Hyundai is recalling about 68,500 2026 Palisade SUVs in the Limited and Calligraphy trims after a young child was killed when a power-folding seat activated. The company has put a stop-sale in place for affected vehicles while it works on a software fix it expects to send over the air by the end of March. Hyundai says recall repairs will be free, rental vehicles will be offered until the remedy is ready, and owners should be extra cautious around the second- and third-row power-folding seats in the meantime.
In a press release carried by News 5 Cleveland, Hyundai said the recall covers model-year 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy SUVs built for the U.S. and Canada. Customers will be notified through email, vehicle telematics, phone calls, and media outreach. The company described the move as being taken "in response to a recent tragic incident" and said it will reimburse qualifying out-of-pocket costs tied to the recall repair.
Background: Palisade’s Recent Safety Scrutiny
The Palisade has already been drawing safety attention this year. In January, Hyundai announced a separate, much larger recall of roughly 568,000 Palisade SUVs from the 2020 through 2025 model years over a third-row side-curtain airbag issue. As Car and Driver reports, the earlier recall followed NHTSA compliance testing and further spotlighted the SUV for regulators and consumers.
If You Own a 2026 Palisade
Owners of 2026 Palisade Limited or Calligraphy models are being urged not to use the second- and third-row power-folding and one-touch tilt-and-slide functions until Hyundai’s repair is available, and to keep children clear of the seat-folding path. To see whether a specific vehicle is included in any recall, you can enter its VIN on the official lookup page or contact a dealer for confirmation and scheduling. For federal VIN lookup and recall details, see NHTSA.
What Hyundai Says and What Happens Next
Hyundai says it is developing an over-the-air update intended to improve seat detection and anti-pinch logic and expects to deploy the fix by the end of March, according to the company statement reported by News 5 Cleveland. The automaker told the outlet that dealers will be notified electronically and owners will receive formal letters once the repair is ready. Hyundai has issued a stop-sale on the affected trims while the remedy is finalized. Regulators told the same outlet they are aware of the fatal incident and are working with Hyundai to gather more information.
In cases involving a death, investigators and regulators generally move quickly to secure evidence and determine root causes, and families may choose to file civil claims. That pattern of scrutiny followed the earlier Palisade side-airbag recall this year. Car and Driver notes that Hyundai has faced multiple recent safety campaigns on the Palisade, which raises the stakes for this latest fix and any follow-up investigations.
