Hyundai halts sales and recalls 68,500 Palisade SUVs over power seat safety issue

On the Dash:

• Hyundai halted sales and will recall about 68,500 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy SUVs.
• The issue involves second- and third-row power seats that may not detect contact with occupants or objects.
• An interim over-the-air software update is expected by the end of March while a permanent fix is developed.

Hyundai Motor Company said Friday it has halted sales of certain 2026 model year Hyundai Palisade SUVs in the United States and Canada. The company said it is coordinating with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on a recall action for the vehicles.

The action follows an incident on March 7 in Ohio in which a two-year-old girl was killed. Hyundai said it does not yet have the full details and that the incident remains under investigation.

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Sales of the 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims were stopped because the second- and third-row power seats may not detect contact with an occupant or an object as intended. The automaker did not provide additional details about the March incident.

Hyundai said the recall will include approximately 68,500 vehicles, including about 60,500 in the United States and roughly 8,000 in Canada.

While the company works on a permanent fix, Hyundai said it is developing an interim over-the-air software update expected to be available by the end of March. The update is intended to enhance the system’s response to contact with occupants or objects, introduce additional operating safeguards, and improve overall system safety.

In the meantime, the automaker is offering customers rental vehicles as an alternative while the recall remedy is being developed.

Hyundai also urged caution when operating second- and third-row power seat functions and advised customers to ensure no person or object, including children, is in the seat or seat-folding area before activating the power seat controls.

Hyundai said it expressed its deepest sympathies to the family of the child involved in the incident.