[imagesource: YouTube / U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission]

After the tragic death of a child, as well as other injuries caused to people and pets, Peloton Interactive had to recall more than 125 000 treadmills and pause sales of their very popular fitness equipment.

Peloton has developed a cult-like following, especially during the pandemic, with their internet-connected exercise bikes and treadmills proving popular during lockdown.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has asked people to stop using the Peloton Tread and Tread+ treadmills, warning them that they could cause injury or death.

Peloton made the decision to recall their treadmills three weeks after the warning from the CPSC, and more than a month after Peloton first shared that they had become aware that a child had died in an accident involving one of the treadmills.

Per WIRED, only yesterday did Peloton’s chief executive, John Foley, make an official apology for his late reaction to the tragedy, agreeing to recall the products from vulnerable clients:

“Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+,” Foley said [yesterday] in a statement.

“We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize.”

One of the treadmills being recalled is the Tread+, which is “made for the ultimate low-impact and comfortable running experience”.

It uses slat-belt technology and leaves a gap between the moving belt and the floor below it, which is the danger zone. It was this machine that recently killed the six-year-old child who was pulled under the rear of it.

Besides this incident, Peloton have received a substantial amount of complaints:

“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 smaller treadmill, the Peloton Tread, is also being recalled for different safety reasons:

According to the CPSC, the potential hazard with the smaller Tread is that the treadmill’s touchscreen can potentially become detached and fall.

The safety commission says it’s aware of 18 incidents of the screen becoming loose or detached.

To understand more about how the deadly Tread+ works, the CPSC shared a (TW: disturbing) video of a toddler being sucked in the underside (not the same child that died).

Thankfully, this child did manage to break loose at the end and walk away.

To watch the video, which comes with an age restriction, you’ll need to click ‘Watch on YouTube’ below:

Now the company has been forced to offer full refunds to any Tread or Tread+ customers who request one, offering to also move the treadmills to another (presumably safer) place in customers’ homes, free of charge.

Some major modifications need to happen, and be approved by the CPSC, before Peloton can resume sales of the treadmills.

Without further comment on this, Peloton pointed to the FAQ posted on its website, which includes this statement:

“We are working to develop additional modifications to the recalled Tread+ that will address the hazard of adult users, children, and pets being pulled below the Treadmill and suffering serious injury or death.”

The memory of a child’s death, now linked to the company, will be the harder part to fix.

[source:wired]