CHI Turbo Low EMF hair dryers
1 report to CPSC, the latest made Apr 23, 2016. A report isn’t a recall.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.
At a glance
From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.
- 1report to CPSC
- Apr 23, 2016the latest report was made
- Apr 23, 2016the earliest
- 1with the company’s comments
- Brand
- CHI Turbo Low EMF
- Maker
- FAROUK SYSTEMS INCMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Hair dryersCPSC’s product type: Hair Dryers (code 1602), in Personal Care: Grooming
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| April 2016 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- No one hurt 1 CPSC: Incident, No Injury
As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.
The reports, as CPSC published them
Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.
Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.
-
No one hurt Made Apr 23, 2016, sent to the company May 2, 2016, published by CPSC May 16, 2016
The product, in the report: CHI Turbo Low EMF Hair Dryer, red, by Farouk Systems Inc.
I had been blow drying my hair in my bedroom for about 8 minutes when I suddenly saw, out of the corner of my eye, an orange flash of light coming from the hair dryer. I simultaneously heard a sizzling, crackling sound coming from the dryer. It scared me, and I immediately turned it off and unplugged it.
- I did not feel my hair being pulled, and I did not smell anything burning, so I’m sure there was no hair caught in the dryer. (I’ve had a piece of hair get caught in a dryer before during my lifetime, and I could feel it pull my hair out, and I could smell burning hair for a moment. That has not happened in a long time, and I don’t remember if it has ever happened with this dryer or not.) - I usually blow dry my hair for about 10 minutes almost every night. My hair is long, and thick, and completely natural. I use no leave-in products on my hair. - I do not remember how long I have had this dryer, but I will estimate about 4 years, maybe. - I checked the lint filter on the dryer, and it was not significantly blocked, as you can see from one of the attached images. - The ALCI plug did not trip, nor did the [REDACTED] Grounded power strip that I had the dryer plugged into. - I later noticed that the power cord coming out of the 2 inch rubber cord protector (I don’t know what it’s called) at the base of the dryer had partially melted, and you can just barely see a piece of copper wire showing through, and that the cord at that point appears to be permanently twisted about 90 degrees clockwise. (See attached images.) - Up until last year I did not realize dryer cords were not supposed to be wrapped around the dryer. So it is possible that years of wrapping a warm cord around the dryer for storage caused the cord to become twisted and weakened at that particular spot that melted. That may potentially have contributed to the dryer sparking.
However, despite my ignorance, I still feel this is a potential health hazard for consumers due to the significant number of similar and worse incidents reported on this sight and online from use of hair dryers of several different manufacturers.
Accolades to hair dryer manufacturers and government regulators for ALCI plugs, cord protectors, cleanable filters, safety warning labels, and safety instructions. Chi does state in their safety instructions #5: “Keep the cord away from heated surfaces. Do not wrap the cord around the appliance.” (See attached images.)
However, I don’t know any consumer that wants their hair dryer to be hanging up on their wall as a permanent part of their bedroom or bathroom decor. That would be a potential hazard also, because of all the constant dust getting into the vents. Most non-professional consumers store their blow dryers in a cabinet or drawer, and that requires folding up the cords to some extent, causing some twisting, even if they are careful to not twist the cord tightly around the appliance. I think this is conceivably and reasonably evident due to the significant number of similar and worse incidents reported online.
To protect the interests of all hair dryer manufacturers, and to prevent serious injuries to consumers in the future due to this issue, I would recommend that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission require hair dryer manufacturers to manufacture stronger hair dryer power cords, or require that they include with the dryer some sort of simple storage tray or wall mount that would prevent cord folding or twisting.
- Model
- GF1541
- UPC
- unknown
- Serial number
- 3040703?
- Bought from
- Pro Beauty Center
- Bought
- Apr 1, 2012, about then
- Where
- Costa Mesa, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 40, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand CHI Turbo Low EMF, made or sold by FAROUK SYSTEMS INC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
CPSC’s disclaimer
Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
-
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.
Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.