Just when we need exercise equipment most, it starts eating pets and children

Peloton is currently not looking so great. Apparently, the at-home workout equipment juggernaut is dealing with a number of accidents involving small children and pets, including one child dying. Over the weekend, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission released a statement urging consumers to stop using the Peloton Tread+ if they have small children or pets at home.

To date, CPSC said it is aware of 39 incidents involving the Tread+. Peloton, in its response, has essentially said “everything’s fine.” The company does not plan on recalling its line of $4,300 Tread+ machines despite the mounting pressure, according to CNBC.

2020 sucked for all of us, with the pandemic causing many to stay inside, live on their couches and in their pajamas, and cope with the situation in numerous ways. Peloton saw a huge spike last year, with people looking for alternative ways to exercise from home with gyms being closed. Now that the world is attempting to return to normalcy and gyms are beginning to open, combined with the potential damage done in the court of public opinion, Peloton could suddenly be facing an uphill battle just to maintain their current position in their own sector.

Now, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against Peloton, by a customer named Shannon Albright, who claims that the warnings are not sufficient to alert customers to the true danger of the machine — which is that the design allegedly makes pets and children “extremely susceptible” to getting trapped underneath the machine.

Sufficient to say, it might be wise to listen to the warnings from the CPSC, and steer clear of using your Peloton Tread+ while children and small pets are present. Peloton did not return Deadspin’s request for comment.