The tragic death of a young girl will trigger recalls of a popular family car already suspended from sale in Australia.
Hyundai Australia blocked sales of the Palisade SUV following the death of a child in the US, where the manufacturer has moved to address a problem with powered electric seats in the car.
A statement issued by the manufacturer’s American arm says it “is aware of a tragic incident involving a Palisade”.
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“While Hyundai does not yet have the full details and the incident is still under investigation, a young child lost her life,” Hyundai said.
“Hyundai extends its deepest sympathies to her family.”
Reuters reports that the incident triggering Hyundai recalls involved the death of a two-year-old girl in Ohio on March 7.
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All new cars with powered electric seats, doors, windows and bootlids are designed to detect any obstruction and reverse direction to prevent people being injured.
Hyundai’s statement surrounding the Palisade says examples of the car with electric folding seats in the second and third rows “may not adequately detect contact with an occupant or object as intended”.
“This condition may occur during second and third-row power‑folding operations, as well as during use of the second-row one‑touch tilt‑and‑slide function,” the statement said.
“Hyundai urges owners to use caution when operating the second and third-row power seat functions and to ensure that no person or object, including children, is in the seat or seat-folding area before operating the power seat.
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“When using the second-row one‑touch tilt‑and‑slide feature to access the third row, customers should avoid pressing the seatback button during entry or exit.”
Hyundai is rushing out a software update intended to improve the obstruction detection function of its folding seats before carrying out a more thorough recall.
Its American arm says around 68,000 examples of the car require attention.
Hyundai’s Australian office is also preparing to recall the Palisade to address the issue, which only affects the latest model that arrived in November last year. It will contact owners of the current-generation “LX3” Palisade.
The issue does not affect the Hyundai Santa Fe SUV.
Hyundai sold 2364 examples of the Palisade in Australia in 2025.
