Turbo Replacement Cost

Your check engine light came on with an underboost code like P0299, the car feels flat, or there is a rattle or whistle under the hood. The shop says the turbo has failed, and you want to know what a new one costs.

So how much does turbo replacement cost? Owners told NHTSA, the US road safety agency, they paid or were quoted $1,700 to $5,903.85 at dealers and repair shops since 2025 for a new turbocharger.

With GM’s own parts and job times, a new turbo comes to $788.79 on a 2020 Encore GX and $1,045.95 on a 2017 or 2018 Trax or Encore, and GM covers both turbos for years.

In this guide I will show you what owners paid, what the carmakers’ parts and times come to, the free coverage GM offers, when a smaller part fixes it, and the signs of a failing turbo.

What Owners Paid

Here is what owners told NHTSA they paid or were quoted, with a link to each complaint:

• The owner of a 2018 Honda Accord paid $1,700 out of pocket to replace the turbo after a Honda dealer found it had failed, filed in August 2026.
• A new turbo was fitted to a 2020 Buick Encore at 38,091 miles for $1,816, filed in February 2026.
• The turbo of a 2019 Audi Q5 was replaced at 50,334 miles for $2,511.20, filed in February 2026.
• A Chevrolet dealer found a cracked wastegate on a 2024 Trax at 76,000 miles, just past its warranty, and quoted $2,600 for a new turbo, filed in October 2025.
• The owner of a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T paid $2,754 at a Hyundai dealer to replace the turbo, filed in April 2026.
• A Nissan dealer told the owner of a 2023 Rogue the new turbo would cost $4,100, filed in July 2026.
• A Honda dealer charged $5,042.41 to replace the turbo of a 2020 CR-V, plus $736.48 to flush the system and change the oil, filed in April 2026.
• A Ford dealer replaced the failed turbo of a 2021 Escape for about $5,903.85, filed in November 2025.

So owners paid or were quoted $1,700 to $5,903.85, mostly at dealers.

What the Carmakers’ Parts and Times Come To

For a turbo swap on the 1.4 four cylinder of the 2017 and 2018 Trax and Encore, GM names every part and pays its dealers 3.1 hours.

With GM’s parts on a dealer parts website, checked October 13, 2026, and $132 an hour, Tekmetric’s US average from June 2026:

So the 1.4 comes to $636.75 in parts and $1,045.95 in all. On the Sonic GM pays 2.5 hours, which makes it $966.75.

The 1.2 three cylinder of the 2020 Encore GX is cheaper. Its turbo is $302.12 with a $200 core charge, and with GM’s vacuum tank kit, gaskets, hose and hardware the parts come to $392.79.

GM pays 3.0 hours for that job with the vacuum tank, so it comes to $788.79 in all. The core charge is a deposit you get back when the old turbo is returned.

At Luxury Auto Works, a repair shop in Austin, the price depends on the car, one turbo or two, how hard it is to reach, and whether oil lines, gaskets, the intercooler or a converter are needed too.

Free Coverage From GM

GM covers the turbo of some 2017 and 2018 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax and Buick Encore models with the 1.4 for 10 years or 120,000 miles. It may fail and turn on the check engine light, with rough running or less power.

For the 2020 Buick Encore GX with the 1.2, GM’s coverage runs 15 years or 150,000 miles. GM updated the same turbo coverage for some 2020 to 2022 Encore GX and 2021 and 2022 Trailblazer models in September 2026.

Your VIN decides it, so ask the dealer to check before you pay. The 2020 Encore and 2024 Trax above were outside these programs, and a 2021 Trailblazer owner was quoted almost $2,000 for a new turbo, filed in July 2026.

Sometimes It Is Not the Whole Turbo

Ford found a rattle from the wastegate of some 2024 F-150s with the 2.7 EcoBoost, which can come from a missing wave spring. Its fix adds the spring, and Ford pays 1.2 to 1.4 hours for one or both turbos, not a new turbo.

For 2019 to 2022 Edge and Nautilus, 2020 to 2022 Escape and Corsair and 2021 and 2022 Bronco Sport models with the 2.0 or 2.3 EcoBoost, Ford released an actuator kit.

With it, dealers fix a failed wastegate actuator without a complete turbo. That kit is $161.70 on a dealer parts website.

So if a shop says a turbo with a wastegate fault must be replaced, ask whether a kit like this exists for your car.

Signs Your Turbo Is Failing

Watch for the signs the Austin shop names: less power or slower response, a new whistle, siren sound or grinding under boost, and a check engine light with underboost or overboost codes.

Blue, black or white smoke from the exhaust, a fuel or oil smell, poor fuel economy and topping up the oil more often are signs too.

Act early, the shop advises, before a failing turbo damages the catalytic converter or starves the engine of oil.

On the GM 1.2, a rattle at a cold start can be wear in the wastegate linkage, and GM’s fix for it is a new turbo. If yours rattles when cold, mention it to the dealer while the coverage applies.

Turbo Questions You Might Have

Where These Prices Come From

• GM special coverage N232395330 (February 2024), N232407740 and update DCS7568 (September 2026) and bulletin 23-NA-058 (June 2024), and Ford bulletin 25-2215 (May 2025) and SSM 50485, on NHTSA’s website.
• Part prices, checked October 13, 2026: GMPartsGiant 25201063 and 25204082 with the seals, gaskets, nuts and bolts on GM’s lists, and FordPartsGiant K2GZ-9G488-B.
• Luxury Auto Works, Turbocharger Repair, Austin, Texas, August 2026. Tekmetric, Average Auto Repair Labor Rates by State, June 30, 2026, and the owner complaints to NHTSA linked above, read October 13, 2026.

I hope this helps you check for coverage or a smaller fix before you pay for a whole turbo. If you have any questions, you can email me at costcheckr@gmail.com.