Peloton turned a free feature on its $4,000 treadmill into a $39 monthly subscription

Peloton announced that owners will need to sign up for a $39 monthly subscription to use its $4,000 treadmill because it made changes to its product after a voluntary recall that was linked to dozens of incidents and a child's death.

Peloton's range of fitness bikes and treadmills have a "Just Ride" and "Just Run" features that allows owners to ride and run without the need for a membership to a range of instructional classes. If owners didn't want to pay for the classes or wanted to cancel their membership, they could still work out using these features. However, following safety concerns after a child was killed and more than 70 incidents were reported in which some users suffered injuries such as broken bones and cuts, Peloton issued a voluntary recall for the Tread+. Following those incidents, the free "Just Run" option was removed as part of an update that added a safety lock feature called Tread Lock. Peloton stated that "due to current technical limitations, Tread Lock is not yet available without a Peloton Membership."