Hyundai halted sales and recalled about 68,500 model-year 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy SUVs after a 2-year-old girl in Ohio was killed when a rear power seat folded down and crushed her on March 7, 2026.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Hyundai Palisade Power Seat injury cases in all 50 states. If your child or a family member was injured by a 2026 Hyundai Palisade power seat that folded or slid without detecting a person in its path, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Vehicle Recall Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Hyundai Recalls 2026 Palisade SUVs
In March 2026, Hyundai issued a stop-sale order and announced a pending recall for approximately 68,500 model-year 2026 Hyundai Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trim vehicles after a fatal incident involving a 2-year-old child in Ohio.
What Happened?
The details of the tragic incident are still under investigation, but the 2-year-old girl was crushed when the power seats folded down and crushed her underneath.
What is the Problem?
The 2nd and 3rd-row power seats in the 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims may not detect contact with a person or object when the seat is folding, stowing, or sliding.
These power seats are supposed to work like anti-pinch windows, and automatically stop or reverse direction when they sense resistance. In the affected Palisade SUVs, that safety mechanism can fail, allowing the seat to continue moving and crush whatever is in its path. This is especially dangerous for young children, but anyone can be seriously injured. At least 1 other injury was reported by an adult.
How Did Hyundai Describe the Problem?
The defect affects both the power-folding stow function and the 2nd-row one-touch tilt-and-slide feature used to access the 3rd row.
According to documents Hyundai submitted to NHTSA, the affected seat assemblies do not contain sufficient anti-pinch protection for occupants during activation of these features:
“In certain situations, the second- and third-row power seats may not detect contact with an occupant or object as intended.”
How Many Incidents Have Been Reported?
In addition to the death of the 2-year-old girl in Ohio in March 2026, Consumer Reports identified at least 3 complaints in the NHTSA database related to similar seat-folding incidents dating back to November 2025, including 2 injuries.
In one December 2025 incident, a passenger was pinned between the folding seat and the back of the front seat after accidentally bumping the fold-up button while getting settled. That passenger survived — the 2-year-old in Ohio did not.
How Many People Were Injured?
- 1 fatality — a 2-year-old girl in Ohio, killed on March 7, 2026
- 2 additional injuries – these injuries were reported to NHTSA in separate incidents prior to the child’s death
- A third complaint from November 2025 involved a near-miss with an unsold vehicle at a dealership. No injuries were reported.
How To Identify Recalled Vehicles
- Model: 2026 Hyundai Palisade
- Trims affected: Limited and Calligraphy only (both equipped with power 2nd and 3rd-row seats)
- Production dates: December 24, 2024 – March 11, 2026
- Units affected: 60,515 in the United States; 7,967 in Canada (68,500 total North America)
- Lower trims with manual folding seats are NOT affected
What Should I Do?
If you own a 2026 Hyundai Palisade Limited or Calligraphy, take the following steps immediately:
- Do not allow children near the power seat controls or in the seat-folding area when seats are in motion
- Avoid pressing the seatback button when using the 2nd-row one-touch tilt-and-slide feature during entry or exit
- Watch for a recall alert pop-up on your vehicle’s infotainment touchscreen — some owners have already received this notification
- Bluelink subscribers will receive an interim over-the-air software update by end of March 2026 (this is not the permanent fix)
- Non-Bluelink subscribers must visit a dealership to receive the interim update
- Request a free rental vehicle from your Hyundai dealership while you wait for the permanent repair
- Call Hyundai at 800-633-5151 with questions or to confirm your vehicle’s recall status
- The permanent repair will be performed at no cost to owners once finalized
Do I Have a Hyundai Palisade Power Seat Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Hyundai Palisade Power Seat injury cases in all 50 states. If your child or a family member was injured by a 2026 Hyundai Palisade power seat that folded or slid without detecting a person in its path, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Vehicle Recall Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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