I have a 23 Palisade Calligraphy (my first ever Hyundai), and it has been totally trouble-free. I also have a 24 RX350h, and the technology in the Palisade is far better than in the higher-priced 'luxury' Lexus. I'm looking at the 2026 Palisade Hybrid Calligraphy and comparing it to the Lexus TX 500h F-Sport. I've driven both. Once again, the Palisade wins from a technology perspective, and the ride of both vehicles is comparable. But, with a nearly $20k price difference, it's hard to choose the Lexus, ultimately get less of a vehicle and paying significantly more simply for the prestige badge. And those electronic doors on a Lexus have already been troublesome - I've had 2 toddlers locked in the vehicle for over an hour in frigid weather due to a malfunction. So I don't want to go through that with another Lexus. Surprisingly, the Hyundai post-sale service has even been better than the
As for the 26 vs the 23 Palisade Calligraphy, it seems that many of the minor complaints I've had about the 23 have been addressed in the 26: hybrid option (mpg & power), smoother ride, standard tow package, upgraded audio system, and integrated dashcam. The only things they missed were 1) adding the unlock/lock to the rear passenger door handles - for a family hauler, it's inconvenient to use the front door handles just to unlock the back door to get the kiddos in the vehicle 2) I also wish they would have had the auto high beam and lane keep assist remember the last setting, rather than having to reset it before each ride.
Since my 23 is still problem-free, I'm going to wait until the 27MY to see if any reliability or first-year model issues surface, such as the one you've described. I'm always cautious of first-year models for just that reason - historically, they are the most trouble-prone regardless of vehicle brand. Manufacturers typically iron out some bugs in the second and third model years. The Lexus TX is also due for a mid-model refresh in 27 with a potential additional powertrain option, so I'll revisit that as well.
As for those active vents at the bottom of the bumper, Toyota/Lexus has had those for years on their hybrids, and they have been trouble-free - It sounds like you may have some stripped gears in yours.
