2022 Hyundai Palisade Problems: 16 Known Issues

On the 2020-2025 Hyundai Palisade, nHTSA recall 25V-607 (Hyundai recall 283) covers certain model-year 2020-2025 Palisades. Front-row and second-row outer seat-belt buckle assemblies may contain out-of-specification components that interfere within the latch channel and increase friction, especially in cold temperatures. Together with slow insertion of the tongue plate, this may prevent the buckle from fully latching and increase injury risk in a crash.

On the 2020-2025 Hyundai Palisade, nHTSA recall 26V-034 (Hyundai recall 292) covers certain model-year 2020-2025 Palisades that may not meet the third-row headform-displacement requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 226, Ejection Mitigation. Hyundai and NHTSA testing produced third-row displacement values above the 100-millimeter limit in certain instances. Noncompliance may increase injury risk to third-row occupants in certain crashes, including a rollover.

On the 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 (G6DN), the FCA radar sensor sits low in the front bumper fascia where it collects slush, road salt spray, snow pack and mud. Owners report the system shutting itself down with a "Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist disabled. Radar blocked" message after as little as an hour of winter driving — which also disables Smart Cruise Control — and finding the sensor face buried in half an inch of slush. The mirror-image complaint is false activation: audible collision warnings, and in a minority of cases actual autonomous braking, triggered by oncoming cars turning across the path, overhead signs, or a car ahead braking normally. Both are recurring across the Palisade forums rather than isolated reports.

On the 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 (G6DH), on Palisades equipped with the factory or dealer-accessory tow hitch harness, debris and moisture accumulate on the tow hitch module's printed circuit board. The contaminated PCB can short internally and ignite, with fires reported while the vehicle was parked and unattended as well as while driving. Hyundai issued NHTSA recall 22V-633 covering roughly 245,000 Palisade units; Kia recalled the Telluride for the same module at the same time, and the issue was later extended to the Santa Fe and Santa Cruz (Hyundai recall 23V-181) and the Kia Carnival. Owners were told to park outdoors away from structures until repaired. The interim remedy simply pulled the module fuse, which kills trailer turn and brake lighting rather than fixing the module, and a class action followed over the incomplete remedy.

On the 2020-2023 Hyundai Palisade, palisade headlight assemblies are prone to moisture intrusion and internal condensation, significantly reducing nighttime visibility. The issue stems from inadequate sealing of the LED headlight housing. Some owners have had multiple headlight replacements under warranty, only for the issue to return.

On the 2020-2023 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 (G6DH), a recurring Palisade complaint is a 12V battery that goes flat after the vehicle sits a few days, repeating even after the battery is replaced — one owner reports being on a fourth battery. The root cause in the documented cases is a module that fails to go to sleep and holds an excessive parasitic draw; the Body Control Module is the culprit most frequently identified on the forums, with the drain disappearing after BCM replacement. Diagnosis is difficult because the Palisade carries 30+ modules and the standard dealer response is to load-test and replace the battery, which does not address the draw. Aftermarket accessories left in the OBD-II port or 12V sockets produce the same symptom and must be ruled out first.

On the 2020-2025 Hyundai Palisade, palisade owners report the central infotainment/navigation screen going black and unresponsive, taking out GPS, Bluetooth audio, and the backup camera at once, sometimes requiring a costly head-unit replacement. Separately, BlueLink remote start and app functions stop working, often after software updates, forcing use of the physical key. These are recurring software/head-unit and telematics faults documented across owner forums rather than a single recall.

On the 2020-2023 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 (G6DN), separate from fuel-in-oil dilution, a population of 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 Palisades burns oil at a high rate — owners report as much as a quart per 500-600 miles with no external leak. Because the engine holds a fixed sump and the oil life monitor does not account for consumption, the level falls below safe pressure between services and starves the connecting rod bearings. The Knock Sensor Detection System then hears the bearing knock signature and sets P1326, flashing the CEL and dropping the vehicle into limp mode at roughly 1,800-2,000 rpm. Teardowns of failed 2020-2022 cars show rod bearings flaked and scored from metal-to-metal contact, with full failures reported between roughly 70,000 and 90,000 miles.

On the 2020-2024 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L V6, the 3.8L Lambda II V6 in the Palisade can suffer from fuel diluting the engine oil, particularly in cold climates with short trips. The GDI system can allow unburned fuel past the piston rings during cold starts. Oil level rises above the full mark and smells of gasoline.

On the 2020-2025 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 (G6DN), two related panoramic sunroof defects are widely reported. First, the sunroof drain tube is routed and secured poorly at the factory and gets kinked or pinched behind the headliner; the sunroof tray then overflows and dumps water into the headliner, A-pillar and onto the front seats — owners frequently mistake it for a windshield seal leak. Second, the sunroof frame and track assembly generates a persistent rattle or buzz over rough pavement, and in worse cases the panel jams or becomes inoperable. Hyundai's service response to the rattle is to pack semi-rigid foam sheeting into the sunroof cavity, which forum owners report works under warranty.

On the 2020-2023 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 (G6DN), the powered liftgate spindle drive units (the powered struts on each side of the tailgate) fail commonly, typically starting around 30,000-50,000 miles. The plastic outer housing is thin, and the internal spring shears and bunches until it splits or bursts the housing — owners describe a pop when opening the gate, then a hairline crack in the plastic tube, then rust from the exposed spring. Behavior degrades progressively: the gate refuses to close from the fob, closes partway and springs back open, or has to be pushed by hand. Owners consistently report that once one side fails the other follows shortly after, and that dealer pricing runs roughly $1,200 per strut plus labor.

On the 2020-2025 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L V6, the 8-speed automatic transmission in the Palisade can exhibit harsh 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts, delayed downshifts when passing, and occasional harsh engagement from park to drive. The TCM calibration is the primary issue, though some cases involve valve body wear. Hyundai has released multiple software updates to improve shift quality.

On the 2020-2023 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 (G6DH), one of the single largest owner-complaint threads in the Palisade community concerns windshields that turn a pinhead stone chip into a full-length crack, often overnight after a heat/cold cycle. Owners report cracks appearing within hours of delivery and cracks over 10 inches long the morning after a minor pebble strike. The prevailing owner theory is that the OE glass is specified thin for weight, and that panoramic-sunroof cars have a less rigid roof structure that loads the glass in body flex. Because the windshield carries the forward camera for FCA/LKA, replacement also requires ADAS recalibration, pushing the bill well past a normal glass job. Hyundai has treated the damage as non-warrantable road hazard, and a class action has been filed.

On the 2020-2025 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 (G6DH), higher trims use self-leveling rear shock absorbers. Owners across palisadeforums.org and palisadeforum.com report a knock, thump or hollow pop from the rear over expansion joints and rough pavement, often accompanied by a harsh, uncontrolled rear ride and visible oil weeping from the shock body. Complaints cluster between roughly 20,000 and 60,000 miles. Hyundai first attributed it to the upper shock insulator and published TSB 22-SS-001H directing replacement of the upper insulators on both sides, but forum owners overwhelmingly report the insulator-only repair does not fix it — the self-leveling shock itself is the failed part. Hyundai later issued TSB 25-SS-004H for clunk/thump from the rear over rough roads and extended coverage on these shocks to 10 years / 120,000 miles.

On the 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 (G6DN), aWD (HTRAC) Palisades develop a steady vibration felt through the floor and seats at roughly 65-75 mph that is not corrected by tire balancing, road-force balancing or wheel replacement. Hyundai published a TSB covering AWD vehicles built between April 10, 2019 and July 27, 2019 with an inspection procedure that ends in replacing the rear propeller (drive) shaft and the AWD coupling assembly together — replacing only one commonly leaves the vibration. Forum owners report vehicles built after the July 27, 2019 cutoff are largely clean, but scattered 2021-2022 AWD cars have needed the same prop shaft and coupler replacement, and Hyundai has also replaced front half shafts on some cars chasing the same complaint.

On the 2020-2023 Hyundai Palisade 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 (G6DN), palisade owners routinely find the rear pads worn out at 30,000-40,000 miles while the fronts still have most of their life — the opposite of normal wear distribution on a front-heavy SUV. Forum teardowns identify the mechanism: the rear caliper pad-retraction springs are very weak, and the stainless abutment clips corrode and swell, so the pad cannot retract off the rotor once dirt or rust builds behind the clip. The result is a lightly dragging outer pad that wears to the backing plate while the inner pad looks normal, plus scored or heat-blued rotors. The vehicle's electronic stability and hill-hold functions bias more work rearward, which accelerates it.