The federal government has told the owners of about 393,000 electric pressure cookers to stop using them at once and throw them away — because the company that imported them has refused to recall them, or to offer owners anything at all.
In a warning issued October 15, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said the lid of the 6-quart Power Quick Pot, model Y6D-36, sold under the Tristar Products brand, “can open while pressurized, causing hot contents to be expelled unexpectedly.” The commission said it had 24 reports of the cookers expelling hot contents, “resulting in serious burn injuries.”
“CPSC urges consumers to stop using the pressure cookers immediately and dispose of them,” the warning says. “Do not sell or give away these hazardous products.”
Then comes the sentence that makes this warning different from a normal recall: “The importer, Tristar Products, Inc., of Altamonte Springs, Florida, has refused to recall these products or offer a remedy to consumers.”
A warning, not a recall — and that difference costs owners money
Most defective products leave the market through a recall, which usually comes with a refund, a repair or a replacement. A CPSC warning is what the agency issues when a company will not agree to one. There is no refund program, no repair kit and no company contact line in the notice. The CPSC instead tells consumers to dispose of the cooker and to report incidents at SaferProducts.gov.
The cookers sold for about $44 to $160, according to consumer-press coverage of the warning. For owners, the practical result is simple: a kitchen appliance they paid for is now, on the federal government’s advice, garbage — with no compensation from the company that sold it.
The company has said nothing
Tristar Products has made no public statement about the warning since it was issued on October 15. The CPSC notice itself contains no response from the company.
Zark News asked Tristar why it declined a recall, whether it disputes the CPSC’s finding that the lid can open under pressure, and whether it will now offer owners a refund or replacement. Zark News also asked the CPSC whether it is considering further enforcement action. Neither responded by Zark News’s October 21 deadline.
The resale problem the warning creates
Because there is no recall, there is also no buyback — and the cookers are still in homes, closets and the second-hand market. The CPSC’s instruction not to sell or give the cookers away is aimed at exactly that risk: a product too dangerous to use is also too dangerous to hand to someone else.
Zark News found resale listings for the exact model still indexed online after the warning, including an eBay listing for a complete Y6D-36 cooker priced at $34.95. Zark News could not confirm on October 23 whether that listing remained purchasable; eBay restricts automated access to its pages. (One earlier eBay listing for the model, also priced at about $35, ended in January 2026.)
When Zark News checked on October 18, no major retailer was offering the cooker new — Amazon’s original product page showed no featured offers, and Walmart listed none — consistent with reports that sales of the model ended in November 2023.
How to check yours
The warning covers 6-quart Power Quick Pot electric pressure cookers, model Y6D-36, made in China: stainless steel body, black pressure lid, button controls and a digital display, with “Power Quick Pot” printed on the front and the model number on a label on the back. If yours matches: stop using it, dispose of it, do not sell or give it away, and report any incident at SaferProducts.gov or via the CPSC hotline, 800-638-2772.
Zark News sent written questions to Tristar Products and the CPSC on October 18, 2026, and gave a response deadline of October 21. Neither responded by the deadline. This story will be updated if they do.
