The Lemon Index
The 3.5 L V6, VTEC in the Honda Pilot, Honda Odyssey, Honda Ridgeline, Honda Accord, Acura MDX, Acura RDX, Honda Passport, Acura TLX and Acura TL, model years 2003–2025. Owners filed 24,038 complaints about cars with it (matched by VIN); 24% name the engine, #15 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):
- Misfires. 398 of 24,038 owner complaints (1.7%) mention a misfire, against a median of 0.6% for the other 38 everyday engines we track.
Multiple cylinder misfires P0306. There is a active TSB for My year and model and Honda denied my vin
2019 owner · NHTSA complaint 11766502
Also often talked about, but not standing out in complaints to NHTSA: cylinder deactivation (VCM) (136 of 24,038, 0.6%, peers under 0.1%); oil consumption (210 of 24,038, 0.9%, peers 0.5%). That doesn't mean it never happens, only that owners rarely file it with the government.
What YouTube owners say Tone 0-100, higher = more praise than trouble.
Average owner tone 41/100 across 21 model years, from 160 videos about this engine and its cars (#141 of 165 engines with a YouTube study).
Most-watched videos
- Are Honda Ridgelines actually garbage? 9,256,816 views
- Honda Ridgeline owners vs. REAL Truck owners. 3,908,902 views
- Honda Ridgeline Poor Running - Misfire Low Cylinder Contribution 1,172,855 views
- Honda 3.5L V6 Timing Belt & Water Pump Replacement- Pilot, Ridgeline, Odyssey. 757,707 views
- Honda Odyssey VSA and Check Engine Light (and vibrations) 724,636 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.
- Honda Pilot20032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
- Honda Odyssey200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
- Honda Ridgeline20062007200820092010201120132014201720182019202020212022202320242025
- Honda Accord2008200920102011201220132014201520162017
- Acura MDX2014201520162017201820192020
- Honda Passport2019202020212022202320242025
- Acura RDX201320142015201620172018
- Acura TLX201520162017201820192020
- Acura TL20092010201220132014
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Pilot | 2003–25 | 8,681 | 29% |
| Honda Odyssey | 2005–25 | 7,544 | 21% |
| Honda Ridgeline | 2006–25 | 2,089 | 18% |
| Honda Accord | 2008–17 | 1,795 | 18% |
| Acura MDX | 2014–20 | 1,415 | 38% |
| Acura RDX | 2013–18 | 996 | 4% |
| Honda Passport | 2019–25 | 717 | 20% |
| Acura TLX | 2015–20 | 559 | 45% |
| Acura TL | 2009–14 | 242 | 9% |
“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 | 3,362 | 14% | 13% |
| Say the engine knocked, seized or failed | 1,408 | 5.9% | 2.7% |
| Mention fire, flames or smoke | 630 | 2.6% | 3.2% |
| Mention a misfire | 398 | 1.7% | 0.6% |
| Mention a spark plug | 345 | 1.4% | 0.5% |
| Mention coolant loss or overheating | 221 | 0.9% | 1.2% |
| Mention burning or losing oil | 210 | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Mention cylinder deactivation (AFM / DFM / VCM / MDS) | 136 | 0.6% | under 0.1% |
| Mention a lifter, rocker or ticking | 116 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Mention an oil leak | 105 | 0.4% | 0.6% |
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 18,000 and 95,114 miles; the middle report was at 50,000 miles (10,472 complaints with a mileage).
Recalls that name this engine 4
19V060000 Jan 2019 Fuel System, Other Accord 2015, 2016, 2017; MDX 2016, 2017, 2018; TLX 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Acura MDX, 2015-2019 Acura TLX and 2015-2017 Honda Accord vehicles, equipped with a 3.5L V6 engine. Particulates in fuel may adhere to the internal components of the fuel pump, reducing its performance.
Fix. Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the fuel injection engine control unit (FI-ECU) software and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019. Owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's recall number for this recall is P3W. Honda's recall number for this recall is N3X.
14V779000 Dec 2014 Power Train TLX 2015
American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura TLX V6 2WD vehicles manufactured July 14, 2014, to November 12, 2014, and certain 2015 TLX V6 SH-AWD vehicles manufactured August 26, 2014, to November 10, 2014. The automatic transmission parking pawl may become contaminated or the park rod may become dislodged or broken. This may prevent the transmission from shifting into the Park position.
Fix. Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the transmission if necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 30, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-310-783-2000. Honda's number for this recall is JM8.
10V640000 Dec 2010 Suspension Pilot 2011; Accord 2010, 2011
Honda is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 honda accord v6 and model year 2011 honda pilot vehicles. The bolts that attach the lower left and right front damper bracket to the front suspension and the spindle nuts on the pilot may not have been properly tightened which may result in loss of steering. The spindle nuts for the axle on the accord v6 may not have been tightened properly which may result in excessive noise and/or loss of steering.
Fix. Dealer will inspect and replace any loose front damper bracket bolts or spindle nuts on the pilot if necessary. Dealer will inspect and replace the spindle nuts on the accord v6 if necessary. The safety recall began december 23, 2010. Owners may contact honda at 1-800-999-1009.
02V226000 Aug 2002 Engine And Engine Cooling Pilot 2003
On certain minivans, sedans, coupes, and sport utility vehicles equipped with v6 engines, a timing belt tensioner pulley on the water pump is misaligned and could cause the timing belt to contact a bolt on the cylinder head. Eventually the belt could be damaged and fail.
Fix. Dealers will inspect the water pump and if it is one of the defective pumps, the water pump and timing belt will be replaced. Owner notification began august 30, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238.
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
While consumer was merging from one lane to another. driver turned steering wheel and it locked up. consumer had vehicle towed to dealership. dealership indicated that the power steering pulley assembly had broken completely off of the vehicle. ts
2003 owner · NHTSA complaint 8022925
Consumer states, the head light component provide poor light obstructing the driver's view. dealer has inspected. please provide further information. mr
2003 owner · NHTSA complaint 8022304
While driving at highway speed of 65 mph a window was opened to allow air into the vehicle. the force of the air entering the vehicle caused injures to all the occupants ears. dealer and the manufacturer has been notified. feel free to provide any further information.
2003 owner · NHTSA complaint 8019709
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 Honda J35 3.5 V6 reliable?
No one reports sales by engine, so there's no per-car score. Of the 24,038 complaints owners filed about cars with it, 24% name the engine, #15 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most). 398 (1.7%) mention a misfire, against 0.6% for the other engines.
What cars have the Honda J35 3.5 V6?
In our data: the Honda Pilot, Honda Odyssey, Honda Ridgeline, Honda Accord, Acura MDX, Acura RDX, Honda Passport, Acura TLX and Acura TL, model years 2003–2025, matched by the VIN in each owner complaint.
What are the most common J35 V6 problems?
In owner complaints to the government: engine, electrical, transmission & drivetrain.
How many recalls name the J35 V6?
4 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: Honda.