Consumer Product Safety Commission Warns Consumers about the Peloton Tread+

The Consumer Product Safety Commission or CPSC is an independent agency of the United States Government. As a product defect lawyer in Las Vegas, NV, can explain, The CPSC seeks to promote the safety of consumer products by addressing unreasonable risks of injury, developing safety standards and conducting research on product related illness and injury. On April 17, 2021, the CPSC released a warning about the Peloton Tread+ after multiple incidents of small children and a pet being injured by the machines. 

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Peloton, an exercise equipment company founded in 2012, rose in popularity due to their stationary bicycles that allow users to participate in group fitness classes from home. In 2018, Peloton announced the Tread(later renamed the Tread+) a treadmill with a 32-inch touchscreen and soundbar. The treadmill is currently offered in two models, the Peloton Tread+ and the Peloton Tread, which has a 23-inch touch screen and 59 inches of running space compared to the Tread+ at 67 inches. 

Prior to the CPSC’s warning on April 17, Peloton CEO John Foley released a statement on the Peloton website announcing that a child had died due to a tragic accident with the Tread+. In the statement, he urged users of the Tread+ to review and follow all safety guidelines provided by the company for the Tread+, including keeping children and pets away from the exercise equipment at all times and removing the safety key from the treadmill after working out and storing it out of reach of children. 

The CPSC warning comes less than one month after Peloton released news of the child’s death by the Tread+ and the investigation that the CPSC began after that incident. The CPSC believes that the Peloton Tread+ poses serious risks to children, including abrasions, fractures and death. The CPSC has received multiple reports of children becoming entrapped, pinned and pulled under the rear roller of the treadmill. To date, The CPSC is aware of 39 incidents regarding the Peloton Tread+.

The treadmills are sold directly to consumers via onepeloton.com as well as in Peloton retail stores. 

The CPSC urges those who own the Peloton Tread+ to stop using it if they have small children or pets in their home, due to the fact that incidents suggest that children and pets may be at risk for serious injury while the Tread+ is being used by an adult. If consumers wish to continue using the Tread+ it is advised that the treadmill is kept in a locked room to prevent access by children and pets. 

After the CPSC released their warning on the Tread+, Peloton CEO John Foley released a follow up note on the Peloton website. In the note, Foley states that Peloton has fully cooperated with the CPSC’s investigation with one exception: not sharing personally identifiable information of certain members because those members did not want their information released. Foley then states that Peloton has no intention of stopping the sale of or recalling the Tread+, he explains that the Tread+ is safe when Peloton’s warnings and safety instructions are followed. Foley also reminded users that the Tread+ is not to be used by those under 16 years old and that children, pets and objects need to be kept away from the Tread+ at all times. 

Thanks to Eglet Adams, product defect attorneys, for their insight into the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s warning of the Peloton Tread+ Treadmills.