Peloton recalls millions of exercise bikes after reports of injuries

Peloton is recalling roughly 2.2 million exercise bikes over safety concerns, several outlets reported this morning.

The reason is a faulty assembly, according to a release by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The bike -- Bike Model PL01 -- can "break during use, posing fall and injury hazards to the user," the agency says, citing the over-two-dozen reports Peloton has received about the seat post breaking and detaching during use.

The bike model impacted by the recall was manufactured in Taiwan and sold in the U.S. between January 2018 and May 2023 at Peloton, Dick's Sporting Goods and Amazon. It can be identified by a label on the inside front fork, near its flywheel or non-swivel display, or by the red "P" logo and Peloton brand name in white on the frame.

The CPSC says that there's been 13 reports of injuries on the bike so far, including a fractured wrist, lacerations and bruises.

"Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled exercise bikes and contact Peloton for a free repair," the CPSC release said. "Peloton is offering consumers a free seat post that can be self-installed."

The recall comes just over a year after Peloton began outsourcing the production of its bikes and treadmills following its decision to pull the plug on a $400 million manufacturing facility. It's the company's second recall in the past several years, after a child's death and other problems forced it to recall 125,000 of its Tread and Tread+ treadmills. (Initially, Peloton called the CPSC's findings "inaccurate and misleading," but changed its tune in light of the high-profile accidents.)

The recalls have been quite damaging for Peloton, which has struggled to maintain sales momentum after pandemic-era business tapered off. The company estimated that the Tread and Tread+ recalls cost it approximately $165 million, including $105 million for ending deliveries on the impacted products and $50 million for full refunds.