Normally I will fold my NordicTrack treadmill after my exercise session to save the space.
Sometimes I noticed that it is difficult for me to unfold it during my next exercise sessions.
As shown in the video below, I have made a few attempts to successfully unfold the running deck.
There could be a few possible reasons for your NordicTrack treadmill to stuck in upright position.
Read:
- How to check what year is NordicTrack treadmill made
- What to do when NordicTrack Decline function not working
NordicTrack Treadmill Won’t Unfold and Stuck in Upright position
- Folding mechanism is stucked
For my treadmill model, the folding and unfolding mechanism are purely mechanical.
That’s mean there is no electrical component involved as shown in the image below:
I believe most models of NordicTrack treadmill come with a mechanical folding/unfolding mechanism.
If you notice that you are not able to put the running deck down, the first thing you can do is to inspect if there is anything stuck between folding bar.
Regular maintenance and cleaning are encouraged for the treadmill to perform at optimum level.
- Use the right Technique to unfold it
This is the most common case, sometimes I made mistake when trying to unfold it.
As you can see from the image below, it clearly shows what you should do to unfold the treadmill.
If you do not follow the steps above, you might find it very difficult to release the latch and put the running deck down.
First, you should push the running deck upwards, at the same time, kick the folding bar at the designed position as shown in the image below.
There is a foot sign that shows you where you should be kicking.
Next, after you feel the latch inside the folding bar is released, pull the running deck down, while you should be still kicking at the same position.
From my experience, you are lucky if you can get it down on the first attempt.
Normally, I will need to repeat the steps above many times to successfully lower the running deck down.
- Safety lock not released
Some models of treadmill might come with a safety lock to prevent kids from hurting.
Check your model if there is any safety lock/key engaged.
For my case, my treadmill does not have the safety lock, it is a pure “Kick and Release” mechanism as shown in the image below:
- Hydraulic mechanism not working
During normal successful unfold process, you can see the running deck is being lowered down at a slow speed.
It does not immediately unfold and reach the ground.
There is a hydraulic mechanism that unfold the running deck at a slow speed for safety purpose.
During this process, you can even remove your hand from holding the running deck, and it will lower the running deck by its own.
If the hydraulic mechanism is broken or not working as it should, it might prevent the treadmill from being unfolded.
Sometimes you might notice the unfolding took faster for the running deck to reach the ground.
Overtime, the hydraulic mechanism might start failing and not able to function as it should.
In this case, what you do is to disassemble the folding bar or call your NordicTrack technician for support.
- Lack of lubrication
Although the unfold bar is lack of lubrication, it should not prevent you to unfold your treadmill in normal case.
Just sometimes you will hear some weird sounds during the unfolding process.
For optimum performance, I will suggest you to lubricate it once a month.
You can use any treadmill lubricant, but for me I will just use my lubricant that is designed for the running belt.
Conclusion
I hope the above listed common reasons would be able to help you to troubleshoot the NordicTrack treadmill’s won’t unfold issue.
If the issue persists and you are unable to solve it by yourself, I would suggest you to contact a treadmill technician for an inspection.
