Hyundai Recalls 94,000 Genesis Models Over Power Seat Fire Risk

Certain Hyundai Genesis models face a park-outside warning after two reported fire incidents tied to damaged seat switches.

The 2015 Hyundai Genesis Anticipates and Slows for Speed Cameras

Brian Potter

By: Brian Potter

Oct 19, at 9:00am ET

Add Motor1.com as a preferred source in Google

Comment

Hyundai Motor America has told the owners of 94,622 Genesis sedans to leave their cars parked outdoors, away from garages, buildings, and other vehicles, while engineers work on a fix for a potential fire risk.

The recall covers certain 2015-2016 Hyundai Genesis sedans and 2017-2020 Genesis G80 models built with non-memory power-seat assemblies. A damaged switch can keep the seat motor running long after the driver walks away.

Which Genesis And G80 Model Years

2017 Genesis G80 US-spec

2017 Genesis G80 US-spec

NHTSA recall number 26V664000 splits the affected population into two groups: 54,644 2015-2016 Hyundai Genesis sedans and 39,978 2017-2020 G80 sedans, for a combined 94,622 vehicles. Hyundai filed the paperwork on October 8.

Owners can already check their vehicle identification number through NHTSA's online lookup tool, which went live on October 13. The tool sits at NHTSA's main recall site under "Recalls" and lets you paste in your 17-character VIN.

Earlier campaigns on the same Genesis generation addressed separate electrical problems tied to the anti-lock braking system and the starter, part of a wider recall run Hyundai has faced in 2026.

Hyundai has reported one confirmed fire and one additional thermal event connected to the defect so far, with no crashes or injuries. The remedy itself remains under development.

How A Stuck Seat Switch Can Start A Fire

2017 Genesis G80 US-spec

2017 Genesis G80 US-spec

The culprit is the front power-seat control switch. If it gets dislodged or physically damaged, it can become stuck in an engaged position even after the ignition is off and the driver has left the vehicle.

With the switch jammed, the seat-adjustment motor keeps running continuously instead of shutting off. That constant electrical load can overheat the motor, creating a fire risk.

Hyundai is telling owners to watch for a burning odor coming from the seat area and to check whether the seat-control switches still operate normally.

Either sign warrants getting the car away from structures immediately and contacting a Genesis or Hyundai dealer for guidance.

What do you think?

View

Comments

It's a similar failure to what regulators have flagged on other seat-motor fire recalls across the industry, and it sits within a wider wave of park-outside warnings issued for fire risk on millions of US vehicles this year.

"Hyundai is advising affected owners to park their vehicles outdoors and away from buildings, garages, and other vehicles until repairs can be completed," the automaker said in its recall notice. With no firm timeline yet, that guidance stands until a fix arrives.