The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is fighting with Peloton to have a recall issued for the popular Tread+ treadmill.
Peloton recently found itself in hot water after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) sent a warning to the fitness equipment maker, demanding that it issue a recall of its Tread+ treadmill. According to the federal agency, there have been 39 reports of children and pets being injured, including a death in March, in connection with the treadmills. However, Peloton has so far rejected the agency’s warning and claimed the “CPSC’s notice was inaccurate and misleading as it was possible to keep using the Tread+ so long as people followed existing instructions to keep children and pets away from the Tread+ at all times.”
When issuing the warning to Peloton, the CPSC highlighted an incident “where a child was hurt while an adult was using the treadmill.” The Commission stated, “You can’t avoid risks just by locking the Tread+ while you aren’t using it,” contrary to what Peloton suggested. According to the company, people who have the treadmills in question should “keep it in a locked room and unplug it when not in use.”
Additionally, representatives with Peloton said the treadmill has a “safety key precisely to prevent the machine from being turned on and that there were multiple layers of warnings to keep children and pets away, including in classes and on the machine itself.” It further claimed it had asked the “CPSC to make a joint announcement on following safety instructions, and that the Commission had unfairly labeled attempts to collaborate and correct the record as stalling tactics…Officials were supposedly unwilling to participate in meaningful talks before the warning went public.”
Over the last few weeks, the CPSC has been “negotiating the phrasing of the warning with Peloton,” and eventually asked the company “Peloton for help with a safety investigation.” However, that investigation hit a wall, resulting in the agency issuing a “subpoena to get contact information for a victim’s parents after the company cited privacy protections.”
In most cases, CPSC recalls are voluntary. In cases like the one with Peloton, though, the agency can “sue if it believes a recall is necessary.” While it hasn’t sued Peloton yet, the agency said “safety is a concern for all treadmills (there were an estimated 22,500 reported US injuries in 2019), and it’s not clear if there are any issues specific to Peloton’s hardware that would merit the warning or a recall.” It noted the reported incidents are concerning, but for now, until a recall is issued, consumers should take extra care while operating the Tread+ treadmill.
Sources:
Peloton opposes US demand for Tread+ recall following child injuries
Peloton Fights Back Against U.S. Warnings of Treadmill Dangers
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