BISSELL hit with class actions over alleged defective steam cleaners, inadequate recall remedy

BISSELL class action lawsuits overview:

• Who: Plaintiffs Mohammad Khalil and Syeda Haider filed separate class action lawsuits against BISSELL Inc.
• Why: Plaintiffs claim BISSELL sold defective steam cleaners that can expel hot water or steam, causing burn injuries, and failed to provide an adequate recall remedy.
• Where: The class action lawsuits were filed in Illinois federal court.

Two class action lawsuits accuse BISSELL of selling defective handheld steam cleaners that allegedly pose a serious burn hazard to consumers.

The complaints allege certain BISSELL Steam Shot models, including OmniReach and Omni handheld steam cleaners, contain a defect that can cause attachments to unexpectedly detach and expel hot water or steam onto users.

Plaintiffs claim the defect has resulted in numerous injuries. According to the complaints, there have been hundreds of reported incidents, including at least 157 to 161 burn injuries linked to the products.

The lawsuits further allege BISSELL knew or should have known about the defect based on consumer complaints, incident reports and internal data but continued to market the products as safe and effective for household use.

Khalil and Haider seek to represent nationwide classes of consumers who purchased the steam cleaners for personal use.

BISSELL recall allegedly failed to provide meaningful relief to consumers

The complaints also challenge the adequacy of BISSELL’s product recalls.

In 2024, approximately 3.2 million Steam Shot handheld steam cleaners were recalled following reports of hot water or steam expulsion. A separate 2026 recall affected about 1.7 million additional units.

Despite the recalls, plaintiffs argue BISSELL’s remedy is insufficient because it primarily offers replacement attachments instead of full refunds or product replacements.

The lawsuits claim this approach fails to address the underlying design defect and may still leave consumers at risk. They also allege the recall process places the burden on consumers to install replacement parts without adequate support.

Further, plaintiffs argue the recalls were delayed, noting that incident reports allegedly spanned years before action was taken.

The complaints also claim BISSELL continued to sell similar steam cleaner models even after earlier recalls despite allegedly knowing the products shared the same defect.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages, restitution, injunctive relief and other remedies, including potential product replacements or refunds.

Have you ever purchased a BISSELL steam cleaner? Let us know in the comments.

Khalil is represented by Russell Busch, Nick Suciu III, Trenton R. Kashima and Luis Cardona of Bryson Harris Suciu & Demay PLLC, and Jason P. Sultzer of Sultzer & Lipari PLLC. Haider is represented by Kevin Laukaitis and Daniel Tomascik of Laukaitis Law LLC, and Mason A Barney and Leslie Pescia of Siri & Glimstad LLP.

The BISSELL class action lawsuits are Khalil v. BISSELL Homecare Inc., Case No. 1:26-cv-04641, and Haider v. BISSELL Inc., Case No. 1:26-cv-04223, both in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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