Hyundai Recalls More Than 4,000 Vehicles Due to Seatbelt Issue

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid is displayed at the New York International Auto Show in New York on April 2, 2026. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

Hyundai has issued a recall for 4,203 units of its 2026 Palisade model in Canada due to a seatbelt wiring issue that could potentially lead to an increased risk of injury.

The wiring for the third-row driver’s side seat belt buckle in certain vehicles could become damaged when the buckle is pulled, says the recall notice published in Transport Canada’s Motor Vehicle Safety Recalls Database and last updated on April 2.

“As a result, the seat belt status indicator in the instrument panel may incorrectly show that a seat belt is buckled when it’s not,” the notice says.

Hyundai says a seat belt status indicator that does not work correctly “could create confusion,” and not wearing a seat belt increases the risk of injury in a crash.

The vehicle company says it will notify Palisade owners in writing and advise that they take their affected vehicle to a Hyundai dealership to install an extension to the wiring harness to address the issue.

If necessary, the dealership will also replace the seat belt buckle assembly, the notice says.

Hyundai car owners can also check if the recall applies to them by entering their Vehicle Identification Number on Hyundai’s recall lookup webpage, or by calling 1-888-216-2626.

Hyundai Motor America issued a recall for 46,787 units of its 2026 Palisade model last week for the same issue.

The recall applied to both 2026 Hyundai Palisades and 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrids equipped with Limited and Calligraphy trim models, according to a notice published on March 26 by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Hyundai’s North American safety office became aware of the issue in early January and conducted replication trials.

The office then held weekly discussions with Hyundai in February and early March to review potential root causes, manufacturing design, and warranty part return analyses, and then decided that additional evaluation was needed.

The safety office agreed to conduct a recall on March 12, and by then Hyundai was aware of five reports related to the defect in the U.S. market. There were no accidents, fires, injuries, or fatalities reported as a result of the issue.

Hyundai also issued a “stop sale” for the 2026 Palisade models in mid-March after a fatal incident.

The company said in a March 13 statement that the powered second- and third-row seats in the vehicles may not adequately detect an occupant or object as intended and could continue with its power-folding operations.

Hyundai said a 2-year-old girl died as a result of the defect in Ohio on March 7, but gave no further details of the incident, saying it was still under investigation.

Hyundai urged caution when operating second- and third-row power seat functions and said to ensure no object or person, including children, is in the seat or seat-folding area before operating the power seat.

The company said sales of Palisade models had been indefinitely halted, and that it was recalling roughly 68,500 units, including approximately 8,000 in Canada and 60,500 in the United States.

Mary Prenon and Reuters contributed to this report.