2026 Hyundai Palisade Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2026 Palisade most often describe problems with the second- and third-row power seats, where the seat keeps moving after contacting a person or object, and the vehicle is covered by a recall for this. A second cluster involves electrical trouble: dead 12-volt batteries, instrument clusters that go blank or lag, and over-the-air update problems. A third cluster covers engine concerns — check engine lights, misfire codes, hesitation and sudden loss of power, often at highway speed — with many owners saying dealers could not reproduce the fault.

1. 1
   Seats

   Second- and third-row power seats don't stop on contact

   Mentioned in 25 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the power folding and one-touch tilt-and-slide seats continuing to move after making contact with a seated person, a child seat or cargo, instead of stopping or reversing. Owners say this happened when a child pressed a seat button, when equipment bumped a button while loading, and during the driver's seat easy-access movement. Several report the seat did not respond immediately even after resistance was met, and some say dealers told them the seat had no sensor to stop it, or that they could not disable the auto-fold function. Several complaints also describe the recall software update as changing how the seats can be controlled, including removing touchscreen control of the rear seats. Reported across the sample from vehicles with a few hundred to about 6,000 miles, usually while parked or loading, and often with children in the rear rows.

   Recall 26V1600001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether recall 26V160000 has been completed and exactly what the update changed, then test every power seat function with an occupant or bag in the seat. Check that the second- and third-row seats stop and reverse when they meet an obstruction, and confirm which controls still work from the touchscreen.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The rear power-folding seat in my 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy failed to detect my child while closing. The seat continued applying force and did not automatically stop. I had to manually intervene to release her. This created a dangerous situation with risk of serious injury or death. This vehicle is currently under recall for this exact issue, and I have personally experienced the defect.”

   NHTSA complaint #11726296, filed 2026-03

   “I am submitting this regarding the remedy implemented under NHTSA Recall 26V-160 (Hyundai Palisade, second/third-row power seat obstruction detection defect). I support the intent of this recall — the underlying defect was serious and the software update appropriately targets improved occupant/object detection. However, I'm concerned about the adequacy and scope of the remedy as applied to the Limited trim specifically. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11743962, filed 2026-06
2. 2
   Engine

   Engine misfire, hesitation and loss of power

   Mentioned in 11 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe flashing check engine lights, misfire and camshaft timing codes, hesitation on acceleration, and sudden loss of power or stalling, often at highway speed, sometimes with heavy shaking and reduced-power mode. Several say the dealer could not duplicate the fault or had no permanent repair, and that restarting temporarily cleared it. Service campaigns describe an engine control module update for a misfire condition and improved emissions diagnostics, and warranty programs cover active air flap faults that can set a check engine light and low engine oil warnings. Reported from a few hundred to about 10,000 miles, frequently during highway driving or shortly after refueling.

   7 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the engine control module misfire update and the active air flap warranty program have been applied. Check that no check engine light is on, review any stored codes, and verify the oil level.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have the video BUT I AM UNSURE how to upload or share Incident Description: The vehicle is experiencing intermittent, complete engine stalls while in motion at highway speeds. The failure has occurred four times. Initial Symptom: The issue first manifested as stuttering and erratic behavior from the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) which I thought it was. Escalation: The vehicle has since progressed to a total loss of power. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11730777, filed 2026-04

   “I was driving my 2026 Hyundai Palisade on a busy road when the vehicle suddenly stopped without warning. A message appeared on the dashboard stating that the engine was off. I did not turn off the vehicle. This created a dangerous situation in traffic.”

   NHTSA complaint #11742635, filed 2026-06
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Dead 12-volt battery and no-start conditions

   • 11 complaints (9%)
   • median 300 mi at 1.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle being completely dead after sitting, sometimes only a few days, requiring a jump start; in some cases dealers replaced or charged the battery, and in others they found only a slight discharge. Some complaints tie the drain to a parasitic draw that was not pinned down, and one describes the vehicle losing power at a stoplight and being jump started at the roadside. A service bulletin describes a 12-volt drain from the Digital Key passive entry feature waking the vehicle repeatedly and provides a software update. Mostly reported on vehicles with under about 1,000 miles, sometimes after several days of not being driven.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the Digital Key drain update and any central communication unit software updates have been applied. Have the battery load tested, and check for aftermarket accessories such as dash cams wired to constant power.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Purchased a brand new car at Gerald North Aurora on 12/31 with 400 miles and on 01/25 car wont start with 717 miles and I had to register a road side assistance for jump start and after service center visit they replaced with a brand new battery. And same thing happened on 02/16 at 942 miles after inspection they said battery drained and they had to charge it. There is an issue with my car and I need it replaced with as it is a new car.”

   NHTSA complaint #11719750, filed 2026-02

   “I went to start the car and it was totally dead. It is used 7 days a week and driven back and forth to work 5 days a week. There was no warning and nothing was left on, just dead. I took the car to the dealer yesterday and they did an electrial system analysis and only found the battery had a slight discharge. Which is frustrating because I don't know when or where this could happen again. The dealer charged the battery and it seems ok at this point.”

   NHTSA complaint #11735254, filed 2026-05

Buying note. This model year is recent enough that most reports come from low-mileage vehicles, and several concern items covered by open recalls, so confirm each recall remedy has actually been performed and ask what it changed. A thorough seat-function check and a battery and software-update history review are worth doing before purchase.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.