Car company Hyundai is issuing a recall on a popular SUV after a toddler was crushed by the vehicle’s power seats. The 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims seem to have issues detecting something in the second and third rows, and that issue has turned deadly. A family in Ohio is at the root of the recall. Details about exactly what happened are still emerging as police continue to investigate. They do know, however, that somehow the power seat was activated, and a toddler was trapped as the seat started to fold. To the company’s credit, it is reacting quickly to the news to avoid further tragedy.
The Hyundai recall has already started.
On March 13, 2026, Hyundai announced that it would stop sales of its Palisade SUVs in the United States and Canada after the March 7, 2026 incident, Reuters announced. It also will be recalling the ones already sold because of the power seat issue.
The recall affects approximately 68,500 Hyundai Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims sold in Canada and the United States. The second- and third-row power seats may not detect contact with someone sitting there or an object in the seat.
Hyundai is working on a recall fix, and it will offer customers a rental vehicle until the issue is fully fixed if they want one. While the company works on a solution to fix the issue, it is developing an over-the-air software update that will enhance the car’s response to an object or person in those seats. It’s expected to be available at the end of March.
Here’s what is known about the accident.
Akron police shared body camera video of the incident with News 5, showing the harrowing experience.
“We have a child under a chair in the car,” a caller told a 911 operator. Police rushed to Restaurant Depot quickly. The 2-year-old girl “was sitting in the third row. The automatic seat collapsed on the child, pinning her,” a police report read.
Lt. Michael Murphy told the outlet the girl’s mother was inside the car with two children while the dad was inside a business.
“The dad was doing some shopping, and they wanted to allow the children the room to just roam and play around in the car, but at some point — we’re not certain of how this happened — that button that releases the seat went down, and the child was trapped,” Murphy explained.
The circumstances around the girl’s death remain a mystery.
According to Murphy, it took bystanders several minutes to free the girl from the car’s seats. She was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital, where she died.
After she was taken to the hospital, police body camera footage shows an Akron police officer trying to figure out why the seat was stuck down but he could easily operate the seat next to it, News 5 reported.
The girl’s death was ruled an accident by the Summit County Medical Examiner. It was listed as “child compressed by power folding seat in a parked SUV,” per News 5.
“It’s just a terrible tragedy all the way around. I can’t imagine what this family is going through, and I know that they’re looking for answers, as are we,” Murphy told the outlet.
The company shared a news release addressing the problem and next steps.
“Hyundai is aware of a tragic incident involving a Palisade,” the company expressed in the release. “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.”
In the news release, the company also noted it “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. 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.”
The company is using multiple methods to let customers know about the Hyundai recall, including “email, vehicle telematics, outbound phone calls, and media notifications, and advising them to use caution when operating second and third-row power seats,” the release added.
