U.S. safety regulators are warning people with children and pets to stop using a treadmill made by Peloton (NASDAQ:PTON) after one child died and 40 others were injured.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it received reports of children and a pet being pulled, pinned and trapped under the rear roller of Peloton’s "Tread+" treadmill, leading to broken bones, cuts and the death of one child.
New York-based Peloton Interactive said in a news release that the warning is "inaccurate and misleading." It said there's no reason to stop using the treadmill as long as children and pets are kept away from it at all times, it is turned off when not in use, and a safety key is removed.
But the U.S. safety commission said that in at least one episode, a child was pulled under the treadmill while a parent was running on it, suggesting it can be dangerous to children even while a parent is present.
If adults want to keep using the treadmill, the commission said, they should use it only in a locked room so children and pets can't come near it. When not in use, the treadmill should be unplugged and the safety key taken out and hidden.
Peloton is best known for its stationary bikes, but it introduced the treadmill about three years ago and now calls it the “Tread+.” It costs more than $4,000 U.S. to buy. The Tread+ is not sold in Canada currently, although Peloton does sell another type of treadmill in this country.
Sales of Peloton equipment have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as people avoid gyms and work out at home. The company brought in $1 billion U.S. in revenue in the last three months of 2020, more than double its revenue from the same period a year earlier.
