SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20250107-3D387-2147334082. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Cuisinart DFP-14BCN (Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor (Model DFP-14BCN)). Incident: I would like to report a serious and dangerous small appliance malfunction that occurred with a Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor (Model DFP-14BCN). We purchased this food processor just under 6 years ago. On average, we use it once every other week. We have had no problems with it in the past. The appliance sits on a marble countertop with plenty of space around it. It was plugged in as usual, but it was clearly turned off at the time of the malfunction. It had last been used 24 hours prior. During the afternoon of January 6, 2025, the food processor suddenly turned on. The blade spinning noise was heard by multiple people in the house who went to the kitchen to investigate. A few seconds later, the appliance started to emit heavy gray smoke and the scent of burning plastic. We quickly unplugged it and placed it outside in the snow. While moving the appliance outside, it was noted that the underside metal components were glowing red and sparking. Afterwards, we checked the standard electrical socket that the appliance was plugged into in the kitchen wall and found no damage or abnormalities. There was no lightning outside or any other obvious external cause. No other electrical devices in the house were affected, and no house circuit breakers tripped. To be frank, if we had not been home at the time, this event could have easily started a house fire. Luckily there were no injuries.