2023
Vehicle Health Index
Published by CarMD, April 2023
Highlights
The CarMD Vehicle Health Index of check engine light-related car repair trends is published each April during Car Care Awareness Month to remind vehicle owners about the importance of paying attention to maintenance and warning lights. Here are some highlights from calendar year 2022 (scroll down to see stats for the 10 most commonly diagnosed check engine light repairs in the U.S., regional trends and more).
Wait, there’s more
If you’re interested in more info on the current state of vehicle health, download the PDF below. What you see on this page is only about 10% of all the info we have to offer – don’t miss the rest!
Stats
| Rank | Vehicle Repair | Total Average Repair Cost (Parts & Labor) |
% 2022 Repairs |
Change in Rank Since 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Replace Catalytic Converter(s) with new OE Catalytic Converter(s) | $1,313.46 | 6.10% | No change |
| 2 | Replace Oxygen Sensor(s) (O2S) | $242.34 | 5.38% | No change |
| 3 | Replace Ignition Coil(s) and Spark Plug(s) | $392.65 | 4.78% | No change |
| 4 | Replace Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor | $303.61 | 4.63% | No Change |
| 5 | Inspect for Loose Fuel Tank Cap and Tighten or Replace as Necessary | $24.84 | 4.06% | No Change |
| 6 | Replace Evaporative Emissions (EVAP) Canister Purge Control Valve | $137.47 | 3.93% | from no. 8 |
| 7 | Replace Ignition Coil(s) | $213.70 | 3.72% | from no. 6 |
| 8 | Replace Fuel Injector(s) | $423.71 | 2.54% | from no. 7 |
| 9 | Replace Thermostat | $238.58 | 2.21% | No change |
| 10 | Reprogram Powertrain Control Module (PCM) | $109.22 | 1.94% | New to list |
(10 most common vehicle repairs are based on 17,728,913 repairs recommended in calendar year 2022 on 1996-2022 model year vehicles. This data applies to > 85% of cars, light trucks, minivans, SUVs and hybrids on the road in the U.S. – foreign and domestic. Source: CarMD.com Corp.)
| Rank | Vehicle Repair | Total Average Repair Cost in the West (Parts & Labor) |
% 2022 Western U.S. Repairs |
Change in Western Rank Since 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Replace Catalytic Converter(s) with new OE Catalytic Converter(s) | $1,387.22 | 5.97% | No Change |
| 2 | Replace Oxygen Sensor(s) (O2S) | $253.53 | 5.21% | No Change |
| 3 | Replace Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor | $320.74 | 4.91% | No Change |
| 4 | Replace Ignition Coil(s) and Spark Plug(s) | $392.53 | 4.49% | No Change |
| 5 | Inspect for Loose Fuel Tank Cap and Tighten or Replace as Necessary | $25.35 | 4.45% | No Change |
| 6 | Replace Ignition Coil(s) | $217.20 | 3.83% | No Change |
| 7 | Replace Evaporative Emissions (EVAP) Canister Purge Control Valve | $139.59 | 3.56% | from no. 9 |
| 8 | Replace Fuel Injector(s) | $450.10 | 2.38% | from no. 7 |
| 9 | Replace Thermostat | $239.03 | 2.24% | from no. 8 |
| 10 | Reprogram Powertrain Control Module (PCM) | $108.39 | 2.05% | No Change |
(10 most common vehicle repairs in the Western U.S. are based on 5,095,033 diagnosed repairs in 2022 in AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA and WY. This data applies to roughly 85% of cars, light trucks, minivans and SUVs on the road in the U.S. – foreign and domestic. Source: CarMD.com Corp.)
(10 most common vehicle repairs in the Midwestern U.S. are based on 3,573,806 repairs in 2022 in IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD and WI. This data applies to roughly 85% of cars, light trucks, minivans and SUVs on the road in the U.S. – foreign and domestic. Source: CarMD.com Corp.)
| Rank | Vehicle Repair | Total Average Repair Cost in the NE (Parts & Labor) | % 2022 NE U.S. Repairs | Change in NE Rank Since 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Replace Catalytic Converter(s) with new OE Catalytic Converter(s) | $1,298.78 | 6.56% | No Change |
| 2 | Replace Oxygen Sensor(s) (O2S) | $260.21 | 5.97% | No Change |
| 3 | Inspect for Loose Fuel Tank Cap and Tighten or Replace as Necessary | $23.86 | 5.38% | No Change |
| 4 | Replace Ignition Coil(s) and Spark Plug(s) | $388.69 | 4.51% | No Change |
| 5 | Replace Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor | $309.55 | 4.48% | No Change |
| 6 | Replace Evaporative Emissions (EVAP) Canister Purge Control Valve | $140.10 | 4.20% | from no. 7 |
| 7 | Replace Ignition Coil(s) | $216.86 | 3.82% | from no. 6 |
| 8 | Replace Fuel Injector(s) | $427.77 | 2.15% | No Change |
| 9 | Replace Thermostat | $241.58 | 2.06% | No Change |
| 10 | Reprogram Powertrain Control Module (PCM) | $108.53 | 2.04% | New to Ranking |
(10 most common vehicle repairs in the Northeastern U.S. are based on 1,957,504 repairs in 2022 in CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI and VT. This data applies to roughly 85% of cars, light trucks, minivans and SUVs on the road in the U.S. – foreign and domestic. Source: CarMD.com Corp.)
| Rank | Vehicle Repair | Total Average Repair Cost in the South (Parts & Labor) | % 2022 Southern U.S. Repairs | Change in Southern U.S. Rank Since 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Replace Catalytic Converter(s) with new OE Catalytic Converter(s) | $1,295.87 | 6.29% | No Change |
| 2 | Replace Oxygen Sensor(s) (O2S) | $239.95 | 5.32% | No Change |
| 3 | Replace Ignition Coil(s) and Spark Plug(s) | $392.93 | 5.23% | No Change |
| 4 | Replace Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor | $301.04 | 4.69% | No Change |
| 5 | Replace Ignition Coil(s) | $211.35 | 3.99% | from no. 6 |
| 6 | Replace Evaporative Emissions (EVAP) Canister Purge Control Valve | $137.04 | 3.80% | New to Ranking |
| 7 | Inspect for Loose Fuel Tank Cap and Tighten or Replace as Necessary | $24.85 | 3.56% | from no. 5 |
| 8 | Replace Fuel Injector(s) | $419.34 | 2.66% | from no. 7 |
| 9 | Replace Thermostat | $239.31 | 2.15% | No change |
| 10 | Reprogram Powertrain Control Module (PCM) | $109.09 | 1.93% | No change |
(10 most common vehicle repairs in the Southern U.S. are based on 7,517,283 repairs in 2022 in AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, TN, VA, SC, TX and WV. This data applies to roughly 85% of cars, light trucks, minivans and SUVs on the road in the U.S. – foreign and domestic. Source: CarMD.com Corp.)
2022’s repair costs …
| Year | Labor | Parts | Total Avg. Repair Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $138.37 | $221.13 | $359.50 |
| 2010 | $143.61 | $212.44 | $356.05 |
| 2011 | $118.61 | $215.32 | $333.93 |
| 2012 | $138.96 | $228.88 | $367.84 |
| 2013 | $157.23 | $235.26 | $392.49 |
| 2014 | $161.61 | $228.77 | $390.38 |
| 2015 | $155.15 | $232.16 | $387.31 |
| 2016 | $162.46 | $235.41 | $397.87 |
| 2017 | $141.16 | $216.29 | $357.45 |
| 2018 | $157.04 | $223.81 | $380.85 |
| 2019 | $148.26 | $236.64 | $384.90 |
| 2020 | $144.09 | $234.68 | $378.77 |
| 2021 | $143.35 | $249.22 | $392.57 |
| 2022 | $142.66 | $261.05 | $403.71 |