A 2022 Hyundai Palisade owner has taken to social media to sound the alarm regarding a potential issue with the SUV’s third-row seats, claiming her SUV exhibits the same problem that led to the stop sale of 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims in the US and Canada.
Hyundai announced a recall of the latter models after a 2-year-old child died when a power seat in a 2026 Palisade collapsed and pinned her. To make matters worse, more injuries have been reported since then due to the same power-seat malfunction in which the power seats sometimes do not detect when someone or something is in the way as the seats move. Now, it looks as though the issue may not be limited to the 2026 Palisade.
Is the First-Generation Hyundai Palisade Also Affected?
The owner of a 2022 Palisade Calligraphy claims her vehicle’s third-row power seats have the same issue and therefore kids risk being crushed when the seats fold automatically. Anna Caroline Watkins, the owner’s daughter, has uploaded a video on her Instagram showing how the seat does not stop folding even when there’s a voluminous object—a pack of plastic water bottles in this case—in its path.
After someone presses the power folding button in the trunk, we can see the seat folding, and it doesn’t stop until it reaches a horizontal position, crushing the water bottles in the process. One of the women calls the situation “scary,” and indeed it is if you picture a small child on that seat instead of the water bottle pack.
“My mom drives a 2022 Palisade Calligraphy with 46,000 miles. My kids have ridden in that third row countless times. And now seeing what’s coming out about these vehicles… it’s terrifying,” Anna Watkins wrote in the description of the video referring to the 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy recall.
“This is NOT just affecting 2026 models. If you own a Palisade or any SUV with a third row that has automatic seats please don’t assume everything is fine. Check your seats. Check how they latch. Pay attention to anything unusual. As parents, we trust these vehicles with our kids’ lives. That trust shouldn’t be blind. Please take a minute and double check. It matters more than you think,” she added.
We Found Several Complaints on NHTSA.gov from First-Gen Palisade Owners
At this point, it’s worth mentioning that this case may not be singular. We’ve checked for similar complaints on NHTSA.gov and found several ones involving the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025MY Hyundai Palisade. For example, a Florida owner of a 2025 Palisade filed the following complaint to NHTSA on March 20, 2026.
“While sitting in the third row and attempting to grab something, my husband accidentally pushed the fold buttons and seats began to close on me. It continued to close until my husband was able to push the button to reverse it. It did not register there was a person in the way and I could’ve been seriously injured if he was not there.”
Hyundai
That sounds really serious, especially since the incident involved an adult; if an adult can’t stop the seat from folding down electrically, what chances would a child have? Another NHTSA complaint filed by a 2021 Palisade owner from Arkansas on March 24, 2026 is equally worrying.
“The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and running with the third-row passenger’s side seat in the cargo position, and the driver’s side third-row seat in the upright position, the [XXX] child pressed the third-row seat button, and the passenger’s side third-row seat opened and pinned the child’s leg between the driver and passenger’s side third-row seats. The contact stated that three different people pressed the third-row seat button, but the seat failed to respond. The contact’s father and husband both pushed and pulled in opposite directions, and the contact was able to pull the child’s leg out from the seats. The child sustained right leg injuries, and the leg was red and swollen. No medical attention was needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that a remedy had not yet been developed. The failure mileage was 171,403.”
There are several more complaints like these involving first-generation Hyundai Palisade models, so we reached out to Hyundai USA to see if the automaker is aware of these complaints from customers and if it’s looking into the matter. We’ll update this story as soon as we get a reply.
