Cooling-system component failures
coolant leak or the engine running hotter than normal
Check engine light: Off
The most frequently documented engine-category repair for this generation involves the thermostat, cooling fan, or water pump — reported between roughly 39,700 and 68,200 miles. All 5 documented repair trips came in under $100, though that's a small enough sample that we'd treat it as a starting point rather than a confident typical cost, and it excludes any warranty or maintenance-only visits. This is a mechanical cooling fault rather than an emissions or fueling issue, so it typically doesn't trip a check-engine light on its own.
$15039,680–68,200 mi
based on a small sample (5 documented repair trips) — treat the low cost figure with some caution.
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Engine air intake hose failure
rough idle or reduced power consistent with an intake air leak
Check engine light: On
This is reported specifically as "a known issue with these cars," though the exact resulting symptoms aren't well documented. An intake hose fault typically means unmetered air is getting into the engine, which commonly triggers a lean-condition check-engine code — that's why we've marked the light as typically on for this one. If you notice a rough idle, hissing sound near the engine bay, or reduced power, this is worth having checked.
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Timing chain guard rail failure
a rattling or knocking noise from the timing chain area
Check engine light: On
This is a more serious failure mode than the routine cooling and intake issues above: broken plastic pieces of the guard rails that secure the timing chains, which NHTSA complaint data describes as potentially causing serious engine damage. This is based on a single documented case, so treat it as a reported issue rather than a confirmed widespread pattern — but given the potential severity, it's worth knowing about. Timing chain problems commonly set a check-engine code, which is why we've marked the light as typically on.
based on a single documented NHTSA complaint (ODI 11708125) — treat as a reported issue, not yet a confirmed widespread pattern.
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Water infiltration in sensor connections
check engine light paired with reduced power, often traced back to water getting into a sensor connection
Check engine light: On
NHTSA Notice 070604019F covers this directly: water gets into the electrical connections of certain sensors, and the documented result is a check engine light along with reduced power. That's a directly sourced symptom, not a judgment call, which is why the check engine light is marked as typically on for this one. This showed up repeatedly enough in our NHTSA sample (roughly 30–35 of about 100 complaints touched on electrical/fuel-system issues broadly) that it's worth listing distinctly.
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The most notable non-recall issue we've found is a timing chain guard rail failure — broken plastic pieces that secure the timing chains, which NHTSA complaint data describes as potentially causing serious engine damage. This is from a single documented case rather than a broad pattern, and we don't yet have a repair-cost figure for it, but it's worth having looked at rather than ignored given the potential severity.