Hyundai stops sales of Palisade SUVs with specific trims after toddler dies in power seat accident

Hyundai is stopping sales of its Palisade SUVs with Limited and Calligraphy trims after a tot died in a power-folding seat accident.

Power seats in the second and third rows of the affected cars are not detecting contact with people or objects in every instance as they are supposed to do, the North American branch of the Korean automaker said Friday.

That issue caused the death of a 2-year-old girl in Ohio on March 7, according to Reuters, spurring the sales stoppage and a recall.

Hyundai said in its announcement that while it “does not yet have the full details and the incident is still under investigation, a young child lost her life. Hyundai extends its deepest sympathies to her family.”

The identity of the toddler and her family have not been publicly disclosed.

Hyundai said it was finalizing the recall details so that they could be submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Once implemented, the recall would affect more than 60,000 U.S. cars and nearly 8,000 Canadian cars.

NHTSA said on social media that it “is in communication with Hyundai” and that “the recall notice will be available on NHTSA’s website after the agency receives and reviews it.”

The automaker urged people to be careful operating the second and third row power seats and to make sure nothing or no one is in the seat or the seat folding area before using and operating the power seats.

Specifically, Hyundai said, “When using the second-row one‑touch tilt‑and‑slide feature to access the third row, customers should avoid pressing the seatback button during entry or exit.”

In the interim, the carmaker said it would be putting out a software update by the end of March that will improve the power seating system’s overall responsiveness to contact and put in more safeguards. Other, more permanent fixes will be made with the repairs implemented as part of the recall.