Its not uncommon for ANY car maker to change parts while a model is in production. That's why, when you go into the parts store, and they ask for your VIN number, they are trying to narrow down when your car was made. Additionally, at the time of model turn-around, its not unusual to find parts from two different model years incorporated into the same vehicle. For example, I have a 1998 Explorer, and it was made during the week Ford was going through the 1997-1998 changeover. Some features of my Explorer are still 1997 model year, but it has some 1998 year upgrades too. The dealer told me that these "hybrid" vehicles are usually reserved for "executives" or lease vehicles, since they're definitely not 100% correct for the current model year.
