Peloton resisting a recall request on its treadmill after the death of a child
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requested Peloton to recall its Tread Plus treadmill, after a child died allegedly due to the treadmill. As per reports, Peloton is resisting this request. CPSC has also issued statement that it was under investigating.
In February CPSC received a report wherein it said that a three-year-old has “suffered a brain injury and have tread marks on his back, matching the slats of treadmill, neck injury, and petechiae on his face, presumably from occlusion of blood flow.”
John Foley, Peloton CEO, on March 18th reiterated in an open letter the safety instructions for Peloton’s Tread Plus exercise treadmill, including “keep children and pets away from Peloton exercise equipment at all times. Before you begin a workout, double check to make sure that the space around your Peloton exercise equipment is clear”.
“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 with the families involved,” writes Foley.
Peloton seems to be “disappointed” with the CPSC’s decision to recall their treadmill. They claim that their product is “safe for use at home when operated as directed and in accordance with our warning and safety instructions”, as per Peloton’s spokesperson. “Peloton is 100% committed to the safety of our members and we will always be open to working with the CPSC to implement impactful safety measures.”
According to Peloton, the company invited CPSC to make a joint-announcement to the families of the “dangers of not following warning and safety instructions”.
Talking about whether the accident was a result of poor design of the product or improper use – Peloton says that not only should the children be kept away but also store the product somewhere safe, when not in use.
