Lemberg Law is investigating numerous consumer complaints about the 2023-2024 Hyundai Palisade anti-locking braking system (ABS). While designed to be a safety feature, owners complain that when traveling on uneven surfaces, the brakes kick in, causing the luxury SUV to shake. Multiple complaints state that they can’t control or stop the vehicle when this happens. There is evidence that the automaker refuses to address the problem.
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What’s The Issue with Palisade Brakes?
Complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and posts on Reddit indicate that there is a major problem with the 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Palisade anti-locking braking system (ABS).
The ABS control unit, also called the hydraulic unit assembly, is a standard safety system in these SUVs. ABS brakes automatically detect when a tire is about to lock up during hard braking, and then adjust the brake pressure to allow the tire to continue rotating. This feature is designed to enable the vehicle to maintain traction and turn while braking, improving overall control and safety.
Unfortunately, the widely reported ABS braking module malfunction threatens the safety of those traveling in 2023-2024 Hyundai Palisades and other motorists on the road. Yet, there is not one single technical service bulletin (TSB) or manufacturer communication on file with the NHTSA. This is significant because automakers are mandated by law to provide the NHTSA with every communication they produce.
What Are Owners Experiencing?
Typically, the malfunction occurs while driving at slow speeds over bumpy or uneven roads, or potholes. Some drivers say the ABS activates before they try to brake. Others say the ABS kicks in while braking. Either way, no amount of pushing the brake pedal gets it to stop the way it should.
An owner from Texas states that braking capacity diminishes by 90% in those few seconds when the car won’t brake. And, “If you don’t know how to act and press the brake as hard as you can, the car won’t stop.”
Many complaints record that they have narrowly avoided rear-ending vehicles in front of them when the brakes malfunction. A few haven’t been that lucky and have crashed. For example, an owner from New Jersey states in a complaint to the NHTSA that “the brake pedal was depressed and was abnormally stiff. As a result, the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop and crashed into another vehicle.” Even though there is no mention of an uneven road surface, the scenario the complaint describes is in keeping with many others. As with many other incidents, the dealership was unable to determine a reason for the failure.
Complaints
Here are a handful of some of the many complaints lodged with the NHTSA about faulty Hyundai Palisade ABS braking modules.
2023 Model Complaints
The most recent complaint is from a Maryland owner who was driving in traffic on a dry, summer day in July 2024. “When I went to stop again at a speed under 15 (mph) the brakes locked up, the steering wheel started to shake, and (the) brakes were pulsating up and down. I had to really push down hard and all the way on the brakes and it finally stopped the car. I almost rear-ended the car in front of me. No lights came on the dash. No warning noises.”
The New York owner of a 2023 Palisade came close to crashing. “After hitting any size bump my car does not stop. The car starts shaking, and I have to slam on the brake in order to stop. This has happened multiple times. The most recent (incident) caused me to almost run a red light and cause an accident.”
Another owner from New York states, “Under slow speeds and while applying brakes over bumps, the brakes become unresponsive. The car does not react to pushing the brake pedal. It almost feels like ABS is kicking in but the car does not slow down.”
An owner from Minnesota was driving over train tracks at about 5 mph when the Palisade wouldn’t brake. “I was jamming down on the pedal and that eventually triggered a really aggressive ABS and emergency braking. I came millimeters away from hitting the car in front of me. The whole time it felt like I had zero control of the car and the car just had a mind of its own.”
Another complaint states, “My brakes stop working anytime I drive over loose gravel and brake over speed bumps. It will vibrate and skid. I have taken it in 5 times and they said it’s normal.
2024 Model Complaints
The head mechanic from a Hyundai dealership in Texas was shocked when he experienced the ABS malfunction. According to an NHTSA complaint, he said “The car shouldn’t do that.” The complaint continues, “This vehicle is prone to rear-end cars in front of it when stopping and also to bouncing out in the middle of an intersection when approaching a stop light /stop sign. It will kill people if (left) unaddressed.”
Another owner from Texas states, “Hitting any bump/railroad track at even very slow speeds causes the brakes to not engage fully, which has almost caused a crash on three different occasions. After researching this issue, it seems there was a similar issue that occurred with the 2023 Palisade.”
An owner from Maryland was driving “a brand new car” in a shopping center parking lot and approaching a stop sign when the brakes malfunctioned. “As I was braking and approaching the sign, I had to drive over a series of small potholes. As I went over the potholes, it seemed the car’s ABS system was engaged, and the car began to shake very dramatically, creating a more dangerous situation than needed to be.”
A woman from Arizona was pulling out of a parking lot with the brake pedal depressed. “However, the vehicle independently accelerated forward and then came to a complete stop seconds later.” It had only 700 miles on the clock.
An owner from Washington reports the same widespread malfunction. At slower speeds, while braking or coming to a stop, the car shakes violently if there is a bump or uneven surface in the road. The steering wheel shakes and the brakes don’t work. “This can lead to dangerous situations at intersections or amongst other traffic as stopping distance will drastically increase unexpectedly.”
Other Online Chatter
Posts on Reddit follow the same theme as complaints on the NHTSA website.
The owner of a 2024 model posted the same message on Reddit as he did on the NHTSA website. About three months after buying the vehicle, he “unfortunately discovered that all 24 Palisades have glaring safety issues that Hyundai is aware of but not currently acting to fix.”
He was approaching a stop light at about 20 mph and started to apply the brakes as he went over some slightly bumpy ground. “The car lurched forward repeatedly as the brakes were applied, bouncing forward in spurts rather than stopping — and taking twice as long to stop than it should have. I was one foot from rear-ending the car in front of me despite beginning to brake with plenty of time to stop. This is so far from how an ABS system is supposed to work and something that will get you in a wreck. Hyundai corporate has told me that, upon testing other Palisades, they have discovered that this happens in ALL 2024 Palisades.”
He states that the automaker kept the vehicle for nearly a month and said they didn’t know “that the 2024 Palisade behaved this way. Over the course of the month, they learned that this is how a Palisade behaves when driven over uneven ground at moderate to low speeds because they tried it with other cars they had on hand. How are they just learning this?
“The car may be safe on most drives, but invariably a lot of these cars are going to (be) unable to stop, rear-ending the cars in front of them or getting t-boned in an intersection.”
At first, the dealership said Hyundai would buy back the car. Then Hyundai Corporate changed their minds.
Response from a Hyundai Employee
One of the people who responded to this post is employed by Hyundai. “I’ve worked for Hyundai for 7 years now. Around 2015-2020 it really seemed like they were heading in the right direction. But 2022 to now has completely changed my mind. They have lost their minds and everything they put out now is overly complicated, untested garbage. Half the 2024 Santa Fe (vehicles) don’t even leave the lot without something breaking. I truly don’t think they test anything at all, and I’m not even joking. I genuinely believe they do not test anything because the amount of sub-1000 mile failures I see is absolutely insane.”
What Should You Do if Your Palisade Has Braking Problems
Does your 2023 or 2024 Hyundai Palisade have an ABS braking module that malfunctions? If so, you may be eligible to join Lemberg Law’s new class action investigation.
All you have to do is fill out a contact form or call our Helpline. It’s not going to cost you anything because the law says Hyundai must pay the legal bills for lemon law cases. We will evaluate your problems free of charge, and decide if you are eligible to join our investigation.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions.
He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
