Peloton is Recalling the Tread and Tread+ Treadmills Due to Safety Issues
By Ambia Staley
May 5, 2021If you're keeping active at home with a Peloton product, you may want to be aware that the company is recalling several thousand treadmills due to safety issues.
Announced on May 5, the company along with the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall of both their Tread and Tread+ models due to a number of incidents, some of which have made headlines around the world.
Peloton's Tread treadmill features a touch screen which can detach and fall, which poses a risk of injury. The CPSC is currently aware of 18 reports of the screen loosening and 6 where it has fallen off. There are reports in Canada and the U.K. of minor injuries including abrasions, minor cuts, and bruises.
The recall was announced simultaneously with the recall of Peloton's Tread+ treadmill, which has been in the news due to reports of children and pets being pulled underneath it. The CPSC has said they received 72 reports of adults, kids, pets, or other items being pulled underneath the product. One child has died, and 29 others have suffered cuts, broken bones, and other injuries.
According to the Safety Commission, 5,400 Peloton Tread models have been sold in Canada. Peleton has previously said that the Tread+ model is not sold in Canada.
If you own one of these products, you are being asked to immediately stop using it and contact Peloton for a refund. Those who own the Tread model and do not want a refund have the option to get a free inspection and repair that will secure the touchscreen to the treadmill.
You can learn more about this recall from the Peloton site.
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View allPeloton Axes Free 'Just Run' Feature From Treadmill, Bricking It for Non-Subscribers
To unlock the feature, Tread+ owners need to pay for a monthly company subscription. The move is related to the Peloton recall, and the companys says it's working on a fix.
https://twitter.com/BriannaWu/status/14 ... 75651?s=19
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/peloto ... -1.6014636
The big space that most people overlook is that you should leave at least 5 to 6 feet of open space behind the treadmill. NEVER put the rear of the treadmill up against a wall or another stationary object.
Sometimes common sense isn't so common...
As dangerous as the device is, the People Factor plays a big part in this. Powered on, safety left in place, unsupervised children... Simply eliminate one of those, and there wouldn't be a video.
There are definite dangers with this particular treadmill that can be different from other treadmills.
Having said that, there are a lot of things that can be dangerous to small kids, small animals and you will never be able to totally safeguard it from possible injury.
The simplest fix in my eyes is to build a "guard" or sorts around the entire perimeter of the treadmill that adjusts [via simple gravity] even when you incline it. The back should also have a guard which covers the "gap-ping" between the slats.
The key, the on/off switch and unplugging is and should be enough basic safety as it's no different than other treadmills. Perhaps a weight sensor can be added but other treadmills don't have this and it's not a substitute for simple basics ie remove and put away the key.
https://www.newsweek.com/what-toyota-ca ... call-75191
And I can say from experience, 80's Audi gas and brake pedals were a frigging weird design, so I could see that happening.
Reminds me of a lady who had a late 80's Jeep Cherokee. Her car was always revving, or she had to stomp the pedal hard to stop it and she had no clue why. Turned out it was her thick and heavy aftermarket floor mats, and the flat design of the driver side floor space. The mat would slide forward and push a bit on the gas pedal, causing the engine to rev rev rev...
Gotta plan for the stupidest user
https://www.autosafety.org/audi-sudden-acceleration/
When there was a fatal accident last month, peloton refused to reveal the details of the accident.
While I totally agree people should be responsible for their actions, I still believe a load sensor would have added another level of safety, given the premium price point.
Imagine if you had a handheld vac, and you suck up a few construction screws. If the vac jams or overheats and shuts down and dies, that's an okay failure mode. If it breaks internally, but all the pieces are contained inside, that's an okay failure mode. If instead the whole casing grenades and sends shards of plastic into your face and blinds you, how many of you would say that's okay? Would it be okay as long as the vac manual had had a warning not to suck up hard objects?
The design responsibility cannot be so narrow. The legal responsibility might differ from the moral responsibility, but that is only because the public accepts it as so.
Peloton is fighting the recall hard, but I fully support the recall.
There's already some safety key thing, right? The adult was being lazy/careless and also unfortunately ignored built-in safety precautions and their kid suffered...luckily he seems ok so hopefully it won't happen again. Not sure what more ppl want? Gotta be reasonable, it's not as if this potential hazard just 'fell outta the sky' and surprised everyone, like, I dunno, tissue paper will melt kids' faces off if they are under 5, only safe for people 6 and over!!!!!! Cmon.
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But it is my right to silently judge them from behind my keyboard...
Reality is stuff happens...unfortunately we/parents don't always have foresight of what could happen until it's happened when we say "duh, why didn't I think that". We all have done small or even big stupid stuff only to chastise ourselves after the fact.
They'll get sued and will likely settle and have to do something to fix current and future models. It is both a travesty and tragedy for everyone involved.
A treadmill is in no way a toy, just like my table saw or my mitre saw or my electric knife (or any knife) or my laundry detergent or my gorilla glue or my deep fat fryer or my kettle etc etc etc.
If an adult was using this for the most part properly and if THEY got sucked under the treadmill, then we have a discussion and the manufacturer has a responsibility.
I have a treadmill and I leave the little safety magnet in (but my kids are are adults) and I actually rarely clip it to my clothes (but I mostly speed walk and I accept that danger). I don't stick my finger anywhere I shouldn't with it running.
From the video, it appears to me like the track on this treadmill sits an unusual height off the floor. This is likely why it is 'sucking' pets and children under.
The treadmill I used to have, the distance between the belt and the floor could not have been more than 3-6". On this one it looks like 9" or maybe more.
Also, the deck of a treadmill is usually VERY heavy, we're talking like 50+ pounds. The idea a child could lift it is ridiculous. In this photo the Peloton deck looks extremely light, again contributing to the 'sucking' since when the kids ball got stuck it lifted the whole deck off the ground.
TL;DR this scenario would not have been able to happen with the mill I had.
The safety magnet was left in place because it was convenient for the user. Looking at the video, that could be a common playroom/workout room. In any case, a room toddlers have free access to. Leaving the safety magnet on is as stupid as leaving the key in your car's ignition, and then letting your kids play in the car. Simply put, a lot of the onus is on the parents to be less inconvenienced, and more safety aware. And yes, I've had two toddlers, so this isn't blame the parents talk. I am a parent who tries to exercise common sense.
But the device is definitely to blame also. That design... Yeesh, it's a conveyor belt underneath also? Frigging Deathtrap. All you need is to have the kids leave something underneath, turn it on, bam, potential projectile launcher. They're gonna get sued and rightfully so.
Pelaton must have spent a lot of effort trying to make their treadmill look different than a traditional treadmill. I don't want to sound like an old crank who decrys "innovation" or "disrupters", but well it turns out there is a reason for a convergence of design. If they have any internal documentation about this risk, I hope it gets subpoenaed. That can mean a much bigger lawsuit penalty.
However, I wonder if it may be due to the rear design. I have not looked at it closely since I don't have one, but others online have said that the rear underside is very exposed on the Peloton. Mine has a thick metal bar that goes below the tread on the underside of the treadmill. I would imagine that if some pet got under the running treadmill, they'd hit the bar before getting dragged fully under. Does the Peloton have anything similar to that bar? If not, that would be a big problem.
I just looked at some service videos of the Peloton, and it seems that no such barrier exists with the Peloton. If that is correct then this is a design flaw IMO and does indeed warrant a recall.
Can anyone confirm this?
Here is another view of the Peloton. I can't see any such barrier.
Compare that to the bar on my Ironman treadmill.