Same job at other shop types (everything else as set above): Independent shop (~$100/hr) $480–$1,215 · Chain shop / franchise (~$120/hr) $524–$1,304 (the headline above) · Dealership (~$175/hr) $647–$1,549. Each figure applies that shop type's hourly labor rate (market estimates, shown above) to the calculator's own hours and parts assumptions. It is modeled, not a quote.
Check a quote against these ranges
This sets your number beside published ranges and owner-written bills. It is not a verdict: ask the shop what the quote includes (parts grade, labor hours, fees, tax). It runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How serious did it get for owners?
1% of the 663 complaints report a tow, the most common serious outcome; the other outcomes counted below are rarer, and an owner can file without mentioning one.
What it shows: Towed is the largest at 7, followed by Injury reported at 5; the smallest shown is Crash reported at 1.
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 (54%), against 29% for all complaints: the biggest difference between the two.
What it shows: The most common band for complaints about this repair is 3-5 years (46%). The biggest difference from all complaints is under 3 years old: 27% against 40%.
Is it urgent, and what do owners notice first?
663 owner complaints name this part.
What it shows: Coolant or fluid leak is the largest at 45%, followed by Recall mentioned at 29%; the smallest shown is Noise at 4%.
Which other parts do owners name in the same complaint?
Among the 663 owner complaints naming this part, car AC compressor is named in 28% of them, more than any other part.
Other parts named in the same complaints. Car AC compressor: 28%; Radiator: 3%.
Owners name the car ac compressor most often in the same complaint, which is not proof that one caused the other. Ask the shop whether it checked the car ac compressor too, so you are not quoted twice for one visit.
How fast were owners driving when it happened?
55 mph or faster is the largest group at 39%, out of 101 complaints.
Owners reported it most often at highway speed. Tell the shop what speed it happens at, because that narrows the diagnosis.
Which model years show up most in the complaints?
2015 is the most common model year in 663 complaints naming this part (25%); 3 model years account for 65%.
What it shows: 2015 is the largest at 166 (25%), followed by 2016 at 133 (20%); the smallest shown is 2022 at 10 (2%).
When in the year do owners report it?
NHTSA owner complaints about this part run furthest above the usual seasonal share in May: about 81% 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: June is the largest at 16% (all: 9%), followed by January at 2% (all: 9%); the smallest shown is January at 2% (all: 9%).
Which refrigerant does my car use, and why does the recharge price differ?
EPA lists R-134a at a global warming potential of 1,430 and R-1234yf at 4, and cars switched from R-134a to R-1234yf starting in 2012, with the AIM Act capping new light-duty cars at a GWP of 150 from model year 2025 while existing cars can still be serviced with R-134a.
What it shows: CFC-12 (R-12) is the largest at 10,900, followed by HFC-134a (R-134a) at 1,430; the smallest shown is HFO-1234yf (R-1234yf) at 4.
What do owners who wrote down a dollar amount say they paid?
Among 29 NHTSA owner complaints about this part that name one component and one repair, the middle dollar amount an owner wrote was $1,450, with a quarter at $944 or less and a quarter at $1,700 or more; these are selected owner reports, not a representative price.
| Measure | Amount or count |
|---|---|
| A quarter of owners wrote this much or more | $1,700 |
| Middle amount owners wrote | $1,450 |
| A quarter of owners wrote this much or less | $944 |
| All complaints naming the part with any dollar amount, before the filter | 64 |
| Complaints with one component, no repeat or tow wording, and a dollar amount | 29 |
Which counties get the weather that wears this part?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Tulsa County, OK, Okmulgee County, OK and Muskogee County, OK highest for heat waves, about 26.26 events a year, against 4.53 in the median county. Heat-wave days are when an air conditioner works hardest.
| County | Heat wave events per year | Residents (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Tulsa County, OK | 26.26 | 669,277 |
| Okmulgee County, OK | 26.16 | 36,710 |
| Muskogee County, OK | 25.89 | 66,348 |
| Wagoner County, OK | 25.74 | 80,983 |
| Creek County, OK | 25.16 | 71,752 |
| Pittsburg County, OK | 24.84 | 43,773 |
| Le Flore County, OK | 24.63 | 48,130 |
| Rogers County, OK | 24.63 | 95,236 |
| Sebastian County, AR | 24.53 | 127,797 |
| Sequoyah County, OK | 24.21 | 39,289 |
| Median county (1,803 counties) | 4.53 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan | Pathfinder 2022 | REVISION 2 PC939 | Dec 22, 2022 | Air Conditioner Condenser Pipe Voluntary Emission Service Campaign REVISED December 22, 2022 Please discard earlier versions of this bulletin. |
| Infiniti | QX60 2022 | ITB22-028A | Dec 21, 2022 | Voluntary emission service campaign 2022 QX60; A/C CONDENSER PIPE This bulletin has been amended. |
| Honda | HR-V 2016–2022 | A22080B | Aug 25, 2022 | Servicenews article - If you are inspecting an HR-V and notice oil residue on the A/C condenser, it's not always an indication that the condenser is leaking refrigerant. |
| Nissan | Pathfinder 2022 | REVISION 1 PC899 | Aug 5, 2022 | Air Conditioner Condenser Pipe Voluntary Emission Service Campaign REVISED August 5, 2022 Please discard earlier versions of this bulletin. |
| Nissan | Pathfinder 2022 | PC899 Pathfinder | Jul 22, 2022 | Air Conditioner Condenser Pipe Voluntary Emission Service Campaign *****Campaign Summary***** Nissan is conducting a Voluntary Emission Service Campaign to correct a potential refrigerant leak on specific model year 2022 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles identified. |
| Infiniti | QX60 2022 | PC900 QX60 AC Co | Jul 22, 2022 | Air Conditioner Condenser Pipe Voluntary Emission Service Campaign ***** Campaign Summary ***** INFINITI is conducting a Voluntary Emission Service Campaign to correct a potential refrigerant leak on specific model year 2022 INFINIT QX60 vehicles identified. |
54 more bulletins name this part; the car finder at the top checks yours, and the NHTSA bulletin file linked below lists them all.
Manufacturer warranty extensions naming this part (7)
| Maker | Vehicles | Date | Notice number | What the maker extended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac | Escalade 2015–2017; Escalade ESV 2015–2017; Suburban 2015–2017 and 3 more | Feb 7, 2022 | 17336 03 | AC condenser crack from thermal cycling allowing refrigerant. |
| Honda | Accord 2018–2020 | Jul 21, 2021 | ONLJ9T07062021 | A/C condenser refrigerant. |
| Honda | Accord Hybrid 2018–2020; Civic 2016–2021; Civic 2016–2020 and 3 more | Jul 21, 2021 | ONLQ9U07062021 | A/C condenser corrosion causing refrigerant. |
| Chevrolet | Trax 2015–2019 | Nov 30, 2020 | A192219310 | Coolant leak. |
| Mazda | CX-3 2016–2017 | Nov 1, 2019 | SSPB8a | A/C condenser refrigerant leak caused. |
2 more extension notices name this part: Chevrolet, Mazda. Ask the dealer whether one covers your car.
What do owners say?
4 complaints quoted word for word, each with its NHTSA number.
A/c condenser damaged by road debris per local ford dealer and needs to be replaced at a cost of $995.00.
Air conditioner blowing hot air.vehicle was in motion.I understand this is a common problem with silverados.did research on line.cost over $1000.00 to repair.condenser failure (leaking)
Ac ids not cooling, dealer diagnosed, repairs are about $1500.00 to replace ac condenser and recharge system.
Was given repair estimate of $1,150, which was to cover cost of replacing a/c condenser, o-ring in discharge line, and new refrigerant re-charge.
Check your car
AC condenser replacement costs $524–$1,304 on a standard car, with the condenser and a refrigerant recharge included. The refrigerant your car uses and the shop's hourly rate move that range most.
What does AC condenser replacement cover, and what does it leave out?
The estimate is for one condenser, labor to swap it, and a recovery and recharge of the AC system on a midsize car using older R-134a refrigerant.
It leaves out a new compressor, a receiver drier, and any front-end repair a shop finds. Some cars need the bumper cover off to reach the condenser, so ask whether that labor is in the quote. Our estimate assumes it is part of normal access.
How much do refrigerant, shop and vehicle change the price?
Three choices move the number. Each row changes one setting from the default, which is a midsize car at a standard shop rate with R-134a.
| Setting | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Default: midsize car, R-134a, standard shop rate | $524–$1,304 |
| Independent shop (about $100/hr) | $480–$1,215 |
| Dealership (about $175/hr) | $647–$1,549 |
| Economy car (Civic, Corolla, Focus) | $490–$1,203 |
| SUV or truck (Tahoe, Ram 1500, 4Runner) | $557–$1,403 |
| Luxury or performance (BMW, Mercedes, Corvette) | $557–$1,403 |
| R-1234yf refrigerant (most 2014 and newer cars) | $780–$1,730 |
Check which refrigerant your car uses before you compare quotes. It is printed on a label under the hood, and it is the biggest single swing in the table.
Sources
Data shown on this page
- NHTSA owner complaint file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA service bulletin file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) downloaded 2026-10-05
- U.S. EPA: Acceptable Refrigerants and their Impacts; Technology Transitions HFC Restrictions by Sector (AIM Act) data from 2025
- FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county table: annualized frequency per hazard downloaded 2025-12
Terms: US government data, public domain.
Observed: records as filed; owner reports are unverified and are not failure rates. Rule: a published legal rule, not a measurement; whether it covers a given repair depends on the car and the facts.
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 ($841–$988) on 2026-10-10: our default's midpoint is 0% below the middle of that range. Price evidence grade C: one outside published range; the hours and parts prices behind the estimate are CalcScrape assumptions and have not been checked against repair invoices. Methodology