The Lemon Index
The 3.8 L V6, pushrod in the Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, model years 2007–2011. Owners filed 7,877 complaints about cars with it (matched by VIN); 9% name the engine, #36 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most).
Known issues, checked against owner complaints
None of the issues people usually talk about stands out in this engine's complaints to NHTSA.
Also often talked about, but not standing out in complaints to NHTSA: oil consumption (37 of 7,877, 0.5%, 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 39/100 across 5 model years, from 123 videos about this engine and its cars (#150 of 165 engines with a YouTube study).
Most-watched videos
- Watch This Before Buying A USED Jeep Wrangler JK 2007 - 2018 1,316,496 views
- Top 5 Problems Jeep Wrangler JK SUV 3rd Generation 2007-2018 1,265,988 views
- 2007-2017 Jeep Wrangler JK Comprehensive Buyer's Guide 685,125 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.
- Jeep Wrangler20072008200920102011
- Chrysler Town & Country2007200820092010
- Dodge Grand Caravan2007200820092010
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeep Wrangler | 2007–11 | 4,327 | 8% |
| Chrysler Town & Country | 2007–10 | 2,141 | 11% |
| Dodge Grand Caravan | 2007–10 | 1,409 | 11% |
“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 | 1,352 | 17% | 13% |
| Mention fire, flames or smoke | 418 | 5.3% | 3.2% |
| Mention coolant loss or overheating | 87 | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Say the engine knocked, seized or failed | 86 | 1.1% | 2.9% |
| Mention burning or losing oil | 37 | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Mention a lifter, rocker or ticking | 15 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Mention an oil leak | 14 | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Mention a spark plug | 8 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Mention a misfire | 5 | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Mention the oil filter housing or oil cooler | 5 | 0.1% | under 0.1% |
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 30,000 and 87,590 miles; the middle report was at 55,417 miles (5,943 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
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2007 Jeep Wrangler. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 143,000; however, Carfax reported the mileage as 168,000 in 2022.
2007 owner · NHTSA complaint 11764692
Crinkling noise when turning the wheel either way, horn randomly honks, red air bag on, bas esp light on
2009 owner · NHTSA complaint 11759979
horn honks on its own, crinkling while turning wheel, airbag light on dash, esp, bas lights on dash
2009 owner · NHTSA complaint 11759902
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 Chrysler 3.8 V6 (EGH) reliable?
No one reports sales by engine, so there's no per-car score. Of the 7,877 complaints owners filed about cars with it, 9% name the engine, #36 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most).
What cars have the Chrysler 3.8 V6 (EGH)?
In our data: the Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, model years 2007–2011, matched by the VIN in each owner complaint.
What are the most common 3.8 V6 problems?
In owner complaints to the government: electrical, airbags, fuel system.
How many recalls name the 3.8 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: Chrysler.