Peloton recalls Tread Plus, Tread in major reversal
Its CEO earlier defended the Tread Plus after a child died in an accident linked to the fitness treadmill.
- Added coconut oil to cheap coffee before keto made it cool.
Peloton and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday announced voluntary recalls of the company's Tread Plus (model TR01) and Tread (model TR02) fitness treadmills. Last month, the commission warned about the potentially fatal risk posed by the Tread Plus, after a child had died in an accident involving the treadmill.
The commission and Peloton are warning people who've bought either treadmill to "immediately stop using it" and to contact Peloton for a full refund. Peloton has also stopped selling the Tread Plus as it modifies the hardware.
The Tread Plus -- which was called the Tread until late 2020, when another Peloton product took on that name -- is being recalled over more than 70 incidents of injuries to children and pets, plus the one reported death.
The newer treadmill that's currently called the Tread is being recalled because of injuries involving its touchscreen. The CPSC cites reports that the touchscreen has come loose or detached altogether, causing minor injuries in the UK and Canada, but there have been no reported injuries the US. That machine was sold between November 2020 and March 2021 through a limited, invitation-only release.
In April, Peloton CEO John Foley pushed back against commission's warning about the Tread Plus, but on Wednesday he said he'd been wrong.
"Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's request that we recall the Tread Plus. We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize," he said in a statement. "Today's announcement reflects our recognition that, by working closely with the CPSC, we can increase safety awareness for our members."
What to do if you own a Peloton Tread or Tread Plus
If you own one of these machines, you should immediately stop using it and contact the company for a full refund. According to the CPSC, the Tread Plus poses a threat to children when it's being used by an adult, not just when children have unsupervised access.
Customers can call Peloton toll free at 844-410-0141 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekends to get their refund. You can also go to www.onepeloton.com and click on Product Recalls at the bottom of the page for more information.
In April, the CPSC said that "If you must continue use of the Peloton Tread Plus, you should only exercise in a locked room, keeping children and pets away from the machine at all times. You should also keep all objects, including other exercise equipment, away from the treadmill." The agency and Peloton are now urging customers not to use the machine at all.
Some customers were able to purchase the newer Tread through a limited invitation between November 2020 and March 2021. If you purchased the new Tread during that time, you can choose to forgo the refund and instead wait for a free inspection and repair to address the touchscreen issue, but you should stop using the machine until after it's fixed. Peloton says it's "working on a repair to be offered to Tread owners in the coming weeks." The CPSC and Peloton will provide an update when that's available.
What's the difference between the Peloton Tread and Tread Plus?
Marketed as a device that allows you to "run farther, train better and recover smarter," the Peloton Tread Plus has been on the market since 2018, though not always under the Plus name. In November 2020, Peloton announced a new, smaller and less expensive treadmill also called the Tread, and it rebranded the original Tread as the Tread Plus. All of the treadmills from Peloton, bought under either name, are included in the recall. You can see the full breakdown of the differences between the current Tread and Tread Plus here.