Peloton recalls treadmills, halts sales, after a child dies
NEW YORK — Peloton is recalling about 125,000 of its treadmills less than a month after denying they were dangerous and saying it would not pull them from the market, even though they were linked to the death of a child and injuries of 29 others.
The company said Wednesday that it will now offer full refunds for the Peloton Tread+ treadmills, which cost more than $4,200. It will also stop selling them.
The recall comes after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned on April 17 that people with children and pets should immediately stop using the Tread+ treadmill after a child was pulled under one of them and died.
At the time, Peloton pushed back against the safety commission saying the warning was “inaccurate and misleading” and that there was no reason to stop using the machines. CEO John Foley also said he had “no intention” of recalling the treadmills.
In a statement Wednesday, Foley apologized and said the company “made a mistake” in its initial response to the safety commission.
Shares of New York-based Peloton Interactive Inc. fell 14.6% to close at $82.62 Wednesday, its second-biggest one-day percentage decline since the stock started trading in 2019.