This is after a recall in 2021.
Two full years after being recalled and stripped from store shelves, Peloton’s beleaguered Tread+ treadmill has finally been issued an approved repair process from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC has approved the installation of a rear guard to prevent accidents.
“The approved rear guard repair eliminates the potential for entrapment near the rear roller of the treadmill,” a CPSC rep said in a statement. “The rear guard repair features a breakaway design that pivots away from the treadmill when it comes into contact with a person or object, shutting off power to the unit and decelerating the belt.”
Peloton is offering the rear guard for free to anyone who still owns a Tread+, as the original recall was voluntary. It remains to be seen if the company will start selling the treadmill again. This all started back in 2021 with the CPSC receiving over 350 incident reports detailing the treadmill pulling users down and under the device. This caused injury to 90 people and the accidental death of a child. Along with the initial recall, Peloton issued a software update that locked the treadmill after each use, requiring a passcode to unlock the device.
Of course, this is not Peloton’s only ongoing safety issue. The company recalled over two million exercise bikes last week over safety concerns. In this case, the seat post can break during use, leading to accidental injury. It issued a repair for this as well, asking Peloton Bike owners to contact the company for a replacement seat post.