SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20240701-55BE2-2147338269. Severity: Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received. Product: Mueller MR-220 (Mueller Retro Toaster 2 Slice with 7 Browning Levels and 3 Functions: Reheat, Defrost & Cancel, Stainless Steel Features, Removable Crumb Tray, Under Base Cord Storage, White Material: Stainless Steel Product Dimensions: 6.5"D x 11.5"W x 6.9"H). Incident: I am writing to report a serious safety issue with a toaster I purchased from Amazon, sold by MUELLERHOME. The toaster was new, and I was using it for the very first time. It has 8 settings, and I turned it to level 2. According to the product description and images on Amazon, level 2 is supposed to slightly brown the bread and take 80 seconds. However, when I was alerted by the smoke alarm, at least three minutes had passed. Upon inspection, I found the toaster still on and the kitchen filled with smoke. The kitchen cabinet directly above the toaster had turned brown from the smoke. While no physical injuries occurred, the house was almost set on fire by the malfunctioning toaster. There was smoke everywhere, and even the upstairs had a strong smell. Despite opening all windows and doors, the strong smell still persists now after almost two hours. Breathing in the smoke for hours is very damaging to my health, my tenant's health, and my pet's health. Given that there are multiple reviews indicating similar issues with this toaster, it is clear that this product poses a significant safety hazard. I urge an immediate investigation to prevent potential harm to other consumers.