NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2026 Hyundai Palisade. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
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
Power folding seats do not stop when met with an obstruction. Occupant exiting the 3rd row of the vehicle was squished between the 2nd row seat and door frame of vehicle while trying to exit and it was very painful. When tested at the dealership, they confirmed that, even if excessive force is applied to the seat back while it’s folding or sliding, it will not stop folding or sliding, which could cause physical injury. Dealership stated that there is no sensor to stop the seats from folding, even if there is an obstruction in the way and that you must press the button again to stop it. This is a safety concern for any passengers on the 2nd and 3rd rows, especially children.
The instrument cluster went blank and didn't return until suv was restarted. Another time the instrument cluster had part's of it go out and in but stablelizd whiteout restarting the . The suv continued to run with out interruptions. Hyundai dealer said they couldn't fix it unless it was acting up at the time they had it which is going to be hard to catch.
Dash restarts while driving,” “Incorrect speed,” “Incorrect RPM,” “Loss of essential information. am reporting a safety-critical malfunction in my 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid (400 miles). The digital instrument cluster restarts while driving and displays incorrect speed and incorrect RPMs. This is a violation of essential driver information requirements under FMVSS 571.101. Video: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
1. The 2nd row powered seats do not (or the system failed) have a force feedback sensor or anyway to tell if something or someone is in the way from it moving the seat back. 2. If someone is climbing into the 3rd row seat and the button to move a 2nd row seat is pressed the person can be crushed, potentially pinning them in place and or choking their neck 3. The incident happened at a dealership with a at the time unsold car that had just arrived. I was personally able to reproduce the problem by pressing the button on the seat that moves it back into place while I was sitting behind it, the seat attempted to recline back pinning me in place till I pressed the button again. 4. No 5. No
NHTSA SAFETY DEFECT REPORT Vehicle: 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Mileage at Failure: Approximately 3 weeks from new Location: Colorado DESCRIPTION OF FAILURE While driving under completely normal conditions on a local road with no overpasses, no debris, and no external hazards, the sunroof glass suddenly exploded upward without warning. There was: No rock impact No falling object No roadway debris No weather event The glass failure originated from within the sunroof structure and shattered outward/upward. OUT-OF-CONTROL SHIPPING PERIOD Because this vehicle was purchased new, it spent a period of time in manufacturer and dealership custody during shipping and storage prior to delivery. During that time: The vehicle was not in owner control Any manufacturing defect, stress fracture, or transit-related glass damage could only have originated before delivery DANGER CREATED Sudden explosive glass failure while driving, no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure or after the failure. Risk of facial injury Risk of shattered glass entering vehicle cabin Risk of loss of vehicle control Extreme startle response at speed This could easily have caused a serious accident or injury. MANUFACTURER RESPONSE Hyundai dealership and Hyundai Consumer Affairs reviewed photographs submitted by the dealer and wrongfully denied warranty coverage, claiming outside damage without any physical proof. IMPORTANT NOTE This appears to be a tempered glass manufacturing or transit defect, consistent with internal stress fractures that cause spontaneous sunroof explosions.
I am reporting a serious safety issue involving my 2026 Hyundai Palisade with fewer than 5,000 miles. Hyundai has now issued Recall 296 stating that the second and third row power seats may not respond properly when contacting an occupant or object. Prior to receiving the recall notice, I had already taken the vehicle to the dealership three separate times regarding problems with the rear seats and unexplained battery failures. Each time I was told nothing was wrong with the seats. The first incident occurred when my child was seated in the rear seat. I attempted to move the seat backward to create more space, but instead of opening properly the seat continued moving in a way that began closing toward my child and would not stop. I was able to quickly remove my child before the seat fully closed. The seat then continued moving on its own. The second incident involved the vehicle battery completely dying without warning. When AAA came to jump start the vehicle, I heard the rear seat motors operating mechanically even though no one was using the seats. The third incident occurred when the battery died again and AAA was called a second time. During the jump start I again heard mechanical movement from the rear seat motors. I had to pay to replace the battery even though the vehicle was nearly new. I informed the dealership multiple times that I believed the issue was related to the seat system, but they told me they could not find anything wrong. Given that Hyundai has now issued Recall 296 regarding malfunctioning power seats, I am extremely concerned that this defect presents a serious safety hazard, particularly to children in the rear seats. I believe the seat system may also be draining the battery due to unintended motor operation.
Constant and consistent Alerting (Attention) with the (steering and eye alert) icons present. NOTE: It would be helpful to understand and be told the exact sensor or type of alert (eye camera, steering input, forward camera) that triggered the alert! As it stands, every few seconds to minutes the alert states driver is not attentive. Eventually between 2-8 warnings is unrecoverable and the cruise control shuts itself off after a myriad set of warnings. No matter what is attempted the car ends the cruise control and the driver MUST maintain control at that point (decelerating from highway/interstate speeds dramatically). Myself and all family drivers experience this IMMEDIATELY after activation. Dealership has reported no trouble after 50 miles of driving (as stated). I have video of this issue and am adding them to youtube (2026 hyundai palisade cruise control fail) for others to see. This is UNSAFE and DISTRACTING! The alerts alone are enough to deactivate this (if available, but: it cannot be deactivated!) let alone decelerating from speed for "no good reason" outside of drivers DIRECT control. The only solution I HAVE is to not use cruise control and the safety features (as they are marketed to work) and negate the safety features I purchased the vehicle for.
See attached document for complaint.
Entire instrument cluster goes black while driving. Speedometer, odometer, tachometer, turn signal indicators, everything stops working and just a blank screen. Have a video of it happening. Took it to hyundai and they would not approve tear down to find what is causing and said that it is not a safety concern, yet this would cause the vehicle to fail safety inspection in our state.
New Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Calligraphy AWD speedometer and critical information screen and heads up display while driving goes blank. This has happened to me twice. I have been directly in contact with Hyundai USA and my local dealership to resolve this critical safety issue. Hyundai engineers have been working the issue with suggestions to my dealership to identify and resolve the problem. Hyundai engineers are shotgunning the solution with no success. With this safety issue in mind, I request that you contact Hyundai to request they have a product recall on this vehicle. This problem puts just not me but all other drivers at a significant safety risk on our highways. I request feeds back on this issue
I am a 77 year old senior and was driving my 2025 Hyundai Tucson Highbrid at approx. 70 MPH on the highway, then suddenly there was significant shuddering through the Tucson with noticeable loss of power. The Tucson dropped to 30 MPH. After that it would accelerate with significant shuddering. This would repeat several times while driving. In addition there were no Malfunctioning indicators, or warning lights. We were never so scared in our lives. This occurred on Thursday , October 2 nd.2025 at around 1:00 P. M. On highway 355 and 53 traveling Northbound.
Batteries in the brand new 2026 Hyundai Palisade are failing by dying unexpectedly with under 500 miles on the vehicle. I have documented over 20 instances with new owners online. This is a safety concern because it can leave people stranded in cold weather. It appears to be an issue with the digital key. I contacted Hyundai and they are not concerned. They just test the battery and say they can't find anything wrong.
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.
Component/system: Second- and third-row power seat assemblies (Recall 26V160000) and third-row driver-side seat belt buckle wiring (Recall 26V169000). Both components are available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: The power seat system may fail to detect an occupant during folding operation, creating a crushing hazard. This defect is linked to the death of a [XXX] child in [XXX] on March 7, 2026, and multiple reported injuries. The seat belt defect may cause a false latch indicator, leaving a rear passenger unrestrained without the driver's knowledge. Confirmed by dealer/manufacturer: Yes. Hyundai Motor America has formally acknowledged both defects via official safety recalls. Hyundai issued a stop-sale order on all unsold 2026 Palisade Calligraphy vehicles. Inspected by manufacturer: Yes. Hyundai has issued an interim over-the-air software update under Recall 26V160000, which it acknowledges is not a permanent fix. No permanent remedy exists for either recall as of April 2, 2026. Warning symptoms: Owners received in-vehicle dashboard alerts via Bluelink and direct communications from Hyundai. We purchased this vehicle September 15, 2025 with 33 miles on the odometer. We have submitted a formal written buyback demand to Hyundai Motor America and are simultaneously filing complaints with the Missouri Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. We are requesting NHTSA investigate whether owners are entitled to a buyback under federal law. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Problem Statement: Instrument cluster has an instrumentation update lag of approximately 10 seconds. The problem may or not be present when you turn the vehicle on. Description of Problem: Turning on the vehicle. The Instrument cluster does not load properly. Different display elements appear in a different sequence than normal. The speedometer remains at zero even though the car is moving. The lag to begin changing the speed indicated is approximately 7-10 seconds. The car can be moving at 60 miles per hour, and the speedometer indicates zero. When the car is stopped the guage may read the prior steadystate speed of the vehicle. For example. Going from 65mph to a stop the speedometer will continue to read 65mph even though it has stopped. Potential Safety issues •Driver Speed Awareness: The driver may unknowingly exceed speed limits, exposing themselves to traffic citations or legal liability. •Inability to gauge speed accurately may lead to unsafe driving behaviors, such as entering curves or approaching intersections too quickly. •Braking and Stopping Distance Misjudgment: If the driver believes they are traveling more slowly than they actuallyare, they may underestimate stopping distances. This can result in rear-end collisions, failure to yield, or inability to stop in time for pedestrians or cross traffic. •Acceleration and Merging Risks: During highway merging or lane changes, the driver may not accelerate appropriately relative to surrounding traffic. A lagging or frozen speedometer can cause misjudgments of closing speeds, leading to sideswipe or merging collisions. •Entering a curve: Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control might expect you to slow down for a curve or exit. But if speed is misrepresented, it might delay braking or deceleration, causing the vehicle to approach the curve too fast, increasing risk of lane drift or rollover. Dealerhas been excellent to work with. They are aware of the issue and are recitifying the problem.
I purchased a new 2026 palisade on 8/30/2025. The day after I purchased it I started noticing the car jumping/bucking/hesitating to get up to speed, also it jumps and jolts around different speeds. I brought the car back to the dealership 2 days later for them to look at it. After explaining the problem they drove the car by a tech and also the service manager, with the car being so new. After review of the car, the service person told us verbally that the service manager did feel some hesitation in the car but that the car was so new that it is most likely caused by TAP tables (the car learning how a driver drives). After 30 days of the driving the car, it did not get better, only worse. I brought the car back to the dealership on 9/29 again to have them look at it. They first told me nothing was wrong and that the car just "rode rough" . The service person i was dealing with asked for us to drive in the car together so I could point out what I was feeling when I drove it. While he was driving I could feel the hesitation even in the passenger seat. I pointed it out everytime I felt it, to which he confirmed he felt as well. After the test drive, he allowed me to drive a similar model closest to mine. While I drove that vehicle, I felt that same exact feeling I was feeling in mine. He recommended that I file a formal complaint and that he would send all the information into the warranty department. He also stated during the drive that the new Santa Fe, when they were first released had a similar issue and that they finally release a software update to resolve the issue with the trans and that may also be the case with the new palisade as well. My advice to anyone buying this car, during the test drive make sure you request to take this on the highway and get it in the range of 65-75mph and keep it idle at 70 for a bit and make sure you dont get stuck with the same problem! My previous vehicle had a transmission issue and this is exact same feeling in the Palisade
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026