CPSC calls Peloton Tread+ a danger to children and pets

Posted:
in General Discussion edited April 2021
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a warning to owners of the Peloton Tread+ following multiple incidents involving small children and an animal -- and Peloton is pushing back.




Released on Saturday, the "urgent warning" from the CPSC is in response to reports of injury caused by the use of the Tread running machine. In March, Peloton itself confirmed that the exercise machine may have contributed to the death of a child, as well as advising of the CPSC's investigation into the incident.

The commission is aware of at least 39 incidents involving the machine, including one death. The CPSC believes the device poses "serious risks to children for abrasions, fractures, and death," and had received multiple reports of children "becoming entrapped, pinned, and pulled under the rear roller of the product."

Consumers are advised by the CPSC to stop using the machine immediately if there are small children or pets in the home. Since one incident took place while a parent was running, the CPSC believes users cannot avoid its hazards by locking it when not in use.

The CPSC also released a video demonstrating the issue. The video, which some may find concerning, shows a child being dragged under the base roller, before escaping and walking out of the room.

For those who want to continue using the Tread+, the CPSC urges consumers to use it in a locked room, and to keep objects and other equipment away from the treadmill. When not in use, the users should unplug the Tread+ and keep the key in a safe place.

In the event of an incident, the CPSC requests owners to contact it to report what happened.

Despite the potential safety issues, the incident reports, and the death of a child, the CPSC is not issuing a voluntary recall of the device. It appears that Peloton has been resisting the notice's issuance, as well as holding back from providing assistance to the agency at times.

According to anonymous sources of the Washington Post, Peloton had been negotiating with the CPSC over the wording of the announcement over the last week.

The CPSC also reportedly had to issue an administrative subpoena to Peloton to get the name of the child who died, as well as the contact details of the family, to conduct its investigation. Peloton claimed it was withholding the information to respect the privacy of its customers and the child's family.

In its response to the CPSC's announcement, Peloton characterized the press release as "inaccurate and misleading." Insisting in a statement that the Tread+ is safe for use in their homes, Peloton goes on to say that the Tread+ can "pose hazards if the warnings and safety instructions are not followed."

Peloton also says the Tread+ isn't for use by children under 16, to not allow children to use the machine, and to keep children, pets, and objects away from the machine.

"Any owner of a treadmill - whether made by Peloton or not - should follow these warnings, as they are included in the applicable safety standards, which the Peloton Tread+ meets," the response concludes.

The safety announcement is the latest issue facing Peloton over a period of a few days. On April 15, Peloton removed the ability to connect the Apple Watch to its Bike+ Bootcamp Classes, in part due to issues implementing Apple's GymKit.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 38
    How ridiculous. Almost every single treadmill has that same basic design...kids should not be around any exercise equipment while in use: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, etc. can all hurt someone quite easily...
    watto_cobran2itivguy
  • Reply 2 of 38
    How ridiculous. Almost every single treadmill has that same basic design...kids should not be around any exercise equipment while in use: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, etc. can all hurt someone quite easily...
    Actually, there is one big design flaw that other, mostly cheap, consumer treadmills have as well, which is not having a guard covering the back as the treadmill surface rapidly rolls to the underside. The guard that exists on all commercial treadmills that you find in the gym prevents the things that touch the back of the rapidly moving conveyor from pulling objects down and under the machine. There’s a video of a yoga ball slowly rolling towards the back of the machine while a woman was running on it. As the ball touched the back of the conveyor, it was quickly gripped by the conveyor surface, causing the ball to be pulled underneath. The entire treadmill, in less than a second, lifted with the runner on it. I’m shocked she’s wasn’t severely injured.
    mike54watto_cobratmaytwokatmewStrangeDaysfastasleep
  • Reply 3 of 38
    moietymoiety Posts: 6member

    AppleInsider staff –

    Can we please NOT show that video keyframe image of SOMEONE'S DEAD CHILD? It's in really poor taste. Have a link to the CPSC video without a preview, and include a warning, I beg you.

    watto_cobran2itivguy
  • Reply 4 of 38
    How ridiculous. Almost every single treadmill has that same basic design...kids should not be around any exercise equipment while in use: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, etc. can all hurt someone quite easily...
    It could be ridiculous. But it could be the 39 reported incidents seem to be abnormal amount of reports for one machine compared to others. Need more information. Standard design? Could be too. But I noticed their machines are more expensive than the many cheaper ones on the market. Looks like they are are designing their machines themselves with more expensive parts instead of telling the Chinese factory to ship a house version. Again need more information.
    watto_cobratmay
  • Reply 5 of 38
    MalcolmOwenMalcolmOwen Posts: 28member, editor
    moiety said:

    AppleInsider staff –

    Can we please NOT show that video keyframe image

    The video shows a similar incident of a child being dragged under, but getting out and walking away. The caption text has been adjusted to advise the child in the video survived the incident. 
    watto_cobraspherictwokatmewStrangeDays
  • Reply 6 of 38
    moiety said:

    AppleInsider staff –

    Can we please NOT show that video keyframe image of SOMEONE'S DEAD CHILD? It's in really poor taste. Have a link to the CPSC video without a preview, and include a warning, I beg you.

    This particular video shows how a child got caught but the child in this video got out in his own and survived. This particular child didn’t die. It’s actually a really good demonstration of the dangers of this design flaw.
    slow n easywatto_cobratmayspherictwokatmewStrangeDays
  • Reply 7 of 38
    the monk said:
    How ridiculous. Almost every single treadmill has that same basic design...kids should not be around any exercise equipment while in use: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, etc. can all hurt someone quite easily...
    It could be ridiculous. But it could be the 39 reported incidents seem to be abnormal amount of reports for one machine compared to others. Need more information. Standard design? Could be too. But I noticed their machines are more expensive than the many cheaper ones on the market. Looks like they are are designing their machines themselves with more expensive parts instead of telling the Chinese factory to ship a house version. Again need more information.
     I would guess that the seemingly exaggerated number of incidents is likely a result of the surge of purchases from the Peloton fad that swept the nation in recent history. I’d wager a bet that Peleton machines make-up a congruously disproportionate percentage of all home treadmills.

    Re the video clip: I’m not really the only one who watched that clip and ended up laughing, am I? Cause, yeah, I lol’ed....hard. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 38
    darkpawdarkpaw Posts: 212member
    My current and previous Reebok treadmills have never been as high off the ground as tis Peloton one. Look at the main image, there's plenty of room under there for anything to be pulled under. Nothing can go under my Reebok treadmill. This looks like a design flaw to me.

    I don't know whether the belts on other Peloton treadmills are this high off the ground, and if so, then maybe it's something else about this particular model.
    watto_cobraGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 9 of 38
    mattfury said:
    the monk said:
    How ridiculous. Almost every single treadmill has that same basic design...kids should not be around any exercise equipment while in use: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, etc. can all hurt someone quite easily...
    It could be ridiculous. But it could be the 39 reported incidents seem to be abnormal amount of reports for one machine compared to others. Need more information. Standard design? Could be too. But I noticed their machines are more expensive than the many cheaper ones on the market. Looks like they are are designing their machines themselves with more expensive parts instead of telling the Chinese factory to ship a house version. Again need more information.
    Re the video clip: I’m not really the only one who watched that clip and ended up laughing, am I? Cause, yeah, I lol’ed....hard. 
    Yes, you are probably the only one that laughed. 
    DAalsethGeorgeBMacuraharatwokatmew
  • Reply 10 of 38
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    moiety said:

    AppleInsider staff –

    Can we please NOT show that video keyframe image of SOMEONE'S DEAD CHILD? It's in really poor taste. Have a link to the CPSC video without a preview, and include a warning, I beg you.

    How about just not auto playing ANY videos on AI? It’s very annoying to have a video start playing every time you try to read a story. 
    watto_cobraGraeme000wonkothesane
  • Reply 11 of 38
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    Frankly, all treadmills are potentially dangerous for young children. 
    slow n easywatto_cobratmaywelshdog
  • Reply 12 of 38
    zimmiezimmie Posts: 651member
    A while ago, I posted about how if Apple really is working on a car, they need to have a big safety engineering organization, and how that would be at least as fundamental a shift in corporate culture as bringing processor design in-house was.

    This is the kind of thing which happens when you don't have a safety engineering organization.
    • The tread is made of tiles rather than a continuous band, creating a pinch hazard around the ends.
    • There is no rear guard, allowing the tread to grab something and pull it under.
    • There is no detection of the treadmill itself moving while active. When it draws something under it, it doesn't shut off.
    • It's clearly possible to run the treadmill without using the safety key.
    This is malpractice on the part of every mechanical engineer involved at the very least, and whoever approved this for sale was negligent, probably criminally so.
    watto_cobran2itivguywelshdog
  • Reply 13 of 38
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    darkpaw said:
    My current and previous Reebok treadmills have never been as high off the ground as tis Peloton one. Look at the main image, there's plenty of room under there for anything to be pulled under. Nothing can go under my Reebok treadmill. This looks like a design flaw to me.

    I don't know whether the belts on other Peloton treadmills are this high off the ground, and if so, then maybe it's something else about this particular model.
    Thats a good observation. My NordicTrac treadmill belt is only about an inch off the ground. I doubt anything would get sucked under there. (That and I keep the tail end against the wall. )
    watto_cobraGeorgeBMactmayStrangeDays
  • Reply 14 of 38
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    zimmie said:
    A while ago, I posted about how if Apple really is working on a car, they need to have a big safety engineering organization, and how that would be at least as fundamental a shift in corporate culture as bringing processor design in-house was.

    This is the kind of thing which happens when you don't have a safety engineering organization.
    • The tread is made of tiles rather than a continuous band, creating a pinch hazard around the ends.
    • There is no rear guard, allowing the tread to grab something and pull it under.
    • There is no detection of the treadmill itself moving while active. When it draws something under it, it doesn't shut off.
    • It's clearly possible to run the treadmill without using the safety key.
    This is malpractice on the part of every mechanical engineer involved at the very least, and whoever approved this for sale was negligent, probably criminally so.
    I agree. Peloton's warnings alone are not sufficient here. The design is flawed and should be fixed by at least having a rear guard of some sort, and an auto shutoff function.
    watto_cobran2itivguytwokatmew
  • Reply 15 of 38
    mattfury said:
    the monk said:
    How ridiculous. Almost every single treadmill has that same basic design...kids should not be around any exercise equipment while in use: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, etc. can all hurt someone quite easily...
    It could be ridiculous. But it could be the 39 reported incidents seem to be abnormal amount of reports for one machine compared to others. Need more information. Standard design? Could be too. But I noticed their machines are more expensive than the many cheaper ones on the market. Looks like they are are designing their machines themselves with more expensive parts instead of telling the Chinese factory to ship a house version. Again need more information.
     I would guess that the seemingly exaggerated number of incidents is likely a result of the surge of purchases from the Peloton fad that swept the nation in recent history. I’d wager a bet that Peleton machines make-up a congruously disproportionate percentage of all home treadmills.

    Re the video clip: I’m not really the only one who watched that clip and ended up laughing, am I? Cause, yeah, I lol’ed....hard. 
    I will say no normal human being will se a kid been hurt and find it amusing. That some find it a laughable matter is kind of sickening.  
    DnykjpRfC6fnBstwokatmew
  • Reply 16 of 38
    the monk said:
    How ridiculous. Almost every single treadmill has that same basic design...kids should not be around any exercise equipment while in use: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, etc. can all hurt someone quite easily...
    But it could be the 39 reported incidents seem to be abnormal amount of reports for one machine compared to others. 
    There were 22,500 treadmill related injury incidents reported by emergency rooms in 2019...2000 of those were children under 8. As I said, kids shouldn't be around exercise equipment.
    applguytmayurahara
  • Reply 17 of 38
    MplsP said:
    moiety said:

    AppleInsider staff –

    Can we please NOT show that video keyframe image of SOMEONE'S DEAD CHILD? It's in really poor taste. Have a link to the CPSC video without a preview, and include a warning, I beg you.

    How about just not auto playing ANY videos on AI? It’s very annoying to have a video start playing every time you try to read a story. 
    I completely agree. I figure they're aiming to make money off of the ads that play at the beginning of the videos. Very annoying though, and then as you scroll it pops on to the bottom the screen, also just as annoying.
    n2itivguy
  • Reply 18 of 38
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    How ridiculous. Almost every single treadmill has that same basic design...kids should not be around any exercise equipment while in use: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, etc. can all hurt someone quite easily...
    Did you even watch the video?  That's an incredibly unsafe machine, with obvious design deficiencies.  Peloton deserve to be thrown under the bus for shipping this.
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 19 of 38
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    How ridiculous. Almost every single treadmill has that same basic design...kids should not be around any exercise equipment while in use: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, etc. can all hurt someone quite easily...

    Not really, the track on my NordiTrak is very low to the ground and pretty heavy.   The likelihood of something being dragged underneath is very low.  The Peloton's track on the other hand is raised up off the ground and, from the video, appears to be fairly light (the child was lifting it) so it can easily be raised even higher -- thus allowing a child or pet to be trapped underneath and the treadmill becomes a giant belt sander.

    That's not to say that even the NordiTrak is safe:  a child -- or an adult -- can be thrown backwards off of the treadmill.  But that risk is in a whole different category.
  • Reply 20 of 38
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    The fix seems obvious:  either lower the legs to close the big gap between the tread and the floor or, install a shield on the back between the tread and the floor.

    Either way, it's a fairly cheap, quick and easy fix. 
    Does Peloton have a choice?     Can they just pretend this issue and the resulting warning don't exist?   Can their customers just throw out their $2,000 treadmills?

    Even if the customer has no children they might have a cat who likes to sleep under a cozy cover like the Peloton.
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