Are Turbocharged Engines Reliable in Cars?

Today, it isn’t uncommon to see many cars on the road with smaller engines supported by turbochargers. With this setup of smaller turbocharger-boosted engines, automakers can provide buyers with responsible fuel economy without sacrificing an enjoyable driving experience. But are turbochargers decreasing the reliability of our cars?

In this article, we try to determine if turbocharged engines are reliable for cars

Are Turbochargers Reliable?

Just like any mechanical system, adding additional parts can prove challenging, primarily when they directly affect the performance of the system in question. In this case, the additional part is the turbocharger, and the central part of the system is the engine itself. Of course, adding more parts to a system means more parts can break, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it makes the system unreliable.

According to experts, buying a car with a smaller, turbocharged engine has many benefits. They’re very appealing to customers because they balance the factors of cars that we care about most, like fuel economy and driving experience.

The problem arises when manufacturers don’t put their best foot forward when producing reliable turbocharged engines. Consumer Reports polled members owning various vehicles in their annual Auto Reliability Survey. The survey considered 500,000 vehicles, including cars, minivans, trucks, and SUVs. The survey showed a mixture of results.

What Does the Survey Say?

It seems that when car owners reported having issues, the problems arose with the engine rather than the turbo — though, again, that wasn’t the case 100% of the time. The overall data showed turbocharged engines to be reliable and practical, with some issues arising for various reasons, including the turbocharger itself and the engine computer.

There is a relatively direct correlation between how new turbocharging systems are to each company. As time passes, they will likely improve and become more reliable and efficient for companies newer to the turbocharged engine market.

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Consumer Reports did point out that these issues typically occur while the vehicles are still under warranty — but that isn’t always the case. If it is, owners can still find issues with their new car frustrating, as it takes time and planning to repair the recall work, even if it’s accessible to the consumer.

Conclusion

Overall, just like buying any new car, researching statistics and reviews on what experts think will be reliable is essential. Still, sometimes, only time will show if any problems arise. While turbocharged engines aren’t unreliable, they add an additional factor for issues. If companies aren’t taking the time to produce high-quality engines, it can be problematic.