2021 Hyundai Palisade
Gas Midsize / large SUV
The 2021 Hyundai Palisade is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize or large SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Palisade FWD, is EPA-rated at 22 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 430 complaints, most often about seat belts. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palisade FWD | Gas | FWD | 3.8L 6-cyl | 19 | 26 | 22 | $2,850 |
| Palisade AWD | Gas | AWD | 3.8L 6-cyl | 19 | 24 | 21 | $2,950 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
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Recalls (6)
Air Bags
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Palisade vehicles. The side curtain air bags for third-row occupants may deploy improperly in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
Risk: Improper side curtain air bag deployment increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install a protective film over the rear window and remove padding, as necessary free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed beginning March 13, 2026. Final remedy owner letters will be mailed in phases, beginning in June 2026 and expected to continue through December 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 292. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this rec
Seat Belts
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Palisade vehicles. The seat belt buckles in the driver, passenger, and second-row window seats may fail to latch.
Risk: Seat belt buckles that fail to latch may not properly restrain occupants in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Passengers are advised to insert the belt firmly into the buckle with a quick and direct motion, pulling on the belt to confirm the seat belt is fully secured, until the recall remedy is performed. Dealers will replace the seat belt buckle assemblies, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed beginning October 23, 2025. Final remedy owner letters will be mailed in phases, beginning in June 2026 and expected to continue through December 2026. O
Visibility/Wiper
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Palisade vehicles. The windshield wiper motor may operate intermittently or fail to operate due to snow or ice buildup on the windshield, causing the wipers to fail.
Risk: Windshield wiper failure can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver-side windshield wiper arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 15, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 243. This recall is an expansion of recall number 22V-627.
Trailer Hitches
criticalProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling 2020-2022 Palisade vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 18, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 235.
Visibility
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Palisade vehicles. The windshield wiper motor may become inoperative, causing the wipers to fail.
Risk: Windshield wiper failure can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver-side windshield wiper arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 13, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 233.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Palisade vehicles. The brake fluid may be contaminated, which can cause the brake master cylinder inner-cup seals to swell, and reduce braking performance.
Risk: Reduced braking performance can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder, and flush the brake fluid, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 24, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 212.
NHTSA investigations
Seat Belts — Inadvertent Seat Belt Unlatch (closed)
On August 7, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE24021 to investigate complaints alleging inadvertent unlatching of seat belts in model year (MY) 2020-2023 Hyundai Palisade vehicles manufactured by Hyundai Motor America. The complaints alleged that, without warning, the seat belts sometimes inadvertently unlatch, increasing the risk of injury due to full loss of seat belt protection in the event of a crash. As a result of information exchanged as part of the investigation, on April 3, 2025, Hyundai initiated a warranty extension policy for seat belt buckles on model year 2020-2025 Palisade vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. Hyundai subsequently initiated a request for wa
Opened Aug 7, 2024 · closed Dec 12, 2025 · action PE24021
Visibility/Wiper — Windshield Wiper Failure (closed)
On August 15, 2022, Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) filed a safety recall (NHTSA Recall 22V-627) of 122,919 model year (MY) 2020-2021 Hyundai Palisade vehicles produced from April 10, 2019 to November 30, 2020. This recall addressed windshield wipers that may function intermittently or stop functioning when impeded by the accumulation of snow and/or ice at the bottom of the windshield. Intermittent or inoperative windshield wipers could reduce driver visibility while operating the vehicle in inclement weather, increasing the risk of a crash.On December 2, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Recall Query (RQ) after receiving 6 consumer complaints alleging windshield wi
Opened Dec 2, 2022 · closed May 26, 2023 · action RQ22005
Owner complaints
430 complaints filed
8 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 19 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2020: 16 · 2021: 57 · 2022: 39 · 2023: 52 · 2024: 63 · 2025: 118 · 2026: 85
Most-cited components
- Seat Belts — 108
- Unknown Or Other — 80
- Electrical System — 55
- Engine — 55
- Visibility/Wiper — 48
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 14% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 16% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.
Other Palisade model years
2027 Palisade
0 recalls · 1 complaints
C2026 Palisade
3 recalls · 114 complaints
D2025 Palisade
3 recalls · 240 complaints
F2024 Palisade
5 recalls · 383 complaints
F2023 Palisade
5 recalls · 396 complaints
F2022 Palisade
5 recalls · 302 complaints
F2020 Palisade
5 recalls · 529 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 42609, 42610). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.