The Peloton Tread recall – one runner’s experience

Months before it even launched in Canada, sucked in by the marketing hype and looking for a pick-me-up in the midst of a COVID-induced slump, I set my sights on the Peloton Tread. A number of my friends already owned the Peloton bike and they loved it – my brother had even lost 15 pounds on it since quarantine took hold last March (what a jerk!), but I wasn’t convinced it would be the right thing for my triathlon training, so I waited. And, when the Peloton tread launched in Canada on February 9, I drank a couple of glasses of wine, checked my bank balance and bought one.

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My trusty Life Fitness treadmill, which I bought gently used 10 years previously, still worked fine, but it lacked any semblance of a bell or whistle – no interactive touch screen, no music, no live classes, no leaderboards or Beyoncé battles and no hot instructor yelling at me to keep going, or congratulating me on my seven-minute warmup. 

For a terrifying $4,295 plus tax plus a $49-per-month subscription, I became the proud owner of the Tread, a 27-month extended warranty and a ton of accessories that included dumbbells and water bottles. I justified the price by telling myself it was a high-end machine that would be built to last, and that it would motivate my entire family to keep moving at a time when pandemic lockdowns meant it was often hard to get off the couch.

The Tread arrived on February 16. And, as promised, it was as amazing. Until it wasn’t.

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On March 9, a little over 45 minutes into my run, I noticed the screen start to wobble. “Oh, I didn’t know the screen moved like the one on the bike,” I thought to myself, seconds before it came crashing down onto the treadmill belt. I got an impromptu hurdles session when I jumped over the screen as it took its joyride, but let’s be honest, that was not the kind of workout I envisioned when I bought the Tread.

Little did I know that in that moment I became the member of a very elite club – owner of one of the six Treads out of nearly 6,500 sold that would eventually force Peloton to issue a voluntary recall.  

Much coverage has been given to the recall of the Tread+ in the U.S., and rightly so – it involved major safety issues that resulted in the tragic death of a child and injuries to dozens of others. But few people knew about the recall of the less fancy Tread sold here in Canada. This Tread was recalled for less nefarious reasons – the screen might have the tendency to abort mission mid-run, and only threatened bruises and scratches, or at worst a broken bone. And, while the recall of the machine was eventually publicized, what I didn’t realize on March 9 (a Tuesday) was that Peloton was also about to recall my enthusiasm, spirit and will to go on.

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It all started the day the Apple music (blaring from my Peloton screen) died. That day, I spent hours on the phone, alternating between being on hold and talking with various customer service reps. These reps were super friendly, even peppy, but they were also hopeless. I laughed more than once when they told me how excited they were about helping me reach my “milestones,” mere seconds after we discussed my console-less treadmill. They couldn’t offer me a fix or a replacement for my suicidal screen, and could only assure me that they would be back in touch by the end of the week with a date for someone to come and fix my problem. 

I heard nothing.

With still no word by the following Monday, March 15, I called again. The rep I talked to really was sorry to hear about my issue, but still could not confirm a time for a tech to come out. The solution? He couriered me a new screen and a link to a seven-minute video with an explanation on how I could install it myself. The screen arrived two days later, but once installed, still wouldn’t work. 

So I called back. Again. This time, after a couple more hours, I was able to push for a tech, and a miracle occurred. Not only was I given a date for one to come out (albeit, almost two weeks later), but after pointing out the inconvenience and asking in a stern-but-polite Canadian way, they waived the membership fee for three months.

When the tech arrived, the solution was quick (embarrassingly, I had plugged the power cord into the wrong socket), but his parting words were concerning – something along the lines of “The Peloton looks really pretty, but it isn’t that sturdy. You’re going to want to check the screws on the screen every week to make sure you don’t have a repeat incident.”

Somewhat alarmed, but desperate to be reunited with my good-looking coaches, I put a weekly reminder in my calendar and got back to business. Once again, the Tread was amazing… until it wasn’t. 

Again. 

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On Wednesday, May 5, the day the recall was issued, my Tread wouldn’t start. Once more, I found myself on hold for hours with customer service and passed around between agents. Finally, I found someone who told me how to do a hard reboot of the Tread to get it functional again, but who also seemed completely unaware of the recall. Next, I was passed on to another rep who had heard of the recall, but could not tell me when a solution for the problem would be available, nor if any compensation would be given to Tread owners. Her suggestion? That I not use the Tread, wait a few weeks, and then call back.  

So, with a heavy heart, I initiated the refund process. And with that, less than three months after it arrived, the death knell for my love of Peloton sounded. Luckily, with spring here, the temperatures outside are bearable, and running the old-fashioned way is enjoyable. That said, I still find myself creating impromptu leaderboard battles when passing other runners (I still lose) and hoping that real-life people might just congratulate me for my awesome warmup.

In the meantime, I await someone to show up and take the cursed machine away.