A 2014 Chevrolet Equinox with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a 2014 Equinox with the 3.6-liter V6 share a body, a cabin and a nameplate. In The Weekly Driver’s engine reliability database, the 2.4L from the 2010 to 2017 Equinox generation scores 4.5 out of 10 on 2,472 powertrain complaints filed with federal regulators. The 3.6L V6 from the same years scores 9.3 on 35.
Most published reliability ratings score a whole model or a whole brand, which folds a weak engine and a strong one into a single number.
The Weekly Driver’s free database splits them apart, using 1,203,787 complaints that owners filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to score 1,479 vehicle generations and 6,197 engines across 52 brands.
It is free, needs no account, and no manufacturer pays for placement. Coverage starts with the 2000 model year.
✦ Key Takeaways
- One model can carry two reliability records. The 2010-2017 Chevrolet Equinox scores 4.5 with the 2.4L four-cylinder and 9.3 with the 3.6L V6.
- The Weekly Driver’s engine reliability database scores 6,197 engines and 1,479 generations from 52 brands, built on 1,203,787 NHTSA owner complaints.
- Scores run from 1.0 to 10.0, and 7.0 is the class average. Half the class complaint rate earns 8.5; twice the rate earns 5.0.
- Model year shifts the score inside a generation. The 2007 and 2008 Toyota Camry each score 2.8, while the 2011 scores 9.3.
- Fire reports and deaths are listed separately on each generation page and do not move the score.
- The free inspection checklist takes a VIN and builds a printable list for the test drive and the mechanic’s inspection, with a mode that compares two or three cars.
- Scores count complaints filed per vehicle built, which differs from the share of vehicles that fail.
Why One Model Can Have Two Reliability Records
Automakers often sell the same car with two or three engines, and each engine brings its own parts, cooling, oil system and transmission pairing. A design flaw in one engine follows every car built with it, while the cars with the other engine never see it.
In the 2007 to 2011 Toyota Camry, the 2.4L four-cylinder, Toyota’s 2AZ-FE, scores 2.5 on 687 powertrain complaints from about 640,000 cars built. The 3.5L V6 in the same generation scores 7.9, and the 2.5L four-cylinder that replaced the 2.4L for 2010 scores 8.8.
The difference came from oil: 598 complaints about oil burning, fuel in the oil and overheating, against 225 expected.
How the Engine Reliability Scores Work
Every complaint in NHTSA’s public database comes from an owner, and most carry a partial VIN. A complaint counts toward an engine only when its VIN names that engine, so a 2.4L failure never lands on the V6’s record.
Only engine, transmission and drivetrain complaints feed the score. The count is divided by the number of vehicles built, trimmed for cars scrapped over time, and set against vehicles of the same class at the same age in the same calendar years.
That keeps a best-seller like the Ford F-150 from looking worse because Ford built more of them. EVs are measured against other EVs, and vehicles up to 20 years old are scored.
A generation that drew as many complaints as its class scores 7.0. Half as many earns 8.5, and a tenth as many earns 9.8. Twice as many drops it to 5.0, and eight times as many to 2.0. The full scoring methodology lists every rule.
| Score | Owner Complaints Against Similar Vehicles | Generations in Band |
|---|---|---|
| 9.0 to 10.0 | Very few | 218 |
| 7.6 to 8.9 | Fewer | 386 |
| 6.4 to 7.5 | About as many | 249 |
| 4.0 to 6.3 | More | 228 |
| 1.0 to 3.9 | Many more | 99 |
Fire reports and fatality counts sit beside the score on every generation page and are kept out of it. The 2000 to 2003 Ford F-150 scores 7.8 for its powertrain and carries 736 fire reports.
Five Used Cars Where the Engine Changes the Answer
| Vehicle and Generation | Lower-Scoring Engine | Higher-Scoring Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota Camry, 2007-2011 | 2.4L four-cylinder: 2.5 | 2.5L four-cylinder: 8.8 |
| Chevrolet Equinox, 2010-2017 | 2.4L four-cylinder: 4.5 | 3.6L V6: 9.3 |
| Honda Civic, 2006-2011 | 1.8L four-cylinder: 2.9 | 2.0L four-cylinder (Si): 6.5 |
| Honda CR-V, 2017-2022 | 1.5L turbo: 5.5 | 2.4L four-cylinder: 7.4 |
| Ram 1500, 2013-2018 model years | 3.0L EcoDiesel: 1.6 | 3.6L V6: 7.6 |
About 1,523,000 Equinoxes left the factory with the 2.4L, and the generation as a whole scores 4.8. The 3.0L V6 offered early in the generation scores 8.8.
The 2006 to 2011 Honda Civic scores 3.1 as a generation. Its 1.8L four-cylinder, built about 1,484,000 times, scores 2.9, and the generation drew 416 complaints about oil consumption and overheating against about 97 expected. The 2.0L in the Civic Si scores 6.5 and the 1.3L hybrid 5.3.
Honda’s 2017 to 2022 CR-V scores 5.5 with the 1.5L turbo and 7.4 with the 2.4L. The newer 2023 to 2025 CR-V reverses the order on early evidence: the 1.5L turbo scores 9.1 and the 2.0L hybrid 6.4.
The 2009 to 2018 Ram 1500 holds the lowest engine score on this list. On 2013 to 2018 trucks, the 3.0L EcoDiesel scores 1.6 on 1,329 powertrain complaints from about 105,000 built, and it accounts for 112 of the generation’s 171 fire reports. The 5.7L Hemi scores 7.1 and the 3.6L V6 scores 7.6.
Check the Model Year Inside the Generation
Each generation page also scores every model year, and the spread can be as wide as the gap between engines. The Camry’s 2007 and 2008 model years each score 2.8 and the 2009 scores 3.8, then the 2010 climbs to 8.4 and the 2011 to 9.3. The Civic runs from 1.8 for 2006 to 8.9 for 2009 and 9.6 for both 2010 and 2011.
The 2009 to 2014 Ford F-150 moves the other way. It scores 8.6 for 2009 and 8.4 for 2010, then falls to 4.1 for 2011, the year Ford introduced the 5.0L V8 and the 3.5L EcoBoost.
For 2011 to 2014 trucks, the F-150 page recommends the 6.2L V8, and the 5.0L only when the 6R80 transmission software recalls (16V-248, 19V-075, 19V-433 and 24V-444) are documented.
How to Check a Used Car’s Engine Before You Buy
Find the VIN and Confirm the Engine
The 17-character VIN is stamped on a plate at the base of the windshield on the driver’s side and printed on a label in the driver’s door jamb, the title and the registration. On many U.S.-market vehicles the eighth character identifies the engine. Match the engine size in the listing against the one the VIN decodes to, since sellers sometimes list the wrong one.
Look Up the Generation and Its Engine Rows
Start from the database home page, pick the make and model, and open the generation that covers the car’s model year. Each generation page gives the score, the NHTSA complaint total, recalls, fire reports and crash reports, then breaks complaints out by engine code. Where NHTSA engine sales figures exist, each engine also gets its own score, and every model year is scored below that.
Run the Free Inspection Checklist
The inspection checklist tool accepts a VIN, a typed description such as “2019 Honda Civic”, or make, model and year menus. A VIN is sent to NHTSA to decode and is kept off both the device and the site.
The checklist runs in stages: confirming the vehicle, top concerns, paperwork and recalls, a cold start, the exterior, under the hood, the interior, the test drive, after the drive, and a final section for the mechanic.
Each item gets marked OK, Concern or Not checked, and carries a tag of Safety, Costly repair or Minor. The finished list prints or copies, and the compare mode lines up two or three cars at once, which helps when a Camry and an Accord are both on the shortlist.
Take the List to a Mechanic Before You Buy
Hand the printed checklist to the independent mechanic who inspects the car, before any money changes hands. Run the VIN through NHTSA’s recall lookup too, since a franchised dealer completes recall repairs at no charge.
Title checks, financing and negotiating are covered in MK Library’s guide to buying a used car when you don’t know much about cars, and the 10 red flags to watch for when buying a used car cover what to spot on the lot.
Limits of Complaint Data
A score measures complaints filed with NHTSA per vehicle built, which differs from the share of vehicles that fail. Owners who have a problem and never file stay outside the count.
Turbocharged and non-turbocharged engines of the same displacement look identical in a VIN, so they are shown as one. About one complaint in nine carries no VIN at all.
Engine sales figures come from NHTSA fuel-economy files for eight model years between 2008 and 2024, with the years between estimated along a straight line. The newest generations, such as the 2023 to 2025 CR-V, are labeled early evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check a used car’s engine reliability?
Decode the VIN to confirm which engine the car has, then open that model’s generation page in The Weekly Driver’s free engine reliability database and read the engine rows and the model-year scores. The site’s inspection checklist turns the same VIN into a printable list for the test drive and the mechanic.
Which engine is more reliable in the 2007-2011 Toyota Camry?
The 2.5L four-cylinder that arrived for 2010 scores 8.8 and the 3.5L V6 scores 7.9. The 2.4L four-cylinder scores 2.5, driven by complaints about oil consumption.
What is a good used car reliability score?
On the 1.0 to 10.0 scale, 7.0 means a generation drew as many powertrain complaints as similar vehicles. Scores from 7.6 to 8.9 mean fewer complaints, and 9.0 or higher means very few. Anything under 4.0 means many more complaints than the class.
What are the most reliable used cars by engine complaints?
The Toyota 4Runner from 2010 to 2024, the Lexus ES from 2013 to 2018 and the Lexus GX from 2010 to 2023 each score 9.8, the top of the most reliable rankings. At the bottom of the least reliable rankings sit the 2021-2025 GMC Yukon at 1.4, the 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport at 1.7 and the 2012-2018 Ford Focus at 1.9.
Where does the reliability data come from?
All of it comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s public complaint database, where owners report problems directly to the federal government. The database uses 1,203,787 of those complaints and matches each one to an engine through its VIN.
Is the engine reliability database free?
Yes. It requires no account or subscription, and no manufacturer pays for placement. The inspection checklist is free as well.
Can a VIN tell you which engine a car has?
Usually. On many U.S.-market vehicles the eighth of the VIN’s 17 characters is the engine code, and a decoder such as NHTSA’s returns the displacement. A turbocharged engine and a non-turbo engine of the same size can share a code.
Are fires and deaths part of the reliability score?
No. Fire reports and fatality counts appear on each generation page next to the score, and engine-level counts appear in the engine rows. The score itself counts engine, transmission and drivetrain complaints only.
How is this different from Consumer Reports reliability ratings?
Consumer Reports builds its ratings from surveys of its members and publishes them by model and model year, with full detail behind a subscription. The Weekly Driver’s scores come from federal complaint records, split by engine where sales data allows, and cost nothing to read.
Does a high score mean an engine won’t fail?
A high score means owners filed fewer powertrain complaints per vehicle built than for similar vehicles. Any individual car still depends on its maintenance history, which the service records and a mechanic’s inspection can show.
Disclosure: The Weekly Driver and MK Library share the same owner.
Article Updates
- October 15, 2026: Published. Scores reflect The Weekly Driver’s October 13, 2026 scoring run.
