Hyundai may have to expand a pre-existing recall for Palisade models in the United States with windshield wipers that could fail.
The initial recall was announced in August and came after investigations revealed the windshield wipers may function intermittently or stop functioning completely when impeded by the accumulation of snow and/or ice at the bottom of the windshield. The recall impacted 126,081 Palisade models from the 2020 and 2021 model years.
However, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has revealed that it has since received complaints alleging windshield wiper failures while driving during wintry conditions in two MY2022 models, and one MY2023 model that were excluded in the initial recall.
Hyundai’s recall discovered that the internal gear of the windshield wiper motor could become damaged when subjected to external forces of obstruction during operation. Hyundai says that the majority of the motors it inspected had stripped gear teeth which triggered the problem and noted that the wiper motors had a circuit breaker and a snow clutch to prevent excessive damage.
Following the ODI investigation, the South Korean car manufacturer may have to extend the recall to include 2022 and 2023 models as well.
This is not the only issue that has affected the Hyundai Palisade in recent months. In August, the SUV was caught up in a separate recall alongside the Kia Telluride because of foreign materials that could contaminate the tow hitch harness module’s printed circuit board, including the risk of an electrical short circuit and a fire.
