The Lemon Index
The 3.5 L V6, non-turbo in the Ford Explorer, Ford Edge, Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKX, Ford F-Series and Ford Fusion, model years 2007–2019. Owners filed 21,313 complaints about cars with it (matched by VIN); 12% name the engine, #30 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most).
Known issues, checked against owner complaints
Problems owners of cars with this engine name much more often than owners of the other 38 everyday engines we track (at least 1.5× the median, and 10+ complaints):
- The internal water pump. 559 of 21,313 owner complaints (2.6%) mention the water pump, against a median of 0.2% for the other 38 everyday engines we track.
Engineering design flaw. Water pump connected to the timing chain, knowing that it would cost thousands of dollars to fix.
2014 owner · NHTSA complaint 11772384 - Coolant loss and overheating. 519 of 21,313 owner complaints (2.4%) mention coolant loss or overheating, against a median of 1.2% for the other 38 everyday engines we track.
In October of 2025 the vehicle began to make engine noises. Within a day the vehicle stalled and shut down completely. I had my mechanic examine the car and they advise coolant had leaked into the engine cause damage. The engine had to be replaced. No warranty coverage and 4k later.
2019 owner · NHTSA complaint 11735238
What YouTube owners say Tone 0-100, higher = more praise than trouble.
Average owner tone 39/100 across 13 model years, from 131 videos about this engine and its cars (#153 of 165 engines with a YouTube study).
Most-watched videos
- How to change a water pump in Ford V6 3.5 & 3.7-liter engines 2012-19 Explorer, Taurus, Edge & more 1,178,882 views
- 2015 Ford Explorer Start Up and Review 3.5 L Twin Turbo V6 630,347 views
- Why does the Ford Taurus, Explorer, Edge 3.5L water pump cost over $1400? 503,130 views
- Taurus SHO Flex ECOBOOST 3.5 V6 BAD Engine Teardown! What Killed This Maintained Engine? 494,857 views
- FORD EDGE WATER PUMP REPLACEMENT 3.5 3.7 LINCOLN MKX WATER PUMP LOCATION REPLACEMENT 483,835 views
Counted from video titles and captions: praise words against trouble words, weighted by views. Videos only count when the title names this engine or a car that had only this engine in those years.
Cars with this engine Tap a year for that car's full report.
- Ford Edge200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018
- Ford Taurus200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
- Ford Flex20092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
- Ford Explorer201120122013201420152016201720182019
- Ford F-Series201520162017
- Ford Fusion201020112012
- Lincoln MKX200720082010
Model years from NHTSA VIN decoding of owner complaints. Only years we have a car page for.
Owner complaints by model year
Counts of complaints filed so far. Older cars have had longer to collect them, and popular cars draw more because more were sold: no one reports sales by engine, so there's no per-car rate. Compare the shares below instead.
By car
| Car | Model years matched | Complaints | Name the engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2011–19 | 9,381 | 14% |
| Ford Edge | 2007–18 | 7,819 | 9% |
| Ford Taurus | 2008–19 | 1,535 | 16% |
| Ford Flex | 2009–19 | 1,525 | 10% |
| Lincoln MKX | 2007–10 | 658 | 5% |
| Ford F-Series | 2015–17 | 222 | 9% |
| Ford Fusion | 2010–12 | 173 | 12% |
“Name the engine” = the share of that car's VIN-matched complaints that list the engine as a problem area.
What owners complain about
Share of this engine's complaints that name each area (one complaint can name several).
What owners write
| Complaints that | Count | Share | Median, other everyday engines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Say the engine stalled, shut off or lost power | 2,279 | 11% | 14% |
| Mention the water pump | 559 | 2.6% | 0.2% |
| Mention coolant loss or overheating | 519 | 2.4% | 1.2% |
| Say the engine knocked, seized or failed | 499 | 2.3% | 2.9% |
| Mention fire, flames or smoke | 362 | 1.7% | 3.2% |
| Mention the timing chain | 54 | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| Mention a spark plug | 44 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Mention an oil leak | 41 | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Mention a misfire | 32 | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Mention burning or losing oil | 15 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
Counted from the owner's own words in each complaint (all of the car, not only the engine). A share, not a failure rate.
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 36,500 and 100,000 miles; the middle report was at 65,000 miles (13,580 complaints with a mileage).
Recalls that name this engine 0
No NHTSA recall on these cars and years names this engine.
NHTSA recalls on these cars and model years whose text names this engine (its size or name). The rest (brakes, air bags, wiring ...) are on each car year's page.
In owners' words
Exhaust and Carbon Monoxide in the cab of the vehicle when going up hill or accelerating
2017 owner · NHTSA complaint 11777199
Vehicle exhibits identical dangerous low-speed steering binding and loss of electronic power assist as described in Recall 14S06, but my VIN is excluded due to an arbitrary build date cut-off. Build Date of 08/2012. Recall cut off of 02/2012
2013 owner · NHTSA complaint 11775966
Received recall notice 6/2025 regarding the A pillar covers and scheduled for repair. Ford representative came out and placed black adhesive tape on the A pillars and windows but did not replace the covers. It is now 11/2026 and no word on when pillar covers will be replaced.
2017 owner · NHTSA complaint 11775705
Against the other everyday engines
| Engine | Years | Complaints | Name the engine | Stalled or lost power | Burning oil | Recalls naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 EcoBoost | 2014–25 | 5,622 | 66% | 15% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 6.2 V8 (Gen V) | 2014–25 | 7,219 | 65% | 24% | 2.2% | 2 |
| 2.4 Theta II | 2010–22 | 21,551 | 51% | 20% | 8.1% | 8 |
| 2.4 Ecotec | 2010–17 | 6,096 | 51% | 21% | 18% | 0 |
| 3.0 EcoDiesel | 2014–23 | 2,871 | 50% | 24% | 0.2% | 7 |
| 3.3 Lambda II | 2013–21 | 3,254 | 50% | 17% | 5.9% | 2 |
| 2.0 EcoBoost | 2012–25 | 9,735 | 48% | 12% | 0.1% | 0 |
| 2.0T Theta II | 2011–22 | 3,325 | 44% | 18% | 4.8% | 2 |
| 1.4 Turbo | 2011–22 | 3,926 | 39% | 17% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 2.4 Tigershark | 2014–22 | 9,631 | 35% | 34% | 4.5% | 5 |
| 1.5 Turbo | 2016–25 | 4,471 | 33% | 27% | 0.3% | 1 |
| EA888 2.0T | 2009–25 | 7,443 | 29% | 16% | 3.7% | 5 |
| A25A | 2018–25 | 2,979 | 26% | 12% | under 0.1% | 1 |
| 1.5 Turbo | 2017–22 | 6,390 | 26% | 14% | 0.2% | 0 |
| J35 V6 | 2003–25 | 24,038 | 24% | 14% | 0.9% | 4 |
| Skyactiv-G 2.5 | 2014–25 | 2,631 | 22% | 11% | 2.7% | 1 |
| 2.7 Turbo | 2019–25 | 1,090 | 22% | 12% | 0.5% | 0 |
| 2AZ-FE | 2001–09 | 7,176 | 22% | 3.7% | 8.6% | 0 |
| 5.4 Triton | 2005–14 | 3,952 | 21% | 15% | 0.1% | 3 |
| 5.7 HEMI | 2003–24 | 23,895 | 19% | 23% | 0.1% | 6 |
| QR25DE | 2002–20 | 16,161 | 19% | 14% | 1.5% | 4 |
| 5.3 V8 (Gen V) | 2014–25 | 13,191 | 18% | 13% | 0.5% | 3 |
| 3.6 Pentastar | 2011–25 | 34,634 | 18% | 16% | 0.4% | 9 |
| 2.3 EcoBoost | 2015–25 | 3,975 | 16% | 9.9% | 0.1% | 12 |
| 3.8 Lambda II | 2020–25 | 4,423 | 16% | 8.0% | 5.6% | 0 |
| FB20 | 2012–25 | 2,336 | 15% | 8.2% | 1.7% | 0 |
| 3.6 V6 | 2009–23 | 14,214 | 14% | 14% | 0.1% | 1 |
| K24 | 2002–19 | 15,062 | 14% | 5.1% | 1.6% | 0 |
| 2GR-FKS | 2016–24 | 3,758 | 12% | 11% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 3.5 Cyclone V6 | 2007–19 | 21,313 | 12% | 11% | 0.1% | 0 |
| VQ35 V6 | 2002–25 | 12,613 | 12% | 11% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 3UR-FE | 2007–21 | 1,377 | 12% | 8.8% | 0.4% | 0 |
| FB25 | 2011–25 | 9,853 | 11% | 6.2% | 1.5% | 0 |
| 2AR-FE | 2009–18 | 4,673 | 11% | 6.6% | 1.3% | 1 |
| 2GR-FE | 2005–18 | 8,680 | 10% | 3.5% | 0.3% | 0 |
| 3.8 V6 | 2007–11 | 7,877 | 9% | 17% | 0.5% | 0 |
| 5.3 V8 (Gen IV) | 2007–14 | 9,241 | 8% | 4.5% | 1.3% | 0 |
| 1GR-FE | 2003–24 | 5,757 | 7% | 4.0% | under 0.1% | 0 |
| 4.8 V8 | 2007–13 | 726 | 6% | 4.8% | 0.1% | 0 |
Shares of each engine's own complaints, matched by VIN. They show what owners complain about, not how often engines break.
Quick answers
Is the Ford 3.5 Duratec / Cyclone V6 reliable?
No one reports sales by engine, so there's no per-car score. Of the 21,313 complaints owners filed about cars with it, 12% name the engine, #30 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most). 559 (2.6%) mention the water pump, against 0.2% for the other engines. 519 (2.4%) mention coolant loss or overheating, against 1.2% for the other engines.
What cars have the Ford 3.5 Duratec / Cyclone V6?
In our data: the Ford Explorer, Ford Edge, Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKX, Ford F-Series and Ford Fusion, model years 2007–2019, matched by the VIN in each owner complaint.
What are the most common 3.5 Cyclone V6 problems?
In owner complaints to the government: steering, body structure, electrical.
How many recalls name the 3.5 Cyclone V6?
0 NHTSA recalls on these cars name it.
Complaints: NHTSA owner complaints filed under each car's own NHTSA names (the same ones its car pages count), all years filed, one per complaint number. Engine: decoded from the complaint's VIN with NHTSA's vPIC decoder (displacement, cylinders, engine model, turbo, hybrid) and the engine maker's model years; a VIN that doesn't decode to exactly one engine is left out. Older cars have had more years to collect complaints, and popular cars draw more because more were sold. Source: NHTSA owner complaints (FLAT_CMPL + COMPLAINTS_RECEIVED_2025-2026), received through 20261111; engines: NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder (batch); NHTSA recalls API. Engine names and model years: Ford.