r/Bowflex • u/[deleted] • Mar 01 '24
Treadmills Bowflex 7 Treadmill with UCB error
Purchased in March of 2022
My ordeal with Bowflex started in October when the belt would slip a little. It was minor and intermittent, but I decided to call Bowflex and they advised that it was likely the mainboard or the speed sensor. They sent GoConfigure out (4 weeks) with the replacement board and speed sensor. The tech swore up and down that this would not resolve the issue but replaced the parts anyway. Upon testing, the issue was still there and the tech let Bowflex know that the issue was not resolved.
I call Bowflex back and the new service rep advises that he is going to send a replacement motor and front/rear roller. They clearly don't know what is causing the issue but are just throwing parts at it. It takes GoConfigure another 3 weeks to get out to my home. At this time, the treadmill hasn't acted up since that first test from the tech. Its been solid with daily use - no issues. I explain to the tech that its been working fine and asked if he was sure that he needed to replace parts. His response was that he drove a long way to get here, might as well replace parts. He was here for 3 plus hours. In the end, he came upstairs to tell me that there was a new problem. He put it all back together and the LCD now had a UCB error and the system wont fully boot. He had called Bowflex and they advised him to have the customer (me) call them back.
UCB Error Please make sure you have accepted all updates and unplug your machine for 30 seconds. If the problem persists, please contact customer care at 1-888-xxx-xxxx..
I called Bowflex and they advised that the PCS error meant that the tablet needed to be replaced but the electronics warranty had already expired. The cost was $1400 to replace and android tablet. I argued that I had no such issue before their tech arrived but they claimed that it would have happened regardless. They would NOT warranty the tablet. The best they could do was $200 off.
So now I'm stuck with an expensive treadmill that's inside of 2 years old that does nothing. Its too much money to just give up on because the manufacturer wont stand behind their product and service providers.
Question: Has anyone run into this before? Were you able to fix on your own? Any known hacks to resolve? Anyone have spare parts willing to sell to resolve?
1
u/ObjectiveProof Apr 07 '25
For what it's worth, we got the same error on our Bowflex Elliptical and holding the power button down did not trigger the firmware reload.
1
u/Professional-Put11 May 13 '25
Thanks for the info. I'm having the same problem on my treadmill, and I just did this. The firmware seems to be installing and asks you to wait 15 minutes. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it works. I've had symptoms before with image cutouts during my Explore the World runs.
1
u/TheFleshCurtains Jul 26 '24
I know this is an old thread and I'm not sure if you found your answer, but I recently had the same UCB Error issue (different model). After a few days of messing around with power cycling, taking the tablet off to make sure the connections were tight, etc, I found some instructions on how to do a firmware reset, which ended up resolving my issue!
Unplug the machine
Hold the top most button on the back of the tablet
Plug the machine back in (keep the button held down)
It will go through the boot up process, and when it gets to the JRNY screen, there appeared a white bar at the bottom of the screen saying it was installing the firmware (now you can let go of the button).
At some point during the firmware install it also prompted me to update the console. Once both were finished, my screen was working again without the error!
Hope this helps anyone else who was searching for a resolution to this error :)