The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a warning for owners of the popular Peloton Tread+ exercise machine after "multiple incidents of small children and a pet being injured beneath the machines."
The warning comes weeks after Peloton CEO John Foley said a child died in an accident related to the machine. "While we are aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children have been hurt, each one is devastating to all of us at Peloton, and our hearts go out to the families involved," Foley said in a statement.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission subsequently launched an investigation into the treadmill, one that the commission says remains ongoing. The commission said it is aware of 38 other safety incidents so far, none of which led to death.
The commission believes the Peloton Tread+ "poses serious risks to children for abrasions, fractures, and death" resulting from "children becoming entrapped, pinned, and pulled under the rear roller of the product."
Included in the announcement was a video of a child apparently being pulled underneath the treadmill while playing behind the machine.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is advising those with children at home to stop using the Peloton Tread+ treadmill immediately and said that the hazard posed by the machine "cannot be avoided simply by locking the device when not in use."
"Peloton has not yet agreed to do a recall or a stop sale," Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesperson Joe Martyak told NPR. He continued, "We hope that will change."
Consumer product recalls are generally done voluntarily by companies in collaboration with the government.
In its response to the the commission's statement, Peloton described the warning as "inaccurate and misleading."
"Like all motorized exercise equipment, the Tread+ can pose hazards if the warnings and safety instructions are not followed," the company said. In response to further questions from NPR about a possible recall, a spokesperson for the company said that "a recall has never been warranted."
"The Peloton Tread+ is safe when operated as directed and in accordance with the warnings and safety instructions," the spokesperson continued. "CPSC's own press release urges consumers to take steps to ensure children, pets, and objects are kept away from the Tread+. These are the very warnings that Peloton provides and has been urging Members to follow."
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