Hyundai is pausing sales of the 2026 Palisade Luxury and Calligraphy models in Canada and the U.S. due to a malfunction with the second- and third-row power seats.
The stop-sales order by the Korean automaker follows an incident that caused the death of a two-year-old child in Ohio on March 7.
Hyundai states that “in certain situations, these [second- and third-row power] seats may not adequately detect contact with an occupant or an object as intended. This situation can occur during power-folding operations of the second- and third-row seats, as well as when using the second-row one-touch tilt-and-slide function.”
Caution advised
Given that there has been a fatality, Hyundai “urges owners to exercise caution when using the second- and third-row power seat functions and to ensure that no person or object, including a child, is on the seat or in the folding area before operating the power seat. When using the second-row one-touch tilt-and-slide function to access the third row, customers should avoid pressing the seatback button while entering or exiting the vehicle.”
Recall imminent, 7,967 vehicles affected
Hyundai confirms it is finalizing details for a recall campaign affecting 7,967 vehicles in Canada. Only the Luxury and Calligraphy versions of the 2026 Palisade are included in the recall. In the meantime, the automaker is working on an over-the-air update, which should be ready to go by the end of March.
Preferred Trend and XRT Pro versions not affected
In Canada, sales of the Preferred Trend and XRT Pro versions are being maintained by the manufacturer. The reason for that is simply that in those base models, are not equipped with second- and third-row power seats.
