After a young child reportedly died because of an electrical issue with the power-folding seat, Hyundai issued a stop sale and recalled both the 2026 Palisade Limited and the 2026 Palisade Calligraphy.
NOTE: If you have purchased either version of the recalled Pallisades, we want to hear from you! Message Jennifer Waugh at jwaugh@wjxt.com.
Power fold allows operators to fold the rear seats with the touch of a button, but the car is supposed to detect if someone is sitting in the seats.
Investigators, though, say that safety feature might not work, after a March 7 incident in Akron, Ohio, that left a 2-year-old girl dead.
Her family said she was sitting in the rear seats when the power-fold feature was activated, causing the seat to fold down and pinning the little girl.
Akron police released body camera video from after the deadly incident (watch in the player above), and the third row seat is visibly down.
It is unclear if the girl was in a child car seat at the time, but the body camera video clearly shows a car seat on the ground outside the car.
Police are still investigating and have released few details publicly.
Hyundai is also investigating and says it extends its “deepest sympathies” to the girl’s family.
Consumer Reports said it has also received complaints about the power-fold function, including a report from December of last year that said a rear seat passenger was hurt after she bumped the power-fold button while trying to buckle her seat belt.
There is at least one other report of someone getting injured while climbing in and out of the rear seats at a dealership.
Hyundai says it is offering free rental cars to owners who want them until it releases an update that fixes the issue. It’s working on that software update now and says it will install it for free as soon as it is available.
Again, if you have purchased a 2026 Palisade Limited or 2026 Palisade Calligraphy, message Jennifer Waugh at jwaugh@wjxt.com.