Check Your Kitchen: Tower Air Fryer Recall Expanded Over Fire Risk

A fire safety recall affecting Tower air fryers has been expanded, with regulators in Ireland and the UK urging owners to stop using affected models immediately and unplug them.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) initially issued a recall covering five Tower air fryer models last year, warning that a manufacturing defect may cause the appliances to overheat and ignite. Almost 60,000 affected units were sold across Ireland through retailers including Argos, Tesco Ireland, DID, Dealz, Lidl, Amazon, and the Tower Housewares website. The affected products were manufactured between 2020 and 2024.

The UK's Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has since expanded the recall to six models, adding two further variations. The OPSS confirmed the products do not meet the requirements of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016.

The six affected models are:

T17023 Tower 2.2L Manual Air Fryer T17061BLK Tower 4L Manual Air Fryer T17067 Tower 4L Digital Air Fryer T17087 Tower 2L Compact Manual Air Fryer T17129L Vortx 8L Dual Basket Air Fryer (sold by Lidl throughout 2024) T17129 Vortx 8L Dual Basket Air Fryer (sold by Argos)

For the T17129L model sold by Lidl, only specific batch codes are affected: PO264626, PO264628, PO264630, PO264632, PO264634, PO264638, PO271391, PO271393, PO271395, PO271397, PO271399, and PO271401. Not every T17129L unit is included in the recall, so owners should check their batch number carefully.

While no incidents have been reported in Ireland to date, there have been reports in the UK of these products catching fire.

When the CCPC issued the original five-model recall, Gráinne Griffin, Director of Communications at the CCPC, said:

"This recall covers five Tower air fryer models with a dangerous manufacturing defect that could cause the models to overheat. Almost 60,000 affected units have been sold in Ireland so it's vital that consumers who have a Tower air fryer check their model. If their model is affected, it is not safe to use."

How to check your air fryer

Unplug the appliance and check the rating label on the bottom. The model number will begin with the letter T. For the Vortx 8L Dual Basket models, also check the batch code against the list above. If your model or batch matches, stop using it immediately.

Owners of affected models can register for a refund or replacement at www.tower-safety.co.uk or contact Tower Housewares at towerproduct@customersvc.co.uk.

For any product safety concerns, contact the CCPC's consumer helpline on 01 402 5555 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm) or email ask@ccpc.ie.