(NEXSTAR) – Hyundai is recalling nearly 70,000 of its 2026 Palisade SUVs while an investigation into the death of a young child continues, the carmaker announced Friday.
The recall, which includes the Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims, is tied to a defect with the family-friendly second and third-row power seats.
The seats may not detect that a person is sitting there when they fold, Hyundai warned, adding that the second row is built to tilt and slide with the touch of a button.
“Hyundai is aware of a tragic incident involving a Palisade,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”
'Wellness' supplement recalled for containing Viagra drug
The details in that March 7 case aren’t entirely clear, but Nexstar’s NewsNation reports that the victim was a 2-year-old girl in Ohio.
The company, which is urging owners to make sure no children or objects are in the back two rows when using the power functions, advised: “When using the second-row one‑touch tilt‑and‑slide feature to access the third row, customers should avoid pressing the seatback button during entry or exit.”
One complaint from a Dec. 2025 incident, according to Consumer Reports, read:
“A passenger got into the passenger-side middle-row seat, and the seat fold-up button was accidentally bumped while the person was trying to get situated and buckled. The seat began moving and folding forward, pinning the passenger between the seat they were in and the back of the front seat. This incident hurt the passenger, who had the force of the seat against her, and it frightened her very badly. If the door had been locked, the passenger would not have been able to be helped out and could have sustained worse injuries.”
Another person recalled an occupant getting injured in a similar incident while trying to exit the vehicle on a dealership lot, noting it would have been especially concerning for a child.
The recall consists of some 68,500 vehicles in the U.S. with another 7,967 in Canada.
Hyundai said it will, through its network of dealers, “offer interested customers with a rental vehicle until a full remedy is available.”
A free recall repair is currently “under development,” but Hyundai said that in the meantime it will be distributing an over-the-air software update to “enhance the system’s response to contact with occupants or objects.”
Anyone with additional questions can call Hyundai at 800-633-5151.
