What's not to love about a brand-new vehicle, especially one that's been completely redesigned? Case in point, the brand new 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. The South Korean brand just turned their midsize crossover from a conventional design to one of the most attractive boxy SUVs on the market, an Asian Range Rover, if you will. Redesigned models are the latest and greatest manufacturer offering, often their pride and joy. Most totally redesigned new vehicles incorporate the most advanced designs, technology, and features the car company can offer, and they expect to use the redesign as a lure for new car buyers. That's where you come in. But is buying a redesigned vehicle in its first year a good idea? Heck, we buy the latest smartphone as soon as it comes out. Why not a car?

Well, cars are trickier. They have a lot of moving parts, and the technology has to run a lot of operations in the vehicle. What's more a redesigned vehicle gets newly designed components that have to come together in new ways, and it hasn't been real-world tested over a long period of time. A lot is riding on the line. Here are three reasons why buying the first year of a redesigned vehicle is a bad idea.

There Can Be Significant Recalls

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the automotive manufacturer issues a recall when there is a significant problem with a vehicle that presents a safety risk to drivers and occupants. Typically, these are voluntary recalls, but it could also be fueled by numerous vocal consumers who have had problems with said vehicle. There's no more recent example than the latest generation of the Toyota Tundra which had engine failures due to debris left inside the engine during manufacturing. Now, Toyota is replacing those engines.

If you happened to buy one of the gas-only Tundras between 2022 and 2023, then the notion of having to wait for a prolonged period of time to get your car fixed was undoubtedly frustrating. It took some time for Toyota to even issue a fix for it, which is a total engine replacement. Not all recalls are this dramatic, of course. It's not something you want to get in the mail, but even worse have that part fail while you're driving or, heaven forbid, in an accident. Recalls can mean safety risks, delays, and periods of time when you're unable to use your own vehicle. Not all recalls get fixed quickly.

There is a formal process by which the NHTSA reviews and issues vehicle recalls. Not all defects or issues qualify, nor does driver or passenger comfort queue a recall. NHTSA recalls are started by car owners who take the time to formally file a complaint about what might be a safety issue with their vehicle, then the NHTSA reviews and documents complaints for that particular model and tracks the frequency and number of the complaints for that specific make/model and problem. More serious safety complaints (like the Tundra's engine) usually begin an investigation by the NHTSA. They may conduct tests of the specific vehicle in question, and if the results show that there is a legitimate and pervasive safety issue, then the NHTSA will issue a recall. If NHTSA issues the recall, manufacturers must, by law, notify car owners through the mail, identifying them using state vehicle registration records.

Here are some of the most common car recalls:

  • Seatbelts
  • Airbags
  • Car seats
  • Emissions
  • Tires
  • Brakes
  • Gasoline tanks
  • Rear headlights and taillights

The Manufacturer Works Out the Kinks Over Time

Some brands are better than others when it comes to dependability or reliability, but no car is completely devoid of problems. Car reliability is defined as the occurrence of problems a vehicle has in relation to other models of the same year. An engine might have mechanical problems, an airbag might have deployment issues, or there could be a problem with the electrical system that prevents proper operation of a vehicle function. As good as a brand-new and redesigned car looks and feels (and smells), there can be issues that the manufacturer has to sort out. But that takes time. They won't spend the money to correct a problem (unless it's a safety recall) that's just a consumer complaint. They won't fix them during the first model year (or the second or third, for that matter).

This is why buying a car that's been on the market for a few years is ideal. Manufacturers have typically worked out most of the kinks by then, and there's usually an important model refresh that occurs where the defects have been taken care of, whether by recall, improvement, or replacement of the defective component, wiring, etc. Most of the time, refreshed models have a better reliability rating than the first year of the redesign because manufacturers have taken the time to refresh them with fixes of initial problems.

Consider how often newly redesigned vehicles get brand-new technology, such as infotainment. Cars have decreased in overall reliability largely because of new technology, and infotainment systems are the main culprit. According to J.D. Power, infotainment systems cause 49 out of 100 problems in new vehicles. That's a disproportionately high percentage for one category. Touchscreens have more complex wiring and accompanying problems, as a result. Over the past three year, vehicle quality has declined predominantly because of the rise of in-car technology and complex audio systems.

Upgrades Come a Few Years Later

You can count on the fact that most car models get refreshed a few years into their life cycle. Most vehicles get total redesigns within 7 years, but some take much longer. The Toyota 4Runner took a whopping 14 years to get redesigned for its latest generation. Car manufacturers also need to keep their models as updated as they can, changing or updating important aspects of the vehicle in order to keep them current and appealing. These are known as refreshes or “facelifts” and typically occur about halfway (3 years) through a vehicle's generation. This is further evidence that it's best to wait instead of buying the first year of a vehicle's redesign.

Case in point, the wonderful Lexus LC 500 luxury coupe. We loved almost everything about it with the exception of the very dated infotainment system and wonky control pad. The brand just updated the system in 2024 after six years on the market. They got rid of the control pad and gave the LC 500 a larger, more vivid screen with touch controls. While it's not as well integrated into the dash due to its size, it's easily way better to operate. Here are just some cars and their issues that got resolved during a mid-cycle refresh.

  • 2024 Chevy Trailblazer: the standard infotainment screen was upsized from 7.0 inches to 11.0 inches.
  • 2024 Genesis G70: the standard 252-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder was replaced by a more powerful 300-hp 2.5-liter engine.
  • 2025 Honda Civic: received a hybrid trim level that provides 50 mpg highway, 8 more than the most efficient 2024 Civic, the EX, at 42 mpg.
  • 2024 BMW Z4 M40i: a 6-speed manual transmission was added to the mix, in addition to the 8-speed automatic transmission.

This is just one example of why you should buy a vehicle that's been refreshed instead of newly redesigned. It's not just the defects that get worked out by then; the model has received important upgrades. Key items like wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can get added, along with more standard equipment the buyers want like power liftgates, heated steering wheels, and safety features like adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams. If you're just a little patient and wise, it could pay off for you in the long run.