Johnson Health Tech North America, the U.S. arm of the Taiwanese fitness equipment maker, is currently defending a class action over an alleged seat defect in Matrix-brand training cycles, managing an expanded treadmill recall covering roughly 47,000 units, and closing out a settled case over Horizon treadmill horsepower claims. The active Johnson Health Tech lawsuits and recalls all trace back to product safety complaints, and the company has a prior civil penalty from federal regulators on record. If you own a Matrix cycle or a Matrix or Vision treadmill, some of this may apply directly to your equipment.
The Matrix Training Cycle Class Action
On March 7, 2025, Raymond Soto filed a proposed class action against Johnson Health Tech North America Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The case sits before Judge Juan R. Sanchez under docket number 2:25-cv-01240.1ClassAction.org. Soto v. Johnson Health Tech North America Inc., Case No. 2:25-cv-01240
The complaint targets what it calls a “Seat Defect” in five Matrix training cycle models: the CXP-03, CXC-02, CXM-02, CXM-03, and CXV. According to the filing, the adjustable seat can unexpectedly lower during a workout, creating a fall hazard.2ClassAction.org. Matrix Training Cycle Lawsuit Filed Over Alleged Seat Drop Defect
Soto asserts seven claims: breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty of merchantability, violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, negligent design defect, fraud by omission, unjust enrichment, and negligence. A central grievance is that the recall remedy, a free repair kit installed by a service technician, came with no testing data or assurance that the fix would permanently resolve the seat-lowering problem. The complaint argues owners are left with “devalued cycles” originally sold between $2,530 and $7,305.2ClassAction.org. Matrix Training Cycle Lawsuit Filed Over Alleged Seat Drop Defect
The proposed class covers all U.S. purchasers of the recalled cycles, with a separate Pennsylvania subclass. Aggregated damages exceed $5 million, and the complaint seeks compensatory, punitive, and consequential damages plus attorneys’ fees. Available records through mid-2026 show no rulings or major status updates beyond the initial filing.1ClassAction.org. Soto v. Johnson Health Tech North America Inc., Case No. 2:25-cv-01240
The Recall Behind the Lawsuit
Johnson Health Tech initiated the underlying recall on January 30, 2025. It covered more than 12,885 units sold between January 2021 and October 2024. The Consumer Product Safety Commission had received 63 reports of seats unexpectedly lowering, including two reports of users falling off the equipment. No injuries were reported.3CPSC. Johnson Health Tech North America Recalls Matrix Brand Training Cycles Due to Fall Hazard
January 2026 Treadmill Recall Expansion
On January 22, 2026, the CPSC announced that Johnson Health Tech North America was expanding a prior recall to include about 47,000 Matrix Retail and Vision treadmills over a fire hazard.4CPSC. Johnson Health Tech Expands Recall to Include Matrix Retail and Vision Treadmills Due to Fire Hazard
The affected models are:
- Matrix Retail T30, TF30, T50, TF50, and T75
- Vision T9800, TF20, T40, and T80
These treadmills were manufactured between June 2007 and January 2024 and sold for $2,100 to $8,100. The defect involves power cords that can loosen from the treadmill’s power socket, causing overheating at the connection. The company received 27 reports of overheating, with no injuries reported.4CPSC. Johnson Health Tech Expands Recall to Include Matrix Retail and Vision Treadmills Due to Fire Hazard
The expanded recall builds on an earlier one covering Matrix T1 and T3 Series commercial treadmills with the same loose-cord problem. This time the remedy is simpler: a free replacement power cord with an automatic locking-style plug that owners can install without tools, rather than the bracket-and-tools fix required for the commercial recall.4CPSC. Johnson Health Tech Expands Recall to Include Matrix Retail and Vision Treadmills Due to Fire Hazard
If you own one of the listed models, contact Johnson Health Tech at 800-211-4590 or retailpowercord@johnsonfit.com. Recall information is posted at matrixhomefitness.com/recalls and recalls.visionfitness.com.5New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Johnson Health Tech Expands Recall to Include Matrix Retail and Vision Treadmills Due to Fire Hazard
Horizon Treadmill Horsepower Settlement
A separate case, Prince v. Johnson Health Tech Trading, Inc., was filed in June 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia and has now settled. The suit alleged that the company overstated the horsepower capacity of its Horizon Fitness treadmills.
Under the deal, Johnson Health Tech created a $600,000 fund for purchasers of Horizon treadmills bought between June 2018 and November 2020. Class members could also opt for a maintenance package or a two-month JRNY subscription instead of cash. The company agreed to stop making the disputed continuous horsepower, or “CHP,” representations and to add a disclaimer to future treadmill horsepower marketing. The claim deadline was April 30, 2025, and the fairness hearing was scheduled for July 14, 2025.6Simpluris. Prince v. Johnson Health Tech Trading Inc. – Long Form Notice
History of CPSC Penalties
The current recalls are not Johnson Health Tech’s first regulatory issue. In August 2015, the company agreed to pay a $3 million civil penalty to settle CPSC charges that it knowingly failed to promptly report a defect in Matrix Fitness Ascent Trainers and Elliptical Trainers. Those machines, recalled in January 2014, had moisture build-up in power sockets that caused short circuits, smoking, sparking, and fires. More than 3,000 units were affected.7CPSC. Johnson Health Tech Agrees to Pay $3 Million Civil Penalty for Failure to Report Defective Fitness Equipment
The CPSC approved the penalty agreement by a 3-to-2 vote. The company agreed to implement a compliance program but did not admit to the charges.7CPSC. Johnson Health Tech Agrees to Pay $3 Million Civil Penalty for Failure to Report Defective Fitness Equipment
Not the Same as Johnson & Johnson
Johnson Health Tech, the Taiwan-based fitness equipment maker whose brands include Matrix, Horizon, and Vision, is a different company from Johnson & Johnson, the U.S. healthcare corporation that faces separate litigation over talc-based baby powder and a $442 million antitrust judgment against its Biosense Webster medical device subsidiary. Searches for “Johnson” lawsuits often mix the two, but none of the talc verdicts or the Biosense Webster antitrust case involve the fitness equipment company or its products.
What Owners Should Do Now
If you own one of the five Matrix training cycle models (CXP-03, CXC-02, CXM-02, CXM-03, or CXV), you can request the free repair kit through Johnson Health Tech’s recall channels, and you may fall within the Soto class if the case proceeds. If you own one of the recalled Matrix Retail or Vision treadmills, stop using it until you install the replacement locking power cord, which the company will send free of charge. Purchasers of Horizon treadmills bought between June 2018 and November 2020 whose claim deadline has passed will need to check with settlement administrators about any remaining options.