Hyundai said Saturday that the power-folding function of the second- and third-row seats may fail to detect contact with occupants or objects under certain conditions, prompting the company to temporarily halt sales of vehicles equipped with the feature.
According to Reuters, a two-year-old girl died in Ohio on March 7 in an incident related to the Palisade’s power seat mechanism.
Hyundai said it plans to resume sales after improving the vehicle’s anti-pinch safety function.
For vehicles already sold, the automaker plans to carry out a voluntary recall and will report the measure next week to South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The company said it will strengthen overall system safety by increasing the sensitivity of the occupant and object detection system and limiting the power-folding seat function to situations when the tailgate is open.
The exact number of vehicles subject to recall is still being calculated, but the measure is expected to cover models produced through March 11 this year. The affected vehicles are estimated at 57,474 units in South Korea and 74,965 units in North America.
The All-New Palisade exported about 100,000 units worldwide last year, while 59,506 units were sold in South Korea, according to the company.
Hyundai apologized for the inconvenience caused to customers, saying it will continue to prioritize safety and thoroughly review all related issues to maintain customer trust.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
