Peloton opposes a request from federal regulators to recall its Tread + treadmill after the product was involved in the death of a child last month, the Washington Post reported Friday.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, die started an investigation plans to issue a new consumer safety warning shortly after the incident, as soon as the Peloton Tread + ‘s potential dangers are outlined this Saturday, according to officials who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity. Peloton has reportedly stalled these efforts by negotiating with regulators about the wording and timing of a consumer warning and wondering if a full recall is even warranted.
Peloton, a multi-billion dollar fitness equipment manufacturer and media company, came under fire last month after CEO and co-founder John Foley posted a letter on the company’s website about the child’s death, calling it a ‘tragic accident’. He went on to say that Peloton is aware of “a small handful of incidents with Tread + in which children have been injured” and reiterated the product’s safety instructions, which warn users to keep children and pets away from Peloton “at all times”. equipment. .
Earlier this week, regulators issued an administrative subpoena to force a reluctant Platoon to release information about the child who died, while regulators continue their investigation into exactly what went wrong, officials said. According to the Post’s sources, the CPSC has found “dozens” of incidents involving Peloton’s treadmills. These include reports of users suffering injuries such as fractures and head trauma after becoming trapped under the equipment.
“This does not happen with other treadmills,” an officer with knowledge of the matter told the Post. “It is a different hazard pattern than is normally seen.”
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As noted by Bloombergthe CPSC received another disturbing report on the Tread + in February, when a 3-year-old boy suffered a “significant brain injury” after being pulled under the treadmill. When his father discovered him, the child was not breathing and, according to him, needed resuscitation the reportThe child was also found with “tread marks on his back that match the treadmill sipes, neck injury and petechiae on his face, presumably due to blood flow occlusion.”
Based on the number of accidents and the severity of the injuries reported, CPSC Peloton staff decided to recommend a product safety recall, officials the Post spoke to.
However, Peloton disagrees, arguing that improper use is the cause of these incidents and not the product’s design.
Platoon “does not believe a recall is necessary,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to the Post, adding that the Tread + “is safe for use if the warnings and safety instructions we provide are followed.”
It should be noted that Peloton may also be fighting a recall due to the timing, such as it’s budget treadmill model will go on sale next monthWhile the Tread + costs $ 4,295, this new model has a price tag of about half of $ 2,495. Issuing a safety recall for one of its treadmills just weeks before it’s rolled out could build consumer confidence and negatively impact sales. (Obviously, a company’s profit should never come for consumer safety, but hey, that is capitalism for you).
Peloton did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for investigation, but we’ll be sure to update this blog when they do. A company spokesperson made the following statement the edge
We are disappointed that the CPSC is misrepresenting the situation. The Peloton Tread + is safe for home use when operated according to instructions and in accordance with our warnings and safety instructions. As a reminder, the Tread + is not intended for children under the age of 16 and children, pets and objects should be kept away from the Tread + at all times. Peloton is 100% committed to the safety of our members and we are always open to partnering with the CPSC to implement impactful security measures. When the Tread + is not in use, members should continue to follow the safety instructions by keeping the safety key, which will keep the Tread + inoperative, away from the Tread + and out of the reach of children.
The Tread + is not the first product from Peloton with which users have reported serious problems. Last year, the company issued a recall for clip-in pedals that would unexpectedly break off during use, causing cuts and other injuries. The recall affected an estimated 27,000 bicycles.