Nearly 200,000 Blender Bottles Sold at Target Recalled Due to Blade Hazard

In one incident, a customer was able to remove the bottle while the blades were still engaged.

An image of the recalled Vivitar Blender Bottle. Consumer Product Safety Commission

New Jersey-based Sakar International Inc. is recalling nearly 200,000 blender bottles across the United States because they pose a safety risk, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

“Blades can continue to operate when the bottle is not attached to the blender, posing a laceration hazard,” the CPSC said in an April 3 recall notice of around 199,000 Vivitar Blender Bottles.

Sakar “has received one report where the consumer was able to remove the bottle from the base while the blades were engaged. No injuries have been reported,” the notice said.

The withdrawn products, which were made in China, were sold exclusively via Target’s online store nationwide between December 2024 and January 2025 for roughly $5 each.

The bottles are made of clear plastic with a white plastic base and top. Codes “MID #5220824” and “ITEM: ES15-BB-TA” are printed at the base of each bottle.

“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled blender bottles and contact Sakar for instructions on how to receive a full refund in the form of a $5 Target gift card or a check, and a pre-paid return shipping label,” the notice said.

“The recalled blender must be returned to Sakar to receive the refund. Proof of purchase (receipt) is not required. Consumers should not return the recalled units to Target stores.”

Multiple recalls for products have been issued in recent times over laceration risks.

Last month, New York-based Sensio withdrew around 12,300 units of steam espresso machines made in China after finding out that the “brew cup handle can forcefully eject during use, shattering the glass carafe and posing a burn and laceration hazard.”

The company received “18 reports of the handles ejecting, eight of which reported burn and/or laceration injuries.”

In February, Wisconsin-based Ariens Company recalled roughly 6,260 units of U.S.-made snow throwers as some parts of the machine could continue rotating even after the operator control lever was released.

Injuries and Recalls

According to a March 24 report from the Public Interest Research Group, injuries resulting from recalled products surged last year in the United States to the highest level since 2017.

“A total of 869 injuries were connected to products recalled during the year [2024],” the report said. “That total is up dramatically from the 549 injuries reported in 2023 and is more than double the number of injuries reported five years ago.”

“In addition to the injuries, 15 people died in cases that were linked to recalled products.” Ten more people “died in cases linked to products where the companies wouldn’t agree to a recall,” the report said.

There were a total of 305 recall announcements last year, together with 63 product warnings, up from 38 warnings in the previous year. Such warnings are issued when manufacturers do not respond to the regulator or cooperate with a recall.

Peter Feldman, acting chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), blamed China for the jump in product warnings.

“The United States is facing a flood of Chinese consumer products that violate U.S. safety laws,” he said. “When CPSC identifies illegal Chinese goods, the manufacturer is, more often than not, unreachable, unfindable, or uncooperative.”

According to a Feb. 12 statement from the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), there has been an “alarming rise” in unilateral safety warnings issued by CPSC related to e-commerce product risks.

In 2020, only three such warnings were issued by the agency, in contrast with 64 last year. Many of these were linked to items manufactured abroad and sold online.

For instance, out of the 64 warnings issued last year, 42 were related to products from China. Sixty-one items were sold online.

“These numbers tell a troubling story of how e-commerce has outpaced our ability to ensure product safety,” said Courtney Griffin, director of consumer product safety at the CFA.

“CPSC is working hard to protect consumers, but unilateral safety warnings are no substitute for formal recalls.”