Platoon pushes back against a request from federal regulators to withdraw its Tread + tread after the product was involved in the death of a child last month, Washington Post reported Friday.
US Commission on Consumer Product Safety, which launched an investigation Shortly after the incident, it intends to issue a new consumer safety warning as soon as Saturday to describe the potential dangers of Peloton Tread +, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. It appears that Peloton has blocked these efforts, negotiated with regulators on the wording and timing of a consumer alert and asked whether a full withdrawal is needed.
Peloton, a billion-dollar exercise equipment and media company, went on fire last month after CEO and co-founder John Foley posted A letter on the company’s website about the child’s death, calling it a “tragic accident.” He revealed that Peloton is aware of “a small handful of incidents involving the treadmill + in which children were injured” and reiterated the product’s safety instructions, which warn users to keep children and pets away. Peloton equipment “at any time”.
Earlier this week, regulators issued an administrative summons to force a reluctant platoon to disclose information about the child who died, while regulators continue their investigation into what went wrong, officials said. Post sources said the CPSC found “dozens” of incidents involving Peloton’s treadmills. These included reports of users suffering injuries, such as broken bones and head injuries, after being caught under the equipment.
“This is not the case with other treadmills,” an official with knowledge of the case told Post. “It’s a different pattern of danger than you usually see.”
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As mentioned by Bloomberg, CPSC received another worrying report about Tread + in February, when a 3-year-old boy suffered a “significant brain injury” after being pulled under a treadmill. When his father discovered him, the child was not breathing and had to be resurrected, according to him the report. The child was also found with “running marks on his back that matched the treadmill blades, neck injuries and patches on his face, probably from occlusion of blood flow”.
Depending on the number of accidents and the severity of the reported injuries, CPSC staff decided to recommend Peloton to withdraw the safety of the product, according to officials with whom the Post spoke.
However, Peloton disagrees, arguing that misuse is to blame for these incidents, rather than product design.
Peloton “does not believe a withdrawal is necessary,” a company spokesman said in a statement to the Post, adding that Tread + “is safe to use when the warnings and safety instructions we provide are followed.”
It should be noted that the Platoon could also fight against a recall due to the moment, as iT’s The budget treadmill model is set to be put up for sale next month. While Tread + costs $ 4,295, this new model is priced at about half compared to $ 2,495. Issuing a safety recall for one of the treadmills a few weeks before the launch of the other could undermine consumer confidence and have a negative impact on sales. (Obviously, a company’s profit should never come before consumer safety, but hey, that’s capitalism For you).
Peloton did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s inquiry, but we will be sure to update this blog when they do. A company spokesman provided the following statement to Virgin:
We are disappointed that the CPSC wrongly characterizes the situation. Peloton Tread + is safe for home use when operated according to instructions and in accordance with our warnings and safety instructions. As a reminder, Tread + is not intended for children under 16, and children, pets and items must be kept away from Tread + at all times. Peloton is 100% committed to the safety of our members and we will always be open to working with CPSC to implement impactful safety measures. When Tread + is not in use, members should continue to follow the safety instructions by storing the safety key, which prevents Tread + from working, away from Tread + and out of the reach of children.
Tread + is not the first Peloton product with which users have reported some serious problems. Last year, the company issued a recall for fixable pedals which would break unexpectedly during use, causing lacerations and other injuries. The recovery affected approximately 27,000 bicycles.