Cuisinart Grill-Brush Recall: What to Save After a Bristle Injury

On August 27, 2026, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced an expansion of Conair's recall of Cuisinart metal wire-bristle grill brushes. The expansion added about 1,905,805 brushes to the approximately 1,719,995 recalled in July, bringing the total to 3,625,800.

CPSC says small metal bristles can detach, remain on a grill or food, and be swallowed. That creates a risk of serious internal injury that may require surgery. Conair is aware of at least 54 reports and reviews involving detached bristles, including three reports of consumers who swallowed bristles and sought medical treatment to remove them from the throat or digestive tract.

Medical safety: Call 911 for choking, trouble breathing, loss of consciousness, or another emergency. A wire bristle is sharp. If you think one was swallowed, seek prompt medical care and follow the clinician's instructions. Do not delay care to search for the bristle or collect evidence.

For a short action list, see What to Do After Swallowing a Grill-Brush Bristle.

General information: This article does not diagnose an injury or identify any company as legally responsible for a particular event. A recall, detached bristle, symptom, medical procedure, or refund does not by itself establish product identity, defect, causation, damages, notice, or legal responsibility.

What the Expanded Recall Covers

The August expansion is broader than a short list of model numbers. CPSC states that all Cuisinart-branded metal wire-bristle grill brushes are included. The recalled brushes may have black plastic, stainless-steel, or wood handles. Some were sold individually and others were included in grill-tool sets.

CPSC lists these verified recall facts:

• Expanded recall date: August 27, 2026
• Additional brushes: About 1,905,805
• Total brushes after expansion: 3,625,800
• Hazard: Detached metal bristles can stick to a grill or food and be swallowed, creating a risk of serious internal injury that may require surgery
• Reports and reviews: At least 54 involving detached bristles
• Reported medical treatment: Three consumers reportedly sought treatment to remove swallowed bristles from the throat or digestive tract
• Sold at: Walmart, Burlington, TJ Maxx, and Ross, and online, including Amazon and Cuisinart.com
• Sales period: June 2009 through March 2026
• Price: Between $8 and $20
• Importer: Conair LLC, Stamford, Connecticut
• Manufactured in: China
• Recall number: 26-717

A brush can be included even if the buyer no longer has its packaging or cannot find a model number. The recall administrator says the recall includes all Cuisinart-branded metal wire-bristle grill brushes.

Medical Care Comes Before Product Documentation

MedlinePlus warns that sharp or pointed swallowed objects can cause serious problems. Symptoms can include choking, coughing, trouble breathing, pain in the mouth, throat, chest, neck, or abdomen, difficulty swallowing saliva, vomiting, or other signs that may require medical evaluation.

Do not use an article to decide whether a bristle passed safely. Tell the medical provider that a metal grill-brush bristle may have been swallowed and describe when, what food was involved, and what symptoms occurred. Follow the provider's directions about examination, imaging, removal, and follow-up.

If someone is choking or cannot breathe or speak, call 911 and follow emergency instructions. Do not reach blindly into the person's mouth. Evidence can wait.

Preserve the Brush Without Handling Loose Wire

Stop using the recalled brush immediately. Do not run it over the grill again, pull on bristles, shake it, test it, or try to recreate a detachment.

When it can be done safely, photographs may document:

• the entire brush from several angles;
• the handle, Cuisinart name, model number, or other markings;
• the brush head and visible areas where bristles appear bent, loose, or missing;
• the grill grate before further cleaning;
• the food involved, its container, plate, or serving area;
• packaging, tool-set packaging, manuals, warnings, and labels;
• the date and general setting without exposing private information.

Do not touch or pick up a loose bristle with bare hands. Do not sift through food, garbage, or a hot grill if doing so could cause another injury. If a medical provider removes an object, ask how the provider will identify, document, retain, or release it. Do not interfere with medical handling or facility policy.

Keep original photos and videos unchanged. Use separate copies for sharing. Record who possessed the brush, food, packaging, or removed object and each transfer, without guessing about what the item proves.

Save Purchase and Product-Identity Records

The brush may have been purchased years ago, bundled in a set, or received as a gift. Product identity can be investigated through more than a paper receipt.

Save what is available:

• order confirmations and marketplace order history;
• store receipts, card statements, or gift records;
• product listings and seller names;
• photographs showing the brush before the incident;
• packaging, manuals, tool-set names, and model numbers;
• warranty or product-registration records;
• emails, texts, or recall notices;
• statements from people who bought, received, stored, or used the brush.

Do not alter an account, manufacture a receipt, or guess at a purchase date. Preserve the original record and note what remains unknown.

Document the Meal and Grill Condition

A tiny wire may move among a brush, grate, food, plate, and person's body. The investigation may need to reconstruct that path rather than assume it.

Useful records may include:

• who cleaned the grill, when, and with which tool;
• when the grill was last cleaned or inspected;
• what food was cooked and who prepared or served it;
• whether anyone saw a loose wire on the brush, grate, food, plate, or packaging;
• original photos or video from the meal;
• the grill's make, model, location, and condition;
• cleaning, replacement-brush, restaurant, caterer, landlord, or host records when relevant;
• separate witness recollections written in each person's own words.

A missing bristle, medical image, or recall notice can be important, but each must be connected to the complete record. Do not coordinate stories or fill gaps with assumptions.

Save the Medical Record Trail

Depending on the facts, useful records may include:

• 911, emergency-room, urgent-care, physician, and hospital records;
• imaging reports and the original images when available through the provider;
• procedure, endoscopy, surgery, pathology, or foreign-object records;
• discharge instructions, prescriptions, referrals, and follow-up notes;
• photographs of visible mouth or throat injuries when medically appropriate;
• bills, insurance explanations of benefits, and payment records;
• missed-work, travel, caregiving, and other expense records;
• a dated symptom and treatment log that does not exaggerate or diagnose.

Ask the provider how to obtain records through its normal process. Do not pressure clinicians to change chart language or describe an object more strongly than the medical record supports.

Record the Recall Claim Before Marking or Discarding the Brush

CPSC directs consumers to stop using the brushes immediately and contact Conair for a full refund or a Cuisinart.com credit equal to the full refund plus 20% of the cash-refund amount. The current recall administrator says consumers will be assigned a handwritten Destruction Code and asked for photographic proof of the affected brush marked with that code. The administrator says a receipt is not required for the refund.

If an injury may be involved, safety and the official recall process still come first. When safely feasible, preserve a reliable record before marking or discarding the brush:

1. Save the CPSC notice and the current recall instructions.
2. Photograph the brush, markings, condition, packaging, and any safely visible missing or loose bristles before adding the code.
3. Save the assigned Destruction Code and the instructions shown with it.
4. Keep copies of every photo and statement submitted.
5. Save the submission confirmation, correspondence, approval, refund or credit, and payment record.
6. Record when and how the brush was marked and discarded.

Do not continue using the brush to preserve it. Do not handle loose wire, undo necessary medical care, or ignore the recall's current safety directions. If preserving the physical item conflicts with the official process or creates danger, document the conflict and seek advice before acting.

The public instructions reviewed for this article describe a refund process. They do not say that a refund decides a separate injury claim. Any effect of terms presented during a submission depends on the actual language, facts, and law. Read and save what is presented rather than assuming what it means.

Questions an Investigation May Need to Answer

The recall notice does not decide what happened in an individual meal or injury. Relevant questions may include:

• Is the brush a Cuisinart-branded metal wire-bristle brush covered by the expanded recall?
• Where and when was it purchased, and was it part of a set?
• Who used it, and what was the brush and grill condition before the meal?
• Is there a safely preserved brush, bristle, food item, photograph, or medical record?
• What did the medical provider observe, image, remove, or document?
• What warnings, recall notices, seller communications, or product records were available?
• What changed when the brush was marked, submitted, discarded, or refunded?
• Are there restaurant, host, property, retailer, marketplace, importer, manufacturer, or insurer records?

Those questions identify evidence. They do not predetermine defect, causation, fault, or responsibility.

Selected Sources

• CPSC Recall 26-717: Expanded Cuisinart grill-brush recall
• Cuisinart wire-bristle grill-brush recall administrator
• MedlinePlus: Foreign object swallowed
• MedlinePlus: Choking in adults and children over age one

Bottom Line

Stop using a recalled Cuisinart wire-bristle grill brush. If ingestion is suspected, medical evaluation matters more than finding the wire yourself. Preserve product identity, original photos, purchase records, meal and grill details, medical records, and the complete recall-submission trail before discard when that can be done safely.

Learn about the firm's California personal-injury services.

Law Office of Arta Wildeboer handles personal-injury matters for people and families in Los Angeles County and throughout Southern California. If a recalled product may be connected to an injury, you may contact the firm for a free consultation about the specific facts.

Past results do not promise any outcome. This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship unless a written agreement is signed.