Hyundai is recalling just over 120,000 units of its Palisade SUV due to a problem with the wiper motor, which may simply stop working, either sporadically or altogether.
The company has not as yet identified the precise cause of the problem or a fix for it. Intriguingly, the glitch only occurs on models that were built up to February 2021.
Hyundai believes that the root of the problem is related to the increased load placed on the wiper motors by ice and snow accumulation. Anyone living in Canada or in a northern region has either intentionally or accidentally turned on their wipers in the hope that that’s sufficient to remove piled-up snow/slush/ice. But we know how risky that is for the engine.
“The root cause is currently under investigation; however, Hyundai suspects a sudden increase in wiper system load could cause circuit breaker actuation within the wiper motor resulting in temporary inoperability. Wiper operation resumes once the circuit breaker resets and/or the windshield is cleared of obstruction.”
- Hyundai, in report made to the NHTSA
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Hyundai expects to have a solution in place before notices are sent to dealers and owners in October.
It would be logical to assume that replacing the faulty mechanism (installed pre-February 2021) with one built post-February 2021 would solve the problem, but modifications to the vehicle make this not as simple as all that.
In any case, Hyundai is on it. We contacted Hyundai Canada to find out how many units were affected in Canada, and we’ll update this report if and when we receive more information.