Ryobi Pressure Washer Lawsuit Says Recall for Overheating, Bursting Defect Was ‘Completely Inadequate’

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that certain electric Ryobi pressure washers are defective in that they can overheat and explode, and that a subsequent recall of the products was wholly insufficient.

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According to the 52-page defective product lawsuit, manufacturer TTI Outdoor Power Equipment knowingly made and sold two varieties of Ryobi-brand pressure washers equipped with faulty capacitors that could overheat and burst, posing a risk of serious injury via shrapnel to users and bystanders.

Per the complaint, the models of Ryobi pressure washers at issue are the RY142300 cWasher and RY142711VNM Electric 2700 PSI Pressure Washer, which were recalled in August 2025 after approximately 135 complaints of malfunctions and/or injuries. The lawsuit says TTI has known, or should have known, about the pressure washer defects since at least 2017, yet continued to market and sell the products without disclosing the explosion risk.

Per the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), roughly 764,000 Ryobi pressure washers were recalled, and consumers were instructed to immediately stop using the “unreasonably dangerous” products.

However, the case contends that the Ryobi pressure washer recall was “the practical opposite of how an effective recall should be designed,” given that the initiative offered consumers no meaningful remedy or refund and left them to attempt to repair the products themselves with a free repair kit offered by the defendant.

The class action lawsuit stresses that the pressure washer recall replacement parts require consumers to handle the faulty capacitors, which the filing states continue to hold an electric charge, like a battery, after being disconnected from a power supply.

“But unlike a battery, a capacitor is designed to discharge its stored electricity in a rapid, short, high-current burst (like a taser),” the lawsuit reads. Even under the best of circumstances, replacing a capacitor is treacherous and outside the comfort level of most average consumers (the target demographic for Defendant’s low-cost power tools).”

Per the complaint, both Ryobi pressure washer models were sold at a number of home-improvement retailers like Home Depot and Direct Tools Factory Outlet for approximately $300 to $400.

The plaintiff, a Massachusetts resident, purchased a Ryobi pressure washer from Home Depot in 2020 due in part to its promotions as a safe, effective product. Had he known of the defect, he would not have purchased the product or would have paid less for it.

The Ryobi pressure washer recall lawsuit looks to cover all individuals in the United States who purchased a Ryobi pressure washer with model number RY142300 or RY142711VNM for personal and/or household use during the applicable statute of limitations period.

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