Hyundai Side Curtain Airbag Recall Affects More Than Half a Million Vehicles: NHTSA

More than 500,000 Hyundai SUVs are being recalled after federal crash tests raised concerns about side curtain airbag performance.

Federal safety regulators say certain Hyundai Palisade vehicles may fail to meet crash protection standards after testing showed side curtain airbags shifting outside acceptable limits in a collision.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the Hyundai Palisade recall on January 28, warning that side curtain airbags designed to protect third-row occupants may not perform as required in a collision.

Side curtain airbags are engineered to protect vehicle occupants during side-impact collisions and rollovers. They deploy from the roof over the side windows, creating a curtain-like barrier between the occupants’ heads and the vehicle’s side structure, which helps prevent head and neck injuries, as well as reduces the risk of ejection from the vehicle.

However, NHTSA testing found that in some Hyundai SUVs, airbag deployment may allow an occupant’s head to move farther than designed, potentially reducing passenger protection and increasing the risk of injury in an auto accident.

According to the NHTSA recall report, the issue affects 568,576 Hyundai Palisade vehicles from model years 2020 through 2025 that fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 226, known as the ejection mitigation rule. That standard requires test dummy headforms to remain within 100 millimeters, or about four inches, of a designated reference point during crash testing.

Hyundai first became aware of the issue in April 2025 after a routine compliance test on a Palisade vehicle revealed that the displacement of the ejected headform in the third-row seating area exceeded the performance limit.

In response, Hyundai initiated an investigation, which included inspections, technical assessments and engineering reviews. On December 8, 2025, the manufacturer conducted its own compliance test with similar results and shared those with the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC).

Following a review, the North America Safety Decision Authority (NASDA) decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall. 

Affected customers will begin receiving notification letters on March 23 informing them of the safety risks, as a remedy is currently under development. Once available, the remedy will be offered at no cost. Owners who paid for repairs out of pocket will be eligible for reimbursement.

The company’s number for this recall is 292. Customers can also contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 or the company’s contact for this recall, Emily Smith, via email at emily.c.smith@dot.gov.

Owners with any additional questions can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

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