Regulators urge safety recall of $4,295 Peloton treadmill after child dies

• Federal regulators are urging Peloton to recall its Tread+ machine following reports of injuries, The Washington Post reported.
• "This doesn't happen with other treadmills," one official told The Post.
• The company has resisted the request, saying the device is safe if used properly.

Federal regulators are pressuring the fitness company Peloton to conduct a safety recall its $4,295 treadmill after a child died and dozens of others were injured using the machine, The Washington Post reported Friday.

The Peloton Tread+ went on sale earlier this year, promising to offer runners the same "private fitness studio" experience enjoyed by users of its indoor bicycle.

But according to The Post, the Consumer Product Safety Commission this week issued an administrative subpoena to Peloton asking it to provide "the name of the child who died and the family's contact information so regulators can continue an inquiry into what went wrong."

Regulators are concerned about reports of people suffering head injuries and broken bones after pulled under the machine.

The commission, on Saturday, issued an "urgent warning" to consumers, telling them to immediately stop using the product.

"CPSC continues to investigate this hazard, but given the hazard patterns that have been reported involving children in homes with this product, the public health and safety warrant a warning of this nature," Joseph Martyak, a spokesperson for the commission, told Insider. "CPSC will continue to address possible voluntary corrective action with Peloton and will take additional action as appropriate as it continues its investigation."

Asked for a response, a spokesperson for Peloton, Jessica Kleiman, told Insider that the company was "disappointed that CPSC is mischaracterizing the situation."

"The Peloton Tread+ is safe for use at home when operated as directed and in accordance with our warnings and safety instructions," she said.

But regulators disagree. They describe the injuries reported as highly unusual.

"This doesn't happen with other treadmills," one official told The Post.

In March, Peloton CEO John Foley emailed owners of the Tread+ to inform them of a "tragic accident involving a child" and the machine, "resulting in, unthinkably, a death."

To prevent future such accidents, he recommended that adults remove the safety key after use, which would prevent the machine from operating.

"While we are aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children have been hurt, each one is devastating to all of us at Peloton, and our hearts go out to the families involved," Foley said.

In one such incident posted on the safety commission's website, a three-year-old boy was said to be discovered trapped under the machine and not breathing. "He was found to have tread marks on his back matching the slats of the treadmill," the report stated. He "now has a significant brain injury." (In its response, the company said the child is expected to "fully recover," citing a message from the family.)

On Peloton's website, most reviewers are pleased with their new exercise equipment. But one user described the product as "extremely dangerous," claiming the machine's belt had begun to "abruptly stop" during workouts.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com