Hearth Record

Lava Java Mugs Recalled by Vesture

Home product recall 97-182. Announced by CPSC on Sep 3, 1997.

CPSC’s own notice, on cpsc.gov

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The short answer

Announced by CPSC on Sep 3, 1997. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.

Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.

What’s wrong with it?

Fire & Fire-Related Burn

Source:

CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.

What should you do?

The notice gives no remedy in a field of its own.

Source:

CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.

Which ones are recalled?

Lava Java Mugs Recalled by Vesture NEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: September 3, 1997 (301) 504-7908 Release # 97-182 CPSC,Vesture Corp. Announce Recall of Microwaveable Beverage Mugs WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Vesture Corp. of Asheboro, N.C., is recalling about 44,000 microwaveable beverage mugs sold under the name Lava Java. When heated in a microwave, the mug can ignite posing a fire hazard, or the mug’s hard plastic shell can split open allowing hot thermal material to be discharged from the mug posing a risk of burn injuries to consumers. Vesture Corp. is aware of 14 reports of mugs catching on fire or discharging thermal material. Four consumers have reported being burned from the discharge of thermal material, two of whom sustained second-degree burns. Reported damage from the fires has been limited to the mugs or the microwave ovens. The recalled mug, measuring 5.75 inches high with a 5-inch wide bottom and 3.5-inch wide top, holds a 14-ounce beverage. The mug is made from hard plastic, colored gray, green or burgundy. The base and top of the mug are black. The words “Lava Java” are imprinted into the mug’s top, side and base. Usage instructions also are imprinted into the mug’s base. “MICROCORETM” is imprinted on the top of the mug’s straight-shaped handle. The mug is packaged in a cardboard box that is labeled in part, “Lava JavaTM ...Microwaveable Heated Mug with MICROCORETM.” There is a photograph of the mug on the box. Retail stores, such as Walmart and Stein Mart, and the Veterans’ Canteens in Veterans Administration Medical Centers nationwide sold the mugs from July 1996 through January 1997 for about $10. Consumers should stop using the mugs immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a full refund. Consumers also can call Vesture Corp. at (800) 283-7887 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday to receive a postage-paid return envelope for the mug and a refund by mail. Other Lava Java mugs are not included in this recall. These other mugs can be identified by their curved-shaped handles. The handles of these other mugs do not have the word “MICROCORETM” imprinted on them.

Lava Java Microcore microwaveable beverage mugs.

Source:

CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.

Who made and sold it?

  • Made by Wal-Mart.
  • Made by Stein Mart.
  • Made by Veterans’ Canteens.
  • Made by Vesture.
  • Made by Lava Java.
  • Made by Microcoretm.
Source:

CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.

Was anyone hurt?

The notice doesn’t say whether anyone was hurt.

Source:

CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.

What the record doesn’t say

  • The notice lists no UPCs, so check the model, the description and the photos.
  • The notice lists no model numbers in a field of their own; its description may give them.
  • How many have been returned or fixed isn’t in the notice.
Source:

Hearth Record wrote these lines.

Sources

  • U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Recalls API.

    Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.

Source:

Recalls of kids’ and home products are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record. Copied on Oct 19, 2026.

How to read a record

Four things every record does, shown on an example record made up for this guide.

An example record, made up for this guide

An example nursing home

Made up for this guide: no real place is shown

Not fully inspected in over two years (CMS flag)

11 health citations at the latest inspection cycle

The state average is 14.3.

Source:

CMS, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 8, 2026. Updated monthly.

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