DOJ sues Chinese sellers over Lakkzoom heaters tied to fires
Federal officials say Lakkzoom immersion water heaters sold in the U.S. can overheat fast when out of water and are linked to hundreds of fire reports.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
The Justice Department is asking a federal court to force a recall of Lakkzoom immersion water heaters after regulators tied the products to more than 235 fire-related reports, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
The lawsuit names two Chinese companies, Cixi Miaojie Electrical Appliance Co. and Changsha Jiayi Tianzhuo Trading Co., and alleges they made and sold the heaters to U.S. consumers. The products are designed to heat water in places such as bathtubs and pools, according to the filing.
Federal officials allege the heaters can overheat and ignite quickly when the heating element is fully or partly outside water. The complaint says the Consumer Product Safety Commission investigated and found the devices could catch fire “within minutes” in certain conditions.
The Justice Department filed the case with the CPSC under the Consumer Product Safety Act, which allows the government to bring civil actions against manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers to require recalls of products that pose serious risks of injury or death.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department “will not allow dangerous products manufactured in China or elsewhere to flow to American consumers and expose unwitting families to the risk of serious injury or death.”
What the lawsuit alleges
The complaint says the Lakkzoom heaters lack protections found in other immersion heaters sold at similar prices. According to the government, those other products can automatically shut off when the heating element is not touching water or when the device reaches an unsafe temperature.
The companies have sold more than 98,000 of the heaters in the United States, according to the complaint. Since September 2024, officials say more than 137 fire-related incidents involving the products have been reported.
Customer complaints cited in the court filing describe heaters that allegedly melted, sparked and set fire to pools or bathtubs. One customer said, according to the complaint, “This caught on fire and almost burned my garage down.” Another reported, “This thing somehow caught my bathtub on fire!”
The government is seeking a mandatory recall, a step that would put the products under court-backed pressure rather than relying on a voluntary action by the companies.
Companies have not commented
Lawyers for Cixi Miaojie Electrical Appliance Co. and Changsha Jiayi Tianzhuo Trading Co. did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the report.
The allegations have not been tested in court. The case now puts the fire-risk claims before a federal judge as the Justice Department and CPSC seek to pull the heaters from the market.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.