500,000 Hyundais Are Violating Federal Ejection Mitigation Standards

Hyundai is recalling more than half a million Palisade SUVs in the United States after federal regulators raised concerns about how the vehicle’s side curtain airbags may perform in a crash.

According to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall captures 568,576 examples of the three-row Palisade produced between 2020 and 2025. The issue involves the side curtain airbags intended to protect third-row passengers. In certain collisions, those airbags may not deploy as designed, failing to meet the allowable third row headform displacement requirements, which violates Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (“FMVSS”) No. 226, “Ejection Mitigation."

The problem was found during routine Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 226 testing on a 2025 Palisade conducted by NHTSA. That standard is meant to limit occupant ejection in a side impact, and NHTSA found that the third-row curtain airbag allowed too much movement.

Specifically, the agency measured headform displacement beyond the 100 mm limit required under the rule. The airbags involved were manufactured in Korea by Autoliv, the Swedish safety company that manufactures airbags and seatbelt systems for automakers around the world.

Hyundai opened an investigation with NHTSA’s Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance and its own technical center in Michigan. Through the summer and fall of 2025, engineers reviewed the restraint system and inspected vehicles with no change to the results.

Hyundai then ran its own series of tests in December, working with MGA Research across multiple vehicle trims. In some cases, those internal tests also produced third-row displacement readings above the legal threshold. The company shared its findings with NHTSA, while Autoliv, the airbag supplier, reviewed test footage and system performance.

By January, Hyundai’s North America Safety Decision Authority concluded that the Palisade was not in compliance, triggering the recall process. At this point, Hyundai has not announced a repair as the remedy is still being developed. Owners will be notified once the company finalizes a fix and dealerships are able to begin service work.

Hyundai recommends that owners wait for further instructions and keep an eye out for official recall communications as the repair plan comes together.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.