Concerns about Peloton treadmill safety
CHICAGO - The Consumer Products Safety Commission has issued an urgent warning against using the tread+ treadmill by Peloton, but the company is admitting no wrong-doing.
Video released by the CPSC shows a 2-year old boy being sucked underneath the Peloton tread+, and this isn't the first time it's happened.
There have been multiple incidents of children and a pet getting sucked underneath the treadmill," said Joseph Martyak of the CPSC. "It's been 93 incidents of this happening. Either children, a pet, or objects that are pulled underneath the treadmill."
One child died in a similar incident.
Over the weekend, the CPSC issued an urgent warning for parents and pet owners to stop using it.
"This particular fact-pattern and hazard-pattern that we're seeing from this model from Peloton is something that we haven't seen to-date," Martyak said.
But the company's standing by its product, calling the CPSC's warning "inaccurate" and "misleading." Peloton issued a statement in response to the warning, saying, "There is no reason to stop using the tread+ as long as all warnings and safety instructions are followed. Children under 16 should never use the tread+, and members should keep children, pets, and objects away from the tread+ at all times."
FOX 32 Spoke with Erin Ott, who is a tread+ user and a mother of three young kids -- ages 6, 4, and 8 months.
"We have small kids. For the time we've had it, we've never had any issues," she said.
Ott showed us the treadmill's safety key, which--per the company's instructions--should always be kept away from young kids.
"When we are not on the treadmill, we pull the safety key and we actually take it to another location and we keep it up high, we don't leave it anywhere near the Peloton so there's not any chance of them turning it on while we're not down here," Ott said. "It's not Peloton's fault that these accidents are happening. It's definitely user-error."
Peloton has announced no plans to recall the tread+ or stop selling it.