AKRON, Ohio — Nearly 70,000 Hyundai vehicles will be recalled after News 5 Cleveland started asking questions about the death of a 2-year-old girl from Cuyahoga Falls.
According to police, the child died after a power seat in a Hyundai Palisade, a large SUV, collapsed and pinned her.
RELATED: Hyundai is recalling 68,500 vehicles following death of a child
Akron Police shared the heartbreaking details of what happened in an effort to create awareness and is hoping to avoid another tragedy.
Hyundai has announced it's stopping sales of the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims in the U.S. and Canada due to an issue with the second and third-row power seats.
The automaker also said it's finalizing the details of a recall of those vehicles. 68,500 vehicles are affected.
Body camera video provided to News 5 by Akron police shows an officer racing to Restaurant Depot on Sweitzer Avenue on the morning of March 7 after the department received 911 calls.
"We have a child under a chair in the car," a caller told an operator.
According to a police report, the 2-year-old "was sitting in the third row. The automatic seat collapsed on the child, pinning her."
Lt. Michael Murphy said a mother was in the family's Palisade with two children while the father went inside the business.
But during that time, a power seat somehow folded forward on the 2-year-old girl.
"The dad was doing some shopping, and they wanted to allow the children the room to just roam and play around in the car, but at some point— we're not certain of how this happened— that button that releases the seat went down, and the child was trapped," Murphy said.
Murphy said it took bystanders several minutes to free the girl. She was taken to Akron Children's Hospital, where she died.
After the girl was transported, body camera captured an Akron police officer trying to figure out why the power seat was stuck down, while he was able to operate the seat next to it.
"It's something that we're concerned with and really want to gain some additional understanding around, so that we can help people in our community and prevent something like this from happening again," Murphy said.
The Summit County Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident, stating, "child compressed by power folding seat in a parked SUV."
The incident is alarming to Amber Rollins, the executive director of Kids and Car Safety.
"There needs to be an auto reverse or a sensing mechanism that works that's not going to crush a small child," Rollins said.
On March 12, I emailed Hyundai, provided a copy of the police report and requested an interview about what happened in Akron.
On March 13, Hyundai responded with a media release that explained the stop-sale decision.
"Hyundai is aware of a tragic incident involving a Palisade. While Hyundai does not yet have the full details and the incident is still under investigation, a young child lost her life. Hyundai extends its deepest sympathies to the family," the statement read.
The automaker said it's finalizing recall action with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, with a repair under development.
In a statement to News 5, NHTSA said it's aware of "this recent tragic incident and is in communication with Hyundai to gather additional information."
"That's a huge number, and I immediately think about how many children are being transported in those 68,000 vehicles every single day," Rollins said.
In its statement, Hyundai elaborated on the issue with second and third-row power seats.
"In certain situations, those seats may not adequately detect contact with an occupant or object as intended. This condition may occur during second and third-row power-folding operations, as well as during use of the second-row one-touch tilt-and-slide function."
Read Hyundai's full statement here.
The company also urged owners to ensure "no person or object, including children, is in the seat or seat-folding area before operating the power seat."
Hyundai is developing a software update that is expected to be available by the end of March. While the update is not a permanent recall repair, it's expected to enhance overall system safety, the company said in its release.
Meanwhile, Lt. Murphy said his heart hurts for the family of the 2-year-old girl.
"It's just a terrible tragedy all the way around. I can't imagine what this family is going through, and I know that they're looking for answers, as are we," Murphy said.
News 5 has been in contact with the girl's family. They have not commented on the incident at this time.
Hyundai and NHTSA turned down our requests for on-camera interviews regarding the case in Akron and the recall.
If you've experienced similar safety concerns with your vehicle, email bjones@wews.com
