Engine oil consumption: which model years owners complain about most

Which used-car model years drew the most owner complaints about burning or consuming oil, counted from NHTSA complaint text, and how to check a car for it.

By Eyal Malka · November 5, 2026 · Data: NHTSA, updated October 3, 2026 · How we score

An engine that burns oil is one of the hardest used-car problems for a buyer to spot. It does not throw a warning light at first, it rarely shows on a test drive, and a seller who knows about it can top the oil up the morning you visit. The car feels fine. The problem shows up a few thousand miles later, on the dipstick.

NHTSA's owner complaints are filed under broad categories like Engine, with nothing that says "oil consumption". But every complaint carries the owner's own description, and those descriptions can be searched. We searched them. This guide lists the model years where owners described oil consumption most often, shows how strongly it clusters by manufacturer and by year, and ends with how to check a car for it.

How we counted

We took every model year we track with at least 200 complaints on file, 718 model years and 442,505 complaints, and searched each complaint's text for an owner describing oil consumption: phrases such as "oil consumption", "consuming oil", "burning oil", "using excessive oil" or "a quart low". We did not count oil leaks, oil-change complaints or the oil pressure light on its own, which are different problems. The code is tools/fetch-complaint-terms.mjs and tools/guide-stats.mjs in our repository.

Two things to keep in mind. First, this is a floor: an owner who wrote "the engine keeps running out of oil" is not counted, so the real numbers are higher. Second, the measure is per 100 complaints, not a count, for the same reason the drivetrain share is a share: a popular car collects more complaints of every kind. How to read these numbers.

Across all 718 model years, 6,950 complaints describe oil consumption, 1.6% of the total. In 77 model years the figure is 5% or more.

The model years with the most oil consumption complaints

The last column is the model year's drivetrain share, the fraction of all its complaints about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Every row links to the model-year page with the full breakdown.

It clusters by manufacturer

The same search, totalled by brand across all of its model years in the data:

Kia and Hyundai together have more than half of all the oil consumption complaints in the data, from about an eighth of the complaints. The rest of the table is a long way behind.

And by year, within a nameplate

The brand totals hide the most useful fact, which is that oil consumption, like most drivetrain problems in this data, belongs to specific model years and then stops.

Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain

The clearest run in the data. The Chevrolet Equinox is at 12 to 26 oil consumption complaints per 100 in every model year from 2010 to 2017, peaking at 25.6 in 2013. The 2018 Equinox, a new generation, has none in 410 complaints. Its twin, the GMC Terrain, follows the same shape: 10 to 23 per 100 from 2010 to 2014, then 6 in 2015 and under 1 in 2018.

These are also among the model years where the recall record says nothing about the engine. The 2011 Equinox has three recalls on file, none on a drivetrain component; see how to check a VIN for open recalls for why that is common.

Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima

The Hyundai Sonata runs at 1 to 3 per 100 from 2011 to 2014, then 8 in 2015 and 20 to 22 from 2016 to 2018. The Kia Optima, its corporate sibling, is between 2 and 5 per 100 up to 2015 and between 18 and 24 from 2016 to 2019. The Kia Soul is above 10 per 100 in every model year we count from 2014 to 2021.

Subaru

Subaru's oil consumption complaints are concentrated in a few early-2010s model years, and the data shows where they stop. The 2013 and 2014 Outback are at 9.1 and 8.2 per 100, the 2014 Forester at 6.9 and the 2012 and 2013 Impreza at 7.8 and 5.2. From 2016 on, every Outback and Forester model year in the data is under 1 per 100.

Honda and Toyota

Both are low overall, with specific exceptions. The 2010 Honda Accord is at 10.5 per 100, and the 2010 CR-V at 5.2; every Accord from 2015 on is under 1. The 2010 and 2011 Toyota Camry are at 3.6 and 2.6, above Toyota's average; every Camry from 2018 on has none. For the oldest cars on the market, those older years are the ones to ask about.

What oil consumption means for a buyer

An engine that uses a little oil between changes is not necessarily failing; the owner's manual for the car is the place to check what its maker considers normal. The problem in the model years above is the kind owners describe in their complaints: an engine that runs low between changes, in some complaints far enough to fail.

On a used car that means three questions. Is this a model year where owners report it? Has this car been checked or repaired for it? And is the car using oil now? The model-year page answers the first. The paperwork answers the second. The checks below are for the third.

How to check a used car for oil consumption

Oil consumption rarely shows on a short test drive, which is why it catches buyers out. The engine runs normally; it just needs a quart of oil every so often, and the owner who knows that has topped it up before you arrive. These checks give you the best chance of finding it anyway.

Before you go

• Check the model year. If it is on the list above, or the free report shows an engine-led complaint pattern, plan the rest of the visit around the engine. The engine or transmission guide explains how to tell which part a model year's complaints are about.
• Ask about oil on the phone. "How often do you add oil between changes?" is a question with no wrong answer for an honest seller, and "never" from an owner of a model year on this list is worth a follow-up: has it had an oil consumption test, or any engine work?

At the car

1. Read the dipstick, cold and level. Oil right at the full mark on a car whose last oil change was thousands of miles ago is what you want. Oil well below the mark is a problem, and so, in a different way, is oil far above it: overfilling is one way to hide consumption for a test drive.
2. Look at the oil change sticker and the receipts. Compare the mileage now with the mileage at the last change. The dipstick level only means something against how far the car has gone since.
3. Look at the tailpipe. Black, oily soot inside the tip can point to oil burning. On some cars normal soot looks similar, so treat it as a reason to look harder, not a verdict.
4. Watch the exhaust at a cold start for a puff of blue-grey smoke. Then, on the drive, check the mirror after a long coast downhill or a stop at the lights, and when you accelerate away.
5. Check the spark plugs if the seller will allow it, or ask the mechanic to. Oily plugs, or one plug fouled differently from the rest, can point to a cylinder burning oil.
6. Look for leaks underneath and around the engine. Oil lost to a leak and oil lost to burning both empty the sump; they are different repairs. Fresh, wet oil on the engine or under the car suggests a leak.
7. Read the fault codes. Misfire codes can follow oil fouling of a plug.

In the paperwork

• Oil changes at or inside the manual's interval, with receipts. They are the evidence that the engine was maintained, which you will want if you ever need to ask a dealer or the manufacturer for help with it.
• An oil consumption test. Dealers run these by recording the oil level and having the owner come back after a set distance. A car that had one, and the result, is valuable paperwork either way.
• Engine work. Piston rings, a short block or a replacement engine. On a model year with an oil consumption pattern, a documented repair by a dealer can be the best answer you will get.
• Warranty extensions. Manufacturers sometimes extend engine coverage on a model year with a known problem, outside the recall system. A franchised dealer of the brand can tell you from the VIN whether any applies and whether it has been used. NHTSA's recall lookup will not show it; see how to check a VIN for open recalls.

At the inspection

Tell the mechanic the model year's pattern. Ask for a compression or leak-down test and a look at the plugs. These are the tests that can tell oil burning from an engine that is merely old. The FTC recommends an independent inspection on any used car, even one a dealer has inspected (FTC: Buying a Used Car From a Dealer).

Frequently asked questions

Which used cars have the most oil consumption complaints?

In NHTSA owner complaints, the model years where owners most often describe burning or consuming oil include the 2011 to 2013 Chevrolet Equinox, the 2012 and 2013 GMC Terrain, the 2016 to 2018 Hyundai Sonata, the 2016 to 2019 Kia Optima and the 2017 and 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. The ranked table above refreshes with the data.

Which brands have the most oil consumption complaints?

Kia and Hyundai, at 7.2 and 6.6 oil consumption complaints per 100 complaints across their model years in our data, followed by GMC and Chevrolet at about 2.5. Ford and Nissan are at 0.2 and 0.1.

Do Subarus burn oil?

Some model years drew far more complaints about it than others. The 2013 and 2014 Outback, the 2014 Forester and the 2012 and 2013 Impreza are between 5 and 9 oil consumption complaints per 100. From 2016 on, every Outback and Forester model year in our data is under 1.

How can I tell if a used car burns oil?

Check the dipstick against the mileage since the last oil change, look for blue-grey smoke at a cold start and oily soot in the tailpipe, ask how often the owner adds oil, and have a mechanic check the plugs and run a compression or leak-down test.