Peloton has announced it is recalling all of its Tread+ and Tread treadmills due to the risk of injury.
In April safety regulators warned people with kids and pets to immediately stop using a treadmill made by Peloton after one child died and others were injured.
On Wednesday the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a statement saying: ‘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.
‘In the United States, the Tread was only sold as part of a limited invitation-only release from about November, 2020 to about March, 2021 and the company is currently working on a repair to be offered to Tread owners in the coming weeks.’
A runner has described the moment her $4,000 Peloton treadmill threw her into wall and ripped off her skin after she lost her footing. Cary Kelly says she fell facedown on the Tread+ May 2019, becoming trapped between a wall and the machine
One runner has described the moment her $4,000 Peloton treadmill threw her into wall and ripped off her skin after she lost her footing.
Cary Kelly says she fell facedown on the Tread+ May 2019, becoming trapped between a wall and the machine and leaving her with burns and bone fractures.
The marathon runner told Business Insider: ‘It seemed like a million minutes, like I was there forever. I’m very, very lucky that my arm didn’t get sucked under.’
Kelly says she was not wearing the security clip as recommended – but thinks the company could do more to communicate the safety procedures needed.
She describes how the running track pushed her into the wall with such force one her legs broke through it. After becoming trapped in that position the belt continued to move, burning her skin.
Kelly, who has no plans to take legal action, says she was not told to keep more than six feet between the machine and the wall during installation.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said in April that the treadmill poses serious risks to children, including abrasions, fractures and even death.
The regulator said then that it was aware of 39 incidents involving the treadmill, including ‘multiple reports of children becoming entrapped, pinned, and pulled’ beneath the roller. One pet was also reportedly sucked under the machine.
A terrifying video uploaded by the CPSC to YouTube showed a small child become trapped head-first under a running treadmill before eventually wriggling free.
The graphic clip shows a young boy being sucked beneath a Peloton Tread+ and grappling to free himself from the exercise machine.
In the video released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a young boy is seen walking behind the Peloton Tread+ with a large pink ball while a young girl is on it, which gets pulled under the treadmill. Luckily, he walks away from his encounter with the device
The boy in the video struggles to get free from underneath the Peloton Tread+ before eventually breaking free
Brandon Ratliffe told Good Morning America his six-year-old daughter suffered severe abrasions to her legs after she was sucked under the family’s Tread+.
He shared photos of his daughter, Jocelyn, that showed bruising and severe scrapes on her legs. Jocelyn was dragged under the device feet-first, her dad said.
One former employee told Insider: ‘There’s some stuff that I’ve had to troubleshoot for members personally, which led me to believe that this thing should not be used by anyone at all.
‘It is a huge safety concern for anyone and everyone.’
Dan Ellis’ Roomba vacuum got caught underneath his Tread+. He said: ‘I jumped off and there was smoke coming off the front. It smelled like a burnt-up motor, and I could hear stuff underneath. For a split second, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s my dog.’
‘You just start to think that they fundamentally have a design problem.’
In its own statement, New York-based Peloton called the safety commission’s warning ‘inaccurate and misleading.’
While it acknowledged that one child had died in March while using the Tread+ and that another had suffered a brain injury, the company said there was no reason to stop using the machine so long as safety instructions were followed.
Peloton said that its members had been reminded that ‘children, pets, and objects should be kept clear of the Tread+ at all times.’ The company also advised storing the safety key out of children’s reach.
Brandon Ratliffe, right, recounted to Good Morning America how his daughter, Jocelyn, 6, had been sucked under a Peloton, and scraped her legs as a result
Jocelyn Ratliffe, 6, suffered from severe abrasions to her legs after being sucked under a Peloton Tread+, her dad said, sharing these photos. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said people with young children and pets should stop using the machines
According to the safety commission, in at least one incident a child was injured while a parent was running on the treadmill ‘suggesting that the hazard cannot be avoided simply by locking the device when not in use.’
For those who continue to use the Tread+, the commission advised keeping the machine in a locked room to prevent children or pets from accessing it at any time.
The CPSC and the fitness company appear to be at loggerheads over what to do with the Tread+.
According to the Washington Post, the company has not initiated a product recall to repair or replace it, as desired by the commission.
Peloton, primarily known for its stationary exercise bike, sells the Tread+ treadmill for upwards of $4,300.
Sales of Peloton equipment have soared during the pandemic as people seek to maintain a fitness regimen in the absence of an open gym.
In April safety regulators warned people with kids and pets to immediately stop using a treadmill made by Peloton after one child died and others were injured
Of the 39 incidents, 23 involved children, according to New York-based Peloton Interactive Inc.; 15 included objects like medicine balls, and one included a pet, it said.
Peloton is best known for its stationary bikes, but it introduced the treadmill about three years ago and now calls it the Tread+. It costs more than $4,000.
Sales of Peloton equipment have soared during the pandemic as virus-weary people avoid gyms and workout at home instead.
The company brought in $1 billion in revenue in the last three months of 2020, more than double its revenue from the same period a year before.
The commission did not say how many of the Peloton treadmills have been sold.