Recall alert: Peloton, regulators recall treadmills after 1 child death, 70 incidents reported

Peloton Interactive Inc. and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday issued two voluntary recalls for the exercise equipment company’s Tread and Tread+ treadmills, after one child died and at least 29 others were injured by the equipment.

Consumers who have purchased either treadmill are advised to stop using it and contact Peloton for a full refund or “other qualified remedy,” the commission stated in the recall.

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According to the commission, Peloton received 72 reports of adults, children, pets and other items, such as exercise balls, being pulled under the treadmills. Injury reports among children cited cuts, broken bones and other injuries.

The child death was confirmed in March by Peloton co-founder and CEO John Foley in an email to customers.

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In addition to recalling both treadmill lines, the company has also stopped the sale and distribution of the Tread+ and “continues to work on additional hardware modifications.”

U.S. sales of the Tread, however, were limited to an invitation-only release from about November 2020 through March 2021, and Peloton is working to define a repair protocol to offer owners in the coming weeks, the recall stated.

The affected products were sold online at onepeloton.com and at Peloton showrooms between September 2018 through April 2021 for about $4,295.

The safety commission then issued a warning, accompanied by a video posted to YouTube showing a child being pulled under one of the brand’s treadmills, urging people with children or pets to immediately stop using the company’s treadmills.

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Foley said in a prepared statement issued Wednesday that the recalls are the “right thing to do” for the company’s members and their families.

“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,” Foley stated, calling Wednesday’s announcement a reflection of Peloton’s 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,” Foley stated.

In a prepared statement, Robert S. Adler, the commission’s acting chairman, called the recalls 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.”

Peloton treadmill owners can get a full refund from the company by Nov. 6, 2022.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group