Hyundai has halted sales of certain 2026 SUV models and is preparing a large-scale recall after a 2-year-old girl died in an Ohio incident involving one of the brand’s vehicles.
Hyundai said it is stopping sales of the 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims, which feature second- and third-row power seats that may fail to properly detect a person or object when folding or sliding, creating a safety risk. In response, the automaker is recalling about 68,500 of those vehicles across the U.S. and Canada, including more than 60,000 in the U.S., and is developing a fix that will be provided to owners at no cost once finalized.
The action follows a March 7 incident in Akron involving a toddler from Cuyahoga Falls. According to police, officers were called to a Restaurant Depot on Sweitzer Avenue after a 911 caller reported “a child under a chair in the car.” Investigators say the girl had been sitting in the third row of a Palisade when a power-folding seat collapsed, pinning her.
Authorities said the child’s mother was inside the SUV with another child at the time, while her father had briefly gone into a nearby store. It remains unclear how the seat was activated, but investigators believe the release mechanism was triggered, causing the seat to fold and trap the child.
Bystanders worked for several minutes to free her before emergency crews arrived and transported her to a hospital, where she later died. The Summit County Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident, determining the child was “compressed by [a] power folding seat,” News 5 Cleveland reports.
“Hyundai is aware of a tragic incident involving a Palisade,” the company said in a statement Friday. “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.”
Hyundai said the issue stems from a potential failure in the seat system’s ability to properly detect occupants or objects during operation. In certain situations, the system may not respond as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
The company is urging current owners to use caution when operating power seat functions, advising drivers to ensure no one is in the seat-folding area and to avoid using seat controls while entering or exiting the vehicle.
Hyundai also plans to roll out a temporary over-the-air software update by the end of the month to improve occupant detection and add safeguards. A permanent repair is still in development, and some customers may be offered rental vehicles while they wait for fixes.
Federal safety regulators, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, are aware of the incident and are in communication with Hyundai as the investigation continues.
