The Lemon Index
The 1.5 L inline-4 turbo in the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain, model years 2016–2025. Owners filed 4,471 complaints about cars with it (matched by VIN); 33% name the engine, #11 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most).
What YouTube owners say Tone 0-100, higher = more praise than trouble.
Average owner tone 46/100 across 10 model years, from 185 videos about this engine and its cars (#98 of 165 engines with a YouTube study).
Most-watched videos
- 2017 Chevy Malibu - Review and Road Test 908,636 views
- Avaliação Chevrolet Equinox 1.5 turbo 2021 - Não compre um TIGUAN antes de ver esse SUV! 557,887 views
- HOW TO FIX P1101 Chevy Malibu 376,120 views
- 2020 Chevrolet Malibu Review 327,002 views
- Chevrolet Malibu with "Start/Stop" (2016-2024) - New Battery Install 322,038 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.
- Chevrolet Malibu2016201720182019202020212022202320242025
- Chevrolet Equinox2018201920202021202220232024
- GMC Terrain2018201920202021202220232024
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Malibu | 2016–25 | 2,622 | 37% |
| Chevrolet Equinox | 2018–24 | 1,250 | 26% |
| GMC Terrain | 2018–24 | 599 | 33% |
“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 | 1,196 | 27% | 13% |
| Mention the turbo | 132 | 3.0% | under 0.1% |
| Say the engine knocked, seized or failed | 120 | 2.7% | 2.9% |
| Mention fire, flames or smoke | 93 | 2.1% | 3.2% |
| Mention a misfire | 38 | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Mention an oil leak | 27 | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Mention the timing chain | 27 | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| Mention coolant loss or overheating | 26 | 0.6% | 1.2% |
| Mention a spark plug | 20 | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Mention a lifter, rocker or ticking | 13 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
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 20,000 and 70,000 miles; the middle report was at 45,000 miles (1,733 complaints with a mileage).
Recalls that name this engine 1
19V642000 Sep 2019 Electrical System Malibu 2018
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.
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
GM has a bulletin to replace 02 sensor as customers bring in vehicles with complaints only. It covers 2023-2025 Chevy equinox. I have a 2022 equinox with only 15,000 miles and the sensor failed costing me $750. This should be covered under the same bulletin
2022 owner · NHTSA complaint 11775516
I got the engine light ON on dashboard! I need someone to check out for me, please. Thank you
2020 owner · NHTSA complaint 11774456
Vacuum pump failed causing brakes to fail then causing exhaust camshaft to break.
2020 owner · NHTSA complaint 11772496
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 GM 1.5 Turbo (LFV / LYX) reliable?
No one reports sales by engine, so there's no per-car score. Of the 4,471 complaints owners filed about cars with it, 33% name the engine, #11 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most).
What cars have the GM 1.5 Turbo (LFV / LYX)?
In our data: the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain, model years 2016–2025, matched by the VIN in each owner complaint.
What are the most common 1.5 Turbo problems?
In owner complaints to the government: engine, electrical, transmission & drivetrain.
How many recalls name the 1.5 Turbo?
1 NHTSA recall on these cars names 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: GM.