ProblemsByVin Engines / All Families
21 engine families · 249,771 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
29,932 complaints 42 vehicle applications 1 critical recalls
GM 3.6L LFX/LLT V6
24,462 complaints 81 vehicle applications 5 critical recalls
Ford 3.5L EcoBoost (1st gen)
22,763 complaints 40 vehicle applications
Ford 5.4L Triton V8
20,776 complaints 60 vehicle applications 7 critical recalls
Toyota 2GR-FE V6
19,055 complaints 57 vehicle applications 1 critical recalls
Hyundai/Kia Theta II 2.0L Turbo
17,896 complaints 33 vehicle applications 1 critical recalls
Honda J35 V6 with VCM
15,109 complaints 48 vehicle applications 10 critical recalls
Ford 1.6L EcoBoost
14,268 complaints 18 vehicle applications
Honda 1.5L Turbo (L15B7) - Oil Dilution
11,786 complaints 17 vehicle applications
Chrysler 2.7L V6
10,818 complaints 26 vehicle applications
VW/Audi 2.0T (EA888)
10,647 complaints 81 vehicle applications 9 critical recalls
Ford 4.6L 2-valve Modular V8
9,435 complaints 50 vehicle applications 2 critical recalls
Mercedes M272 V6 / M273 V8
8,682 complaints 61 vehicle applications
GM 5.3L V8 with AFM
7,681 complaints 31 vehicle applications
GM 2.4L Ecotec (LAF/LEA/LUK)
7,589 complaints 22 vehicle applications
GM 1.4L Turbo (LUV/LUJ)
6,954 complaints 44 vehicle applications 1 critical recalls
Subaru EJ25 (head gasket era)
3,889 complaints 27 vehicle applications 6 critical recalls
Ford 4.0L SOHC V6 (Cologne)
3,579 complaints 22 vehicle applications 7 critical recalls
Subaru FB (oil-consumption era)
1,951 complaints 11 vehicle applications 7 critical recalls
BMW N20 / N26 4-cyl Turbo
1,391 complaints 26 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.