Thermos recalls 8.2 million containers

A Thermos recall sounds mundane until you get to the actual failure mode — the stopper can blast out hard enough to hit someone in the face. That is the story here. Thermos and the Consumer Product Safety Commission said on April 30 that about 8.2 million food jars and bottles sold in the U.S. are being recalled after reports of injuries, including three cases of permanent vision loss. ### Which Thermos products are involved? Three models are at the center of it: the 16-ounce Stainless King Food Jar, model SK3000; the 24-ounce Stainless King Food Jar, model SK3020; and the 40-ounce Sportsman Food & Beverage Bottle, model SK3010. The recalled food jars were manufactured before July 2023, and all SK3010 bottles are included. The model number is printed on the bottom, and the Thermos name is on the side. ### What actually goes wrong? The issue is the stopper design. These recalled products do not have a pressure-relief feature in the center. If perishable food or drinks sit inside for an extended time, pressure can build up. Then, when someone opens the container, the stopper can forcefully eject instead of loosening normally. Basically, the lid turns into a projectile. ### How serious were the injuries? Serious enough that this is not a fussy paperwork recall. Thermos said it received 27 reports of consumers being struck by an ejected stopper. Those reports included impact and laceration injuries that needed medical attention. Three consumers suffered permanent vision loss after being hit in the eye. That detail is what turns this from “annoying defect” into “stop using it now.” ### How many products are out there? A lot. The recall covers about 5.8 million Stainless King food jars and about 2.3 million Sportsman bottles in the U.S. These were sold for years — from around March 2008 through July 2024 — at Target, Walmart, and other stores, plus Amazon, Walmart.com, Target.com, and Thermos.com. At roughly $30 each, they were mainstream, long-running products, not some obscure niche batch. ### Why is this showing up now? Because long-tail consumer products can stay in kitchens, offices, campsites, and lunch bags for years before a pattern becomes obvious enough to trigger a nationwide recall. That long sales window matters. A lot of people may own one of these containers without remembering when they bought it, and plenty of them are still in regular use. The catch is that the risky condition involves storage over time, so the failure might not show up every day — until it does. ### What should owners do? Stop using the recalled containers immediately. Thermos is offering different fixes depending on the model. For the SK3000 and SK3020 food jars, owners are supposed to throw away the stopper and send Thermos a photo of the discarded part to get a free replacement pressure-relief stopper. For the SK3010 bottle, owners are asked to return the bottle with a prepaid shipping label, and Thermos will provide a replacement bottle. Thermos says processing can take 7 to 9 weeks after it verifies the claim. ### Is there a refund option? No — not under the recall remedy Thermos posted. The company says the CPSC-approved remedy is a replacement stopper for the food jars or a replacement bottle for the SK3010. So if you have one, the practical move is simple: check the model number on the bottom, stop using it, and file the claim. ### Bottom line This is a huge recall tied to a very specific and very ugly hazard — built-up pressure turning a stopper into a face-level impact risk. If you own an older Thermos food jar or Sportsman bottle, especially one used for soups, leftovers, or stored drinks, this is one worth checking today.