Yeti recalling products due to faulty magnets

Austin-based Yeti is recalling 1.9 million coolers and gear cases due to magnets that can become detached from them, creating a risk of injury or death.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said consumers should stop using the four recalled products and contact Yeti for refund information.

The closures on the defective products can fail, resulting in detached magnets, the CPSC said.

If swallowed, two or more high-powered magnets can attract to each other or to another metal object and get stuck in the digestive system. The CPSC said if that happens, it can cause perforations, twisting and blockage of the intestines, potentially resulting in infection, blood poisoning and death.

The products being recalled are the Sidekick dry gear case, M20 soft backpack cooler and M30 soft cooler, version 1.0 and 2.0.

The coolers and gear bags were sold at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ace Hardware, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Yeti and other stores, including Amazon, from March 2018 to January 2023. The gear case sells for $50, and the coolers are priced between $300 and $350.

The products have a main pocket closure lined with high-powered magnets, which are enclosed in a heat-sealed plastic strip.

The company has received 1,399 reports of the magnet-lined closures degrading or failing, including reports of missing or detached magnets. No injuries have been reported.

Consumers can contact Yeti toll-free at 833-444-3151 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Yeti can also be contacted by email at [email protected].

More than 40,000 of the recalled products were sold in Canada.