American Hyundai Palisades Being Investigated For Faulty Basic Safety Feature

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into certain Hyundai Palisade units sold in the US because of an issue with the most basic safety feature: seatbelts. According to the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), the SUV’s seatbelts may tend to unlatch without warning, making them useless in case of a crash.

According to the NHTSA document, the investigation was opened this week, specifically on August 7, 2024. The ODI estimated 332,288 units of the Hyundai Palisade, under the 2020-2023 model years, are affected by the alleged defect. Of note, the Palisades sold in America were produced in Hyundai’s home country in South Korea despite the document saying otherwise. Hyundai reportedly mulled manufacturing the SUV stateside, but that hasn’t pulled through.

What’s The Safety Risk?

The NHTSA document didn’t specify which of the three-row SUV’s seatbelts was allegedly unlatched, but the ODI has received 37 complaints about the same problem. It added that the seatbelts were detached inadvertently, which increased the risk as the seat occupants were unaware that they wouldn’t work in case of a crash.

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Fortunately, NHTSA didn’t tally any injuries or fatalities connected to the seatbelt issue. A quick look into the submitted complaints will show you incidents that happened as far back as 2021. One user on the Hyundai Palisade Forum website shared that the problem was in the second-row captain’s seats, with some pointing to the seat design leading to difficulty in latching the safety belt on correctly.

Not The First Palisade Issue

The Hyundai Palisade is no stranger to issues. The more recent ones were part of a high-profile lawsuit submitted last year against Hyundai, with issues related to fire risk and four recorded “thermal incidents.” The automaker has issued a recall to fix the problem.

Related

Hyundai Says New Palisade Will Be “Next Level”

Expect it to be very different, like the new Santa Fe.

With the first Palisade introduced in 2018, Hyundai is already in the development stage of its next-generation model, touted to be “next level.” The automaker is reportedly rushing the production timeline to keep up with the high demand. Hopefully, the new Palisade will have a better seat design to prevent inadvertent unlatching of safety belts upon its US arrival by the second half of 2025.

Source:
NHTSA