- Cadillac is recalling over 14,000 Vistiq electric SUVs because kids could get trapped in the third-row seats.
- The luxury SUV’s power folding feature drops the seatback at the touch of a button.
- However, during testing, GM discovered that the seatbacks of affected vehicles don’t go back up if an obstacle is detected.
Over 14,000 Cadillac Vistiq luxury electric SUVs could trap children in the third-row seats, so General Motors is recalling them to fix the issue. The problem, however, is that the part that can fix the issue is not available yet, so the only solution is to disable the power folding feature for the third-row seats—at least for now.
In total, 14,540 Vistiq SUVs from the 2026 and 2027 model years are included, but it’s worth pointing out that the vast majority of cars—13,629—are 2026 models. That’s because GM stopped shipping the 2027 Vistiq to dealers on June 8, just before it decided to conduct this recall.
Gallery: 2026 Cadillac Vistiq
According to the official documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Vistiq’s third-row power-folding seatback function may not properly react if an occupant or object is placed on the seat. During testing, GM found that the seatbacks would just stop folding when they detected a 33- to 40-pound box on the seat, instead of going back up.
The recall report says that the seatback stopped in a position that prevented the boxes from being removed without manually reversing the seatback. It goes without saying that a box doesn’t feel pain, but it would be a completely different story if a child were caught between the seat base and seatback. General Motors claims it is aware of six incidents or complaints that are potentially associated with this issue, in addition to the vehicle that was tested in-house.
To fix the problem, owners will have to wait for a replacement third-row seat module, which will be installed free of charge at the dealer, but the part is not yet available. Until that happens, the next best thing for Vistiq owners is to go to the dealer and have the third-row folding feature disabled—when the improved module is ready to be installed, the feature will be reinstated through a separate campaign. Inventory cars have already had the feature disabled, GM said.
With the new module, the third-row seatbacks will automatically return to the upright position if they encounter loads that are strong enough to stop the folding procedure.
