Safety Recall N262555780: Cadillac Vistiq Third-Row Power Seat Injury Risk

Safety Recall N262555780 (NHTSA campaign 26V394) covers 14,540 Cadillac Vistiq vehicles from the 2026 and 2027 model years. The third-row power seatback can be folded with a single press of a button — and if it meets something on the way down, it stops but does not reverse. GM's own testing found the seat continued folding onto a 33 to 40 pound box and then trapped it. That weight range matters, because it is roughly a small child. GM estimates 100% of the recalled vehicles have the defect.

Read the primary document yourself: Part 573 Safety Recall Report for NHTSA campaign 26V394 (PDF) — the current version, submitted 24 July 2026. The original 18 June 2026 filing is also public.

What to Do Right Now

If you own or drive a 2026 or 2027 Cadillac Vistiq, this is the part that matters today.

Do not use the third-row power-fold function when a child or any small person is in or near the third row. That is the entire risk, and avoiding it costs you nothing.

Then:

• Check your VIN. VINs became searchable on NHTSA.gov on 18 June 2026. Our GM recall VIN check guide walks through it.
• Call your Cadillac dealer and ask to have the third-row folding feature disabled. This is available to any owner who wants it, free, and it removes the hazard entirely while you wait for parts.
• Owner notification letters were mailed 6 August 2026 according to NHTSA's record, against an estimate of 5 August in GM's filing. You do not need to wait for one.
• Cadillac customer service: 1-800-333-4223, referencing recall N262555780.
• NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline: 1-888-327-4236, campaign 26V394.

One thing worth saying plainly to parents: the control that folds this seat is a single press-and-release. It is not a hold-to-operate button. That means a child in the cargo area, or anyone reaching in, can start the fold and walk away from it — and the seat will keep going.

Is My Vehicle Affected?

The recall covers the Cadillac Vistiq, Cadillac's three-row electric SUV. No other GM model is included.

Model year	Units	Production dates
2026 Cadillac Vistiq	13,629	12 November 2024 – 9 April 2026
2027 Cadillac Vistiq	911	16 January 2026 – 15 June 2026
Total	14,540	—

GM's estimated percentage with the defect: 100%. That figure is unusual and worth understanding. On many recalls a manufacturer estimates that a small fraction of the population is affected, so an inspection sorts the good from the bad. Here GM is saying every vehicle in the population has the condition. There is no inspection step, because there is nothing to sort — if your VIN is in the population, your seat behaves this way.

GM identified the affected vehicles from manufacturing records, so the VIN lookup is definitive. Do not rely on model year alone — the 2027 population is only 911 units and covers a narrow production window.

What the Defect Actually Is

GM's description in the Part 573 report is precise, and it is worth reading closely because the two halves of it combine into the hazard.

First, how the seat is commanded. The third-row seatbacks can be commanded to power fold into the stowed position with a single press-and-release of the "down" control button, located in the cargo area or on the pillar adjacent to the seat.

Second, what happens if something is in the way. The seatback stops and does not automatically reverse if it encounters an obstruction in the seat.

GM's stated safety risk: smaller occupants could become trapped under the seatback, increasing the risk of injury.

Notice that the seat does stop. This is not a seat that keeps crushing indefinitely — it senses the obstruction and halts. The defect is the absence of the reversal. A properly functioning powered seat backs off when it meets resistance, the way a power window or a garage door does. This one holds position.

Why "trapped" is the operative word rather than "crushed." A small child pinned under a stopped seatback may not be able to push it off themselves, and the person who pressed the button may have walked away. The hazard is the entrapment and the time it lasts, not the force of the fold.

One thing the filing does not say is what causes the behaviour. GM left the description-of-cause field blank, and there is no supplier fault described. That is consistent with a design specification issue rather than a manufacturing escape — the module does what it was built to do, and what it was built to do is not enough.

The 33-Pound Box

This is the single most informative detail in the entire filing, and almost no coverage of this recall mentions it.

During GM's own evaluation of the third-row power seatback folding function on a 2026 Vistiq:

the seatback continued its power-folding operation with a 33- to 40-pound box on the seat and stopped in a position that prevented the box from being removed without manually reversing the seat back.

Sit with those two facts.

The seat did not stop when it met 33 to 40 pounds — it kept folding. And when it did finally stop, the object was pinned so firmly that the seat had to be manually reversed to get it out. Not lifted off. Not pushed clear. Reversed.

Thirty-three to forty pounds is, in round terms, a typical four to six year old. GM used a box, but the reason that weight range appears in a federal defect report is that it corresponds to a small child sitting in the third row.

This is why the interim remedy is to disable the feature outright rather than to advise caution. GM's own test showed the seat completing its travel against a load in the range of a preschooler and then requiring deliberate action to release it.

The Remedy Is in Two Stages

Worth understanding clearly, because it explains why your dealer may take something away before they give anything back.

Stage	What happens	Status
Interim	The third-row power-folding feature is disabled. Mandatory on vehicles sitting in dealer inventory; available to any owner who requests it	Available now
Final	The folding third-row seat module is replaced with a redesigned part	Awaiting parts
Restoration	The folding feature is reinstated and updated through a separate customer satisfaction campaign	After parts arrive

Read that third row carefully, because it catches people out. Getting the feature disabled today does not automatically get it switched back on when the new module is fitted. GM states the folding feature will be reinstated through a separate campaign. So if you have your seat disabled now, expect a second visit and a second program number before the power fold works again.

That is a reasonable trade. The interim step removes a hazard to children in exchange for an inconvenience — folding the seat by hand. But go in knowing it is a staged process rather than one appointment.

Parts availability is the constraint. GM's original June filing said replacement modules were not yet available and that it would provide an estimate for remedy notification once one existed. The revised July filing supplies that date, listing owner notification of an available remedy at 5 August 2026 as a phased recall. Phased means dealers work through the population as parts arrive rather than all at once, so a letter does not guarantee a module is waiting for you — call before you drive over.

What Changes in the New Module

The component being replaced is identified in the filing as MODULE ASM-FLDG 3RD ROW ST — the folding third row seat module assembly — part number 86270270. It is supplied by Yanfeng Seating, of Ciénega de Flores, Mexico.

GM's description of how the replacement differs is the important part:

The replacement folding seat module will automatically return the seatback toward the upright seating position if the seatback encounters loads sufficient to halt the folding operation.

So the fix adds the reversal that is missing. Instead of stopping and holding, the corrected module backs the seat off the obstruction on its own — which is the behaviour owners would reasonably have assumed they had all along.

Note also what the fix is not. This is a module replacement, not a software update. That distinction matters practically: a reprogramming fix could have been deployed quickly, potentially over the air. A hardware fix requires parts to be manufactured and shipped, which is precisely why owners are waiting and why the interim disable exists.

How This Was Found

The chronology in the filing is unusually clear about origin, and it reflects well on the process.

On 31 March 2026, a GM engineer submitted a report through GM's Speak Up For Safety (SUFS) program after reviewing an evaluation of the third-row power seatback folding function on a 2026 Cadillac Vistiq.

And GM says why that evaluation happened in the first place: it was conducted after the March 2026 announcement of a recall by a different vehicle manufacturer — a recall relating to second- and third-row power seats in certain vehicles failing to respond appropriately to contact with an occupant or object during powered-seat operation.

In other words, GM saw a competitor recall a similar system, went and checked its own, and found the same class of problem. That is the intended behaviour, and it is worth crediting: an internal safety reporting channel and a competitor's disclosure together produced a recall before anyone was hurt.

GM is aware of six other incidents or complaints potentially associated with this condition, in addition to the vehicle in the engineer's report. None resulted in injury. Those reports reached GM on 1 May 2025, 30 June 2025, 11 December 2025, 14 April 2026 and 17 April 2026.

Note the first of those dates. A complaint reached GM on 1 May 2025 — eleven months before the engineer's evaluation. The individual reports existed well before the pattern was recognised, and what turned them into a recall was a competitor's disclosure prompting GM to go and test its own seat deliberately.

On 11 June 2026, GM's Safety Field Action Decision Authority decided to conduct a safety recall.

Timeline

Date	Event
1 May 2025 – 17 Apr 2026	Six incidents or complaints reach GM across five dates
March 2026	Another manufacturer announces a recall on similar powered-seat behaviour
31 March 2026	GM engineer files a Speak Up For Safety report after evaluating the Vistiq seat
8 June 2026	2027 model year Vistiq shipments halted
11 June 2026	GM's Safety Field Action Decision Authority decides to conduct a safety recall
18 June 2026	Part 573 report submitted · dealers notified · VINs become searchable
24 July 2026	Revised Part 573 report submitted, setting owner notification at 5 August
6 August 2026	Owner notification letters mailed per NHTSA's record
Ongoing	Module replacement — phased, as parts become available

2026 model year production had already completed by the time the recall was decided, which is why the production fix shows only as the 2027 shipment hold.

What It Costs You

Nothing. Both the interim disable and the eventual module replacement are performed free of charge.

On reimbursement, GM's filing is explicit and the reasoning is worth knowing: under 49 C.F.R. § 573.13(d)(1), all covered vehicles are under warranty, so a reimbursement plan is not offered.

That is not GM declining to pay. It means every vehicle in the population is new enough that no owner should have paid out of pocket for this in the first place — so there is no pre-recall expense to reimburse. If you somehow did pay for related work, raise it with Cadillac customer service rather than assuming you have no recourse.

A dealer cannot legally deliver a new vehicle covered by an open safety recall until the defect is remedied. That is why inventory vehicles get the folding feature disabled before sale.

Is It Safe to Drive?

An important distinction, and one worth being precise about rather than alarming.

GM has not issued a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory for this recall. NHTSA's own record for campaign 26V394 carries neither flag. The hazard is tied to operating the power-fold feature, not to driving, parking or charging the vehicle.

So the vehicle is not the danger. The button is.

That is also why the interim remedy works. Disabling the folding function removes the hazard completely while leaving the vehicle entirely usable — the seats still fold, just by hand.

The practical guidance:

• Keep using the vehicle normally.
• Do not operate the third-row power fold with children around, and be aware the control sits in the cargo area and on the pillar, where a child can reach it.
• Get the feature disabled if you regularly carry children, rather than relying on everyone remembering.

If you tow, road-trip or carry passengers regularly, none of that is affected. This recall is narrow in what it touches and it is worth not over-reading.

A Note on Sourcing

We cite documents we have read and label the rest.

Everything factual on this page comes from GM's Part 573 Safety Recall Reports for NHTSA campaign 26V394, both of which we have opened and read in full — the original submitted 18 June 2026 and the revision submitted 24 July 2026. That covers the vehicle populations and production dates, the 100% defect estimate, the defect and safety risk descriptions, the 33-to-40-pound evaluation finding, the component part number and supplier, the chronology, the remedy description, the reimbursement position and the notification schedule.

The two filings differ in one respect, and this page previously reflected the earlier one. The June version scheduled a separate interim owner notification for 3 August 2026 and gave no remedy notification date. The July revision removes the separate interim notification and sets owner notification at 5 August 2026. NHTSA's record states letters were mailed 6 August 2026. The defect, population, supplier, part number and remedy are identical in both.

Quoted passages are GM's own wording from those filings.

On advisories: the Part 573 form contains a consumer advisory field covering "do not drive" and "park outside" designations, and its label appears in the document whether or not a designation was applied. We have confirmed against NHTSA's own record for this campaign that neither was applied. That is a check against the agency's data rather than an inference from the form. If you see a do-not-drive advisory for your specific VIN, follow it over anything on this page.

The observation that GM left the description-of-cause field blank is ours, as is the reading that this points to a design specification rather than a manufacturing fault. GM does not characterise it either way.

Recalls develop. Parts availability, remedy timing and the reinstatement campaign will all change after the date of these filings. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov and confirm with your Cadillac dealer — those are current in a way an article cannot be.

What Other Pages on This Recall Get Wrong

• Omitting the 33-to-40-pound finding. It is the most informative fact in the filing and the one that tells a parent what this actually means. GM's own test had the seat folding onto a load in that range and pinning it.
• Saying the seat "fails to stop." It does stop. What it does not do is reverse. The hazard is entrapment under a halted seatback, not continuous crushing force, and the distinction changes what you picture and how you respond.
• Not mentioning the single press-and-release. The fold is not hold-to-operate. Someone can start it and walk away, and a child can reach the control in the cargo area. That is central to the risk and it is rarely stated.
• Presenting the fix as one appointment. It is three stages — disable, replace, then reinstate through a separate customer satisfaction campaign. Owners who disable now should expect to come back twice.
• Quoting the superseded notification date. The 3 August interim date came from the June filing and no longer applies. GM's July revision sets 5 August, and NHTSA records letters mailed 6 August — we had this wrong ourselves until the revised filing was checked.
• Missing that this is hardware, not software. A module has to be built and shipped, which is exactly why owners are waiting rather than receiving an update.
• Implying the vehicle is unsafe to drive. There is no do-not-drive or park-outside advisory. The risk lives in one feature, and disabling it removes the risk.
• Skipping the 100% defect estimate. There is no inspection step and no chance your particular vehicle is fine. If the VIN is in the population, the seat behaves this way.
• Citing the filing without linking it. Both reports are public PDFs and both are linked here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is wrong with the seat?

The third-row seatback can be power-folded with a single press-and-release of a "down" button in the cargo area or on the pillar next to the seat. If it meets an obstruction on the way down, it stops — but it does not automatically reverse. GM's stated risk is that smaller occupants could become trapped under the seatback.

How serious is it really?

Serious enough that GM disabled the feature outright rather than advising caution. In GM's own evaluation the seatback continued folding with a 33 to 40 pound box on the seat, and stopped in a position that prevented the box being removed without manually reversing the seat. That weight range is roughly a four to six year old. No injuries have been reported in the seven incidents GM knows of.

Is my Vistiq definitely affected?

If your VIN is in the recall population, yes — GM estimates 100 percent of the 14,540 vehicles have the defect, so there is no inspection to pass. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov, where these became searchable on 18 June 2026. The population is 13,629 vehicles from the 2026 model year and 911 from 2027.

Can I still drive it?

Yes. There is no do-not-drive or park-outside advisory, because the hazard is in operating the power-fold feature rather than in driving the vehicle. Use it normally, but do not power-fold the third row when children are in or near it.

What will the dealer do today?

Disable the third-row power-folding feature, free of charge. That is mandatory on vehicles still in dealer inventory and available to any owner who asks. The seats still fold manually. When replacement modules arrive, the module gets replaced and the powered feature is reinstated through a separate customer satisfaction campaign.

Why do I have to wait for parts?

Because the fix is hardware. GM is replacing the folding third row seat module — part number 86270270 — with a redesigned unit that automatically returns the seatback toward upright when it meets enough resistance to halt the fold. A physical part has to be built and distributed, which is slower than a software update. The remedy is phased, so parts reach dealers progressively.

Will it cost me anything?

No. Both stages are free. GM's filing notes that because all covered vehicles are under warranty, no reimbursement plan is offered under 49 C.F.R. § 573.13(d)(1) — meaning no owner should have been out of pocket for this to begin with.

How did GM find this?

A GM engineer filed a report through the company's Speak Up For Safety programme on 31 March 2026, after evaluating the Vistiq's seat. GM had run that evaluation because another manufacturer announced a recall in March 2026 over second- and third-row power seats failing to respond properly to contact. GM checked its own system and found the same class of problem.

When will I hear from Cadillac?

Letters were mailed on 6 August 2026 according to NHTSA's record, against GM's filed estimate of 5 August. If yours has not arrived, do not wait — call your dealer, or Cadillac customer service on 1-800-333-4223 referencing N262555780.

Where can I read the actual recall document?

Both versions are public. The current Part 573 report submitted 24 July 2026 is the one to read; the original 18 June filing remains available for comparison.

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Sources

• Part 573 Safety Recall Report, NHTSA campaign 26V394 (PDF) — General Motors, LLC, submitted 24 July 2026. Current version and primary source for this page.
• Part 573 Safety Recall Report, original filing (PDF) — submitted 18 June 2026, superseded on notification dates.
• NHTSA recall lookup — search your VIN for current recall status. Campaign number 26V394.

Owner questions: Cadillac customer service 1-800-333-4223. NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline 1-888-327-4236.