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Hyundai has stopped sales of certain 2026 Palisade SUVs following the tragic death of a two-year-old girl in Ohio on March 7. The incident involved a Palisade SUV, and the company is now planning a recall due to a problem with the power-folding seats, which may fail to detect contact with an occupant or object.
Hyundai has expressed its deepest sympathies to the family of the child and is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the recall. The affected models include the 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims, with about 68,500 vehicles potentially impacted.
The automaker is developing a recall repair and an interim over-the-air software update to improve the system’s ability to detect contact with occupants or objects and introduce additional safeguards. Hyundai is advising owners to ensure no person or object, including children, is in the seat or seat-folding area before operating the power seat.
Hyundai has halted sales of the affected models and is offering rental vehicles to customers until a permanent repair is implemented. Reuters reports that the interim software update is expected to be available by the end of March.
The company reiterated that its top priority is the safety of its customers and will provide additional details regarding the interim software update and final recall repair as they become available.