The US government issued an urgent warning on Saturday to stop consumers from using the Peloton Tread + after ‘dozens of child incidents were sucked under the treadmill’.
The warning comes a month after the New York-based exercise equipment company with an almost cultic customer base admitted that a child had died in an incident with the treadmill.
Peloton CEO John Foley called the incident “tragic” and said the company was “aware of only a small handful of Tread + incidents where children were injured.”
But the Consumer Products Safety Commission said on Saturday it was aware of 39 incidents, including the death.
“CPSC staff believe the Peloton Tread + poses serious risks to children due to abrasions, fractures and death,” the agency said in its warning. posted on Twitter and its website. “In light of several reports of children being trapped, pinned and pulled under the back roll of the product, CPSC is appealing to consumers with children at home to stop the product immediately.”
The release featured a disturbing video showing two toddlers playing on a treadmill, with one being pulled under the machine while trying to play with a ball trapped underneath.
A separate report of a pet being sucked under the tread +, along with inanimate objects being pulled under it, also indicates possible harm to the user if the user loses balance, ‘the CPSC said.
Consumers planning to continue using the machines should keep it away from children and pets in a locked room, unplug it when not in use, and keep all other objects away from it. , CPSC said.
In a statement, Peloton called CPSC’s leadership a “misleading, inaccurate bulletin” and said the agency had unfairly characterized Peloton’s efforts to cooperate and to correct inaccuracies in CPSC’s press release as an attempt to delay. “
“This could not be further from the truth,” the statement said, adding that he wanted to make a joint announcement with the CPSC “about the danger of not following the warnings and safety instructions provided with the Tread +. not, and the CEO asked to meet. with the agency.
“Peloton is disappointed that CPSC, despite the offers of cooperation, and despite the fact that the Tread + complies with all applicable safety standards, was not prepared to have meaningful discussions with Peloton before its inaccurate and misleading press release was issued.”
Peloton remains open to working with CPSC, but claims that “there is no reason to stop the Tread + as long as all warnings and safety instructions are followed.”