Rival irons
2 reports to CPSC, the latest made Apr 28, 2018. 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.
- 2reports to CPSC
- Apr 28, 2018the latest report was made
- Nov 18, 2016the earliest
- 2with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Rival
- Maker
- Walmart Stores Inc.Makers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- IronsFor clothesCPSC’s product type: Clothing Irons (code 277), in Home Maintenance and Structures: Laundry, Fabric Care & Sewing
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| April 2018 | 1 |
| November 2016 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- No one hurt 2 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 28, 2018, sent to the company Jul 12, 2018, published by CPSC Jul 26, 2018
The product, in the report: “Rival” brand “Steam Iron” model:ES280 which was sold through Walmart stores.. but any (all) clothes iron with this “360° Pivoting Cord” design will have this flaw.
This failure (cord breakage and arcing) was observed in a “Rival” brand “Steam Iron” model:ES280 which was sold through Walmart stores.. but any clothes iron with this “360° Pivoting Cord” design will have this flaw. A quick survey online of clothes irons for sale on [REDACTED].com and Walmart.com show many clothes irons use this “360° Pivoting Cord” design.
When using clothes iron in a normal manner the design feature described as a “360° Pivoting Cord” concentrates the stresses on the electrical cord onto a portion of the cord hidden within the clothes irons housing. Normal use repeatedly alternates flexing a narrow radius bend on the cord in one location (hidden inside the housing) until failure occurs.
ETL (Intertek), 3025655, actually put their mark on this product and stated it conforms to UL STD.UL60335-1&-2-3.
How could ETL put their mark on any clothes iron with “360° Pivoting Cord - Easy ironing at any angle the smooth-moving pivot cord never gets in your way”? This is not a stress relief component but one that concentrates the stress/bending to a small portion of the electrical cord, a portion which is hidden inside the housing so cord fatigue/failure/arcing is not apparent to the consumer (well, not until the arcing glows through the housing and/or smoke/fire appears.) Couple that with the guillotine-like clamp used to hold the wire in place and you have a line of products that are designed to fail. I believe any reasonable engineer (electrical/mechanical) or electrician/technician would immediately flag this design as flawed. I can’t comprehend how a testing laboratory could put their mark on any product incorporating this design feature as its shortcomings are immediately apparent to anyone who examines it.
- Model
- ES280
- Bought from
- Walmart
- Bought
- Oct 14, 2009, about then
- Where
- Unspecified: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rival, made or sold by Walmart Stores Inc.
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Nov 18, 2016, sent to the company Dec 22, 2016, published by CPSC Jan 9, 2017
The product, in the report: steam iron
The consumer’s wife was using the iron and ironing on the ironing board for approximately 30 minutes when she noticed sparks near the handle. The consumer’s wife left the iron on the ironing board and immediately unplugged the iron. The consumer states that the sparks then stopped. The consumer states that the ironing board has burn marks where the iron was sitting. The consumer noticed that the white cover with holes where the wires go in the iron, near the handle has black burn marks. The consumer states that he looked through the holes and noticed that the wires are burned to the metal core.
The consumer has not contact the firm but he plans to. The consumer found the following number “866-321-9509” on the packaging.
The consumer indicated that his wife uses the iron everyday for approximately 30 minutes.
- Model
- 16214
- UPC
- Unknown
- Serial number
- Unknown
- Bought from
- Walmart, Maryland
- Bought
- Sep 18, 2016, about then
- Where
- Mount Airy, Maryland: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Rival, made or sold by Walmart Stores 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.