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 ($1,050)MiddleHigher-cost states ($1,337)
What it shows: CA is the highest at $1,337 and AR the lowest at $1,050, 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 under 50,000 (50%), against 60% 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 (43%). The biggest difference from all complaints is under 3 years old: 30% against 40%.
Is it urgent, and what do owners notice first?
1,133 owner complaints name this part.
Use the owners' words ("coolant or fluid leak") when you describe the problem to a shop, and ask what test they ran.
What do owners say it led to?
Among the 1,133 owner complaints naming this part, owners most often say engine damage followed.
What owners say happened after the problem. Engine damage: 39 (3%); Loss of power: 12 (1%).
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 1,133 owner complaints naming this part, radiator hose is named in 11% of them, more than any other part.
Owners name the radiator hose most often in the same complaint, which is not proof that one caused the other. Ask the shop whether it checked the radiator hose too, so you are not quoted twice for one visit.
What did owners say they paid?
Half of the 23 owners who wrote a dollar amount gave $1,600 or less; one in ten wrote more than $10,000.
These are bills owners wrote down, often covering more than this one repair. They show how far a job can run; get written quotes for your own car.
How fast were owners driving when it happened?
55 mph or faster leads at 48%.
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 1,133 owner complaints naming this part, being towed is the outcome owners report most often.
What it shows: Towed is the largest at 57, followed by Injury reported at 29; the smallest shown is Crash reported at 20.
Which model years show up most in the complaints?
Among the 1,133 owner complaints naming this part that state a model year, complaints cluster in a few model years instead of spreading evenly.
What it shows: 2015 is the largest at 220 (19%), followed by 2016 at 176 (16%); the smallest shown is 2025 at 25 (2%).
Do radiator replacement problems track days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station across states?
A weak hint, not a firm finding: across U.S. states, NHTSA owner complaints about radiator replacement run higher where days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station is higher, after adjusting for the makes sold in each state. This is an association across states, not proof that days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station causes this repair.
How to read it: Each dot is a state. Further right means more days per year with a high of 100f or more, median station; higher up means more complaints for this repair than expected (1.0 is average). If the dots climb to the right, reports of this repair rise with days per year with a high of 100f or more, median station.
What it shows: States with more days per year with a high of 100f or more, median station tend to sit higher on the chart across 32 states: a pattern in the data, not proof of cause.
- The 10 states with the most days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station (Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Nevada, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Missouri): reports of this repair run 12% above what the makes sold there would predict, and 9 of 10 are above expected. The 10 with the least (Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida): 1% below, and 5 of 10 are above expected.
- Exceptions: California is among the highest in days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station but reports below expected; Minnesota (31% above expected) and Wisconsin (21% above expected) are among the lowest but above expected.
- Split the states into thirds: the third with the least days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station runs 0% above what the makes sold there would predict, the middle third 6% above, and the third with the most 12% above. It steps up steadily.
- For days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station, after allowing for the 1562 comparisons we ran, luck alone would produce a pattern this strong about 1 time in 5. Take out any single state and the days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station pattern still holds.
- Weak spot: compare only states with similar on-road nitrogen oxide emissions, tons per year per 1,000 residents and the pattern keeps about 58% of its strength, so part of it may come from on-road nitrogen oxide emissions, tons per year per 1,000 residents instead of days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station.
- For days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station, of the 5 exception states, 0 read the same way for the other parts of the system (so that is the system there, not this repair) and 5 are specific to this repair.
Days above 100F push batteries, cooling systems, belts, hoses and tires past what ordinary summer heat does.
Has the replacement part I am buying been recalled?
NHTSA lists 1 equipment recalls that name radiator since 2015 (engine and vehicle speed control), covering 135 items sold as parts rather than whole vehicles; the largest, by Flex-A-Lite in 2015, covered 135.
| Year | Maker and product | NHTSA component | Defect | Items |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Flex-A-Lite: Electric Fan | cooling system fan | certain aftermarket electric fan kits, part numbers 274 (Dual Electric Fan Kit) and 59274 (Aluminum Radiator. | 135 |
Has this part been recalled abroad on cars that may share it?
Manufacturers filed 11 foreign recall campaigns that name radiator with NHTSA since 2015 (matched by the filing text); the latest, from Toyota Motor Corporation in 2026-03.
| Filed | Manufacturer | Foreign recall no. | What the filing says |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-11 | Isuzu Motors Limited | 221 | 573.6 (c)(1) ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED Vehicle Manufacturer: 1-2-5 Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, 220-8720, Japan Engine Model: Isuzu 4HK1 Subject Component: EGR Cooler PN: 8983401611 8983522721 Parts Supplier: TOKYO RADIATOR MFG. |
| 2020-11 | Volvo Car | 214 | Volvo Cars will add an extra degassing line (Bleeder Hose) between the cooling system radiator and the cooling system expansion tank which will evacuate the trapped air. |
| 2020-09 | Volvo Car | 172 | Volvo Cars will add an extra degassing line (Bleeder Hose) between the cooling system radiator and the cooling system expansion tank which will evacuate the trapped air. |
| 2020-08 | Volvo Car | 156 | Volvo Cars will add an extra degassing line (Bleeder Hose) between the cooling system radiator and the cooling system expansion tank which will evacuate the trapped air. |
| 2020-07 | Volvo Car | 122 | Volvo Cars will add an extra degassing line (Bleeder Hose) between the cooling system radiator and the cooling system expansion tank which will evacuate the trapped air. |
| 2021-03 | Nissan. | 042 | Description of the Defect On the subject X-trail HEV vehicles, the radiator is secured to the vehicle by an air guide (mounting bracket) with two bolts and clips on top, and a pin on the bottom. |
| 2026-03 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 032 | Description of Problem: The subject vehicles are equipped with an A25A-FKS engine and a specific upper radiator air guide assembly. |
| 2026-02 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 020 | Description of Problem: The subject vehicles are equipped with an A25 engine with a specific cooling system that has a fully sealed radiator. |
How many recalled cars are actually fixed, so should I check mine?
Across 2 NHTSA recalls that name radiator filed 2015 to 2024, 90.5% of the 9,060 recalled vehicles had been repaired after 8 quarters, against 66.2% for all recalls, which leaves about 858 vehicles still carrying the defect.
Recall completion after 8 quarters, recalls that name radiator filed 2015 to 2024: the largest campaigns. Volkswagen 2022: 94.8%; Honda 2021: 56.9%.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai | Palisade 2020–2022 | 23-EM-003H | Aug 3, 2023 | Certain 2020-2022MY Palisade (LX2) vehicles may exhibit a slight coolant leak at the radiator. |
| GMC | Savana 2021 | N212327560 | Feb 15, 2021 | Service update - certain vehicles Savana vehicles may have a condition where the radiator overflow and vent ports were blocked by flash during the molding process at the supplier. |
| Cadillac | Escalade ESV 2015–2016; Escalade 2015–2016 | PI1513G | Jan 13, 2021 | This preliminary information bulletin provides a procedure for radiator and engine coolant thermostat replacement to eliminate coolant smell and/or a slight leak at the radiator. |
| RAM | Promaster 2016–2020 | 9004121 | Aug 21, 2019 | RADIATOR, Engine Cooling For radiator leak concerns, please email a picture of the leak area. |
| GMC | Terrain 2018–2020 | PIT5678A | Jun 28, 2019 | This Preliminary information communicates an issue with the radiator lower mount that sounds as if it is coming from behind the front wheels. |
| GMC | Terrain 2018–2020 | 19NA098 | May 9, 2019 | This technical bulletin provides a procedure to add flocking tape the radiator mount sleeves to reduce the knocking noise caused by the excessive movement. |
32 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 (2)
| Maker | Vehicles | Date | Notice number | What the maker extended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Silverado 1500 2014; Silverado 2500 2014 | Dec 22, 2017 | GCUS-9-3041 | Radiator stress fractures and coolant leaks from thermostat. |
| GMC | Sierra 1500 2014; Sierra 3500 2014 | Dec 22, 2017 | GCUS-9-3041 | Radiator stress fractures and coolant leaks from thermostat. |
What do owners say?
4 complaints quoted word for word, each with its NHTSA number.
Then after they had started that job and after I put $1,500 down they called me back and said the radiator has issues from it all and needed changed as well.
I arrived on Saturday morning was informed that the radiator was leaking and a water pump was leaking that they both needed to be replaced and I would be charged around $3000 to replace it.
I had a whole in radiator that cost $1700 from road debris hitting it.
BMW dealer says the radiator needs replaced and will cost $1600.
Check your car
Our calculator's default estimate is $986–$1,430 for an OEM-spec radiator installed at a chain shop on a typical car: parts of $650–$950 plus 2.8 to 4 hours of labor. The radiator you choose moves that number most, then the kind of shop that installs it.
What does the radiator price cover?
The estimate covers the radiator itself and the labor to swap it. The shop drains the coolant, removes the hoses and any fan shroud, lifts out the old radiator, fits the new one, refills with coolant and bleeds the air out of the system. The calculator counts that as 2.8 to 4 hours.
How much does the price change by radiator type and shop?
The part is the bigger lever. Here are the calculator's ranges for each setting, all at the default chain-shop labor rate of $120 an hour unless the row says otherwise.
| Setting | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Default: OEM-spec radiator | $986–$1,430 |
| Aftermarket plastic and aluminum radiator | $736–$1,130 |
| Heavy-duty radiator for a truck or towing | $1,236–$1,880 |
| Independent shop, OEM-spec radiator | $930–$1,350 |
An independent shop charges $100 an hour in the calculator against $120 at a chain, which is why the last row sits below the default.
What does the estimate leave out?
It is a range for a typical car, not a quote for yours. Several things a shop may add are not in it:
- Fresh coolant beyond what the refill needs, and any coolant flush the shop recommends.
- Hoses, clamps, the thermostat or the radiator cap, if the shop finds them worn while the system is open.
- A diagnostic or pressure-test fee to confirm the radiator is the leak.
- Taxes and local labor rates that differ from the calculator's.
How do I know it is the radiator, and how urgent is it?
A coolant puddle under the front of the car, a temperature gauge climbing, or steam from under the hood all point at the cooling system. A pressure test at the shop is how they tell a radiator leak from a hose, water pump or cap problem, so ask whether one was done and what it found.
If the gauge is climbing, do not keep driving to finish an errand. Pull over and let the engine cool, because running a car low on coolant is how a radiator repair turns into an engine repair. The cards above show what owners report first, so read them against your own symptom.
How do I get a fair quote?
- Which radiator is quoted: aftermarket, OEM-spec or heavy-duty, and what is the brand?
- How many labor hours, and at what hourly rate?
- Was a pressure test done, and did it show the radiator is the leak?
- Are the hoses, thermostat and coolant in this price, or extra?
Compare the same radiator type across quotes. A low quote for an aftermarket unit is not a deal if your truck needs a heavy-duty one. Ask for the warranty on the part and the labor in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I replace the radiator myself?
Some owners do on simple layouts, and it saves the labor line. The job drains hot-system coolant and may need the front end loosened, so check a guide for your exact car before you start.
Is an aftermarket radiator worth it?
The calculator shows $736–$1,130 for one, against $986–$1,430 for OEM-spec. It is a reasonable choice on an older car if the shop warrants it. Ask how long the warranty runs.
Does the independent shop always cost less?
Its labor rate is lower, so the total is lower, but the gap is modest at $930–$1,350 against the default. The radiator type is the bigger lever.
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
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (annual), joined to NHTSA owner complaints file downloaded 2026-10-06
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall flat file (equipment recalls, report type E) file downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, Foreign Campaigns (filings under 49 CFR 579.11, public API) file downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall quarterly reports (basis of the Annual List of Recall Completion Rates) file downloaded 2026-10-05
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. Derived: computed from the records; an association, not a cause.
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 ($1,368–$1,550) on 2026-10-04: our default's midpoint is 17% below the middle of that range. Methodology