What does this cost in your state?
California is the costliest state and Arkansas the cheapest; each square shows that state's midpoint of the estimate.
Lower-cost states ($200)MiddleHigher-cost states ($255)
What it shows: CA is the highest at $255 and AR the lowest at $200, across 51 states.
Counts below are complaints filed with NHTSA, not failure rates: a longer bar means more owners reported it.
Is your car affected?
What it shows: The most common band for complaints about this repair is 50,000-100,000 (40%). The biggest difference from all complaints is under 50,000: 34% against 60%.
What it shows: The most common band for complaints about this repair is 6-9 years (52%). The biggest difference from all complaints is under 3 years old: 11% against 40%.
Is it urgent, and what do owners notice first?
386 owner complaints name this part.
Owners say the dealer could not fix or repeat the problem. If it comes back after a repair, ask what was tested before you pay again.
What do owners say it led to?
Among the 386 owner complaints naming this part, owners most often say engine damage followed.
What owners say happened after the problem. Engine damage: 15 (4%); Loss of power: 8 (2%).
If your car shows the signs above, get it checked before it gets as far as engine damage.
Which other parts do owners name in the same complaint?
Among the 386 owner complaints naming this part, spark plug is named in 16% of them, more than any other part.
Other parts named in the same complaints. Spark plug: 16%; Ignition coil: 5%.
Owners name the spark plug most often in the same complaint, which is not proof that one caused the other. Ask the shop whether it checked the spark plug too, so you are not quoted twice for one visit.
How fast were owners driving when it happened?
55 mph or faster leads at 41%.
Owners reported it most often at highway speed. Tell the shop what speed it happens at, because that narrows the diagnosis.
How serious did it get for owners?
Among the 386 owner complaints naming this part, being towed is the outcome owners report most often.
Outcomes owners reported in complaints about this part. Towed: 19; Fire reported: 14; Crash reported: 3.
Which model years show up most in the complaints?
Among the 386 owner complaints naming this part that state a model year, complaints cluster in a few model years instead of spreading evenly.
What it shows: 2017 is the largest at 94 (24%), followed by 2015 at 64 (17%); the smallest shown is 2025 at 1 (0%).
When in the year do owners report it?
NHTSA owner complaints about this part run furthest above the usual seasonal share in April: about 61% more of them name an incident that month than complaints about any part would predict. A complaint is a report, not a measured failure.
What it shows: April is the largest at 12% (all: 8%), followed by January at 10% (all: 9%); the smallest shown is March at 5% (all: 8%).
Has the maker published a fix?
A bulletin is a repair procedure a maker sends its dealers, not a safety defect: if your maker is listed, ask the dealer whether one covers your car and quote its number.
| Maker | Vehicles | Bulletin number | Date | What it says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota | RAV4 2020–2022; Camry Hybrid 2020–2022 and 3 more | T-TT-0702-22 Rev | Feb 12, 2024 | TT: Some 2020-2022 vehicles equipped with North American Produced (NAP) A25A-FKS/FXS engines may experience an oil leak from the head/valve cover gasket. |
| Ford | Mustang Shelby GT500 2022; F-150 2023 | 23B17 S1 | Nov 9, 2023 | Certain 2022 model year mustang GT 500 and 2023 F-150 raptor r vehicles - engine front cover and valve cover. |
| Ford | F-150 2023; Mustang Shelby GT500 2022 | 23B25 | Sep 30, 2023 | Certain 2022 model year mustang GT 500 and 2023 F-150 raptor r vehicles - engine valve covers. |
| Chrysler | Pacifica 2021–2022; Voyager 2021–2022 | 9004527 | May 4, 2022 | Valve Cover Gasket If you are experiencing a right valve cover leak and plan on replacing only the gasket, the customer may later return for an oil leak. |
| Chevrolet | Silverado 1500 2020 | PIP5762B | Nov 22, 2021 | This preliminary information communicates to technicians a possible valve cover causing oil consusmption, and the repair. |
| Jeep | Gladiator 2020–2021; Wrangler 2020–2021 | 9004104 | Apr 14, 2021 | Valve Cover & Gasket Engineering is looking for information on the Pentastar valve cover due to gasket oil leaks. |
14 more bulletins name this part; the car finder at the top checks yours, and the NHTSA bulletin file linked below lists them all.
What do owners say?
4 complaints quoted word for word, each with its NHTSA number.
The dealership replaced the valve cover, charged $1,218.26, and instructed me to drive 1,000 miles and return for reinspection.
Valve Cover leak, Known Issue by GM, TSB 22-NA-027, refusing to warranty known problems & charge the customer $4,000 in repairs.
At 120,000 miles, one of the bolts for the valve cover also simply broke in half, resulting in another oil leak and a repair bill of about $1000.
I took it to my regular mechanic who informed me the engine oil was completely dry and the recommended $1900 in repairs to replace damaged valve covers and sensors.
Check your car
A valve cover gasket replacement costs $140–$320 installed at a $120/hr shop on the default engine layout.
Most complaints came from the Hyundai Sonata (33 complaints, most from 2015, 2016, 2018 models, median 75,000 miles).
Valve cover gasket owner bills center on $2,500, against a $140–$320 calculator estimate
The calculator's default gasket-only job is $140–$320 at a $120/hr shop. That gap is the story of this repair: owners who file a complaint usually paid for more than the gasket.
The quotes show what fills the gap. A 2021 Kia Soul owner was told the shop needed to "replace the cam shaft, the camshaft phaser and valve cover gasket before we can do the test for the recall this will cost about $1,530" (NHTSA complaint #11680526). A 2016 Hyundai Sonata owner was charged "a valve gasket replacement and a valve cover gasket ($1,000)" (NHTSA complaint #11615223). A 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 owner cited "TSB 22-NA-027" and a $4,000 bill.
If your quote lands near the calculator range, it is a gasket job. If it lands in four figures, ask which line items are camshaft, timing or ignition parts, because those are what owners in this data actually paid for.
If a four-figure quote lists timing parts, note that the timing chain is named in 5% (24) of the 464 valve cover gasket complaints; price the timing chain job on its own.
V6 and V8 valve cover gaskets run $280–$800 because there are two covers
Switching the calculator from an inline engine to a V-type layout moves the estimate from $140–$320 to $280–$800. The 2016 Honda Pilot quote in the data shows why: the V6 valve adjustment included "replacing both valve cover gaskets." (NHTSA complaint #11556289) At a dealer-rate shop ($175/hr), the default inline job becomes $195–$430.
Hyundai Sonata leads valve cover gasket complaints, with Kia and Hyundai siblings close behind
The Hyundai Sonata has the most valve cover complaints (33), peaking on 2015, 2016 and 2018 models at a median of 75,000 miles. The four Sonata owners who stated a cost reported a median of $1,000. The Santa Fe (19), Kia Optima (18), Kia Soul (13) and Kia Sorento (11) follow, all with peak years between 2015 and 2018.
The Ford F-150 is second overall with 25 complaints at a median of 79,000 miles. The Ford Escape reaches the list later, with 2017–2019 peaks and a median of 96,000 miles. Kia Soul complaints have the highest median mileage among the top models: 118,981.
Spark plugs appear in 15% of valve cover gasket complaints, and timing chains show the highest lift
Spark plugs are named in 70 valve cover complaints. That makes sense mechanically on many engines, where oil from the gasket pools in the plug wells. Ignition coils (23 complaints) point the same way. A 2020 Ford EcoSport owner's diagnosis read: "Coil pack burn and burned the #2 injector and harness and valve cover." (NHTSA complaint #11727714)
Timing chains appear in only 24 complaints but carry the strongest link to this part (lift 25.5). That is why a timing or cam quote can arrive packaged with a valve cover gasket. Head gasket (21) and engine overhaul (15) mentions fit the engine damage consequence below.
With the cover already off, price the spark plug replacement: spark plugs are named in 15% (70) of the 464 valve cover gasket complaints.
15 valve cover complaints report a fire, and 13% describe engine damage
Owners reported 15 fires, 4 crashes and 1 injury in valve cover complaints. Leaking oil landing on a hot exhaust is the usual path that owners describe. Engine damage is mentioned in 61 complaints and loss of power in 49. A leak left long enough to empty the oil costs far more than the gasket.
Leaks are the most common symptom (49%), followed by a warning light (38%). Smoke or a burning smell shows up in 10%.
Valve cover gasket failures reported at 55+ mph in 42% of driving complaints; only 5% needed a tow
Among complaints that give a speed, the median was 45 mph and 42% happened at highway speed. Only 2% happened while parked, so most owners notice the problem on the road, often through smoke or a warning light. Only 5% needed a tow. In most cases the car can still be driven to a shop, as long as the oil level is checked.
Most valve cover gasket complaints come between 50,000 and 100,000 miles
Half of reports fall between 46,000 and 103,000 miles, with the median at 75,000. Complaints on 2017 models show a median of 47,900 miles, much lower than 2016 models at 100,304. Owners of 2017 cars can see this leak earlier than the overall median suggests.
By the year the failure happened, complaints climbed from single digits before 2019 to 107 in 2025. The aging 2015–2017 fleet, which is the worst run of model years, is now in that mileage window.
Toyota A25A, Chrysler Pacifica, Ford Raptor R and GM truck bulletins touch the valve cover gasket
No recalls cover this part in the data.
- Toyota T-TT-0702-22 (and its revision): some 2020–2022 RAV4, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid and Sienna Hybrid models with North American produced A25A-FKS/FXS engines may leak oil from the head/valve cover gasket.
- Chrysler 9004527: on the 2021–2022 Pacifica and Voyager, replacing only the right valve cover gasket may bring the customer back for another oil leak. If your quote is gasket-only on these vans, ask whether the cover itself is included.
- Ford 23B17 and 23B25: engine front cover and valve cover replacement on certain 2022 Mustang Shelby GT500 and 2023 F-150 Raptor R.
If your car is listed, give the dealer your VIN before you pay. Dealers are mentioned in 258 complaints, against 67 for independent shops.
Sources
Data shown on this page
- NHTSA owner complaint file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) file downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA service bulletin file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) file downloaded 2026-10-05
- CalcScrape calculator model scaled by BEA Regional Price Parities data from 2024
Terms: US government data, public domain.
Observed: records as filed; owner reports are unverified and are not failure rates. Modeled: our estimate, not a quote.
Owner complaints quoted
- NHTSA complaint #11680526
- NHTSA complaint #11615223
- NHTSA complaint #11556289
- NHTSA complaint #11727714
What is our own estimate
The price range comes from our calculator's formula. Its parts prices, labor hours per job and shop-rate tiers are CalcScrape estimates, not a published price dataset. Checked against RepairPal's range ($375–$514) on 2026-10-06: our default's midpoint is 0% below the middle of that range. Methodology