5 sourced reports, with what to check before you buy. Each one links to the page it was reported on.
Costly or dangerous
Viva 60 lid opened while pressurized, scalding contents projected (US lawsuit)
A US product-liability complaint against Kohl's and Instant Brands names the Instant Pot Viva Pressure Cooker, specifically the Viva 60 model, and alleges the lid could be rotated, opened, and removed while the cooker retained pressure, causing the scalding contents to be projected onto the user.
What to check. This is the single most model-specific documented hazard for the Viva: a lid that can open under pressure. For a buyer, the practical check is never to force or rotate the lid until the float valve has dropped, and to treat any lid that opens while pressure remains as a serious defect. The defect is the subject of active litigation, so it is a known, documented risk rather than speculation.
Viva Series included in Instant Pot lid-locking class action (Top Class Actions)
News coverage of the Havens v. Instant Brands class action names the Viva Series among the affected models, alleging the defective lid-locking assemblies let lids open during normal use under pressure, causing eruptions and second- and third-degree burns.
What to check. A third independent source confirming the Viva series is implicated in the lid-locking defect. This is the documented, recurring failure mode for the Viva, and it is the reason a buyer should verify the lid lock and float valve behavior before trusting the unit.
Viva series lid-locking defect allows lid to open under pressure (Canadian class action)
The Canadian consumer-rights group lists the Viva series among the Instant Pot models covered by the US class action, alleging a dangerously defective lid-locking device lets the lid open under pressure so super-heated contents erupt and burn users with second- and third-degree burns.
What to check. Independently corroborates the Viva lid-locking defect. The same group notes Instant Brands designed a new locking-pin construction around 26 October 2017, so units built before that date are the ones implicated. A buyer should treat a pre-2017 Viva as carrying the documented burn risk.
Owner reports C7 error on second Viva unit, suspects pressure valve
An owner in the Instant Pot Community group reports a C7 error on a second Viva unit despite plenty of liquid, and says they are 'leaning towards a problem with the pressure valve.'
What to check. A single owner report of a recurring C7 error on a Viva, attributed by the owner to the pressure valve. C7 is documented in the manual as indicating not enough liquid or the quick-release button left in Vent. This is anecdotal and low severity, but it is a real owner account of the Viva failing to pressurize.
Viva manual: float valve can be obstructed by the lid-locking mechanism
The manufacturer's own Viva user manual lists 'the float valve is obstructed by the lid-locking mechanism' as a reason the cooker fails to come to pressure, and separately documents steam leaking from the float valve when its silicone ring is worn or missing.
What to check. This is the manufacturer's own documentation that the float valve and the lid-locking mechanism interact, so a blocked float valve can stop the Viva from pressurizing. It is troubleshooting guidance rather than a recorded failure, so it is lower severity, but it names the same parts involved in the lid-lock issue.
These reports come from the pages linked under each item: owner forums, repair guides and workshops. They are not a diagnosis of any one unit, and a careful check of the one you are buying still applies.
Text from the Kriko Instant Pot electric pressure cookers catalog, version 0.1.1, under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license.
