2020 Hyundai Palisade: What to check before buying

Windshields crack from small pebbles at ordinary speeds, often within the first few thousand miles. Many reports put the first crack under 2,000 miles, some as early as 150. Small chips spread into long cracks within hours. Several cracks appear while parked, during a car wash, or with no impact at all. Replacement glass often cracks again. Glass shops reportedly decline to repair the chips because the cracks keep spreading, so most cases end in a full replacement, and some owners pay for several.

Wipers freeze up in snow and cold, and in one crash the wipers seized in a snowstorm and 2 people were hurt. Many reports concern recall 22V627000, and owners say the repair parts are not available. Sunroof glass shatters suddenly with a loud bang while driving, or comes off its track. Windshields crack from minor impacts or with no impact at all, around 10,000 to 12,000 miles in these reports, and some owners replace them repeatedly.

Self-leveling rear shocks fail and keep failing. The usual signs are clunking, knocking, or rattling from the rear, a harsher ride over bumps, and instability on the highway. No warning light comes on. First failures cluster around 20,000 to 37,000 miles, and replacements often wear out again after about another 20,000. Some owners also report the rubber on the rear strut top insulator disintegrating. Repairs under TSB 22-SS-001H were covered under warranty, but owners past warranty are refused, with one quoted $6,000. Some can't find replacement parts.

The 3.8L V6 burns oil, and many owners find it nearly or completely empty well before the scheduled change. No low-oil warning comes on. Symptoms include knocking, rattling, rough idle, sputtering, stalling, and in some cases a seized engine. One engine caught fire and ended up with a hole in the block. Consumption most often starts between 65,000 and 98,000 miles, though some cars show it under 24,000. Dealers typically require repeated 1,000-mile oil consumption tests before a cleaning or engine replacement. Long waits and denials past the 100,000-mile powertrain warranty are common.

Buckles come unlatched on their own while driving. Owners report it in the front seats, the captain's chairs, and the rear, and some belts won't latch at all. Many reports concern recall 25V-607 for the buckle assemblies, and owners say parts are on back order and dealers can't do the repair. Third-row buckles get crushed and cracked when the power-folding seats go down. A driver belt that won't retract also appears. Some dealers blame debris or deny warranty coverage.

Heavy oil consumption dominates here as well. Some engines burn 3 quarts in 1,000 miles and get replaced after failed consumption tests, sometimes after waits of months. Cars stall or lose all power, including while merging onto a highway. Transmission complaints include sticking in one gear, dropping out of gear, slipping, and metal shavings in the fluid, and some cars are on their third transmission. One crash involved a sudden surge while braking into a parking space. In one fire, popping, hissing, and a loss of power at 65 mph came first.

The instrument cluster goes dark or reads wrong. The speedometer, tachometer, and fuel gauge stop working, sometimes as early as 2,100 miles and more often in hot weather. Blind spot warning gives false alerts or shuts itself off. Some owners report the emergency brakes engaging at highway speed with nothing ahead. A/C compressors fail despite a related service bulletin. Alternator failures and random shutoffs at idle leave cars stranded. One unintended acceleration crash injured 3 people, and one owner got a burn from an electrical shock at the liftgate.

Loud whistling and wind noise come from the front door glass, mostly above 50 mph. Owners say a service bulletin for it was issued and later withdrawn. Liftgate struts crack or come apart, and one power liftgate fell and struck a person on the head. Other liftgates stop closing partway down. Sunroofs shatter, or the wind deflector breaks and jams the panel. Paint peels down to bare metal on the roof and liftgate, and exterior plastic trim degrades in the sun. One owner says a door cut their leg again after a recall repair.

The wheel binds or locks during low-speed turns, sometimes with a loud noise, then frees up. Dealers often can't reproduce it. Other reports describe a whirring or whining noise when turning that returns after a gear replacement, a thud at full lock blamed on voltage, and a car that pulls hard to the right. Some lockups follow a burst of driver-assist error messages. Of the 3 crash reports, one involved a locked wheel, one a sudden surge, and one a steering column that sheared in a minor rear impact.