Cadillac just issued a recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for all 2026 and 2027 model years of its electric Vistiq three-row SUV. Since the Vistiq has only been on the market since the 2026 model year, this recall impacts 100 percent of total production, estimated at 14,540 vehicles built from November 12, 2024 through April 9, 2026 and January 16, 2026 through June 15, 2026.
The recall relates to the Vistiq's power third-row seat, which can fold down with the press-and-release of a button in the trunk or a pillar next to the seat. In some cases, the seat may stop and will not automatically reverse when it encounters an obstacle. According to the NHTSA, "smaller occupants could become trapped under the seatback, increasing the risk of injury."
Vistiq On Pause
Cadillac has paused shipments of the 2027 Vistiq as of June 8, 2026, while it looks for a solution to the seat motor issue. As a temporary fix, dealerships are being told owners may have the third-row folding feature disabled. While this would certainly keep children safe, owners would need to decide if they want to leave their third-row up or down before they leave the dealer, since there is no manual way to raise or lower it.
When a fix is found, it will automatically return the seat to the upright position if it detects an obstruction that blocks the folding process.
This is different from the Hyundai Palisade situation where the seat would continue folding after it detected an obstacle. Hyundai recalled over 68,000 units of its Limited and Calligraphy trim models following the death of a young child in Ohio related to the power third-row.
Cadillac's issue is less severe because the Vistiq's seats will not crush an object, but will instead remain in place. This could potentially leave a child trapped if they can not reach the seat controls, but if a parent is nearby, they could click the button and raise the seats back up if this situation occurred.
A GM engineer submitted a report on March 31 of this year through the company's Speak Up For Safety (SUFS) program following an announcement from another vehicle manufacturer. During testing, the seat stopped when a 33-40-pound box was placed on it, and the engineers could not remove the box based on how the seat stopped.
GM is aware of six complaints related to the seats, none of which have resulted in injuries.
Motor1's Take: As of late, there have been more issues with power-folding third rows in some SUVs. It's good to see Cadillac is taking this issue seriously.
