MODELYEARINDEX

Which Hyundai Palisade years to avoid

No Hyundai Palisade model year in 2020–2021 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2020 and 2021, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Hyundai Palisade Full report
C
Grade 2020–2021
2020 vs model median 1.0×
Model median3× median
Lights & Visibility 126
Body & Interior 39
Engine 34
Weakest

2020 · 2021

Best

2020 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2020
1.03× 379 C
2021
0.97× 384 C
2022 P
1.11× 389 C
2023 P
1.45× 546 D
2024 P
1.38× 512 D
2025 P
0.90× 351 C

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2020 C 379 reports · median 4,500 mi

  1. Lights & Visibility 126

    While in motion on a highway a very small foreign object hit the lower side of the windshield in front of the driver. The sound of the hit was barely audible so the object had to be very small. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Body & Interior 39

    There are two complaints... 1. Within two weeks of purchasing the vehicle, a crack developed in the middle of the windshield, just below the rear-view mirror mount. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 34

    I bought the car in jan 2020, and found that it was leaking oil on june 2020, after 4500 miles. The oil leak looks to be significant as I had found drops and puddles on my garage floor. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

17 crash · 1 fire · 9 injuries

2021 C 384 reports · median 1,800 mi

  1. Airbags & Restraints 82

    The buckles in the captains chairs are recessed into the seat and the tongue is angled. It is incredibly difficult for an older person to properly buckle themselves in, and especially difficult to buckle the seat belt… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Lights & Visibility 61

    Took a road trip across the country to glacier national park in my 2021 palisade that I purchased brand new just a few weeks ago. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Body & Interior 36

    Toxic gaseous contaminants,. Dealer under the direct guidance of the hyundai corporate technical department. Dealer and hyundai corporation has made numerous attempts to repair the gaseous toxic smell from this vehicle… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

6 crash · 3 fire · 6 injuries

The best year for the Palisade

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring Palisade model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 60.7 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2021 0.97× 384 C
2020 1.03× 379 C

Recalls

13 campaigns on record, 3 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
25V607000 SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY 2020–2025 568,580
26V034000 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN 2020–2025 568,576
22V633000 Park it TRAILER HITCHES 2020–2022 244,980
23V180000 VISIBILITY/WIPER 2021–2023 167,085
22V627000 VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR 2020, 2021 122,949
23V526000 Park it POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP 2023, 2024 52,109
19V802000 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW 2020 11,217
24V106000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL 2024 4,245
21V840000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FLUID 2021 995
25V291000 Park it POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP 2025 620
23V415000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST 2023 322
22V353000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2022 158

+ 1 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2020 were reported at a median of 4,500 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Hyundai Palisade years should you avoid?
No Hyundai Palisade model year in 2020–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2020 and 2021.
What is the best year for the Hyundai Palisade?
2021 is the best-scoring Hyundai Palisade model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 60.7 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Hyundai Palisade have?
13 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Hyundai Palisade model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2020 Palisade
Complaints in window
379
Severity-weighted
471.5
Model median (weighted)
459
vs model median
1.03×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
7
Open investigations
0
Score 59.3 C