Red alert for these engines, they have defects: here are the most common ones

The troubles continue for the main car manufacturers. Top brands are racking up recalls throughout 2025.

The automotive industry is experiencing a very complex phase also due to the technical defects of the cars. There are so many brands that have jumped in a strong crisis. Due to the drop in sales, manufacturers should be even more attentive to construction dynamics, avoiding breakdowns that cause tens of millions of euros to be lost.

One of the main problems is often the engine. The beating heart of the car is also the most expensive and delicate element. All the major top brands are facing very serious defects. Last April alone, General Motors recalled 721,000 6.2-liter V8 engines. Toyota, the world’s number one selling brand, was forced to recall over 102,000 V6 engines in 2024. Honda has recalled almost 250,000 V6s from the market. Stellantis is trying to deal with technical problems with 112,589 four-cylinder turbo engines.

The technical problems with the engines can be traced back to a common problem, as reported in the columns of Automotive News, namely light oil and low displacements to reduce consumption. Smaller engines generally consume less fuel and to maximize this advantage the top brands have focused onthermal efficiency.

Engine problems for automotive giants

The attempt to combine efficiency, performance and lubrication margins in a concept of modest dimensions and weight is leading to significant failures. l cases of engine distribution failures 1.2 Puretech by Stellantis it is not unique on the market: several brands have suffered more or less serious engine defects.

Ford’s 1.0 EcoBoost ran into similar problems and in that case too the belt was later replaced by a chain. In all these episodes, the rubber belt in the oil bath deteriorates prematurely, creating debris that blocks the oil pump, thus compromising the life of the engine itself. The 2-litre Ingenium diesel Group Jaguar Land Rover uses two timing chains and effectively doubles the risk of failure. Even Mazda, Renault, Nissan, BMW and Toyota have experienced failures impacting the reliability of their engines. The Yaris, between 2005 and 2011, encountered various cases of timing chain failure. In the past and present, many manufacturers have suffered reputational damage due to engine failures.