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Recalls of exercise equipment
Product Safety Australia keeps a searchable list of consumer product recalls, and you can narrow it to sports and recreation. If equipment you own turns up there, its advice comes in three steps: stop using it, keep it out of children’s reach, and ask the supplier for a repair, replacement or refund straight away.
About this guide. airbike.com.au is a guide published by Dotto. This page is general information about how recalls work under the Australian Consumer Law, drawn from Product Safety Australia, the ACCC’s product safety site. It names no product and no brand: the recall list itself is the place to look a product up.
How a recall reaches you
The supplier looks into a hazard
When a supplier suspects a safety problem with something it has supplied, Product Safety Australia expects it to investigate whether the product may or will hurt people, and to decide whether a recall is needed.
The ACCC is told
A supplier has to notify the ACCC within 2 days of taking recall action. A separate duty covers harm: everyone in the supply chain must make a mandatory report within 2 days of becoming aware of a death, serious injury or serious illness linked to a consumer good they supplied. Failing to report can be a criminal offence.
The public hears about it
Product Safety Australia asks suppliers to use clear, direct messages, often across several channels, so people learn about the recall, how serious it is and what to do. The recall list can be filtered by topic, saved as an RSS feed, or followed by email.
You act on it
Stop using the product, keep it away from children, and contact the supplier for a repair, replacement or refund without delay.
You report it if nothing happens
Product Safety Australia asks to hear from you when a supplier won’t give a repair, replacement or refund for a recalled product, when a recalled product is still on sale, or when a product has hurt someone or is unsafe. Its online form lets you report as yourself or anonymously.
When the Minister orders a recall
The Commonwealth Minister can order a compulsory recall, in two situations taken together: a product will or may injure someone, or fails a safety standard or ban under the Australian Consumer Law; and the supplier appears not to have done enough to stop it causing injury.
Under a compulsory recall the Minister can make suppliers tell the public, or a particular group, what the defect or dangerous characteristic is, which foreseeable uses or misuses are dangerous, and how to get rid of the goods.
The standard behind exercise bikes
Exercise bikes have a mandatory safety standard, and suppliers and retailers have to comply with it. Product Safety Australia summarises what it covers:
| Part of the bike | What the standard asks for |
|---|---|
| Moving parts | Protective guards that keep a child’s fingers away from hazardous moving parts while the bike is running |
| Gaps and openings | Specific testing for entrapment hazards |
| Seat and its support | Built and tested so they don’t fail in a way that could impale or injure the rider |
| Instructions | Assembly, including fitting the guards and other safety devices; a warning that young children can be hurt if the bike is used near them without guards properly fitted; maintenance; and seat adjustment |
The legal instrument is Consumer Protection Notice No. 9 of 1997, which draws on parts of the voluntary Australian Standard AS 4092:1993. The Federal Register of Legislation lists the notice as in force, continued under section 104 of the Australian Consumer Law. A supplier that fails to comply can face fines and penalties, and may need to recall a product that falls short of the standard or may be unsafe.
For what the guards mean around children at home, see Safe exercise at home.
Keeping track of your own equipment
Three habits help news of a recall reach you.
- Register it. Product Safety Australia suggests registering a product with its manufacturer where you can, so you can be told about recalls or other safety problems. The instructions or the manufacturer’s website usually explain how.
- Follow the list. A search on the recall list can be saved as an RSS feed, and email updates are available.
- Keep the paperwork. Hold on to the seller’s contact details, the listing or description, and proof of purchase. They help if a safety or other problem comes up later.
Bought the bike second-hand? The checks before you pay are in Buying second-hand exercise equipment, and a recall check is one of them. The list is at productsafety.gov.au/recalls.