- Ashley Groussman warned Hyundai about dangerous power seat issue last September.
- Two-year-old tragically killed after seat malfunction pinned her inside three-row SUV.
- Recall now issued affecting over 68,000 Palisades, but there’s no concrete fix as yet.
A California driver says she raised serious safety concerns about her Hyundai Palisade months before a fatal incident in Ohio, where a toddler was killed after becoming trapped by a powered seat mechanism.
Ashley Groussman told News 5 Cleveland she experienced a frightening moment on her very first day with the SUV last August. While picking up her daughter, a third-row passenger pressed a seat button, causing the second-row seat to fold forward onto her child without stopping.
Related: Kia Pulls Some Tellurides From Sale Over Defect Linked To Child Death In Palisade
“She started screaming, and I turned around and literally pulled her to safety,” Groussman said, speaking to the outlet. Shaken by the incident, Groussman contacted Hyundai repeatedly, warning that the Palisade posed a real danger.
In a message sent in September, she described the issue as “urgent” and said it directly affected passenger safety. She also shared her concerns publicly, on social media, claiming the seat continued moving even when occupied.
Inspection Found No Faults
Despite her efforts, Hyundai closed her case after an inspection of her MY26 Palisade reportedly found the system working as intended. But six months later, a tragic incident with similar roots unfolded in Akron, Ohio. A two-year-old girl was fatally injured when a power seat folded onto her inside a parked Palisade. According to police, the child became pinned and could not be freed quickly.
“There were attempts to release the seat, and they were unable for quite some time,” said Lt. Michael Murphy, as reported by News 5 Cleveland. The delay proved fatal. After learning of the incident, Groussman said she was devastated. “My heart just sank. I am so heartbroken for this family,” she said.
Hyundai has since acknowledged that some customers had raised concerns about seat operation. The company says it continuously reviews feedback as part of its safety process but declined to comment on individual cases.
Stop-Sale Ordered
Following the incident and media inquiries, Hyundai halted sales of certain 2026 Palisade trims and issued a recall covering around 68,500 vehicles across the United States and Canada. The recall notes that power rear seats may trap occupants.
An interim software update is being rolled out to improve how the system detects contact, though a permanent fix is still in development. Groussman, however, has had her Palisade problem fixed for good. She says Hyundai has now agreed to take back her vehicle, something she had requested months earlier.
