DETROIT, MI. (Pain In The Pass) >> Hyundai Motors is recalling and abruptly halted sales of certain trims of its large SUV, the 2026 Palisade, and initiated a global recall of approximately 130,000 vehicles.
The recall stems from a fatal accident that occurred on March 7 in Ohio. A two-year-old girl died after being trapped and compressed between the power-folding seats in the Palisade’s rear row. The ‘anti-pinch’ function, which should halt the seat’s movement if an object or person is detected, reportedly failed to activate.
The recall involves 2026 Hyundai Palisades with limited and Calligraphy trims.
“Hyundai is aware of a tragic incident involving a Palisade,” the company said in a press release on Friday March 13. “While Hyundai does not yet have the full details and the incident is still under investigation, a young child lost her life. Hyundai extends its deepest sympathies to her family.”
Additional details about the incident were not immediately available.
The issue that prompted the recall involves the second and third row power seats, which “in certain situations, those seats may not adequately detect contact with an occupant or object as intended,” the automaker said. “This condition may occur during second and third-row power folding operations, as well as during use of the second-row one-touch tilt-and-slide function.”
Hyundai urged owners to use caution when operating the second and third-row power seat functions and to ensure that no person or object, including children, is in the seat or seat-folding area before operating the power seat.
The automaker on Friday said the recall repair is under development and, once finalized, will be performed at no cost to owners, adding that Hyundai will offer interested customers a rental vehicle until a full remedy is available.
Meanwhile, the company said it was developing an over-the-air software update that is expected to be available by the end of March.
“While this update is not the permanent recall repair, it is intended to enhance the system’s response to contact with occupants or objects, introduce additional operating safeguards, and enhance overall system safety,” the news release said.
Although manufacturers can make every effort to notify affected customers about recalls, it’s not always possible. So, if you want to check if your vehicle has an active recall, sometimes you need to do it yourself. Checking for a new or old recalls on your vehicle is easier than you think. Enter your vehicles VIN number at NHTSA Recall Site or CheckTopProtect.org to see if your vehicle has a open recall.
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