Peloton Officially Under Investigation Due To Past Reports Of Injuries
Image via Peloton
Peloton, the maker of high-end treadmills, is officially being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security are also looking into how the company handled numerous reports of injuries on the Tread and Tread+.
In April, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) had issued a warning to owners of the exercise machines, saying it posed “serious risks to children,” and recommending that users “stop using the product immediately.”
Then, in May, following the death of a six-year-old child, Peloton issued a nationwide voluntary recall of the exercise machines.
Additional reports also indicated that users had been injured by the treadmill’s touchscreens, with the displays loosening and even detaching from the equipment in some instances.
Recently, in a hope to win back customers, Peloton released a “safer” version of the treadmill at a lower price point.
The new Tread will retail for US$2,495, with built-in safety measures such as a passcode lock for all machines. There’s also a new physical safety key that can be pulled for the treadmill to come to an emergency stop.
However, as Engadget reported, it’s not guaranteed that current investigations will result in Peloton being fined or see owners of the old treadmills being compensated. It does show the company that it’s being watched, though, especially as its new machines hit the market.
Will Peloton ever recover from the 2020 farce, and be able to convince customers to shell out for its at-home exercise machines again? Time will tell.
[via Engadget, cover image via Peloton]
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