Bodum Recalls 5.9 Million French Presses Over Burn Risk
Bodum USA is recalling about 5.9 million French press coffee makers after 70 reports of glass carafes breaking, 48 of them involving burns.
Bodum USA, the American arm of the European coffee equipment maker Bodum, is recalling about 5.9 million French press coffee makers because their glass carafes can break unexpectedly during use and scald the people using them. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the federal agency that oversees the safety of household goods, announced the recall on Thursday, Oct. 29. It covers presses sold across the country over more than five decades.
According to the CPSC, Bodum USA has received 70 reports of carafes breaking while in use, and 48 of those reports involved consumers who were burned. Owners are not being offered refunds or new carafes. The company is instead sending a free plastic stirring spoon and a warning label.
What is being recalled
The recall applies to 8-cup and 12-cup Bodum French presses with replaceable glass carafes. The CPSC notice lists eight model lines:
- Bistro
- Brazil
- Caffettiera
- Chambord
- Crema
- Java
- Jesper
- Kenya
The presses were sold from 1974 through October 2026 at Target, Walmart, and coffee and home goods stores nationwide. They were also sold online through Bodum.com, Amazon.com, Target.com, Walmart.com and other websites. They typically cost about $15 to $65. The CPSC said the products were made in Portugal and Thailand and imported by New York-based Bodum USA.
Owners can usually identify a recalled press by the Bodum name, which appears on the frame and inner lid of most models. The glass carafes are also engraved with the Bodum name and product warnings.
Why the carafes can break
The safety agency said a carafe that is damaged or cracked can break without warning while in use, putting people at risk of serious burns from hot water and coffee. The CPSC and Daily Coffee News, a trade publication covering the coffee industry, both pointed to a common habit as a source of that damage: stirring the coffee with a metal spoon or other metal utensil, which can weaken the glass and lead to breakage later.
The CPSC told consumers to stop using metal spoons or utensils to stir coffee in the glass carafe immediately, and not to use any carafe that is cracked or damaged.
What the company says
In a statement distributed through PR Newswire, Bodum described itself as a family-owned business founded in Denmark in 1944. It said its products are made from high-quality materials and meet or exceed relevant safety standards, and that it takes every injury report seriously.
The company said that, given how many presses it has sold in the U.S. over the decades, “the rate of reported incidents involving carafe breakage during use is extremely low.” It described the recall as a way to “reinforce warnings against using a cracked or damaged carafe” and against stirring with metal utensils. Bodum’s statement does not describe a manufacturing defect. It presents the hazard as one linked to how the presses are used and cared for.
Bodum also said it is the North American market leader in its product category. It said presses sold from now on will come with the plastic spoon and the extra warning label.
What owners should do
The CPSC classifies the remedy as a repair. Owners can ask Bodum for the free plastic spoon and warning label, which reminds users not to put metal utensils in the carafe and not to use a cracked or damaged one. A Bodum USA customer service representative told CBS News that the company is not offering refunds, and Daily Coffee News reported that no replacement units are being provided.
Consumers can reach Bodum USA toll-free at 888-879-8213 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, or by email at Bodum3302@sedgwick.com. Recall information is also posted at bodumfrenchpressrecall.expertinquiry.com and on Bodum.com under “Recall Information.” The CPSC lists the action as recall number 27-055.
The size of the recall is unusual for a simple kitchen product. Because Bodum’s presses have been sold for more than 50 years and the glass carafes can be replaced, many households may have an affected unit still in use, even if it was bought years ago.
