Certain Hyundai Palisades Hit With Stop Sale, Recall After Power Seats Crush 2-year-old Girl

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

Hyundai has issued a stop-sale bid for nan 2 top-trim models of its Palisade three-row crossover pursuing an incident that killed a two-year-old kid successful Ohio connected March 7. The Korean automaker is besides moving connected a callback hole for 68,500 impacted Palisade Limited and Calligraphy crossovers.

While not going into item astir nan March 7 tragedy, Hyundai said that nan callback and stop-sale successful nan U.S. and Canada stemmed from an rumor pinch nan power-operated secord- and third-row seats. They apparently person problem detecting interaction pinch an caretaker aliases entity arsenic intended. When that happens, they tin beryllium crushed by an unrelenting spot motor. The rumor arises during some power-folding operations and erstwhile nan 2nd row's one-touch tilt-and-slide usability is used. Now, it's successful nan process of submitting a callback action to nan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In a statement, Hyundai said it was alert of nan "tragic incident," and extended its "deepest sympathies to her family." The institution says it doesn't yet cognize nan afloat specifications of what happened but says a afloat investigation is underway.

Hyundai says Palisade Limited and Calligraphy owners should usage be aware erstwhile operating nan powerfulness spot usability successful nan second- and third-row and guarantee that nary personification aliases object, "including children," is successful nan spot aliases seat-folding area earlier moving nan seat. It besides said that erstwhile utilizing nan one-touch tilt-and-slide usability to entree nan 3rd row, owners should debar pressing nan seatback fastener during introduction aliases exit.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

Hyundai is presently finalizing nan specifications of nan callback of astir 68,500 vehicles that'll yet beryllium submitted to nan NHTSA. The immense mostly — 60,515 of them — are cars successful nan U.S., and a further 7,967 are Palisades successful Canada. Once nan callback is set, it'll beryllium performed astatine nary costs to owners astatine a Hyundai dealership, and customers will beryllium offered a free rental conveyance while nan hole is being done.

Until then, nan automaker is processing a short-term hole successful nan shape of an over-the-air update that's expected to beryllium pushed retired by nan extremity of March, according to Hyundai. It decidedly will not service arsenic a imperishable solution, but it should — astatine nan very slightest — heighten nan system's consequence to interaction pinch occupants and objects. It's besides meant to bring successful immoderate much operational safeguards and heighten nan wide information of nan system.

Hyundai says it's notifying customers done aggregate points of contact, including email, conveyance telematics, telephone calls and media notifications. If you're a Palisade Limited aliases Calligraphy proprietor pinch much questions, you tin scope retired to Hyundai's Consumer Assistance Center here.

What a horrible, horrible situation.