Some Hyundai Palisades recalled over valvetrain problem

Hyundai has issued a safety recall that applies it over 4,000 units of the Palisade built during the 2024 model year. The SUVs included in the campaign could experience a valve spring failure, a problem that can cause major engine damage including puncturing a hole in the block.

Assigned recall number 24V-106 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall includes 4,245 units of the Palisade built between August 21 and October 12, 2023. The company estimates that the defect is only present in 1% of these vehicles.

It's a serious one, though. Hyundai told the NHTSA that the valve springs were damaged during manufacturing, which is handled by a third-party supplier, and that they can consequently "fracture while driving due to fatigue cracking." If you need a refresher course, the valves let air into the engine and allow exhaust gases out. The springs open and close the valves while preventing them from dropping into the cylinder. As noted in Hyundai's documents, a fractured valve spring can cause "a sudden loss of motive power" without prior warning.

The company adds that, "in rare cases," a valve whose spring breaks can drop into the combustion chamber and puncture a hole in the engine block after coming in contact with a piston. This increases the risk of a fire, and repairing the damage requires replacing the engine. 

Hyundai is aware of 18 valve-spring-related problems reported between October 30, 2023, and January 25, 2024. It adds that it's not aware of any crashes, injuries, or fatalities linked to the defect. The company will reach out to owners of affected cars by mail starting on April 13, 2024, and it will ask them to take their Palisade to the nearest authorized dealer so that a technician can replace what it refers to as the "engine sub-assembly." The valves and valve springs are located in the cylinder head, but it sounds like Hyundai isn't taking chances.

Power for the Palisade comes from a 3.8-liter V6 that Hyundai sister company Kia also puts in the Telluride. Unsurprisingly, Kia issued the same recall. It's assigned number 24V-077 by the NHTSA, and it includes 2,872 units of the Telluride built from October 1 to December 6, 2024. Kia estimates the defect is present in about 3% of the recalled vehicles, and it will begin notifying owners by mail on April 5, 2024. 

The fix is the same: The brand will replace the "engine sub-assembly" in the recalled SUVs free of charge.