Peloton on Wednesday issued a recall for its popular Tread and Tread+ treadmills after the death of child earlier this year and 70 other incidents where serious injuries occurred, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The recall is voluntary and “consumers who have purchased either treadmill should immediately stop using it and contact Peloton for a full refund or other qualified remedy,” according to the statement from the federal agency charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products.
About 125,000 of the machines are owned throughout the United States, according to some estimates.
Peloton has ceased sales and distribution of the Tread+ and continues to work on additional modifications to the high-energy workout equipment.
Previously the company issued a warning to customers in March to keep children away from the exercise equipment after a child was killed in a “tragic accident” on one of its popular Tread+ fitness machines.
Peloton’s CEO John Foley apologized Wednesday for not taking more decisive action at the time.
“The decision to recall both products was the right thing to do for Peloton’s Members and their families,” he said in a statement. “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.”
In April, the CPSC issued a warning to consumers about reports of children and a pet being pulled, pinned and entrapped under the rear roller of the treadmill, leading to fractures, scrapes and in one case, death.
“I am pleased that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Peloton have come to an agreement to protect users of the Peloton Tread+ and Tread products,” said Robert S. Adler, the acting Chairman of the CPSC. “The agreement, which the Commission voted this morning to accept, requires Peloton to immediately stop selling and distributing both the Tread+ and Tread products in the United States and refund the full purchase price to consumers who wish to return their treadmills.”
Wednesday’s recall was the most decisive action taken since Foley sent an email to users acknowledging the fatality on one of its machines, saying the company was “aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children have been hurt.”
“While we are aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children have been hurt, each one is devastating to all of us at Peloton, and our hearts go out to the families involved,” Foley wrote at the time.
At the time the company did not elaborate on the circumstances of the accident in order to protect the privacy of the family involved, reports said. Also unclear was where the incident happened.
Foley urged owners of the Tread+ to secure the treadmills from kids and pets and said to remove the safety key that shuts down the machine whenever its not in use.
“We design and build all of our products with safety in mind,” Foley wrote. “But in order to help ensure that you and your family members stay safe with Peloton products in your home, we need your help.”
The Peloton Tread+ costs about $4,295, and is much like a typical motorized treadmill that you would find at a local gym, but it features a large digital screen for users to stream personalized fitness classes.
About 25,000 kids under the age of 10 are injured by exercise equipment each year, according to CNN, which cited a 2014 study from the US National Institutes of Health.
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