Peloton recalls treadmills in the US and UK after child's death

Exercise media company Peloton has announced that it is recalling over 100,000 of its treadmills in the USA and UK following their alleged link to the death of a six-year-old child.

The recall, which at this time does not apply to other markets, comes after the US Government’s Consumer Product Safety Commission warned on 17th April that people with children and pets should immediately stop using Peloton’s Tread+ machines following a series of incidents that had seen adults, children, pets or other items being pulled under the rear of the treadmills.

Having initially denied that there was any danger with using the machines, Peloton founder and Chief Executive, John Foley today announced the recall, saying that the firm had "made a mistake" in not recalling the machines sooner.

The company said it will stop selling and would now offer full refunds for its Peloton treadmills, which cost more than $US4,200, in the USA and UK.

Tread machines sold in the UK are also being recalled because display consoles could fall off.

Having earlier described the death of the six-year-old, who was pulled underneath the rear of the treadmill, as a "tragic accident" and one of a "small handful" of incidents, Foley released a statement advising "I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's request that we recall the Tread+.

"We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologise."

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said that Peloton had voluntarily recalled the Tread+ and Peloton Tread, which posed a safety risk because the display console can fall off.

An agreement between the watchdog and Peloton means the firm must stop selling the machines in the US and give a full refund to people who want to return them.

The safety issue in the Tread+ machine appears to be a result of the motor used requiring a higher ground clearance than typical treadmills.

Robert Adler, acting Chairman of the CPSC, advised "the agreement between CPSC and Peloton is the result of weeks of intense negotiation and effort, culminating in a cooperative agreement that I believe serves the best interests of Peloton and of consumers.

"I would like to thank the CPSC technical staff who have worked tirelessly to protect consumers and to warn the public. Today we have taken steps to prevent further harm from these two products."

In the USA, the Tread was only sold as part of a limited invitation-only release from late last year.

Sales of Peloton equipment have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as gyms were closed around the world.

In the last three months of 2020, the company brought in $US1 billion in revenue, more than double what it made the year before.

Image: The tread+. Credit: Peloton.