AKRON, Ohio. (WOWO) – A fatal accident involving a young child in Akron has prompted Hyundai to halt sales of certain 2026 Palisade sport utility vehicles while the automaker prepares a recall.

Police say a two-year-old girl died after becoming trapped when a power-operated third-row seat folded forward inside the family’s 2026 Hyundai Palisade. Authorities say the child was inside the parked vehicle with her mother and sibling while they waited outside a store when the electronically powered seat began to move and failed to detect the child.

Officers responding to the scene said multiple people tried to free the child when the seat would not retract.

Investigators say there is no indication that anyone in the family did anything wrong during the incident. The child was taken to a hospital but later died from her injuries.

In response, Hyundai has issued a stop-sale order for the Limited and Calligraphy editions of the 2026 Palisade, meaning dealerships cannot sell or allow test drives of those vehicles while the issue is investigated. The company is also preparing a recall that could affect roughly 68,500 vehicles nationwide, according to Cleveland television station WJW.

Authorities in northeast Ohio are urging vehicle owners to take the recall seriously once the repair process is announced, saying the goal is to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Investigators say they are still working to determine why the seat malfunction occurred.