Additional Consumer Incidents Increase Concerns About BlendJet 2 Portable Blender

The most recent eight complaints to the CPSC include three reports of injury. One involved a blender that reportedly exploded, and another involved a 2-year-old who turned on a BlendJet 2 without the lid on and put her hand into it. The nature and severity of these injuries were not clear from the complaint.

In a third complaint involving an injury, it was reported that the blender started smoking while it was plugged in, and the complainant’s son burned his finger when unplugging it.

In addition, two consumers reported blades that broke during use. In one, a woman reportedly discovered a ½-inch-long piece of the serrated blade of the BlendJet while drinking a protein smoothie she had just made. The woman was not injured. 

Another two reports involved blenders whose components began to melt while charging. In another, the blender would not turn off, leading the consumer to dash it against a driveway in an attempt to shut it off.

The most recent complaints are similar to those that prompted CR to act in August. Those complaints included reports of charging cords that melted or smoked, and one case of the blender’s lithium-ion battery catching on fire. Three of those earlier complaints reported that pieces of the blender’s blade broke off during use. Two noted that the blender will operate with the lid off, citing this as a danger to children. No injuries were reported in those claims, which dated from February to August 2023.

Rasiel said that in response to those earlier reports, the manufacturer began rolling out an update to the configuration of the BlendJet 2 base. He said customers who purchased a BlendJet 2 after August 2023 should have an updated product. The new bases have a serial number of 5543 or higher, Rasiel said. Consumer Reports plans to repurchase and re-evaluate the modified BlendJet 2 portable blender in coming weeks and will report on the results.

In addition to the base modification, Rasiel said the company was “closely monitoring the situation and listening to feedback from our valued customers, and will consider other appropriate steps as needed to ensure customer satisfaction.”

CR first tested the BlendJet 2 in August 2022 as part of its blender testing program but did not keep it in the ratings because the blender did not have the standard safety certifications required of products rated by CR. It also did not fit the category qualification of having a cord. Based on CR’s evaluations, the blender was comparatively lower-rated vs. other blenders.

In August 2023, prompted by consumer complaints, CR ran the BlendJet 2 through several tests, including a durability test involving crushed ice, similar to the one we use for personal blenders. Several times during our test, the BlendJet 2 blades jammed and its red warning light flashed, but, when unjammed, it was able to resume operation. After 38 minutes of operation, the sample blender’s blade assembly broke off at the stem.

We also observed the BlendJet 2 while charging but saw no visible evidence of a hazard with the cables, power supply, or the blender itself.

Rasiel said at the time, and repeated in his latest communication, that the blender was not intended to be used to crush ice, even though the product’s marketing shows it being used to break up ice cubes and retailers describe it as “powerful enough to crush ice.” He also reiterated, in light of those more recent reports, that the blender’s user guide explicitly states that children should not use BlendJet unattended and that it should be stored out of reach of children. “The BlendJet 2 is not a toy,” he said, and said the company stands by its marketing, which includes blenders branded with Disney characters such as Cinderella and Ariel. He cited several features to keep children safe, among them a lock mode that prevents the blender from being turned on inadvertently.

CR’s safety experts believe that BlendJet needs to be doing more to protect its customers. 

“BlendJet has a responsibility to give its customers more detailed information, so they know whether their safety is at risk,” says William Wallace, CR’s associate director of safety policy. “We urge the company and the CPSC to get to the bottom of these issues, and if any of the blenders have a safety defect, then they need to be recalled and customers given the option of a full refund.”