2020 Hyundai Palisade: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Aug 21, 2026 · Electrical · WV · fire

I believe this is related to RECALL 235, Veh was parked on the street, thank god. The Palisade then spontaniusly caught fire, fire department had to be called and insurance company says its a total loss. Fire started in the rear driver side.

Filed May 1, 2026 · Engine · TX · fire

Component: Engine My 2020 Hyundai Palisade (approximately 155,856 miles) experienced a serious and dangerous engine-related failure that resulted in a vehicle fire. My 16 year old daughter was driving alone at the time of the catastrophic failure and fire. For approximately six months prior to the incident, the vehicle was consuming oil at an abnormal rate with no visible external leaks. This condition persisted without clear cause. While driving, the vehicle suddenly developed a new oil leak, and the engine failed without warning, leaving me stranded on the roadway. Immediately following the failure, the engine compartment caught fire. There were no prior indications of an active oil leak before this sudden failure. The progression from oil consumption to catastrophic failure and fire presents a serious safety concern. This incident created a dangerous situation with risk of injury or worse, and it appears to be more than normal wear and tear. I am reporting this as a potential safety defect involving engine failure and fire risk. Mileage at time of incident: approximately 155,856 miles No prior accident or external cause contributed to the fire.

Filed Apr 24, 2026 · Engine · TX · fire

Component: Engine / Engine and Engine Cooling Description: My 2020 Hyundai Palisade (approximately 155,856 miles) experienced a serious and dangerous engine-related failure that resulted in a vehicle fire. For approximately 8 months prior to the incident, the vehicle was consuming oil at an abnormal rate with no visible external leaks. This condition persisted without clear cause. While my [XXX] daughter was driving, the vehicle suddenly developed a new oil leak, and the engine failed without warning, leaving my daughter stranded on the roadway. Immediately following the failure, the engine compartment caught fire. There were no prior indications of an active oil leak before this sudden failure. The progression from oil consumption to catastrophic failure and fire presents a serious safety concern. This incident created a dangerous situation with risk of injury or worse, and it appears to be more than normal wear and tear. I am reporting this as a potential safety defect involving engine failure and fire risk. Mileage at time of incident: approximately 155,000 miles No prior accident or external cause contributed to the fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 12, 2026 · Engine, Suspension · TX

While traveling to Abilene Tx to see my doctor my check engine light came on. I pulled into the Hyundai dealership and ask the service advisor to plug into my vehicle and let me know what was going on. After he talked to his service manager he advised me that they "where to busy" and the earliest they could get me in would be the next Monday. This was Wednesday. My home is 100 miles from Abilene. I asked if he thought it would be alright and he said sure. I barely made it back to Big Spring before it started clinking and cluttering. It sound horrible. My son said it sounded like it through a rod. He checked the oil and said that I had low oil however my low oil light did not come on. I notified the dealership and was advised that I had to have it towed back to the shop in Abilene which I did. After a week passed I was in Abilene and stopped to check on my vehicle. Needless to say my repairs are in excess of 20K. New engine etc. and rear suspension is out also. After researching I have found I'm not the only owner with these problems. There are numerous complaints about these problems with the Palisade. This is a danger to all who own this vehicle. Fires, accidents and no telling what can affect us. All these vehicles need to be recalled because of the engine that was placed in these vehicles. The engine is eating oil fast. My oil changes were on time. Hyundai and the dealership are unwilling to offer any help in repairing my vehicle. The parts on the suspension are sub standard. I can't believe they are called the #1 SUV in America! Buyers need to be aware of the substandard parts and engine. They also need to be aware the Hyundai doesn't stand behind their product or the dealership either for that matter. I shutter to think of who I could've been on the side of the road with a blown on fire engine. I'm thankful I made it home before the vehicle cratered.

Filed Feb 20, 2026 · Engine · PA

August 2025: While driving down the road and approaching a light, I slowed down to turn and make a left. As I braked, all lights on the instrument panel lit up and the car completely turned off. After several attempts to start the car again, the car started. After taking it to a shop, it was determined that the car had consumed all oil, despite being within the recommended milage range for oil change. I filed a complaint with Hyundai, who emailed me to talk to my local dealership. I responded and have yet to receive a response to my communication, as of February 20, 2026. Hyundai dealership has told me that I need to fail three oil consumption tests (I have), complete a combustion cleaning (it has recently been completed), and fail one more consumption test before they can submit to corporate for a new engine. In the meantime, I have experienced my car shaking, the smell of burning oil, my car "jolting" forward while driving at sustained speeds, and a tailpipe that is completely black with 67,800 miles currently on the car.

Filed Feb 17, 2026 · Engine · AL

engine is consuming alot of oil i have to put a quart every week and it has a smell of burning near the engine and white smoke at the back tail pipe.

Filed Feb 13, 2026 · Airbags, Engine · GA

Engine is sucking the life out of this vehicle meaning it is consuming more than normal oil. Oil consumption, I had the testing done. and Hyundai has done nothing about fixing the issues Well I am the second owner of this vehicle and it should be laws in place for the second owners of a vehicle. The first owner was keeping up on the maintenance of the vehicle so have I. I also have white smoke coming from the tailpipe. as well as stalling and stopping. I am still making payments on this vehicle and it is not far that I have to constantly get oil changes every month or sometimes twice a month seems like it. That is a lot of spending for something that should not be. It is so many people out there going through the same issues. It is a few Facebook group pages made behind this. It's truly sad that Hyundai will not fix this problem. What are we to do? Please Help.

Filed Aug 25, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 150,000 miles · TX · fire

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.

Filed Aug 24, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · TX

On [XXX], while driving on the freeway, my 2020 Hyundai Palisade suddenly malfunctioned and went up in flames without warning. My young son was in the vehicle with me. Within moments, smoke and fire spread rapidly, forcing us to stop in traffic and escape before the fire fully engulfed the car. The entire vehicle became a total loss. This was a terrifying, life-threatening situation. My safety and my son’s safety were at extreme risk. If my other family members had been in the car, the outcome could have been catastrophic. The emotional trauma from this event is significant and continues to affect us. The incident was reported to the San Antonio Fire Department, who responded to the scene and documented the fire. Their reports confirm the vehicle fire: Incident Report #[XXX] and SAFD Case #[XXX]. After researching, I discovered that similar fires have been reported in Hyundai vehicles, raising concerns that this is part of a wider safety defect. Families should not have to fear their vehicle spontaneously igniting on the road. At the time of the fire, there were no warning lamps, error messages, or symptoms that suggested the vehicle was unsafe. The failure happened suddenly and without warning. The vehicle has not been inspected by Hyundai at this time, but it is available for inspection upon request. I am urging a full investigation into Hyundai’s design and safety practices, as this fire placed lives in immediate danger. This was not just a mechanical failure—it was a potentially fatal event that could have resulted in severe injury or loss of life.

Filed Aug 16, 2025 · Engine · TX

My car has been diagnosed, by a dealership, with excessive oil consumption due to a faulty piston ring which caused there to be no compression in cylinder 1. Initially my car had smoke coming from the tailpipe, then it started to shake while idling and the check engine light came on (delearship cleared it), then it overheated on me while going down the road with no warning whatsoever. Each time there was no oil on the lipstick. This is dangerous for people to not have any warning as to when the car is going to overheat until its already overheating. It could potentially set on fire while going down the highway with my [XXX] and [XXX] old. As soon as I put oil in it, it runs totally fine. I have voice recordings to confirm the diagnosis. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 8, 2025 · Engine · KS · fire

Hello, I have a 2020 Hyundai Palisade that was bought last year in 2024. It’s had no issues with the engine up until approximately the last 2 weeks with oil consumption and noises from the engine rattling. I contacted the dealership to get it checked out and on the way there it caught fire. The engine died and almost all of the oil leaked out. The engine block now has a hole in it, so it is unable to be driven. My husband was driving and had just had surgery. Thankfully I was driving in a separate vehicle with my kids in case something like this happened. It has been sitting at the dealership since the 28th of May. The dealership inspected it and said there is no known cause at this time. The dealership also said they unfortunately can’t do anything. I called my insurance and they said the only thing they can cover is the damages caused by the fire. The estimate amount to fix it is 13K. But I believe the engine malfunctioned and was already having problems without my knowledge of it. There were no warning lights or alerts stating there were any problems with the vehicle. I also do know there is a class action lawsuit happening because of the 2020 Hyundai Palisades.

Filed Jan 16, 2025 · Airbags, Body · CO · fire

The vehicle, a 2020 Hyundai Palisade SEL, was located in a closed garage, unoccupied. Within 10 minutes of parking the car in the garage, it caught on fire, possibly originating on the front, driver's side. Due to this incident occurring inside a garage, there was damage to our home and a high risk of safety (including loss of life) to the home and its occupants. At this time, we are waiting for the insurance company to investigate the origin of the fire as there were no warning lights or any indication of risk. This fire happened very suddenly and unexpectedly and it is our sincere hope that a thorough investigation will prevent this from happening to other families.