Lawsuit Investigation: Sunny Bike Pedal Problems

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org want to hear from anyone who purchased a stationary bike manufactured by Sunny Fitness and had one or both of the pedals fall off.

Many consumers have complained online about their bike pedals falling off while in use, many times only days or weeks after purchasing the bikes, and it’s now being investigated whether a defect is to blame. The potential problem could be a safety issue, as some customers have said they were injured when their bike pedals fell off.

The attorneys are investigating whether a class action lawsuit can be filed against Sunny to help customers get some money back, but they first need to hear from more people who had problems with their bike pedals falling off.

Online Complaints About Sunny Bike Pedals

Dozens of customers have stated in reviews that the pedals on their Sunny-manufactured bikes fell off while they were using the fitness equipment.

Some reviewers noted that they had paid careful attention to the instructions when assembling their bikes and were confident that the pedals had been assembled correctly before falling off. Many users reported that the connection between the pedal and the bike had been stripped and they were unable to reattach the broken part.

Reviewers also voiced concern that the bikes are a safety hazard, and some said they were injured when their pedals fell off mid-ride or while attempting to repair their bike.

According to the reviews, customers who reached out to Sunny were sometimes denied a free fix or were unable to get a refund due to the hassle of having to ship the bike back. Some customers who received replacement parts reported that their pedals fell off again after they fixed their bikes.

Below is a sampling of some of the complaints posted online [sic throughout]:

I noticed the left pedals never fit snuggly in the left holder, and kept having to screw it back in. After 2 weeks of owning this item the left pedal fell out mid-ride and I hurt my ankle falling down from riding out of the saddle. I tried to screw it back in again and not only is the inside of the holder stripped, but I also ended up with a piece of metal pretty deep in my finger. A truly delightful experience.”
— Molly, Amazon.com

While I initially liked this bike fine - it is noisy, and the seat is relatively hard... The reason, however I am writing this review is because after about 6 mos. the bike pedal broke off the bike. It basically unscrewed itself while I was riding and the screw that connects the pedal to the crank is now stripped and the pedal won't stay in.”
— kirbside, Amazon.com

I did a lot of research before purchasing this bike, and dismissed the handful of reviews about the left pedal issues thinking people didn't realize it needed to be installed lefty tighty. After two months with this bike, I think it's actually an issue with the bike, and not the user. The original pedal/crank arm connection became stripped after about a month. I contacted Sunny Health and Fitness directly regarding replacement parts. This was a long process, but after about a month they did send me a replacement crank arm and pedal at no cost. My husband and I very carefully and securely installed the new parts. A few days later, he was riding and the left pedal completely ripped off of the crank arm...”
— Hilary M, Amazon.com

I was really excited about this bike as I had seen a blogger posts good things about it. Assembly took me about an hour and I followed the directions very clearly. Unfortunately the next day I was writing it and my left pedal fell off. I looked at it and it appeared that the left crank was cross threaded. I fiddled with it a little bit trying to fix it but no luck. The same day I messaged the company about the situation and they didn’t get back to me. Finally five days later they asked me what the problem was and I restated it. I made it clear that I needed a replacement part but then the company just stopped replying to me...”
— Brian B., Amazon.com

Everything was going great. I'm 5'2" and the handlebars were a little to far forward even when at the correct height. I'm not sure it was a big issue because as I was riding today the right pedal snapped off, or maybe fell off. Either way I was pedaling then the pedal was free falling. I could have be seriously hurt. When I read other reviewers that had this problem I assumed that people put it together wrong. No, I know I did it correctly. It broke off and the entire crankshaft needs to be replaced. No thank you.”
— JamE, Amazon.com

The pedals unscrewed themselves 10 minutes in to my first ride. The right fell straight off the bike as I was in a standing climb, nearly causing me to fall off the bike. Upon inspection, the left was wobbling and almost ready to fall out as well. We screwed them back in (which was tough because the metal was already stripped and peeling off -- again, 10 minutes in to the first ride!), but after riding for another 10 minutes, the pedals had unscrewed themselves to the point of falling out again. The bike is entirely useless and unrideable due to this problem...”
— Maria, Amazon.com

How a Lawsuit Could Help

A class action lawsuit, if successful, could give customers a chance to get back some of the money they spent on Sunny bikes and replacement pedals. It could also potentially force Sunny to provide a free fix for its products.

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