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The New Hyundai Palisade Stinks Really Bad and No One Knows Why

The new-car smell is an integral and quite awesome part of the car-buying experience, and one that many would do anything to be able to keep for longer. With a new Hyundai Palisade, when the new-car smell is gone, it’s replaced by something far worse than no smell at all.
Owners are complaining new-car smell in Hyundai Palisade is replaced by a new putrid, pungent odor 16 photos
Photo: Hyundai
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The Palisade stinks, according to several users.

Once the new-car smell is gone, a new, far more unpleasant, putrid and pungent odor takes over, and it can be so bad as to require driving with all windows open. It’s something chemical, mixed with a strong whiff of old dirty socks, garlic and rotten produce, a combination no one had thought of before this.

First reported by Cars on a 2020 Hyundai Palisade Limited with white Nappa seating, it seems that this horrible smell is common to many light-colored interior Palisades. Owners have been complaining about it on dedicated forums, the report notes, and at the same time, struggling to pinpoint the exact place where the odor is coming from.

Some believe it’s coming from the headrests, while a more likely theory is that the smell is sourced from inside the seatback. It gets worse when the car sits in the sun for longer stretches (which is logical) or is not used for several days (again, a logical consequence). Some users report it goes away after 20 minutes or so of driving with the windows open, but others say it gets so bad they’re barely able to remain in the car.

They all say the stench became noticeable after the new-car smell was gone – with the publication noting it came out of nowhere some 8,000 miles (12,874 km) into the ownership.

In a statement to The Drive, Hyundai says it’s aware of the problem but, for the time being, they have no clue what exactly is causing it.

“We are aware of the concern and are currently in the midst of the investigation, which includes identifying and validating a fix,” says a spokesperson. “Once a repair method is confirmed effective a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) will be released to provide direction to our dealer body on how to resolve the concern.”

Call in the experts on the nose team!
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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