If You Own A Vitamix Blender, You Could Be Entitled To A $70 Gift Card

If you have a Vitamix blender, you could be eligible for a $70 gift card or a free blade assembly replacement as part of a class-action lawsuit. According to the settlement's website, a complaint was filed against Vita-Mix Corporation after users found small black particles in their food and drink. The foreign substance, identified as nonstick, non-toxic polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE), is suspected to have eroded from the top seals of the blade assembly.

Currently, no one has alleged any medical harm as a result from the consumption of PTFE. Vita-Mix has reportedly produced information from a third-party lab that states the flecks are harmless when consumed and do not present a human health or safety risk.

In agreeing to settle the lawsuit, Vita-Mix does not admit any wrongdoing and claims its products are not defective in design, manufacture, or engineering; the company maintains that the plaintiffs did not suffer any losses or actual injury, according to the settlement's page.

Those who own Vitamix household blenders dated January 1, 2007, through October 1, 2016; and those who own one purchased through a third-party dealer from September 15, 2015, through August 9, 2016 (or before April 7, 2017, for commercial blenders from the XL product line), can submit a claim form to qualify for a gift card or blade assembly replacement. All submissions must be postmarked no later than September 28, 2018.

Vitamix isn't the only blender involved in legal drama. In November, NutriBullet was sued after consumers alleged that their devices exploded, leaving them with severe cuts and painful burns.

For more unsuspecting evils lurking in the shadows of your own home, here are the 10 most dangerous things in your kitchen.