The Lemon Index
The 3.5 L V6 in the Nissan Murano, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Altima and Nissan Quest, model years 2002–2025. Owners filed 12,613 complaints about cars with it (matched by VIN); 12% name the engine, #31 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 timing chain. 138 of 12,613 owner complaints (1.1%) mention the timing chain, against a median of 0.1% for the other 38 everyday engines we track.
Timing chain failure at 88,000 miles on well maintained vehicle. Could cause catastrophic engine failure. No leading indicator.
2017 owner · NHTSA complaint 11689046
Also often talked about, but not standing out in complaints to NHTSA: oil consumption (28 of 12,613, 0.2%, 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 43/100 across 21 model years, from 162 videos about this engine and its cars (#124 of 165 engines with a YouTube study).
Most-watched videos
- 2019 Nissan Maxima SR – The 4-Door Sports Car? 1,664,696 views
- Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet: A Review 1,356,947 views
- I DIY Fixed My $500 Pathfinder & Eliminated A MAJOR Nissan Factory Defect! BEST DEAL EVER! 1,214,838 views
- Replace Nissan 3.5L V6 Camshaft Position Sensor - TCS / SLIP Light - P0345 Code | 2004 Nissan Quest 830,278 views
- 2013 Nissan Altima vs Maxima 0-60 MPH Mashup Review 783,634 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.
- Nissan Murano20032004200520062007200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120232024
- Nissan Maxima20042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201620172018201920202022
- Nissan Altima2002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017
- Nissan Pathfinder20132014201520162017201820192020202220242025
- Nissan Quest20052006200720082009201120122013201420152016
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan Murano | 2003–24 | 4,843 | 9% |
| Nissan Maxima | 2004–22 | 3,432 | 10% |
| Nissan Pathfinder | 2013–25 | 2,329 | 18% |
| Nissan Altima | 2002–17 | 1,095 | 16% |
| Nissan Quest | 2004–17 | 914 | 16% |
“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 | 1,340 | 11% | 14% |
| Mention fire, flames or smoke | 267 | 2.1% | 3.2% |
| Say the engine knocked, seized or failed | 180 | 1.4% | 2.9% |
| Mention the timing chain | 138 | 1.1% | 0.1% |
| Mention coolant loss or overheating | 134 | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Mention a lifter, rocker or ticking | 48 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Mention burning or losing oil | 28 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Mention an oil leak | 28 | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Mention a misfire | 25 | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Mention a spark plug | 16 | 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 37,000 and 99,000 miles; the middle report was at 68,924 miles (9,612 complaints with a mileage).
Recalls that name this engine 1
15V486000 Aug 2015 Fuel System, Gasoline Altima 2013, 2014, 2015; Maxima 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to t
Fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
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
Concern is the ability to hear the gas gushing in the gas tank--fear explosion if hit from the side or rear--told there was no protection placed between the gas tank and car sides
2002 owner · NHTSA complaint 9007133
After putting vehicle in drive and applying gas vehicle doesn't go anywhere, it doesn't even rev up.contacted dealer. cannot find cause of problem.
2002 owner · NHTSA complaint 8015646
Car shifted in park and keys removed. car failed to start until reinserted transmission into park. dt
2002 owner · NHTSA complaint 768788
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 Nissan VQ35 3.5 V6 reliable?
No one reports sales by engine, so there's no per-car score. Of the 12,613 complaints owners filed about cars with it, 12% name the engine, #31 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most). 138 (1.1%) mention the timing chain, against 0.1% for the other engines.
What cars have the Nissan VQ35 3.5 V6?
In our data: the Nissan Murano, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Altima and Nissan Quest, model years 2002–2025, matched by the VIN in each owner complaint.
What are the most common VQ35 V6 problems?
In owner complaints to the government: transmission & drivetrain, engine, electrical.
How many recalls name the VQ35 V6?
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: Nissan.