's no information on the recall on Tower's website. That's certainly true. Tower's page for Product Recalls features no relevant information. As we wait for updates, Which? advises all consumers who own a Tower One Touch Stainless Steel pressure cooker to stop using the product immediately.

For more pressure cooker lawsuits, see: Colorado Family Files Instant Pot Lawsuit After Pressure Cooker Explosion