2020 HYUNDAI PALISADE Power Train Problems

The GDI v6 motor that’s in it shudders and rattles when at idle. There’s metallic shavings and gas smell on the dipstick. It’s always low on oil and smokes a little at idle aswell. It’s completely ran out of oil and been to the shop 3x so far in a years time. Add oil to it every 2-3 weeks at this point ,It’s not leaking oil it’s definitely burning it. Once the dealership even had to come tow it to the shop the car shut off in the middle of the road and then again in the driveway as my wife was trying to turn into the driveway she lost all power and steering she ended up in the middle of the front yard, thank god she was just getting home at the time of the incident. I’ve heard of the same engine giving problems and having an open recall for similar issues pertaining to a bearing and or rings being damaged or broken allowing for the oil to be dripping or being burnt. The vehicle is a family vehicle and gets driven daily by my wife to and from the kids school and the grocery store it’s not driven hard or for very long periods of time. I would like to know if there’s anything that could be done about this issue. I’ve looked to see if the recall was open for this model palisade but it only shows for the Santife models even though it’s the same engine. The shop and dealers always tell me it’s nothing and just keep up with oil changes but that’s near impossible when it runs out of oil before the next oil change is due.

Check engine light came on and stayed on. When using heat for car it was not heating up well or to temp. Got in to be serviced 12/16/25-12/18/25. Replaced a plastic part in engine and said engine was not heating up like it should. Cost $814. Reset check engine light. On 1/2/26 reversed car out of driveway into street and car came to abrupt stop and would not shift into any other gears. Another vehicle was coming up the street and almost collided with us and I could not get my vehicle to move which was blocking the road. Warning message said “Shifter System Malfunction: Service Immediately.” Pushed power button to turn off vehicle. Turned back on and able to get into drive to park back in driveway. Definitely having electrical issues and multiple problems with car since October 2025 when weather became colder for winter.

Issues began in November of 2024 Began with a a oil consumption test and failed. Submitted for a new engine due to high oil consumption 3 quarts in 1,000 miles. Waited 6 months for a new engine to be available. July 2025 noted oil leaking brought in for repair and stated it was a boot joint that was leaking. Multiple return trips to repair since oil was still leaking. Check Engine light came on in , September and a faulty sensor in engine was noted (for mixing air and gas?), replaced sensor. Oil still continues to leak and after insisting they take the entire engine out to figure out where it was coming from a leaking faulty oil plug was noted on the rear side of the engine.

I am the 3rd time owner of this palisade. Car was bought after a transmission replacement at 27,000 miles. (Second transmission). At around 70,000 miles, we started to have oil consumption problems/ignition coil problems. After a slew of tests and other recommend procedures that cost us money out of pocket, hyundai recommended to get a new engine. We get the new engine. They call to tell us the new engine is done, and proceed to share the transmission is bad and it needs a new one (3rd transmission). They are asking us to pay for the transmission as well. We want a buy back as we think this is a lemon car. 3 transmissions and a new engine under 85000 miles is not good and definitely grounds for investigation. These repeated failures make it unsafe/unreliable for us to drive our 6 month old baby in, let alone my wife and my myself. . We request and investigation/buyback.

many palisade owners and I have a same issue that the vehicle shaking when applying the brake the the car slipping jerking forward. that is really unsafe for us. please review this case

The vehicle experiencing excessive oil consumption without any external leaks. Since February 2024, I have repeatedly reported this issue to the dealership. They required me to complete multiple 1,000 mile oil consumption tests and eventually performed a combustion chamber cleaning. Despite this, the oil consumption problem continues. As of today, after driving only 3,700 miles, the engine oil level was so ow that the dipstick did not register any oil at all. No warning lights or dashboard indicators ever came on to alert me to the low oil level. The dealership has acknowledged my concerns but stated that Hyundai considers this "normal specs". I strongly disagree, as the amount of oil being consumed poses a safety risk if the engine fails while driving. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer during inspections, but no permanent repair has been offered. The ongoing issue creates a serious risk to both my safety and the safety of others on the road due to potential engine failure from lack of lubrication.

Safety Complaint Summary: I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2020 Hyundai Palisade SEL AWD, ~96,000 miles). This vehicle has suffered three major powertrain failures under 100,000 miles: - Full engine replacement (due to excessive oil consumption, unresolved for months) - AWD system repairs - Now requires a full transmission replacement When my engine began burning oil, Hyundai’s service department charged me ~$500 and sent me back on the road without disclosing that this was a known issue. I continued running out of oil multiple times until an independent mechanic diagnosed the defect. My family was unknowingly placed at risk while Hyundai delayed resolution for 8 months. Diminished Value: The repeated nature of these failures not only raises safety concerns but has also destroyed the market value of the vehicle. Even after a transmission replacement, the Palisade remains a car that no buyer would trust — which underscores the seriousness of these systemic safety risks. Relief Requested: I ask NHTSA to review whether this defect pattern represents a broader safety issue and whether Hyundai should have disclosed the known oil consumption defect earlier and should investigate why a vehicle is suffering three powertrain issues and if this is a wider problem with the car type/year. A notice to consumers should be issued so we are not driving around in an unsafe car.

Uses 1qt of oil or more per 1,000 miles

While merging onto a highway, my 2020 Hyundai Palisade abruptly lost all engine power and stalled. This immediate and complete failure occurred at a critical moment, posing an extreme safety risk. All dashboard warning lights illuminated, but provided no specific diagnosis. The vehicle was towed to a dealership, where technicians determined the engine was consuming oil at an abnormal rate, despite a lack of visible leaks. I was instructed to participate in an "oil consumption test," a three-part process that required multiple oil changes and inspections over several months. Each time, the vehicle had burned over a quart of oil—a clear indication of a defect. Despite this evidence, Hyundai denied my warranty claim, accusing me of negligence for being unable to produce oil change records between 29,600 and 46,900 miles. This is a common and unacceptable tactic used to avoid accountability for a widespread issue. My experience is not isolated. Hundreds, if not thousands, of owners of 2020-2023 Hyundai models, including the Palisade, report identical engine oil over-consumption issues and subsequent power loss. This issue is a **severe safety hazard** that can lead to sudden, catastrophic engine failure and potential accidents. Hyundai's refusal to acknowledge this defect and issue a recall is **gross negligence**. They are knowingly allowing thousands of unsafe vehicles to remain on the road. There are currently federal lawsuits against Hyundai for this very issue. The transportation authority must force Hyundai to issue an immediate recall and remedy this critical defect before a tragedy occurs.

The contact owned a 2020 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, he heard an abnormal popping and hissing noise. The contact stated that he started to smell a burning odor. The contact was losing forward momentum. No warning lights illuminated. When he applied the accelerator pedal, the vehicle continued to slow down. The contact pulled off the highway, stopped the vehicle, and turned off the engine. The contact stated that almost immediately, smoke was issuing from under the front end. The contact stated that the vehicle burst into flames. The police and fire department were called. The fire was extinguished using chemicals. The police and fire departments issued reports. The vehicle was towed away to an impound lot. The contact stated that he had the transmission replaced in 2024. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Mileage: 150,000

Vehicle stalled and suddenly went into park mode from drive mode and lights started flashing along with engine light. Not idling properly, or shifting properly, has to be towed to dealership. 2020 with only 72,000 miles.

Over the past 5 years, this vehicle has experienced three major powertrain failures: two complete transmission failures and, most recently, a catastrophic engine failure. The most recent issue involved the engine burning excessive oil without warning. While my wife was driving downhill, the vehicle shut off completely, causing a total loss of power steering and braking. She was barely able to get it safely to the side of the road. It was a serious safety risk, especially with children in the vehicle. Each failure has occurred well before it should in terms of mileage, and despite repairs, the issues continue. After this third failure, Hyundai offered to cover only 50% of the repair costs—which seems to acknowledge some degree of corporate responsibility—but we declined, as this is a relatively new vehicle and the problem is clearly systemic. We paid the second total transmission replacement completely out of pocket. A quick Google search and outreach to social media revealed that hundreds of Hyundai owners (across multiple models from this era) are experiencing very similar engine issues, many with official recalls for consumption, but there being no official recall or widespread support for Palisade owners. Personal stories suggest a clear pattern. The original dealership that sold the vehicle listed it as Certified Pre-Owned, but has since changed ownership and retains no records, which has made verifying the warranty status impossible. Hyundai corporate and customer service have been extremely difficult to work with—there are multiple active case numbers, no internal communication, and the local dealership doesn’t coordinate with national reps. This vehicle has spent over 100 days in service across these failures. I’ve tried every route available—dealership, corporate support, and online forums. The community is unsafe, and without broader action, other families could be at risk.

In short, the transmission has been replaced, the fuel injectors and other components. After that gets fixed they are saying we need a whole new engine and hyundai with only a pay a portion of it. We did the oil consumption test and it failed. The car was down for almost two months and they want us to pay 6k as our part. This is absolutely ridiculous and this seems to have been a known issue.

We have a a reoccurring issue of a gear selector malfunction warning popping up on the dash. When this happens it is at random and causes the vehicle to forcibly put the car in park. The heavy concern is that it happens when the car is in motion. Forst few times it happened when backing out of a parking spot. Most recently it happened while driving out of our neighborhood. My concern is that this could potentially happen during a time in which speeds are higher and cause a wreck. We have taken the vehicle to Hyundai dealership locally and the code for the issue will not show so they send us home because they are not able to pinpoint the exact problem. We have continued use of the vehicle because when this does happen we have been able to cycle the car off and on and it goes back to normal and all warnings are cleared..... this cannot be normal a nd I just don't wish to find out what happens when it does this at a higher rate of speed.

Purchased a 2020 Palisade in March of 2024 with 76k miles on it. Asked the dealership we bought it from to look at the transmission after a week of owning the car, they said it was fine. I took it to Hallmark Hyundai dealership on 9/26/24 and they would not look at it until i had the transmission fluid flushed this was at 88430 miles. It was barely making it up a hill, we had the gas pedal to the floor and it was pulling back like it was going to stall. I scheduled to have the transmission fluid flushed at a local certified mechanic and he found tons of metal shaving and chunks throughout the fluid this was done at 89368 miles. I took it to Wilson County Hyundai after this was done and they said I needed a full transmission replacement this was done at 89643. They replaced the transmission, and on my way home from picking the car up there was metal grinding sounds coming from the transmission. I called Wilson County back and they asked me to bring it back, it was back on their lot less than 24 hours later. The transmission that was sent from the manufacture was a faulty transmission. The replaced the new transmission, and the sound stopped this was done at 89730 miles. After a couple thousand miles the metal grinding came back, along with the hard shifting, gear skipping, excessive vibration between gears, going up in RPMs but not shifting. I took it Jim Johnson Hyundai and they reset the Transmission adaptive, this is not fix the problem this was done at 96497. It back in the dealership now at Wilson county with the mileage of 99000 and their service manager told me they have 5 of them on their lot right now needing new transmissions. The car has less than 100k miles on it.

I had just pulled into a (handicapped) parking space at my bank in Marana Az. as I prepared to stop with the brake still depressed, the car suddenly surged, with the tach going to 5000rpm. The vehicle jumped the sidewalk (with rear wheels making drag marks on the sidewalk. Vehicle shot up the slight rise , hit and demolished a concrete bench and some plants and was heading toward the main entrance when I shut the engine off with the ignition key. The car stopped less than 10 feet from the bank entrance. the car came close to going through the entrance shattering the glass doors and possibly injuring bank customers and employees. There was no warning, but this car has had 3 or 4 sudden engine surges before - about one every 1 1/2 years. Hyundai service has checked and denied any problems. On line queries indicate the surging problems are not uncommon. They happen without warning and result in serious injury and damage to people and property. Hyundai is stonewalling. Other drivers have similar events occur for sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) and suggest problems with the Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) including throttle position sensors. Our Palisade has less than 40,000 miles on it and has been well maintained, but Hyundai people refuse to acknowledge any problems - my wife and I consider that this car is a potential death machine.

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked, and the engine seized. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer several times; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure occurred several times. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was almost involved in three crashes due to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Mileage: 92,000

Transmission issues and will probably need to have it replaced.

Started my palisade and put the car in reverse. After 1 or 2 seconds, my car went to neutral. Error showed on my cluster “Shifter system malfunction! Service immediately”. I tried multiple times to put my car in park, drive or reverse without luck. After about 2 minutes the cluster said it couldn’t put the car in park and it automatically set the emergency brake. I had to shut the car off with it in neutral. I was able to restart the car and it did go into gear.

Have been having transmission shift problems. Whether I am accelerating, slowing down, or coasting, it jerks like it doesn’t know what gear to go in.

Have been having transmission shift problems. Whether I am accelerating, slowing down, or coasting, it jerks like it doesn’t know what gear to go in.

My wife and I Were driving then all of sudden the engine light would come on and the car would hesitate and go then at anoqtpher time it stopped on my wife we travel often back and forth to the veterans hospital for treatment and we don’t feel safe any longer. We had it at the dealership about three times. Faulkner Hyundia. We thank you for your help

So there I was, stopped at a red light, waiting for traffic to clear and about to turn right. Traffic clears. I step on the gas. Nothing. I look at my dash and there are no signs of life. No warning lights, no bells or dings. The vehicle is just dead. I’m pushing the start button, pushing gears, tried to turn on my hazard lights. Nothing. As expected, the symphony of horns from vehicles behind me started. So I pull the lever from inside to pop the hood, open my door, and exit the vehicle. I get the hood up and first thing I go for is the battery. I reach for the battery cable and it’s loose. Twist it a bit and viola! Car starts up! But then I realize the car is rolling backwards! Ahh! So I run and jump into the moving car and put my foot on the brake and stop it. There were two saving graces here: 1. The road I was stopped on was mostly flat. 2. When I exited the vehicle I left the door open. Nobody was hurt. The vehicle didn’t hit anything. But had there been in incline on the road, I may not have been able to catch up with the vehicle and stop it. And had I closed the door, it probably would have been locked when it restarted and I would not have been able to get in. IF THE BATTERY IS DEAD (or in my case, a battery cable comes loose) THERE IS NO WAY TO CHANGE GEARS! Should this happen again while I’m alone in the vehicle, I’d have to wait, a prisoner in my car, until some good citizen came along and ask them to open the hood and jiggle the battery cable. Not as dangerous, but should the vehicle be parked in a single garage and then the battery go dead (for whatever reason) one wouldn’t be able to put the vehicle in neutral and push it out of the garage to get it jumped off from another vehicle. HOW DO YOU PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK with a total loss of electrical?

Car began giving us an issue while driving several months ago : driving up hills at a speed of 20 mph or less, the vehicle begins to jerk and pulse. There is also a knocking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. Much of this also happens in parking lots at speeds of less than 10 mph. Driving at a speeds of greater than 60 mph / highway the car will pulse as well. This does not change with driving modes: ECO, Comfort, Sport or SMART mode. The engine is the same throughout modes- jerking and hesitating. When driving from highway to get gas or stop the car will have trouble when pressing on the gas pedal after being stopped then trying to enter the highway. The car is slow to respond to the gas pedal and will not accelerate matching your foot on the pedal. After some time the car will jerk forward and will not slow down when you take your foot off the gas. One incident in the past week I was pulling out into a 3 lane road, the car just stopped for no reason. Gas pedal down.. NOT moving. I was sitting in 3 lanes of oncoming traffic. I have reported this to my Hyundai Dealership. They are unable to locate the problem because NO codes pop up. They are unable to duplicate my problem when test driving. My concern is safety with having 3 children in the car and it just STOPS / lurches forward at a fast rate of speed. This happens on a daily basis. Unknown as to component or system failed or malfunctioned.. Yes available for inspection upon request.

I am having 2 issues with my 2020 Palisade. First off, for the last 7 months I can feel some sort of slip in my transmission when I am between 40-60 mph. I took in in back in November to the dealership and they claim they didn’t find any issues that I could reschedule and drive it with one of the techs at another appointment. Fast forward, took it to a different dealership this week for a second opinion because it’s still happening and more frequent. They told me they felt it happen once. My car is still under warranty. They suggest a transmission flush, but it wasn’t covered under warranty. My second problem is I’ve been caught in heavy downpour storms. Two times my car check engine light comes on and my car goes in limp mode. Basically puts me stranded because the car won’t run. After a day of letting it sit and dry out, it will run and check engine light goes off. They suggest that moisture is getting into the coil and I need a new coil pack and spark plugs. While at the dealership I ask if between the two suggested repairs will it fix the issue. They told me they can’t guarantee me that it will fix the problem. They want to charge me $1700 for something not guarantee when my car is under warranty. Has anyone had these issues? I contacted Hyundai Corporate and my case is suppose to be escalated.

I bought this car as a certified pre-owned, picked it up on January 18, 2023. This is our family car and we took it on a 350 mile each way road trip on Jan 27. Upon arrival to our destination, driving around the city I noticed a lot of white smoke coming from the exhaust. I checked the oil and there wasn't oil registering on the dipstick, so I added 5 quarts of oil to the car to get us home on Sunday Jan 29. Upon returning home, I got the car back to the dealer and they had it for a couple days but "couldn't replicate the smoke". The dealer began an oil consumption test based on Hyundai's instructions. Now I have to take the car back in every 1,000 miles to be checked. I picked the car up on Feb 9 and have continued to drive it around with white smoke coming out the back end in multiple scenarios: after sitting at a stoplight, stop sign, turning from a slow speed, or even starting to accelerate on the freeway after slow (not stopped) traffic. The engine knocks when accelerating after most turns, between 20-30mph. Not only is it embarrassing to have big white plumes of smoke at the back of the car, it doesn't feel safe for my family or good for the car to continue driving to get to 1,000 miles and go have it checked for the next 4,000 miles. Hyundai certainly knows of the problems and are making me "prove" issues through their oil consumption test. Meanwhile, I drive a car that has horrible exhaust fumes, and causes safety concerns as it could stop running anywhere, anytime.

There were signs before it even happened. The gear got stuck in 5th gear and couldn't go up or down. Even after that, the shock and gear did not engage properly when shifting gears. That day, while driving at 40 miles, the gear shifted out and didn't engage any gear. I turned on my emergency lights, parked on the shoulder, turned off the engine, and then started again to get into gear and drive. After driving for about 5 minutes, the same symptoms occurred. brewed in the same way. I was so scared I drove slowly to the dealer

I came to complete stop at a traffic light. Once I got the green arrow I proceeded to accelerate but the car was barely moving. Mashing the gas harder it then began to move. Something seemed odd but wasn’t sure what. Continuing down the road I noticed my RPMs higher than usual for 45mph. Confirmed with paddle shifters the car was stuck in 5th gear. I came to the next light and car was not down shifting. Again green light, mashed the gas and slow to accelerate. After making it home and leaving the car sit for about 30 min I haven’t had the issue since. Had I been trying to cross the road during heavy traffic this could have been REALLY bad.

This car has a vibration at highway speeds. I made the dealer aware of the issue and they said that the drive shaft needed to be replaced. They did the replacement and the vibration was still there. They then balanced the tires and that did not fix the issue. I went to a tire shop and had the tires balanced and did a 4 wheel alignment. The problem still exists. It does not make the car undriveable, but it is annoying and should not be happening. I do not know if this will have long term consequences on the drive train. The dealer now said they have done all they can.

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 290 WEST TO FREDICKSBURG, TEXAS ON APRIL 2,2021, SPEED LIMIT VARIES FROM 50-60 MPH, THE VEHICLE JUST STOPPED, ALL SYSTEMS WERE OUT, MESSAGE ON THE SCREEN SAID "TAKE TO SERVICE, WHEN CONVENIENT". IT WAS VERY SCARY AS THE VEHICLES FROM BEHIND WERE HONKING AND I COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR ACCIDENT WITH FATALITIES.

Mileage: 15,000

VIBRATION AT SPEEDS OF 64/65MPH AND UP. NOT SURE IF DRIVESHAFT OR TRANSMISSION. HYUNDAI HAS ISSUED A TSB BUT WILL NOT HONOR IT. I HAVE ASKED 2X FOR DEALER SERVICE DEPT. TO EVALUATE THIS PROBLEM. THEY SAID THEY DO NOT HAVE TO HONOR THIS TSB. I HAVE SEEN ON FORUMS OTHERS ARE HAVING SAME PROBLEM WITH CARS MADE IN DECEMBER 2019. IT IS PAINFUL TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY AND I DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS THE DRIVESHAFT, WILL IT BREAK? WILL THE TRANSMISSION FAIL? THIS IS A BRAND NEW CAR PURCHASED NEW AND IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY AND I CANNOT GET HYUNDAI TO LOOK AT THE PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE SENT EMAILS SAYING TOUGH LUCK. THIS IS ANYTIME YOU ARE DRIVING ON INTERSTATES OR HIGHWAYS WITH SPEED LIMITS OF 70MPH..AT AROUND 64/65 CAR STEERING WHEEL, SEAT, FLOOR VIBRATES UNLESS YOU GO BELOW 63MPH. HAPPENS EVERY TIME. FIRST TIME WAS DRIVING HOME FROM DEALER ON HIGHWAY--BEEN REACHING OUT TO HYUNDAI USA SINCE JULY BEEN TO DEALER IN JULY, AUGUST...BUT ALWAYS TOLD APPOINTMENT WILL BE TWO WEEKS TO 6 WEEKS AWAY.

Mileage: 77

PURCHASED VEHICLE AND WHEN WE DROVE IT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (64-75) THERE WAS A SEVERE VIBRATION WITH LOW FREQUENCY RUMBLING (SOUNDED AS THOUGH DRIVING ON RUMBLE STRIP). IF WE DROVE ABOVE 75 THE VIBRATION WOULD LESSEN. WE BROUGHT IN INTO THE DEALER AND ON THE FIRST VISIT THEY FIRST BALANCED TIRES, NO CHANGE NOTICED ALTHOUGH THEY GAVE US THE VEHICLE BACK. SECOND VISIT THEY REPLACED REAR TIRES AND FORCE BALANCED ALL TIRES, NO CHANGE. THEN THEY REPLACED FRONT TIRES AND REPLACED THE REAR DRIVE SHAFT AFTER HAVING TOLD US TWO WEEKS PRIOR THAT THEY HAD MEASURED THE FIRST ONE AND IT WAS WITHIN HYUNDAI SPECS. THE REPLACING OF THE DRIVE SHAFT IMPROVED THE LOW FREQUENCY VIBRATION BUT DID NOT COMPLETELY ELIMINATE IT. WE ARE CURRENTLY WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM HYUNDAI CORPORATE FOR A BUY BACK.

Mileage: 10