What started as excitement quickly turned into fear for Los Angeles resident Ashley Groussman after she leased a 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy in August last year. On the very first day, she says a frightening incident unfolded while picking up her 9-year-old daughter.
Her daughter climbed into the second row while a friend sat in the third. Moments later, the friend pressed a button located on top of the second-row seat. Groussman says the seat began folding forward with her daughter still seated and didn’t stop.
“She started screaming, and I turned around and literally pulled her to safety,” Groussman recalled.
The incident left her shaken. What worried her even more was the lack of a sensor to detect whether someone was seated before the power seat moved.
Attempts to Raise Concerns
Over the next few months, Groussman repeatedly contacted her dealership and Hyundai, asking them to take the vehicle back. In September, she sent an email describing the issue as urgent and dangerous, warning that it posed a risk to families.
She also posted on social media, tagging Hyundai and describing the potential hazard. Her message was clear: a child could be seriously hurt if the seat moved while occupied.
In October, Hyundai sent an inspector to review the SUV. A month later, she received a response stating the seat mechanism was operating normally and her case was closed.
Despite the dismissal, Groussman says she continued to feel uneasy every time her children sat in the vehicle.
Tragedy in Ohio Changes Everything
More than six months later, a devastating incident occurred nearly 2,400 miles away in Akron, Ohio. A 2-year-old girl from Cuyahoga Falls died after being pinned by a power seat inside a Hyundai Palisade.
According to police, the toddler, her mother, and an older sibling were inside the parked SUV while the father stepped into a nearby business. During that time, the power seat folded forward, trapping the child.
Bystanders tried for several minutes to free her but were unable to move the seat quickly enough. Authorities said the child was crushed and suffocated.
The tragedy deeply affected Groussman, who said her “heart just sank” when she heard the news.
Hyundai Responds and Recall Issued
Following the incident and growing concerns, Hyundai acknowledged that some customers had reported issues with second- and third-row power seat functions. The company stated it was reviewing data from multiple sources as part of its safety evaluation.
Shortly afterward, Hyundai stopped selling 2026 Palisade models in Limited and Calligraphy trims and issued a recall affecting approximately 68,500 vehicles across the United States and Canada.
Hyundai also contacted Groussman and offered to take back her SUV — the resolution she had been requesting for months.
Safety Concerns for Family Vehicles
The recall has raised broader questions about safety features in family-focused SUVs. Power-operated seats are designed for convenience, but incidents like these highlight the importance of built-in safeguards.
For Groussman, the issue remains simple.
“No one should have to sit in fear of a child pressing a button and being killed in the back seat of their family car,” she said.
As the recall moves forward, affected owners are being urged to contact Hyundai dealers for further instructions and potential fixes.
