The Lemon Index
Toyota's 3.5 L 60° V6 in the Camry, RAV4, Highlander, Lexus RX, Sienna, Lexus ES and Avalon, model years 2005–2018 (from the automaker's repair notes to dealers, via NHTSA and NHTSA VIN decoding of owner complaints), and in the Lotus Evora / Emira, 2010–2025.
Liked, but check the recalls: YouTube owner tone 53/100, #53 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the top third); 3 engine-related recalls on record.
In everyday cars, matched by VIN
Owners filed 8,680 complaints about the Toyota Sienna, Lexus ES, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Highlander, Toyota RAV4, Lexus RX and Toyota Camry with the 2GR-FE (model years 2005–2018, engine read from each complaint's VIN). 10% name the engine, #35 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 VVT-i oil line and other oil leaks. 127 of 8,680 owner complaints (1.5%) mention an oil leak, against a median of 0.5% for the other 38 everyday engines we track.
The 2GR-FE engine on my Sienna has experienced a front timing cover leak. It's slowly leaking oil out of my vehicle and I'm afraid it will get worst over time. My vehicle has less than 100K miles and if the leak persists, I down want my vehicle breaking down and leaving me stranded.
2013 owner · NHTSA complaint 11509227
Also often talked about, but not standing out in complaints to NHTSA: water pump leaks (41 of 8,680, 0.5%, peers 0.2%). That doesn't mean it never happens, only that owners rarely file it with the government.
| Car | Model years matched | Complaints | Name the engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Sienna | 2007–13 | 1,874 | 8% |
| Lexus ES | 2007–18 | 1,607 | 3% |
| Toyota Avalon | 2005–18 | 1,439 | 10% |
| Toyota Highlander | 2008–16 | 1,312 | 12% |
| Toyota RAV4 | 2006–12 | 889 | 11% |
| Lexus RX | 2007–15 | 795 | 22% |
| Toyota Camry | 2007–17 | 764 | 9% |
Owner complaints by model year
What owners complain about
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 |
Counts and shares, not failure rates: no one reports sales by engine. 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).
Everyday cars with this engine Tap a year for that car's full report.
- Toyota Avalon 2GR-FE20052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018
- Lexus ES 2GR-FE200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018
- Toyota Camry 2GR-FE2007200820092010201220132014201520162017
- Lexus RX 2GR-FE200720082009201020112012201320142015
- Toyota Highlander 2GR-FE200820092010201120122013201420152016
- Toyota RAV4 2GR-FE2006200720082009201020112012
- Toyota Sienna 2GR-FE2007200820092010201120122013
Model years from the automaker's repair notes to dealers (NHTSA) and NHTSA VIN decoding of owner complaints. Only years we have a car page for.
Reliability by year
Not enough complaints to chart. Owners filed 17 complaints with the government that we can tie to this engine's cars, 2010–2025, about any part of the car. Supercars sell in small numbers, so we show YouTube, recalls and the automaker's repair notes instead.
YouTube videos are most positive about the 2020 (57) and least about the 2011 (46); neighboring years share many of the same videos, so small gaps mean little.
How we count: owner complaints only where the car's name and year leave no doubt; YouTube tone from videos that name this engine or its cars. How we count
Owner complaints (NHTSA) are filed by model and year, not engine. We count one for this engine only when the model name and year had no other engine (e.g. "488 GTB", "GT-R"), or when the owner's own words name a version that had only this engine that year (Z06, ZR1, Hellcat, GT500 ...). They cover the whole car (wheels, air bags, electrics ...), not only the engine, and none of them is a failure rate. We chart them only for engines with 30 or more, over 3 or more years. YouTube tone = how positive the videos are, 0–100, from titles and transcripts (praise vs trouble words, the title counts 3 times), weighted by views; a year needs at least 3 videos' worth. A video counts for this engine when its title names the engine or a car that only had this engine in the years it names; a video whose title names no model year counts toward every year of that car, so neighboring years share most of their videos.
All the numbers, year by year
| Year | Cars | Owner complaints | YouTube says | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 2 | 56 (81 videos) | 0 |
| 2011 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 2 | 46 (78 videos) | 3 |
| 2012 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 2 | 52 (73 videos) | 0 |
| 2013 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 3 | 50 (74 videos) | 1 |
| 2014 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 3 | 48 (75 videos) | 0 |
| 2017 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 3 | 55 (75 videos) | 1 |
| 2018 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 1 | 55 (75 videos) | 2 |
| 2020 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 0 | 57 (78 videos) | 0 |
| 2021 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 0 | 53 (77 videos) | 0 |
| 2024 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 1 | 53 (95 videos) | 0 |
| 2025 | Lotus Evora / Emira | 0 | 53 (93 videos) | 0 |
Recalls on cars with this engine 6
3 of them are about the engine, fuel, cooling or powertrain. They come first.
14V280000 Engine And Engine Cooling · Lotus Evora / Emira 2011
The oil cooler hose may detach from its fitting.
13V314000 Engine And Engine Cooling · Lotus Evora / Emira 2011
The engine oil cooler hose may chafe and rupture resulting in oil loss.
12V477000 Engine And Engine Cooling · Lotus Evora / Emira 2011
This engine mounted oil feed pipe, used to supply oil to the engine cylinder head, can rupture.
19V263000 Structure · Lotus Evora / Emira 2017–18
The toe board in the passenger footwell lacks stiffness, allowing the knee of an unbelted occupant to contact the rigid structure of the vehicle, in the event of a crash.
18V781000 Steering · Lotus Evora / Emira 2018
Due to an assembly error, in the event of a frontal collision, the steering column may not properly collapse to absorb some of the impact energy.
Show all 6
13V216000 Equipment · Lotus Evora / Emira 2013
These vehicles have been granted a temporary exemption from the requirement to conform to the latest passenger side advanced air bag requirements covered by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety.
NHTSA recalls by model and year. A recall counts here when every confirmed version of that model-year had this engine, or the recall names it. Check a car's VIN for its own open recalls.
Engine problems Toyota told dealers about
Toyota sent dealers 17 repair notes about the engine on these cars, including:
- Diagnosing medium temperature engine coolant thermostat operation to prevent unnecessary thermostat replacement
- Fitment of tail lamp link lead harnesses to prevent rear tail lamp failure
- Odometer mileage adjustment implications of module substitutions on Emira vehicles
NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins), matched by model name and year like the complaints, engine-related ones only. A repair note is not a recall: ask a seller whether it was done.
Every US version with this engine
| Car and versions | Years |
|---|---|
| Lotus Evora / Emira Emira, Evora, Evora GT | 2010–25 |
Engine code: 2GR-FE. Toyota engine, Lotus engine management. Power: 276–416 hp, factory figures. Versions and years: EPA (fueleconomy.gov). Sources: Toyota GR engine · Lotus Evora · Lotus Emira.
Quick answers
What cars have the Toyota 2GR-FE engine?
In the US: the Lotus Evora / Emira, model years 2010–2025. See the version table for each one.
Is the Toyota 2GR-FE reliable?
Mostly, if the recalls were done. YouTube owner tone 53/100, #53 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the top third); 3 engine-related recalls on record. Not enough owner complaints to judge it per car: supercars sell in small numbers. Its cars had 6 recalls (3 about the engine, fuel or powertrain). Have any used car inspected.
How much horsepower does the Toyota 2GR-FE make?
276–416 hp in factory figures, depending on the car.