Timing Belt or Chain Replacement Cost

Based on real repair records · last updated October 20, 2026

$467

typical range $294 – $743 (parts + labor, all vehicles)

typical labor time 3.8 hrs · parts $96 · labor $306 · the rest is shop fees & tax (medians)

Median and middle-half range computed from real timing belt or chain replacement repairs across all makes and models.

What owners actually paid

$294

1 in 4 paid less

$467

half paid less, half paid more

$743

3 in 4 paid less

The shaded middle is where half of all these repairs landed: $294 – $743. The price on any one car depends on the vehicle — the table below shows the range for each.

What this repair is

The timing belt or chain keeps the engine's valves and pistons moving in lockstep. Belts are scheduled replacements; chains should last longer but stretch, and a rattling or code-throwing chain is a stop-driving-soon warning — on many engines a snapped one bends valves. The job is labor-heavy, and tensioners, guides, and often the water pump ride along because everything is already apart.

Timing Belt or Chain Replacement cost by vehicle

The most-repaired vehicles first. Each range is the middle half of real invoices for that vehicle; vehicles with their own page carry the full breakdown, real repair reports and a printable Fair Price Report.

Vehicle	Typical cost	Median
Ford Ranger	$307 – $587	$444
Honda Accord	$264 – $788	$444
Toyota Camry	$290 – $539	$383
Ford Escort	$220 – $424	$301
Chevrolet Equinox	$290 – $906	$400
Ford F-150	$308 – $1,429	$644
Toyota Corolla	$214 – $385	$285
Honda Odyssey	$323 – $878	$635
Honda CR-V	$255 – $688	$413
Volkswagen Jetta	$340 – $892	$538
Honda Pilot	$521 – $1,090	$819
Honda Civic	$251 – $431	$335
Ford Taurus	$380 – $696	$497
Chevrolet Malibu	$207 – $621	$440
Ford Focus	$288 – $498	$399
Subaru Outback	$340 – $786	$542
Dodge Ram 1500	$304 – $653	$425
Chevrolet Cruze	$488 – $791	$692
Hyundai Accent	$330 – $584	$398
Subaru Legacy	$288 – $674	$421
Ford Explorer	$218 – $1,013	$554
Subaru Forester	$454 – $974	$667
Dodge Dakota	$331 – $540	$410
Ford Contour	$398 – $618	$490
Hyundai Elantra	$353 – $753	$493
Toyota Pickup	$216 – $567	$343
Kia Rio	$326 – $501	$404
Dodge Stratus	$395 – $713	$552
Toyota Highlander	$483 – $1,082	$816
Hyundai Santa Fe	$424 – $811	$564
Chevrolet Impala	$251 – $668	$431
Volkswagen Passat	$322 – $800	$492

Middle half of real invoices (25th–75th percentile) for that make and model, parts + labor.

What moves the price

Belt vs. chain — belts are scheduled maintenance; chain jobs are deeper and costlier.
Water pump — usually replaced with a belt — it's behind the same covers.
Engine layout — V-engines with two chains or belts take much longer.

Quotes near the low end usually mean belt only on an accessible engine, pump reused. Quotes near the high end usually mean full kit with water pump and seals, chain guides on a V-engine, interference engines where timing is critical.

The complaints behind this repair

Owners who end up with this repair most often came in with: Engine Ticking or Knocking Noise · Oil Leak. Each of those pages shows how often the complaint actually ends in this fix, and what the alternatives cost.

Not sure what's wrong yet?

Start from what the car is doing. The FixDozer drill asks a few plain questions and shows which fixes that complaint usually turns out to be — with the real cost of each.

Start from the symptom

Where these numbers come from. FixDozer computes statistics from a large, continuously updated body of real-world US automotive repair records.
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