Heartline Fitness

Excerpted from New York Times reporting on May 6, 2021.

In an “urgent warning” issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on April 17, the agency stated that at-home connected-fitness company Peloton’s “Tread+ poses serious risks to children for abrasions, fractures, and death.”

Initially, Peloton refuted the CPSC’s claim that its treadmills cannot be used safely. Two-and-a-half weeks later, it made an about face with the joint-announcement of the recalls on May 5. To date, approximately 125,000 Peloton Tread+ treadmills were sold.

On May 5 the CPSC and Peloton jointly issued a voluntary recall of the high-end Peloton Tread+ treadmill following more than 70 reported incidents (29 of them involving children), including one child’s death.

Peloton has stopped the sale of the Tread+ and, along with the CPSC, advises owners to stop using the machine immediately.

In what was a relative speedy road to action, the CPSC in April received “multiple reports of children becoming entrapped, pinned, and pulled under the rear roller” of the treadmill. It noted that the nature of one incident suggests that “the hazard cannot be avoided simply by locking the device when not in use.” The agency also published a video of a child being pulled under the treadmill (WARNING: the child escapes, but the video could be disturbing to some viewers. Also, due to age restrictions, you must sign into a YouTube account to view.). The “urgent warning” the agency issued on April 1,7also reported a pet and objects being sucked beneath the Tread+ suggesting possible harm if the user loses balance.

In mid-April, Peloton refuted the CPSC’s claim that its treadmills cannot be used safely, before changing course with the announcement of the recalls on May 5. In a statement, Peloton’s founder John Foley apologizes for not acting sooner: “I want to be clear; Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the CPSC’s request that we recall the Tread+. We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize.”

Peloton is developing modifications to the Tread+ to address its safety issues, however, at the time of this article, Peloton could not provide a timeline as to when the Tread+ would be available for purchase again.

See the full New York Times article for details on returns, refunds, a possible lock after use, recall of the lower-priced Peloton Tread and more.

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Note: In 2019, Peloton barred equipment dealers, including Heartline Fitness, from selling Peloton bikes, and later other Peloton products, to multi-family properties. For more information on this, see Insight No Peloton Bikes for Apartment or Condo Communities Fitness Centers. Click here to view.

Heartline is able to offer other brands who, while they may not have the same high name-recognition, offer excellent equipment (bikes, rowers, treadmills) with high-level live and on-demand classes, workouts and other content. These are all commercial-grade machines. If you have questions or are interested in a price quote, contact us at [email protected].