What 517 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Hev

Component: Engine My 2020 Hyundai Palisade (approximately 155,856 miles) experienced a serious and dangerous engine-related failure that resulted in a vehicle fire. My 16 year old daughter was driving alone at the time of the catastrophic failure and fire. For approximately six months prior to the incident, the vehicle was consuming oil at an abnormal rate with no visible external leaks. This condition persisted without clear cause. While driving, the vehicle suddenly developed a new oil leak, and the engine failed without warning, leaving me stranded on the roadway. Immediately following the failure, the engine compartment caught fire. There were no prior indications of an active oil leak before this sudden failure. The progression from oil consumption to catastrophic failure and fire presents a serious safety concern. This incident created a dangerous situation with risk of injury or worse, and it appears to be more than normal wear and tear. I am reporting this as a potential safety defect involving engine failure and fire risk. Mileage at time of incident: approximately 155,856 miles No prior accident or external cause contributed to the fire.

NHTSA ODI 11735010

Component: Engine / Engine and Engine Cooling Description: My 2020 Hyundai Palisade (approximately 155,856 miles) experienced a serious and dangerous engine-related failure that resulted in a vehicle fire. For approximately 8 months prior to the incident, the vehicle was consuming oil at an abnormal rate with no visible external leaks. This condition persisted without clear cause. While my [XXX] daughter was driving, the vehicle suddenly developed a new oil leak, and the engine failed without warning, leaving my daughter stranded on the roadway. Immediately following the failure, the engine compartment caught fire. There were no prior indications of an active oil leak before this sudden failure. The progression from oil consumption to catastrophic failure and fire presents a serious safety concern. This incident created a dangerous situation with risk of injury or worse, and it appears to be more than normal wear and tear. I am reporting this as a potential safety defect involving engine failure and fire risk. Mileage at time of incident: approximately 155,000 miles No prior accident or external cause contributed to the fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11733631

The contact owned a 2020 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, he heard an abnormal popping and hissing noise. The contact stated that he started to smell a burning odor. The contact was losing forward momentum. No warning lights illuminated. When he applied the accelerator pedal, the vehicle continued to slow down. The contact pulled off the highway, stopped the vehicle, and turned off the engine. The contact stated that almost immediately, smoke was issuing from under the front end. The contact stated that the vehicle burst into flames. The police and fire department were called. The fire was extinguished using chemicals. The police and fire departments issued reports. The vehicle was towed away to an impound lot. The contact stated that he had the transmission replaced in 2024. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11682953

Hello, I have a 2020 Hyundai Palisade that was bought last year in 2024. It’s had no issues with the engine up until approximately the last 2 weeks with oil consumption and noises from the engine rattling. I contacted the dealership to get it checked out and on the way there it caught fire. The engine died and almost all of the oil leaked out. The engine block now has a hole in it, so it is unable to be driven. My husband was driving and had just had surgery. Thankfully I was driving in a separate vehicle with my kids in case something like this happened. It has been sitting at the dealership since the 28th of May. The dealership inspected it and said there is no known cause at this time. The dealership also said they unfortunately can’t do anything. I called my insurance and they said the only thing they can cover is the damages caused by the fire. The estimate amount to fix it is 13K. But I believe the engine malfunctioned and was already having problems without my knowledge of it. There were no warning lights or alerts stating there were any problems with the vehicle. I also do know there is a class action lawsuit happening because of the 2020 Hyundai Palisades.

NHTSA ODI 11665566

The vehicle, a 2020 Hyundai Palisade SEL, was located in a closed garage, unoccupied. Within 10 minutes of parking the car in the garage, it caught on fire, possibly originating on the front, driver's side. Due to this incident occurring inside a garage, there was damage to our home and a high risk of safety (including loss of life) to the home and its occupants. At this time, we are waiting for the insurance company to investigate the origin of the fire as there were no warning lights or any indication of risk. This fire happened very suddenly and unexpectedly and it is our sincere hope that a thorough investigation will prevent this from happening to other families.

NHTSA ODI 11636267

I had just pulled into a (handicapped) parking space at my bank in Marana Az. as I prepared to stop with the brake still depressed, the car suddenly surged, with the tach going to 5000rpm. The vehicle jumped the sidewalk (with rear wheels making drag marks on the sidewalk. Vehicle shot up the slight rise , hit and demolished a concrete bench and some plants and was heading toward the main entrance when I shut the engine off with the ignition key. The car stopped less than 10 feet from the bank entrance. the car came close to going through the entrance shattering the glass doors and possibly injuring bank customers and employees. There was no warning, but this car has had 3 or 4 sudden engine surges before - about one every 1 1/2 years. Hyundai service has checked and denied any problems. On line queries indicate the surging problems are not uncommon. They happen without warning and result in serious injury and damage to people and property. Hyundai is stonewalling. Other drivers have similar events occur for sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) and suggest problems with the Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) including throttle position sensors. Our Palisade has less than 40,000 miles on it and has been well maintained, but Hyundai people refuse to acknowledge any problems - my wife and I consider that this car is a potential death machine.

NHTSA ODI 11608317