2026 Hyundai Palisade

Subject: Urgent Safety Complaint – Child Entrapment Due to Seat Malfunction – Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy On [XXX], my wife was picking up our two [XXX] children from school in our recently purchased Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy (purchased on [XXX]). Our daughter was properly seated in a booster seat in the second-row passenger seat next to my son. Without warning, the vehicle seat began to automatically fold forward and compress inward onto the child. The seat did not respond to any controls and continued closing despite my wife’s attempts to stop it. The force of the seat crushed the booster seat. My wife had to physically intervene and pull our daughter out while the seat continued to move. The seat ultimately locked in a compressed position and could not be reversed using any available controls. This incident caused extreme distress and posed a serious risk of severe injury or death to our child. A school staff member witnessed my wife’s distress immediately following the incident. Upon contacting Hyundai customer service, we were informed that Hyundai was already aware of this issue and that a recall had recently been issued. We were also told that there has already been at least one death associated with this defect. Despite this knowledge, we were not notified prior to this incident. We only received a recall-related communication after the event occurred. We attempted to bring the vehicle to a Hyundai dealership on March 25, 2026. The dealership had no record of our scheduled appointment, could not provide an immediate inspection, and did not offer a loaner vehicle despite the vehicle being unsafe for transporting children. We are no longer able to safely use this vehicle for our family. This complaint is being filed due to: •A critical safety defect involving automatic seat movement and child entrapment •Failure to adequately warn consumers of a known dangerous condition •Exposure of a mino INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2026 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that while parked in the driveway, the seat adjustment feature on the second-row passenger side captain's seat failed to detect the presence of a minor occupant. As a result, the seat continued to move, causing compression of the child, who was ultimately able to slide out. The seat adjustment feature became inoperable. The contact stated that the minor occupant sustained a sore back. No medical treatment was obtained. No other injuries were sustained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact is relating the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number 26V160000 (Seats). The failure occurred at 5,897 miles.

On Saturday, March 14, 2026 we received a text message from Hyundai indicating there was a recall for the car. The message contained info stating to use caution when using the power seats. There were no instructions regarding what to do and no info regarding the need to contact the dealer. “Use caution” was the message given. A second message was received on March 16 at 8:56 PM with the same information but also stated there was “No remedy”. Again it was stated to “use caution”. (What is that exactly??). Please note the following incidents: On Monday, March 16 at 4 PM my husband was securing our [XXX] grandchild into the 3rd row seat to his carseat. He was in the backseat to strap him in when the 2nd row seat began to move backward and ultimately trap him. He was unable to get out. I was in the trunk area so I pushed the switch in the cargo area to push the seat forward. There was no response and the seat kept closing in on him. He was being crushed by the seat and his legs were pinned. He recently had a hip replacement. Our grandchild was being crushed with my husband on top of him. We were eventually able to move the seat forward off of my husband. Another grandchild was in a car seat in the second row. The second row seat started to fold down on top of her and I was unable to stop it. The rear facing carseat wedged her between the seats. She was trapped as well. Her legs were pushed up to her shoulders and she was crying. She weighs about 20 pounds. We were unable to move the seat off of her. The carseat remained wedged between the 1st and 2nd rows. We were able to pull her out of the carseat but were unable to get the seat to unfold. See photos That evening we watched the news and noted the story involving the death of a toddler who experienced a malfunction of the seats. Note when we first got the car on 12/22/25 the seats crushed a garbage can(Photo) We now realize why that happened. We contacted the dealer on 3/17, returned car 3/18. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMA

I am the owner of a 2026 Hyundai Palisade, purchased new less than 60 days ago. This vehicle is currently subject to a safety recall involving the 2nd and 3rd row power seat assemblies, which reportedly lack sufficient anti-pinch protection during certain seat adjustment functions, including automatic power-folding (stow) and the one-touch tilt-and-slide (“walk-in”) feature. We experienced this defect firsthand in our vehicle. During operation of the second-row seat adjustment feature, the seat continued moving without adequate resistance detection or automatic stop, indicating a failure of the anti-pinch protection system. This created a hazardous condition where an occupant could become trapped or injured by the moving seat mechanism. This issue is especially concerning because these seat functions are located in areas of the vehicle intended for passengers and children. We have an infant who will be occupying these seating areas, and this defect presents a direct safety risk. Since purchasing the vehicle, I have also become aware that this defect has been linked to multiple injuries and the death of a young child. Additionally, Hyundai has issued a stop-sale on affected vehicles, yet current owners are still expected to operate them without a confirmed repair available. At this time, no remedy has been completed on my vehicle, and I do not believe it is safe to operate given the nature of the defect and its location within the passenger seating area. I was told to ask the dealership for a loaner, which the dealership does not have. Additionally, Hyundai said they would cover $60/day in rental fees. A similarly-sized SUV in our area rents at $210/day - a payment discrepancy we cannot afford.

On Friday, 1/30/26, My daughter, granddaughter and grandson were heading out of town and tried to lower the 3rd row seat on the driver's side to put our luggage in the back. My [XXX] granddaughter was buckled in the second row seat. The 2nd row seat button was pushed. My granddaughter started screaming about the seat coming down on her. We kept trying to stop it, it finally stopped (we were lucky). I ran to my granddaughter and she was completely squashed in the seat and could not get out. She is tiny, roughly 40 lbs, the opening was roughly 6" to 8". It was not easy but I was able to pull her out. We did not touch the button or try to move the seat until I arrived back home on Saturday night, 1/31/26. My husband pushed the button and was able to place the 2nd row seat back into place. This was really scarry and with all the sensors the Palisade has, I am not sure how this happened. Prior to purchasing this car, we did our research on the safety and reliability of 2026 SUV's. What is the length of time Hyundai has to recall and repair? This is really a liability to everyone. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I was vacuuming out my car with my children. I was on the passenger side and had the second row seat folded down so I could vacuum behind it. I hit a button on the side of the seat. As I was bent over the seat vacuuming still I didn’t realize it was autocorrecting to the full upright position. It did not detect me there and before I knew it I was being sandwiched between the seat back and side of the car. Thankfully because I am an adult and taller I rose up on my tip toes quickly as I was screaming for my children to help. But I didn’t have enough time to get out completely. My head was pinched between the second row seat head rest and the side of the car. I was panicking to find the button as my daughter came running over to find a button to free myself. My ears were red and sore and the side of my head was sore for a while. I’m terrified to think that if that was one of my children as they were helping me vacuum that they would not have been able to raise up tall enough to keep from having severe head trauma or that if the seat had gone back just a little further how seriously injured I may have been. I was traumatized for several days. Understanding that a child died now is just heartbreaking and scares me even more!

While on/idol, the 3rd row seat (left/drivers side) folded down on my 9 year old niece. Myself, mother, 6 year old daughter, sister in law, brother and 12 year old niece all witnessed this happen as we were loading into the car after playing at the park (I had the car turned on). Her head got pinned to the headrest of the 2nd row captain seat. The buttons did not respond as they usually/supposed to do to stop and reverse the folding action. The seat continued to press against her skull. After realizing the buttons in the cargo were not going to work, I had an idea and ran to the 2nd row door and pressed the captain seat button to slide it forward (my child was in that captain seat in a rear facing carseat). It wasn't able to move much but enough that the trapped girl was able to force her head out and her mom pulled her the rest of the way out to release her. It was very traumatizing. That 3rd row seat remained in that almost closed position as the buttons still would not function so we drove home. Eventually I tried the buttons in the again and it unfolded the seat. I have tested these buttons over and over since then to figure out what happened. Every time I test them, each button allows me to either release it and the action stops, or press the button again and the action stops. I do not know why it wouldn't respond to doing that same that day. Prior to that incident, sometime between getting the car on 7/31 and mid-November, I had an empty unbuckled backless booster car seat in the third row right/passenger side as a backup for daughters friends to use, and without remembering it was there, I pressed the button to fold down the 3rd row right side chair and it kept stopping and auto reversing, several times before I realized oh ya, the booster is back there. So when the innocent happened with my niece, it came as a big surprise because that booster weighs nothing compared to a 9 year old. It has not happened again

Rear passenger captain chairs and third row bench do not respond to occupancy when folding. I have dogs who I put in the cargo area with the third row down. My dogs are prone to move and bump buttons which has caused one or both captains chairs to move forward when loading them into the vehicle. Hyundai is aware of the problem and a temporary remedy is pending. There were no warning lights or messages prior. From a complete stop acceleration is intermittently jerky until a speed over 30mph is achieved. This is likely to do with the engine but I’m unsure if that’s the only component involved. Safety has not been at risk yet because it still accelerates but in a very jerky manner. Definitely has caused anxiety wondering if/when it will get worse. There have been no warning lights or notifications prior to this happening.

The contact owns a 2026 Hyundai Palisade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number (AWAITING1), Manufacturer Recall Number: 296 (SEATS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the 2nd and 3rd row power seats failed to adjust as needed. The contact was concerned that small children may be injured due to the seats not operating properly. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

My [XXX] daughter and I were sitting in a parking lot while we waiting for my other child in an appointment. She was walking back and forth between the front of the car and the back of the car. Then all of a sudden I heard screaming and I looked back and she was completely folded in half in the 3rd row seats that were collapsed on her. I jumped back to try and get her out, which I couldn’t, and it took me several seconds to figure out which buttons to push to open the seats back up. I took her to the doctor and they said that really lucky based on how she folded in the seat. I knew there was a recall, but I did not realize that a [XXX] girl died from this on Friday. There have been several incidents where the seats started to close by themselves on our car seats (and the car seats didn’t prevent them from closing), but luckily I was there right when it happened and was able to push a buttons to stop it (again, NOT intuitive on which buttons to push). None of the buttons are intuitive on how they function. The seats have also closed in on my older children before, but they were able to stop them or jump out of the seats in time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)