ProblemsByVin Engines / All Families
21 engine families · 250,889 owner complaints
Engine families with documented problems
Engine families with widespread defect patterns — class actions, NHTSA investigations, manufacturer bulletins, or thousands of owner complaints across the affected fleet. Click into any family for the full reliability picture across every model that uses it.
See the unified reference: known engine & transmission defects, ranked — or the mileage these failures tend to hit.
Hyundai/Kia Theta II 2.4L
30,102 complaints 42 vehicle applications 1 critical recalls
GM 3.6L LFX/LLT V6
24,513 complaints 81 vehicle applications 5 critical recalls
Ford 3.5L EcoBoost (1st gen)
22,844 complaints 40 vehicle applications
Ford 5.4L Triton V8
20,787 complaints 60 vehicle applications 7 critical recalls
Toyota 2GR-FE V6
19,081 complaints 57 vehicle applications 1 critical recalls
Hyundai/Kia Theta II 2.0L Turbo
18,051 complaints 36 vehicle applications 1 critical recalls
Honda J35 V6 with VCM
15,211 complaints 48 vehicle applications 10 critical recalls
Ford 1.6L EcoBoost
14,424 complaints 18 vehicle applications
Honda 1.5L Turbo (L15B7) - Oil Dilution
12,045 complaints 17 vehicle applications
Chrysler 2.7L V6
10,820 complaints 26 vehicle applications
VW/Audi 2.0T (EA888)
10,669 complaints 82 vehicle applications 9 critical recalls
Ford 4.6L 2-valve Modular V8
9,441 complaints 51 vehicle applications 2 critical recalls
Mercedes M272 V6 / M273 V8
8,690 complaints 61 vehicle applications
GM 5.3L V8 with AFM
7,690 complaints 36 vehicle applications
GM 2.4L Ecotec (LAF/LEA/LUK)
7,600 complaints 22 vehicle applications
GM 1.4L Turbo (LUV/LUJ)
6,984 complaints 46 vehicle applications 1 critical recalls
Subaru EJ25 (head gasket era)
3,893 complaints 27 vehicle applications 6 critical recalls
Ford 4.0L SOHC V6 (Cologne)
3,583 complaints 23 vehicle applications 7 critical recalls
Subaru FB (oil-consumption era)
1,953 complaints 11 vehicle applications 7 critical recalls
BMW N20 / N26 4-cyl Turbo
1,400 complaints 35 vehicle applications 5 critical recalls
Ford 6.0L Powerstroke Diesel
1,108 complaints 25 vehicle applications
Engine family selections are curated by ProblemsByVin editorial based on documented widespread defect patterns. Complaint and recall data sourced from NHTSA public records.