Peloton issued a recall for its Tread+ Tread treadmills on Wednesday, admitting that defying the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s order was a mistake.
JUST IN: Peloton is recalling its Tread+ and Tread treadmills. The company said it was wrong to fight the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that it do so.
One child's death and 70 other injuries have been tied to the treadmills, the CPSC says. https://t.co/rGhG17QWI4
— CNN (@CNN) May 5, 2021
The recall affects about 125,000 treadmills. One child has died and 70 others have been injured as a result of the treadmills. Peloton, on the other hand, took the unusual step of refusing to recall the bikes after the federal safety agency issued an alert about the dangers last month.
Peloton CEO John Foley said, “I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the CPSC’s inquiry.” “We should have worked with them more productively from the start. I apologise for that.”
The announcement was the “Product of weeks of intensive negotiation and commitment, resulting in a cooperative agreement that I believe serves the best interests of Peloton and consumers,” according to CPSC acting chairman Robert Adler in a statement.
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The recall affects both the $4,295 Tread+ and the $2,495 Tread, according to Peloton. In the United States, the machine has yet to be published. Both devices were removed from Peloton’s website on Wednesday.
The reversal comes after the US agency released a “urgent alert” for users of the machine more than two weeks ago. The CPSC said at the time that it had received reports of at least 39 treadmill-related injuries, including “multiple reports of children being entrapped, pinned, and pulled under” the machine.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released a video of a small child playing with a powered-on treadmill as it rises off the ground, trapping the child under it. Other accidents, according to the department, including a child being hurt when an adult was using it, as well as “pets and things” being sucked under the treadmill, posing a risk of “possible harm to the user if the user loses control as a result.”
Why did Peloton not listen to the agency?
Peloton disputed the agency’s warning, calling it “inaccurate and deceptive” at the time. In a stunning U-turn, Foley admitted on Wednesday that his decision was a blunder.
The peloton will collaborate with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to “set new industry safety standards for treadmills,” according to Foley because the company has a “Desire and duty to be an industry leader in product safety.”
Consumer Reports responded that the recall is “welcome news,” but that the delay put consumers at risk.
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In a statement, William Wallace, Consumer Reports’ manager of safety policy, said, “The CPSC took a firm and moral stand for safety, and obviously that’s what made Peloton come to the table and agree to give a full refund.” “Getting this product recalled shouldn’t have taken too much time and effort.”
The response of Peloton, or lack thereof, was initially deemed “outrageous” by the nonprofit consumer watchdog organization. Peloton’s (PTON) stock dropped 13% to a seven-month low as a result of the news. The company will release its earnings report on Thursday afternoon.