A product sold at one of America’s most trusted retailers — Costco — has been recalled because it can burn you. More than 113,000 Zwilling electric kettles have been pulled from the market due to a burn hazard that has already injured consumers. If you or a family member suffered burns or scalding injuries from a Zwilling electric kettle, you have legal rights — and Howell Law Firm PC wants to help you enforce them.
Call Howell Law Firm PC at 888-712-0017 for a free consultation about your Zwilling kettle burn injury claim.
About the Zwilling Electric Kettle Recall
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a recall of approximately 113,000 Zwilling electric kettles sold at Costco locations nationwide. The recall was issued due to a burn hazard — the kettles pose a risk of hot water discharge, scalding, or other burn injuries to users.
Zwilling J.A. Henckels is a well-known, premium kitchenware brand. The fact that a product bearing this brand has been recalled for burn injuries — and sold at Costco, one of America’s largest retailers — means tens of thousands of households may be at risk.
Stop using your Zwilling electric kettle immediately if you own one. Visit cpsc.gov to check if your specific model is included and to learn about available remedies.
What to Look Out For: Signs Your Kettle Is Dangerous
Electric kettles are supposed to be simple, safe appliances. When they malfunction, the consequences can be severe because they handle boiling water (212°F / 100°C). Watch for these warning signs:
- The lid opens unexpectedly during pouring or while heating
- Hot water or steam discharges from unintended areas of the kettle
- The kettle leaks from the base, spout, or lid seal
- The spout or handle becomes unusually hot during use
- The kettle makes popping, bubbling, or hissing sounds outside of normal boiling
- Steam escapes from the lid vent more forcefully than usual
- The unit fails to shut off automatically after the water boils
- The base or power connector feels excessively warm
Even a momentary, unexpected release of boiling water can cause severe burns. If you have experienced any of these signs, stop using the kettle and set it aside as potential evidence. Call Howell Law Firm PC at 888-712-0017.
Types of Injuries Caused by Defective Electric Kettles
Scalding and burn injuries from defective electric kettles can range from painful to permanently disfiguring to life-threatening. The injuries most commonly associated with defective kettle incidents include:
Scalding Burns When boiling water contacts skin, it transfers heat almost instantly. Even a brief exposure to water at or near 212°F can cause deep burns. Scalding is the most common injury type in kettle defect cases.
First, Second, and Third-Degree Burns
- First-degree burns affect only the outer layer of skin (epidermis), causing redness and pain.
- Second-degree burns penetrate into the dermis, causing blistering, extreme pain, and a risk of infection.
- Third-degree burns destroy all skin layers and may damage underlying muscle and tissue. These burns often require skin grafting surgery and leave permanent scarring.
Burns to the Face, Hands, and Arms Because kettles are used up close, the face, neck, hands, and forearms are most frequently burned. Facial burns are among the most traumatic because they affect appearance and can impair vision, breathing, and swallowing.
Eye Injuries Steam or a sudden hot water discharge directed toward the face can cause serious eye injuries, including corneal burns. Eye injuries from scalding can result in permanent vision impairment.
Scarring and Disfigurement Severe burns, especially to the face, hands, or arms, frequently result in permanent scarring. Scar tissue can tighten over joints (contracture), limiting range of motion and requiring multiple corrective surgeries.
Psychological Trauma Burn injuries are among the most painful injuries a human can sustain. Survivors often develop PTSD, depression, anxiety, and body image issues as a result of their injuries and appearance changes.
Injuries to Children Children are disproportionately represented in hot beverage and appliance burn statistics. A child who pulls a kettle from a counter or is splashed by a discharge can sustain burns covering a larger percentage of their body relative to an adult — with more serious consequences.
Why You Need a Lawyer After a Burn Injury
A burn injury from a defective kettle is not just a painful accident — it is the result of a company’s failure to design or manufacture a safe product. California law holds manufacturers, distributors, and retailers responsible when their defective products injure consumers. But collecting what you are owed requires skill, persistence, and legal expertise.
Here is why you should not try to handle this alone:
- Manufacturers deny liability by default. A company like Zwilling will not simply accept responsibility. Their insurer will investigate, question how you were using the product, and look for any reason to attribute the injury to you rather than the kettle.
- Burn injury cases are medically complex. The severity of burns, the course of treatment required, and the long-term consequences need to be thoroughly documented and explained by medical experts. An attorney assembles that team for you.
- The full value of your claim may be higher than you realize. Beyond immediate medical bills, you may be entitled to compensation for future medical treatment (including additional surgeries and scar revision), lost income, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and permanent disfigurement.
- Class actions may not serve your individual interests. If a class action lawsuit is filed related to this recall, your individual injuries may not be fully compensated by a class-wide settlement. An individual claim may result in substantially higher compensation.
Howell Law Firm PC fights for burn injury victims. Call us at 888-712-0017 to find out what your case may be worth.
What a Product Liability Lawyer Does in a Burn Injury Case
At Howell Law Firm PC, we handle every aspect of your Zwilling kettle burn injury claim:
Investigate the Defect We obtain the CPSC recall notice, consumer complaint data, and any engineering analyses of the kettle’s design or manufacturing defect. We work to establish exactly why the kettle failed and who is responsible.
Engage Product Safety and Medical Experts We bring in experts who can test the kettle, replicate the failure mode, and provide testimony about the defect. Medical experts document the severity of your burns, your prognosis, and the long-term care you will need.
Identify All Responsible Parties Zwilling as the manufacturer, Costco as the retailer, and potentially the component supplier may all bear legal responsibility. We pursue all available parties to maximize your recovery.
Calculate the Full Value of Your Damages We work with medical providers and, where appropriate, life care planning experts to quantify not just your current medical bills but your future costs — additional surgeries, scar treatment, therapy, and lost earning capacity.
Negotiate With the Insurance Company We handle all communications with Zwilling’s and Costco’s insurers, preventing them from taking statements that could damage your claim and pushing back against lowball offers.
Take Your Case to Trial If Necessary If a fair settlement is not offered, we are prepared to take your case to a jury. Our trial preparation is also our most powerful settlement negotiation tool.
The Importance of Keeping the Kettle
The recalled kettle is essential physical evidence. Do not return it for a refund or exchange — at least until you have spoken with an attorney.
Here is what is at stake:
- The defect can only be proven with the physical product. A product safety engineer needs to examine the kettle to identify whether the defect was in the design, manufacturing, or materials — and to testify about it in court.
- Photographs are not enough. While photographs are important, they cannot substitute for hands-on examination by an expert who can test the mechanism, measure tolerances, and document failure modes.
- Returning the kettle destroys your evidence. Once returned to Walmart or Costco, the product is unlikely to be preserved. If you cannot prove the specific defect in your unit, your case becomes much harder.
Store the kettle in a safe place. Photograph it immediately, including the lid mechanism, spout, base, and any visible damage or malfunction. Tell Howell Law Firm PC you have it when you call us at 888-712-0017.
The Importance of Documenting Your Burn Injuries
Thorough injury documentation is one of the most important things you can do after a burn injury — both for your health and for your legal claim.
Seek Medical Care Immediately Burns can be deceptive. What looks like a surface burn can be deeper and more serious than it appears. See a doctor or emergency room immediately after any scalding or burn injury. Early medical records tie your injury directly to the incident — critical for your legal claim.
Photograph Your Injuries Regularly Take photos of your burns starting on the day of injury and continuing daily or weekly as they heal. Burn injuries change dramatically over time — initial photos capture the worst presentation, while later photos document scarring, discoloration, and disfigurement.
Follow All Medical Advice Missing follow-up appointments or not completing your prescribed treatment gives an insurance company ammunition to argue that your injuries were minor or that you failed to mitigate your damages. Follow your doctor’s instructions fully.
Keep Every Bill and Receipt Save all documentation of medical expenses: emergency room bills, specialist visits, prescription costs, wound care supplies, and therapy costs.
Document the Impact on Your Daily Life Keep a personal journal noting how your burns affect your work, sleep, ability to care for your family, social activities, and emotional well-being. This journal can support your claim for pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
California Deadlines: Do Not Wait
In California, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims — including product liability burn injuries — is two years from the date of injury (California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1).
This deadline is firm. If you miss it, you lose the right to sue, regardless of how serious your injuries are.
Additional considerations:
- If a child was injured, the limitations period may be tolled until they turn 18, but parents’ claims for their own expenses run from the date of the incident.
- If you did not connect your injury to a product defect right away (for instance, if you were not aware of the recall until later), California’s “discovery rule” may give you additional time — but you should not count on this without consulting an attorney.
- The sooner you act, the better: evidence is preserved, witnesses are available, and your medical documentation is current.
Don’t let the clock run out on your claim. Call Howell Law Firm PC at 888-712-0017 today.
Call to Action: You Deserve Full Compensation
You trusted a well-known brand and a trusted retailer. You did nothing wrong. A defective product injured you — and now you are dealing with pain, medical bills, missed work, and the lasting effects of a burn injury. That is not fair, and it is not something you should face alone.
Howell Law Firm PC represents burn injury victims in California product liability cases. We work on a contingency fee basis — meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we recover money for you.
Call us now at 888-712-0017 for a free, no-obligation consultation. Tell us what happened, and we will tell you your options.
Time limits apply. Call today.
📞 Howell Law Firm PC — 888-712-0017
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Contact Howell Law Firm PC at 888-712-0017 to discuss your specific situation.