Zojirushi bread making machines

1 report to CPSC, the latest made Jul 7, 2013. A report isn’t a recall.

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At a glance

From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.

1report to CPSC
Jul 7, 2013the latest report was made
Jul 7, 2013the earliest
1with the company’s comments

Brand: Zojirushi
Maker: Zojirushi America CorporationMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
Product: Bread making machinesCPSC’s product type: Bread Making Machines (code 481), in Kitchen: Appliances

By month

1 report from August 2012 to July 2013; the most in July 2013, 1.

The numbers, as a table

Reports to CPSC by the month each was made, newest first
Month	Reports
July 2013	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 Jul 7, 2013, sent to the company Jul 15, 2013, published by CPSC Jul 29, 2013

The product, in the report: Bread machine Manufacturer: Zojirushi Model: BB-PAC20 Home Bakery Virtuoso

This is not to report an acute safety hazard risk, such as causing an immediate injury. It’s rather a longer term health hazard, up to including consumer poisoning from aluminum. I’m owner of a bread machine (Manufacturer: Zojirushi Model: BB-PAC20 Home Bakery Virtuoso) After 15 months of use; I noticed that one of the paddles (or “kneading blade” - in Zojirushi terms) stopped rotating while kneading. I removed the paddle and noticed that it’s notch completely worn out. So the rotation of shaft was not transferring to paddle any longer. The other paddle was also just about to loose the connection as well. I’ll try to attach a picture to my report (if your system allows it - otherwise please email me so I can send it to you). If you look at my picture; you’ll see that 15 months old paddle next to a brand new one. You’ll see the notch on the new paddle. Thickness of it is about 1/8”. That tiny notch is the only contact point where the strong torque of powerful 100W motor is transferred to paddle. While the rotating shaft is made out of machined stainless steel, paddles feels like cast from some aluminum compound (it’s very light and soft). So within time and under heavy pounding of rotating shaft; that paddle notch wears out by means of aluminum shavings. Consumer eats those metal shavings in their bread. Two important points with that design: 1) While rotating shaft is made of machined stainless steel, paddles are not. 2) Rotating shafts are about 1” long. Why Zojirushi keep that paddle notch at only 1/8” thickness and not the full length of that shaft? Then the pounding impact would have much larger surface to transfer - hence much less (even totally eliminated) abrasion on the paddle. Combined end result is; aluminum shavings in your bread. I contacted online customer support of Zojirushi USA and asked if they are considering redesigning of those paddles. I have their email reply, stating that they don’t consider such a change. That’s an unacceptable health hazard (aluminum dust in bread) forced upon public due to poor mechanical design.

Model
BB-PAC20 Home Bakery Virtuoso
Bought from
Pleasant Hill Grain, Nebraska
Bought
Jan 31, 2012
Where
Unspecified: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand Zojirushi, made or sold by Zojirushi America Corporation
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(7/24/2013) Zojirushi America Corporation: Rebuttal to Customer Complaint to CPSC On Breadmaker, Model BB-PAC20 7/24/13
We would first like to respond by stating that all of the materials we use in the manufacturing of our products, including the BB-PAC20 Home Bakery Virtuoso, have been deemed safe for consumer use by the FDA.
Even aluminum, the material used in the manufacturing of the Home Bakery’s kneading blades, is considered safe if exposure is limited to small amounts. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), aluminum occurs naturally in soil, water, and air. An average adult in the United States, according the ATSDR, eats about 7-9 mg of aluminum per day simply through food. It is also found in cosmetics, antiperspirants, antacids, buffered aspirins, and many other items.
We mention this not to dismiss or minimize the concerns of those who believe aluminum poses health risks, but simply to remind the reader that aluminum has been deemed safe, not only in the makeup of cooking appliances, but in various foods and other products, as long as its exposure is limited.
We are also well-aware that over time, depending on usage, some parts in our products will wear out and will need to be replaced periodically. It is for this reason that we carry a large inventory of replacement parts for our customers, including kneading blades for our BB-PAC20 breadmaker.
Because many of our BB-PAC20 customers tend to bake bread frequently, the kneading blades of this product, like any moving part, will begin to show signs of wear and tear over time, especially if it is used extensively. Sooner or later, depending on how frequently they are used, the kneading blades will eventually need to be replaced.
In regards, specifically, to this consumer’s inquiry regarding why the notch in the blade does not extend the full length of the shaft, we would offer the following reasons and considerations for this particular design:
1) Allowing for more “air space” in the shaft connection to the kneading blade allows for greater movement once bread ingredients find their way inside. This allows the user to twist the blade a minimal amount to loosen debris and free the blade between uses.
2) This design has been implemented since the advent of the first breadmaker we manufactured, model number BBCC-S15 in 1989, and has proven to be more than strong enough to handle the torque of the motor and machine.
Although we will periodically see signs of wear on kneading blades and occasionally see that some of the notched out area has increased, we have never seen one as extensively worn out as the kneading blade in the picture sent in by this customer. We would welcome the chance to inspect the machine for possible defective parts, or to analyze what type of torque beyond specification might have been applied in this case.
Some customers, for example, will disregard the machine’s user’s manual and overload their breadmaker by using finely ground flour. One cup of finely ground flour can add up to 30 additional grams per cup beyond what the recipe asks for. If a bread recipe calls for four or five cups of flour these extra 30 grams per cup can add up quickly.
This significant increase in the amount of flour added to the baking pan will put extra strain on the kneading blades and their corresponding rotors when it’s being mixed with the added water. Do this enough times and the user will certainly see the effects of wear on the kneading blades and rotors much sooner than would be expected with normal use.
Or other customers may use coarsely ground flour which will not mix well in the baking pan with the added water. The result is something akin to mixing sand and water which puts an enormous strain on the kneading blades and rotors as it attempts to mix the two. Once again, the effects of mixing such a gummy and glutinous substance will wear down the kneading blades and rotors.
We are not sure if this customer used his BB-PAC20 in this fashion or in a similar way, but oftentimes this level of wear and tear seen on the kneading blades of the BB-PAC20 can be attributed to this type of ill-advised use. Although we have not seen the type of extreme wear as illustrated in the picture shown in this case, we can only speculate that the rotors and kneading blades must have been working very hard indeed over the past fifteen months to wear down the blade to this degree.
As for the specific claim that the worn down “paddle notch” of our BB-PAC20 was causing aluminum “shavings” or “dust” to end up in a customer’s baked loaf of bread, we would first have to take exception to either of those two terms being used to describe the microscopic traces of aluminum that may have been lost through the erosion of the notch and the rotating shaft.
Not having had the opportunity to examine or test this particular breadmaker and the kneading blades in the picture, we are unable to determine what amounts of aluminum from the “paddle notch” may have been lost after each use. We would contend, however, that describing the amount—whatever it might be—as “dust” or “shavings” is an inaccurate and exaggerated attempt to advance the false claim that this product poses a hazard to consumers. We, of course, reject this description and the subsequent conclusion drawn by this customer.
It is one thing to inquire or suggest that the design of the kneading blade might be improved so that it might last longer before needing to be replaced (something we always welcome as a part of our continued improvement efforts), but to claim unequivocally, without conducting any testing or any kind of research save for presenting a single photograph of two kneading blades positioned side by side, as this customer has done, that our BB-PAC20 is hazardous to the public is irresponsible, unwarranted, and completely without foundation. It is also grossly unfair to us and our customers.
Rather than draw conclusions based on assumptions and preconceived opinions, we prefer to rely on analysis and science. For this reason, we welcome the opportunity to examine the customer’s breadmaker along with the kneading blade he/she claims has deposited aluminum “shavings” or “dust” into his/her bread and conduct our own extensive testing.
While we certainly appreciate hearing any concerns and suggestions from the users of our products, we strongly encourage consumers to resist making unsubstantiated and baseless claims about the safety of a product when such claims lack any credible proof or evidence.
There is a wide gulf between expressing a concern and making a claim and the bridge connecting the two is built upon a foundation of rigid testing and scientific analysis. Making the leap between the two without that foundation is irresponsible and a disservice, not only to those who pride themselves on providing a great product that is safe for everyone to use, but to consumers everywhere who can be easily misled and confused by such erroneous claims.
We look forward to hearing from the customer in this case so we can examine and test his breadmaker, including its kneading blades, and objectively respond to his concerns.

CPSC report 20130707-EE426-2147454476. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov

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

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.

Zojirushi bread making machines

At a glance

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How badly anyone was hurt

The reports, as CPSC published them

CPSC’s disclaimer

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