Fitness company Peloton Interactive Inc. announced that it will be separately recalling its Tread and Tread+ treadmills in a safety effort after one death and at least 72 incidents have occurred where items, pets, and people were reportedly pulled beneath the Tread+ devices.
A statement from the company explained:
Consumers who have purchased either treadmill should immediately stop using it and contact Peloton for a full refund or other qualified remedy as described in the press releases below.
Peloton has also stopped sale and distribution of the Tread+ and continues to work on additional hardware modifications. CPSC previously warned consumers about the Tread+ in April.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) detailed the incidents and injuries that have been reported with the Tread+ treadmill, which sold online and at Peloton showrooms for $4,395.
It stated:
A 6-year-old child recently died after being pulled under the rear of the treadmill. In addition, Peloton has received 72 reports of adult users, children, pets and/or objects being pulled under the rear of the treadmill, including 29 reports of injuries to children such as second- and third-degree abrasions, broken bones, and lacerations.
The CPSC also explained incidents associated with the Tread treadmill, which has a touchscreen on the device that “can detach and fall, posing a risk of injury to consumers.”
It stated:
The firm is aware of 18 reports of the touchscreen loosening and six reports of the touchscreen detaching and falling. No injuries have been reported in the U.S. There have been reports of minor injuries such as abrasions, minor cuts, and bruises in Canada and the United Kingdom.
The Tread was available through a limited “invitation-only release online at onepeloton.com and at Peloton showrooms from November 2020 through March 2021 for about $2,495.” Peloton is offering customers a free repair and inspection to those who do not want to return their Tread machines.
NPR reported that in April, a Peloton spokesperson told the outlet that the Treads are “safe when operated as directed” and that “a recall has never been warranted.”
The CEO of the company, John Foley, now says that the company made a mistake in its first response to the situation.
“The decision to recall both products was the right thing to do for Peloton’s Members and their families,” Foley wrote in a statement alongside the recall. “I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+. We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize.”
“Today’s announcement reflects our recognition that, by working closely with the CPSC, we can increase safety awareness for our Members. We believe strongly in the future of at-home connected fitness and are committed to work with the CPSC to set new industry safety standards for treadmills. We have a desire and a responsibility to be an industry leader in product safety.”
Robert S. Adler, acting chairman of the CPSC said in a statement that Adler is pleased that the CPSC and Peloton have come to an agreement in order to keep users of the machines safe.
“The agreement between CPSC and Peloton is the result of weeks of intense negotiation and effort, culminating in a cooperative agreement that I believe serves the best interests of Peloton and of consumers,” Adler said.
Adler’s statement also added that “CPSC faces a nearly insurmountable hurdle each and every time the agency wants to warn the public about a hazardous product,” noting that the agency “must negotiate with companies—often for weeks— before issuing any kind of safety warning. No other federal health and safety agency faces this restriction, and it is plain to see how bad it is for consumers that we are so limited in how we can protect them.”
As an exercise enthusiast, Adler said he knows “that those who use exercise equipment want to be sure that the only pain they might feel at the end of a workout is a sore muscle from their exertion, not a serious injury from a defective product.”