Overview
- The Akron case, which occurred on March 7, 2026 outside a Restaurant Depot, involved a rear power-folding seat moving forward and trapping 2-year-old Lucia Natalia Ayala.
- The medical examiner recorded the death as an accident caused by compression consistent with mechanical asphyxiation.
- Hyundai pulled 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims from sale and is recalling about 68,500 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada.
- NHTSA says the second- and third-row power seats may fail to detect a person and can keep moving after contact during one-touch tilt-and-slide or automatic fold-and-stow functions.
- Hyundai says the final remedy will be a software update to improve contact detection, and regulators advise keeping children away from the rear seating area during power-fold operations until repairs are made.