Cadillac is recalling nearly every Vistiq it has produced. According to the campaign filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, General Motors is calling back 14,540 of its three-row electric luxury SUVs, made up of 13,629 vehicles from the 2026 model year and 911 from the 2027 model year. All of them are believed to have the defect.
The problem is the one-touch power-folding third-row seat: if it meets an obstruction while folding, it does not automatically reverse, and GM warns that a smaller occupant, especially a child, could become trapped.
Cadillac
What Happened
The recall traces back to an unusually candid internal process. After a competing automaker recalled vehicles in March 2026 for a similar powered-seat issue, a GM engineer flagged the Vistiq’s seat through the company’s internal Speak Up For Safety program. During testing, engineers placed a 33- to 40-pound box on the third-row seat, and the seatback kept folding until it pinned the box in a position that couldn’t be cleared without manually reversing the mechanism. GM says it is aware of six related complaints and no injuries. The parallel March recall that prompted the review was tied to the death of a two-year-old in another manufacturer’s SUV, which explains the seriousness of the response here.
Cadillac
Affected Vehicles
- 2026 Cadillac Vistiq — 13,629 units
- 2027 Cadillac Vistiq — 911 units
- Build window: roughly November 2024 through June 2026
What GM Is Doing
Dealers will replace the third-row folding seat module with a redesigned unit that automatically returns the seatback to upright if it detects resistance. Until parts are available, dealers can disable the third-row folding feature entirely as an interim safety measure, though owners should note there’s no manual way to raise or lower the seat once it’s disabled, so you’ll want to decide on a position first. GM halted shipments of the 2027 Vistiq on June 8 and has told dealers to disable the feature before delivering any new vehicle. The repair is free.
Cadillac
What Owners Should Do
Owners can call Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223 and reference recall number N262555780, or check their VIN against the NHTSA campaign number 26V394. Interim owner notification letters are expected to begin mailing on August 3, 2026, with replacement parts arriving around the same window.
About the author
Kyle Edward
Editor-in-Chief, Autoblog