Lemberg Law is investigating complaints regarding an urgent 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade tow hitch harness recall. The danger is that vehicles could catch fire while being driven or when parked. Palisade owners are reporting that the part for the recall, that will negate the fire risk, is not available. A temporary remedy is for dealers to remove the fuse from the tow hitch module. But some owners report that dealers won’t undertake the repair. When the fuse is removed, the fire risk is eliminated, but owners cannot tow anything.
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There is a major problem with the tow hitch harness of the 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade models. Potentially, as many as 245,030 vehicles are affected.
The faulty tow hitch harnesses were either installed as original Hyundai equipment or purchased as an accessory through an official Hyundai dealership. According to the recall notice released on August 18, 2022, if debris and moisture accumulate on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB), it may cause an electrical short. This can result in a fire and can spark while the Palisade is driving or parked. Because of this, it can also “increase the risk of injury.”
For this reason, Hyundai advises owners to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Announcing that a “final remedy” was under development, the manufacturer has told owners that until this was available, dealers would implement “an interim repair.” The temporary measure involves dealers inspecting the tow hitch module and removing the fuse free of charge. Removing the fuse cuts off the power to the hitch wire harness, in this way eliminating the fire risk.
Interim notification letters that warn owners of the safety risk were mailed on October 14, 2022.
There isn’t a recall for the 2023 model. But, since Hyundai hasn’t found a solution for its faulty tow hitch harness in the previous three models, there is no reason to assume that the 2023 model won’t have exactly the same problem.
While it is still early days for the model, NHTSA complaints are already piling up. But none of the 33 complaints filed between August 9 and December 17, 2022, have anything to do with the tow hitch. There are no recalls on file, nor are either of the 2 manufacturer communications registered related to the tow hitch.
Late December 2022, more than four months after the recall notice was issued to dealers, Hyundai still hasn’t found a solution. Owners are complaining that because the recall repair part isn’t available, the only option is to have dealers perform the temporary fix. But this renders the tow hitch inoperable, so they cannot tow anything.
Most complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) state that dealers have removed the fuse but that the manufacturer has “exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.”
But it appears that some dealers just state that the parts are not yet available. Some dealers tell owners they can “remove the fuse to prevent failure.” Others, owners say, simply refuse to help.
The Pennsylvanian owner of a 2021 model Palisade states, “the dealer declined to inspect the vehicle for the interim repair.”
A Wisconsin owner of a 2021 model discovered the problem when the car went in for a routine oil change and service. Her husband was told that “the remedy was not yet available,” but that “he could remove the fuse to prevent the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue but provided no additional assistance.”
While it appears that most owners haven’t experienced a tow hitch failure, some have. The owner of a 2022 Palisade states in an NHTSA complaint that when attaching a trailer to the tow hitch of the vehicle, “the tow hitch failed to operate as needed.” There were no indicator lights, so “he replaced the electrical wiring of the trailer himself.” But “the failure persisted.”
The dealer was notified of the failure and was informed that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V633000 (Trailer Hitches). The dealer removed the tow hitch fuse as an interim repair.
Lemberg Law is investigating complaints about the 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade’s faulty tow hitch and wire harness. If you are experiencing problems with your Palisade, we’d like to hear about them. If you are interested, you might qualify for our class action investigation.
All you need to do is call us at 844-928-4443 or complete our contact form. We will evaluate your case and see if you qualify. It won’t cost you anything because the law says that Hyundai must pay the legal bills for lemon law cases.
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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Same issue as others. I bought a bigger 2022 vehicle mainly to tow my trailer. They just pulled out the fuse when I went for an oil change. Shame on Hyundai! it’s been close to 5-6 months now. There is no resolution it seems. Absolutely ridiculous that Hyundai is able to get away without a fix.
Purchased my Palisade in July 2022. Towing was one of the major reasons for purchasing the vehicle. Even bought a trailer the next weekend. Took my car in 2 months later for the recall. Fuse was removed but it was not explained to me that it would disable the towing lights. Found out shortly after that they didn’t work. 3 months later I’m asked to bring it back in for the recall, thinking it’s going to be repaired to only find out that they wanted to take pictures of the underside wiring to aid them in fixing the recall. Still not fixed, still no temporary solution. I am not happy what so ever!
I bought a 2020 Palisade last August 2022. Part of the deal was to have a trailer hitch installed. After I signed the deal I as told that there was a recall on the wiring and they couldn’t install it. Said that this should be a quick fix and would be resolved fast. Here it is 8 months later and still not resolved.
I purchased a 2023 Palisade on Jan. 31, 2023, for the purpose of towing. They went so far as to give me a quote on getting it installed by Hyundai. So yesterday, February 27, 2023, I was told that there is no way to wire the lights for the trailer!!! Really. Then was told I could get an aftermarket one installed, but it could nullify my warranty and the additional extended warranty I purchased. Now they will not take the car back since it has been titled. Oh, let me not forget to say, they “just found out about this issue after I purchased the vehicle”.
I have the same concern as others. I purchased the Palisade because it came with a hitch, which I needed. It’s closing in on the year mark and they still have no fix. They can design a whole car in that time.
I need that fix!
Towing was one of the reasons for my purchase of a 2022 Palisade. If I had known in advance that I would not be able to tow with a Palisade, I would have purchased something else. Since it seems that Hyundai is unable to correct the problem with the wiring harness, then I feel they should buy back my Palisade for exactly the same amount I paid for it.
I purchased a 2020 Hyundai Palisade with a trailer hitch and have used it many many times towing my utility trailer at times 200 miles round trip with no problem. I have never received a recall notice on the trailer hitch wiring but when I went to get the oil changed and tires rotated they pulled my fuses (didn’t tell me) just said they performed all recall notices. I found out about the fuses when I looked at my invoice I told them I’ve never had any problem and never got a recall notice (they said they had to pull the fuses for safety reasons)
I am planning an essential 1500-mile trip using a U-haul. The dealer removed my fuse and refused even to give it back to me claiming they “need to forward it to Hyundai”. The dealer offers no concession to help defray my dilemma.