Just got a Cosori air fryer last month and it's started making this weird rattling sound during the preheat cycle. The food still comes out fine but I'm worried something's loose inside. Should I contact customer service or is this common?
I'd check if the basket is sitting all the way in properly - sometimes it shifts slightly and rattles during the heat-up, which is harmless. If it's coming from deeper inside the unit itself, a quick call to Cosori's customer service wouldn't hurt since you're still within that first year and they're usually pretty responsive about potential defects.
Don't assume it's normal just because the food cooks fine - a rattle during preheat is worth investigating, even if the end result looks perfect. The basket positioning thing makes sense, but here's something else to consider: the heating element cage itself can vibrate if there's any debris (like a small piece of packing material or food particle) caught between it and the housing. Since you just got it last month, there's a decent chance something didn't get fully removed during manufacturing or initial cleaning.
Before contacting Cosori, do a thorough inspection with the unit unplugged and cooled down. Remove the basket and look inside with a flashlight - check around the heating coil area and the bottom of the chamber for anything that shouldn't be there. Sometimes manufacturers leave little foam bits or plastic clips in there. Also make sure the basket is seating completely flush and that there's no gap between it and the frame. If the rattle's coming from the electrical housing or the base itself rather than the cooking chamber, that's more concerning and worth a warranty claim.
If you've cleared out any loose debris and the basket's properly seated but the sound persists, contact them. Cosori's usually pretty responsive with warranty stuff, and if there's an actual mechanical issue with the heating element mounting or the fan, you'll want to catch it sooner rather than later before something fails completely.
Before you assume it's just the basket, try running it empty a few times to pinpoint whether the noise happens consistently or if it changes. The thing people miss is that a rattle during preheat specifically can sometimes signal a loose heating element or internal bracket, which might get worse over time even if cooking works fine right now - so if it's coming from inside the unit rather than the basket area, contact Cosori sooner rather than later since warranty coverage tends to be stricter the longer you wait. If the sound stops when the basket is seated differently or if it only happens occasionally, you're probably fine, but persistent rattling from the interior warrants a call to support.
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