Peloton fights federal safety recall of all their $4K treadmills after one child died and other customers were injured in accidents last month.
Federal regulators told a news outlet that the Consumer Products Safety Commission had issued an administrative subpoena ordering Peloton to identify the child with family contact information within 24 hours so the agency could continue investigating.
Jessica Kleiman, a spokesperson for Peloton, said that the company didn’t provide personal information about the child to the agency because it respects its customer’s privacy.
The child’s family asked them not to give the information to the CPSC, Jessica Kleiman said. However, officials maintained that the company complied.
Peloton, which is worth $34 billion, has been consulting with regulators on the wording and timing of an alert to customers concerning the possible dangers posed by the $4,300 Peloton Tread+, officials told a news outlet.
The safety warning from the agency concerning the expensive treadmill is expected to come as early as Saturday.
An official familiar with the case told the outlet that this didn’t occur with other treadmills, but the official said regulators were worried that the Peloton treadmill seemingly had a different hazard pattern than was typically seen.
A news outlet reported that regulators were alarmed that people purportedly had injuries including broken bones and head trauma after they were pulled under the exercise machine.
A news outlet has reached out to Peloton for more information and further comment, but Peloton didn’t think a recall was needed.
The company said its treadmills were safe for use when the warnings and safety guidance they provide were followed.
Kleiman further noted that the company had issued repeated safety warnings to its customers since reports of incidents concerning the treadmills, and Kleiman said in a statement that Peloton is still endeavouring to jointly work with CPSC to urge its customers to follow all warnings and safety guidance.
Peloton CEO John Foley announced that the company was raising safety concerns regarding its treadmill in an email to consumers last month, and John Foley wrote that while they were aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children had been injured. Each one was devastating to all of them at Peloton, and that their hearts go out to the families affected.
John Foley, who is also a co-founder of Peloton, went on to share the company’s standard safety warnings, amongst them keeping children and pets away from exercise machines at all times and removing the safety key from the treadmill at the end of a workout.
And what was a child doing near this machine unattended anyhow? After all, a parent wouldn’t allow a child into a workshop with machines, would they? Because it’s dangerous!
A treadmill isn’t a toy! It’s perfectly safe when safety guidance is followed correctly, and it’s a product for adults who can read and follow the safety guidelines, therefore, children should not be allowed near it.
You shouldn’t have small children or pets around when using exercise machinery, as children are curious and these devices should be switched off or the safety clip removed so that it can’t power on without an adult present.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 