The Lemon Index$8,000 middle bill · most between $5,900 and $10,000
2,070 owner reports on 168 models
Ford Escape, Ford Edge, Kia Sorento
Owners reported paying a median of $8,000 for a engine replacement, with the middle half of bills between $5,900 and $10,000. That's 2,070 owner reports on 168 models (2,058 complaints to NHTSA and 12 YouTube videos). Costs vary by shop and region.
What owners paid
- Under $5000%
- $500–$1,0000%
- $1,000–$2,5004%
- $2,500–$5,00013%
- $5,000 and up84%
Share of the 2,070 owner reports in each price band.
Cars where it comes up most
Owner reports per model. Raw counts, not a failure rate: popular models get more reports.
Every model, what owners paid
| Model | Reports | Middle bill | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Escape | 248 | $9,000 | $8,000–$10,400 |
| Ford Edge | 186 | $8,000 | $7,000–$9,000 |
| Kia Sorento | 98 | $7,500 | $6,000–$10,000 |
| Ford Fusion | 88 | $8,500 | $7,400–$10,000 |
| Hyundai Sonata | 56 | $6,000 | $4,500–$8,100 |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | 52 | $8,800 | $7,400–$10,200 |
| Kia Optima | 48 | $6,400 | $5,400–$8,500 |
| Kia Soul | 45 | $7,000 | $6,000–$8,000 |
| Chevrolet Equinox | 44 | $7,600 | $5,200–$9,000 |
| Honda Pilot | 41 | $8,900 | $7,500–$10,700 |
| Ford F-Series | 40 | $6,500 | $5,000–$10,000 |
| Kia Sportage | 40 | $7,000 | $6,000–$8,600 |
| Dodge Durango | 33 | $6,000 | $4,200–$7,000 |
| GMC Sierra | 33 | $10,900 | $8,600–$13,000 |
| Hyundai Tucson | 33 | $8,000 | $5,600–$10,000 |
| Nissan Altima | 32 | $4,900 | $3,900–$5,100 |
| Ford EcoSport | 31 | $7,300 | $6,100–$8,200 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 30 | $7,000 | $6,000–$8,000 |
| Toyota Camry | 29 | $4,600 | $3,800–$6,200 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 27 | $7,000 | $5,000–$8,800 |
| Chevrolet Silverado | 25 | $10,100 | $7,000–$11,000 |
| Lincoln MKC | 24 | $9,200 | $8,100–$11,000 |
| Ford Explorer | 22 | $7,000 | $5,100–$11,000 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 21 | $6,000 | $4,000–$7,000 |
| Kia Forte | 20 | $6,000 | $4,100–$9,000 |
| Toyota Highlander | 19 | $6,300 | $4,800–$6,900 |
| Chrysler Concorde | 18 | $6,400 | $5,600–$7,300 |
| Chrysler Pacifica | 18 | $4,500 | $3,000–$10,200 |
| Ram pickup | 18 | $7,300 | $6,000–$11,500 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | 17 | $8,500 | $6,000–$10,000 |
| Honda Civic | 16 | $5,000 | $3,300–$6,700 |
| Kia Sedona | 16 | $9,900 | $8,500–$10,800 |
| Chrysler 300 | 15 | $7,000 | $5,500–$8,000 |
| Chevrolet Suburban | 14 | $12,000 | $6,900–$13,800 |
| Ford Mustang | 14 | $9,200 | $8,000–$11,800 |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 14 | $7,000 | $6,500–$8,000 |
| Ford Focus | 13 | $5,000 | $4,000–$7,700 |
| GMC Terrain | 13 | $6,700 | $5,000–$7,400 |
| Honda Odyssey | 13 | $8,800 | $6,000–$9,000 |
| Mini Cooper | 13 | $6,300 | $5,200–$6,600 |
| Jeep Wrangler | 12 | $7,500 | $4,800–$11,000 |
| Toyota Sienna | 12 | $6,600 | $1,800–$8,200 |
| Audi Q5 | 11 | $9,100 | $7,000–$12,000 |
| BMW X3 | 11 | $11,200 | $7,500–$14,000 |
| GMC Yukon | 11 | $10,000 | $8,000–$13,300 |
| Land Rover Discovery | 11 | $10,000 | $6,200–$11,900 |
| Mazda CX-7 | 11 | $8,000 | $6,700–$8,500 |
| Mazda CX-9 | 11 | $9,000 | $7,400–$10,000 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 11 | $5,300 | $3,900–$7,200 |
| BMW 3 Series | 10 | $6,300 | $5,200–$9,200 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 10 | $2,600 | $2,000–$6,800 |
| Jeep Liberty | 10 | $5,200 | $4,500–$5,900 |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 10 | $8,500 | $3,100–$10,200 |
| BMW 5 Series | 9 | $11,000 | $9,900–$13,500 |
| Cadillac Escalade | 9 | $10,000 | $7,300–$13,000 |
| Ford Expedition | 9 | $5,400 | $5,300–$6,000 |
| GMC Yukon XL | 9 | $11,300 | $10,000–$12,000 |
| Lincoln MKZ | 9 | $9,000 | $7,800–$10,000 |
| Audi A4 | 8 | $9,400 | $6,000–$10,100 |
| Honda Accord | 8 | $4,500 | $2,500–$6,000 |
| Chevrolet Tahoe | 7 | $8,600 | $5,600–$13,100 |
| Dodge Stratus | 7 | $4,900 | $3,300–$6,000 |
| Honda CR-V | 7 | $7,000 | $3,900–$8,100 |
| Subaru Forester | 7 | $4,500 | $3,000–$5,000 |
| Toyota Prius | 7 | $7,000 | $5,900–$10,600 |
| Acura MDX | 6 | $8,400 | $8,000–$8,700 |
| Chevrolet Traverse | 6 | $6,800 | $6,100–$8,200 |
| Dodge Charger | 6 | $8,000 | $8,000–$8,800 |
| GMC Acadia | 6 | $7,200 | $5,500–$8,600 |
| Lexus RX | 6 | $10,200 | $8,100–$12,800 |
| Nissan Pathfinder | 6 | $5,500 | $3,500–$7,500 |
| Nissan Rogue | 6 | $8,000 | $7,400–$9,500 |
| Toyota Corolla | 6 | $5,400 | $4,700–$5,800 |
| Volvo XC90 | 6 | $14,500 | $12,200–$15,000 |
| Cadillac CTS | 5 | $7,000 | $6,000–$7,500 |
| Chevrolet Cruze | 5 | $6,000 | $6,000–$7,000 |
| Honda Ridgeline | 5 | $9,000 | $9,000–$13,000 |
| Jeep Cherokee | 5 | $13,000 | $12,500–$13,900 |
| Kia Telluride | 5 | $11,000 | $10,000–$12,700 |
| Mazda CX-5 | 5 | $7,000 | $7,000–$10,000 |
| Saturn Vue | 5 | $5,000 | $3,200–$5,000 |
| Subaru Impreza | 5 | $6,500 | $5,000–$8,000 |
| Volkswagen Golf | 5 | $5,300 | $4,000–$10,000 |
| Chrysler Town & Country | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Dodge Grand Caravan | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Hyundai Veloster | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Kia Rio | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Lincoln Navigator | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Nissan Sentra | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Scion tC | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Subaru Legacy | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Toyota Tacoma | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Acura TLX | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Audi A6 | 3 | too few for a range | |
| BMW X5 | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Buick Rendezvous | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Chevrolet Camaro | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Chevrolet Trax | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Ford Fiesta | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Jeep Compass | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Kia Seltos | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Mazda6 | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Saturn SL | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Volvo S60 | 3 | too few for a range | |
Models with 3+ reports. A model gets its own page and a range at 5+ reports. 64 more models with 1–2 reports count in the totals above.
Related repairs
Fuel pump replacement $915 · Throttle body replacement $600 · Timing chain replacement $2,500 · Fuel injector replacement $1,700 · Spark plug replacement $865 · Head gasket replacement $3,000 · Ignition coil replacement $715 · Engine mount replacement $900
The details
How we count
Every number here is a repair bill an owner reported, never a shop's price list. Two sources: the bills owners wrote in their own complaints to the U.S. government (NHTSA), and the dollar amounts owners said out loud in YouTube repair and ownership videos. A figure counts for a repair when that repair is the part named nearest to it. Left out: purchase prices, payments, rentals, towing, warranties and deductibles, amounts under $50 or over $15,000, parts-only prices ("the part was $80 on Amazon"), bills for two different repairs named together, and money someone else paid. One number per complaint (or video) and repair: the biggest, so it's the bill, not the diagnosis fee.
The range is the middle half of the bills (the 25th to the 75th percentile), so one wild number can't swing it. Owners who complain to the government often had expensive repairs, so a typical bill can be lower. Costs vary by shop and region, by dealer vs independent shop, by parts and by miles. This is what owners reported, not a quote for your car.
Check the bills yourself
NHTSA complaint numbers (search them at nhtsa.gov): 11777642, 11777315, 11777297, 11776718, 11776232, 11776017, 11775300, 11774573, 11774525, 11774295, 11774217, 11773846 and more.
Said out loud on YouTube: $1,000 ▶ · $1,000 ▶ · $1,200 ▶ · $1,500 ▶ · $3,500 ▶ · $4,300 ▶ · $4,500 ▶ · $5,000 ▶
Quick answers
How much does a engine replacement cost?
Owners reported a median of $8,000, and the middle half paid $5,900 to $10,000, from 2,070 owner reports on 168 models. Costs vary by shop and region.
Which cars need a engine replacement most?
The most owner reports come from the Ford Escape, Ford Edge, Kia Sorento. These are raw counts: popular models get more reports, so this isn't a failure rate.
Why do engine replacement costs vary so much?
Shop labor rates differ by region, dealers usually charge more than independent shops, new, used and rebuilt parts cost different amounts, and some bills include other work done at the same time.
Where do these numbers come from?
From 2,058 complaints to NHTSA and 12 YouTube videos: the repair bills owners themselves reported. Owner reports, not a price quote.
Sources: NHTSA owner complaints and YouTube videos (amounts said out loud), sorted by The Lemon Index. Owner reports, not a price quote. Costs vary by shop and region.