The Lemon Index
The 3.5 L V6, direct + port injection in the Toyota Highlander, Toyota Tacoma, Lexus RX, Toyota Sienna, Toyota Camry, Lexus ES and Toyota Avalon, model years 2016–2024. Owners filed 3,758 complaints about cars with it (matched by VIN); 12% name the engine, #29 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: water pump leaks (7 of 3,758, 0.2%, peers 0.2%); oil leaks (32 of 3,758, 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 47/100 across 8 model years, from 111 videos about this engine and its cars (#96 of 165 engines with a YouTube study).
Most-watched videos
- What We Learned After Testing a Hybrid Toyota Sienna Over 40,000 Miles | Car and Driver 728,831 views
- Honda Odyssey vs. Toyota Sienna vs. Kia Carnival Hybrid: Which Minivan Is Best? 670,244 views
- 2018 Toyota Sienna - Review and Road Test 581,504 views
- Never Buy a Used Sienna Without Checking THIS First! 543,841 views
- 2021 Camry XSE V6 vs Camry TRD 326,697 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.
- Toyota Tacoma20162017201820192020202120222023
- Lexus RX2016201720182019202020212022
- Toyota Camry2018201920202021202220232024
- Toyota Highlander201720182019202020212022
- Lexus ES20192020202120222023
- Toyota Sienna2017201820192020
- Toyota Avalon201920212022
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Highlander | 2017–22 | 1,758 | 11% |
| Toyota Tacoma | 2016–23 | 1,110 | 15% |
| Lexus RX | 2016–22 | 342 | 14% |
| Toyota Sienna | 2017–20 | 303 | 9% |
| Toyota Camry | 2018–24 | 106 | 8% |
| Lexus ES | 2019–24 | 76 | 9% |
| Toyota Avalon | 2019–22 | 63 | 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 | 414 | 11% | 14% |
| Mention fire, flames or smoke | 85 | 2.3% | 3.2% |
| Say the engine knocked, seized or failed | 57 | 1.5% | 2.9% |
| Mention coolant loss or overheating | 43 | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Mention an oil leak | 32 | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Mention a misfire | 28 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Mention a spark plug | 16 | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Mention a lifter, rocker or ticking | 15 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Mention the timing chain | 12 | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| Mention the water pump | 7 | 0.2% | 0.2% |
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 4,000 and 37,202 miles; the middle report was at 14,571 miles (1,270 complaints with a mileage).
Recalls that name this engine 2
20V162000 Mar 2020 Fuel System, Gasoline Highlander 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.
Fix. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA06.
18V108000 Feb 2018 Fuel System, Gasoline Camry 2018
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Camry vehicles equipped with V6 engines. These vehicles have fuel delivery pipes that may not be properly connected to the fuel hoses in the engine compartment.
Fix. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel pipes for the correct installation, correcting them as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 30, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0G.
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
At 92K miles, my transmission needs to be replaced. A $10,000 repair that per the mechanic, should not have to be done so soon on a 2021 Toyota Highlander. This is a well known issue with the transmissions on these cars. That's an expensive repair for just a 5 year old car.
2021 owner · NHTSA complaint 11777365
Transmission manufacturing defect causing failure. Whining noise & CEL with P27137F code.
2018 owner · NHTSA complaint 11777052
There is a 'clunk' in the rear when I hit a bump just right. AI says it could be a rear trailing arm bushing. Why is this not a safety issue ?
2021 owner · NHTSA complaint 11776556
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 Toyota 2GR-FKS 3.5 V6 reliable?
No one reports sales by engine, so there's no per-car score. Of the 3,758 complaints owners filed about cars with it, 12% name the engine, #29 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most).
What cars have the Toyota 2GR-FKS 3.5 V6?
In our data: the Toyota Highlander, Toyota Tacoma, Lexus RX, Toyota Sienna, Toyota Camry, Lexus ES and Toyota Avalon, model years 2016–2024, matched by the VIN in each owner complaint.
What are the most common 2GR-FKS problems?
In owner complaints to the government: transmission & drivetrain, fuel system, engine.
How many recalls name the 2GR-FKS?
2 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: Toyota.