Dive Brief:
- General Motors has issued a recall and a stop delivery order for over 14,000 Cadillac Vistiq SUVs for the third-row folding power seatback, which may fail to stop moving when a person is on the seat, especially a child that could become trapped and injured, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- The recall covers 2026-2027 Cadillac Vistiq models and 100% of the vehicles are estimated to have the defect. The stop delivery notice sent to GM dealers is dated June 18.
- Dealers will temporarily disable the third-row folding feature on the vehicles until a replacement seat module is available, which will be replaced free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Aug. 3.
Dive Insight:
The third-row power seatbacks of Vistiq models can be folded into the stowed position by pressing the “down” button located in the SUV’s cargo area or on the pillar adjacent to the seat. The fault causes the seatback to stop, but not automatically reverse as intended if it encounters an obstruction, such as a small child.
The problem was brought to GM’s attention on March 31 after a company engineer submitted a report through the automaker’s Speak Up For Safety program. The report was made after the engineer reviewed an evaluation of the third-row power seatback folding function on a 2026 Vistiq model.
The power seatback evaluation performed by GM was prompted by a March recall issued by Hyundai Motor America related to second- and third-row power seats in certain 2026 Palisade SUVs, which also failed to stop moving if an occupant was detected. Hyundai received a report of a fatality in Ohio potentially related to the fault.
GM’s power-folding seat test was conducted using a 33- to 40-pound box placed on the seat to simulate a small child. During the test, the engineer confirmed that the seatback stopped in a position that prevented the box from being removed without manually reversing the seat position.
The automaker is aware of six other incidents or complaints potentially related to the power seatback fault it received between May 2025 and April 2026. However no injuries were reported. Based on its investigation, the automaker’s Safety Field Action Decision Authority decided to conduct a safety recall for the Vistiq models on June 11.
The seats were sourced from Mexico by China-based supplier Yanfeng Seating. GM is working with Yanfeng to obtain replacement parts as soon as possible. Once a sufficient number of parts are available to address the recall, dealers can begin repairing the recalled vehicles, per the report.
