2021 Hyundai Palisade problems & reliability
417 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Hyundai Palisade, alongside 6 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
9 complaints report injuries (19 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2021 Hyundai Palisade vehicles were involved in 18 fatal crashes with 8 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts | 105 | 25% |
| Unknown OR Other | 77 | 18% |
| Electrical System | 54 | 13% |
| Engine | 51 | 12% |
| Visibility/wiper | 47 | 11% |
| Suspension | 30 | 7% |
| Power Train | 22 | 5% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 20 | 5% |
| Structure | 17 | 4% |
| Visibility | 15 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 7,241 miles (middle 50% between 1,800 and 63,800 miles), based on 44 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Component/system, available for inspection? Rear visibility system — AVN head unit's processing of the rear camera image. On shift to reverse, screen flickers, shows blinking green, or no rear image. Vehicle available for inspection. Original camera was replaced Jan 2026 and retained by the dealer, not returned…”
Back Over Prevention · filed Aug 3, 2026
“Please provide status of solution to this recall, recall goes back to 2025. ***Not waiting for incident, injury or much worse a fatality to happen. *** Your website states the importance of seat belts; we all know the importance of seat belts. Why is this still an open recall?”
Seat Belts · filed Jul 30, 2026
“Excessive oil consumption. Oil tank empty at 3 oil changes. Car was stalling at stops. Oil was empty 5000 miles prior to next suggested oil change. No low oil indicator light alarm”
Engine · filed Jul 29, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Inadvertent Seat Belt Unlatch
Preliminary Evaluation PE24021 · opened Aug 7, 2024 · closed Dec 12, 2025
- Windshield Wiper Failure
Recall Query RQ22005 · opened Dec 2, 2022 · closed May 26, 2023 · led to recall 23V180000
Technical service bulletins
125 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Hyundai Palisade. The 10 most recent:
Certain 2020 – 2024 model year Palisade vehicles may exhibit a clunking or thumping noise from the rear of the vehicle while driving over rough roads. This may be caused by worn rear self-leveling shock absorbers. At…
Z12 OL · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Jul 15, 2026
Some Palisade (LX2), Tucson (NX4), and Tucson Hybrid (NX4 HEV) vehicles may experience battery drain due to continuous operation of the cooling fan after vehicle ignition has been turned off, potentially resulting in a…
26-EE-007H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 17, 2026
Certain Palisade (LX2) vehicles may exhibit a clunking or thumping noise from the rear of the vehicle while driving over rough roads. This may be caused by worn self-leveling rear shock absorbers. Hyundai is extending…
26-SS-001H TSB · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Jun 11, 2026
Some Palisade (LX2) vehicles may produce noise from AWD coupling vibrations when making turns caused by a logic error with the All Wheel Drive Electronic Control Unit (AWD ECU). This bulletin provides instructions to…
26-TC-001H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2026
Some Palisade (LX2) vehicles may exhibit engine oil leakage at the engine oil filter housing assembly due to deterioration of the housing seal. Hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the engine oil filter…
26-EM-012H DCS · Warranty Program/Extension · issued May 30, 2026
Some Palisade (LX2) vehicles may exhibit engine oil leakage at the engine oil filter housing assembly due to deterioration of the housing seal. Hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the engine oil filter…
26-EM-012H DN · Warranty Program/Extension · issued May 30, 2026
Some Palisade (LX2) vehicles may exhibit engine oil leakage at the engine oil filter housing assembly due to deterioration of the housing seal. Hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the engine oil filter…
26-EM-012H TSB · Warranty Program/Extension · issued May 30, 2026
Certain Palisade (LX2) vehicles may exhibit a clunking or thumping noise from the rear of the vehicle while driving over rough roads. This may be caused by worn self-leveling rear shock absorbers. Hyundai is extending…
26-SS-001H DCS · Warranty Program/Extension · issued May 22, 2026
Certain Palisade (LX2) vehicles may exhibit a clunking or thumping noise from the rear of the vehicle while driving over rough roads. This may be caused by worn self-leveling rear shock absorbers. Hyundai is extending…
26-SS-001H DN · Warranty Program/Extension · issued May 22, 2026
Certain Palisade (LX2) vehicles may exhibit a clunking or thumping noise from the rear of the vehicle while driving over rough roads. This may be caused by worn self-leveling rear shock absorbers. Hyundai is extending…
26-SS-001H TSB · Warranty Program/Extension · issued May 22, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2021 Hyundai Palisade has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2021 Hyundai Palisade?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 7,241 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.