U.S. Regulators Warn Consumers About Peloton’s Tread+

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. regulators warned consumers to stop using Peloton Interactive Inc.’s Tread+ exercise machine if there are young children or pets at home after injuries beneath the machines.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it’s continuing to investigate incidents of injury or death related to the Tread+.

The warning prompted the chairman of the Senate’s consumer protection subcommittee to call for the treadmill to be recalled.

“Peloton must immediately cooperate with the CPSC to recall its dangerous and deadly treadmill,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat. “Amid dozens of incidents of hurt kids and pets -- with broken limbs, brain injuries, and death after being pulled underneath the machine -- it’s clear that the Peloton Tread+ must be recalled.”

Peloton said in a statement that it was “concerned” by the commission’s warning, which it termed “misleading and inaccurate.” There’s no reason to stop using the Tread+ as long as all warnings and safety instructions are followed, it said.

The company has issued repeated safety warnings about the Tread+ since learning of a child’s death linked to the device in March and another incident that resulted in significant injury.

The warning from the U.S. CPSC also follows a Washington Post report that Peloton had been in talks with regulators about the release of a warning on the machine. The company said in its statement that it had invited the CPSC to make a joint announcement on the dangers of not following the safety instructions.

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