Peloton, known for its cutting-edge home exercise solutions, has recently recalled 2.2 million units of its Peloton Bikes Model PL01. The Peloton recall is in response to a safety issue related to the bike’s seat post. During use, the seat assembly may break, posing fall and injury hazards to the rider. The company has received dozens of reports of detaching seats, many involving injuries. If you have a Peloton bike, continue reading to find out what you should do in light of the Peloton recall.
Owners of the Peloton Bike Model PL01 have been told to “immediately stop using” their bikes until they are repaired. The bikes were available at Peloton and Dick’s Sporting Goods stores nationwide and online at onepeloton.com, amazon.com, and dicksportinggoods.com for roughly $1,400.
Peloton issued the recall on May 11, 2023, after learning the seat could break and detach. The recall concerns bikes with model number PL01, distributed by Peloton from January 2018 until May 2023. Consumers can locate the model number inside the front fork, near the flywheel. Also, Peloton announced that it had contacted all owners affected by the recall via email.
According to the CPSC, Peloton has received 35 reports of the seat post detaching from the bike during use. Of these 35 reports, 13 involved injuries, including a fractured wrist, lacerations, and bruises from users falling off the bike.
The company is offering a free seat post-replacement to those with the recalled bikes. Peloton specified that this new seat post can be installed at home without a service call.
Individuals can contact Peloton toll-free at 866-679-9129 from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. ET, 7 days a week, or online to request a replacement seat.
This is not the first time Peloton has initiated a recall over safety concerns and injuries related to its products. Another Peloton recall in 2021 affected 125,000 Tread+ products due to the risks of adults, children, and pets being pulled under the rear of the treadmills. The Tread+ recall was linked to several instances of injury, such as broken bones, lacerations, abrasions, friction burns, and a child’s death.
Although Peloton is fully cooperating with the CPSC on the latest recall, the company delayed recalling the Tread+ despite the CPSC’s urging the company to issue a voluntary recall. In January 2023, Peloton agreed to pay a civil penalty of $19 million for failing to immediately report the Tread+ defect to the CPSC. Individuals have filed Peloton lawsuits regarding the Tread+ debacle, accusing the company of concealing the risk of injury or death from the public.
The settlement agreement with the CPSC also required the company to establish a compliance program and internal controls, along with submitting annual reports for five years. This stringent process may explain why Peloton has been so responsive during the recent bike recall.