Major Problems with GMC Terrain Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used GMC Terrain to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for GMC Terrain

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of GMC Terrain.

Model Year	Complaints
2020 Terrain	1
2019 Terrain	23
2018 Terrain	53
2017 Terrain	16
2016 Terrain	34
2015 Terrain	106
2014 Terrain	120
2013 Terrain	211
2012 Terrain	227
2011 Terrain	273
2010 Terrain	241

Worst 3 GMC Terrain complaints

2011 GMC Terrain POWER TRAIN Victims: 5 Mileage: 65000 miles

2011 GMC Terrain AIR BAGS Victims: 3 Mileage: 24185 miles

2012 GMC Terrain AIR BAGS Victims: 3 Mileage: 33000 miles

Browse GMC Terrain complaints by category

Problems with ENGINE, VISIBILITY/WIPER and POWER TRAIN are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from GMC Terrain owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
ENGINE i was driving home after work around 7pm going about 45-50 mph and all of a sudden my car began...	452 ~ 66008 miles
VISIBILITY/WIPER i live in ohio where we get a lot of snow so i was driving on the highway and the...	233 ~ 72874 miles
POWER TRAIN tl * the contact owns a 2014 gmc terrain. while driving various speeds the vehicle veered to the right and...	170 ~ 50496 miles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM while driving truck with air conditioner on ignition key gets extremely hot. this does not happen if truck is idling.	139 ~ 45031 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER periodically auto will surge forward (without the benefit of gas pedal being depressed.) i managed to stop before there was...	116 ~ 46531 miles
AIR BAGS i had this car as a rental. my wife was in the passenger seat and uses a cushion to sit...	100 ~ 44530 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL wife was driving her vehicle all service engine lights displayed car de-accelerated and was able to limp into a business...	83 ~ 65034 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM from the first day i got my gmc all i get is 10 mpg and it feels like the dealer	72 ~ 53682 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL first incident-august 28 2014 accelerating onto highway from store lot sharp right accelerated and engine died. no power battery ok....	50 ~ 44122 miles
STEERING when driving at very low speed there is a creaking sound which seems to be coming from the front side...	45 ~ 46403 miles
SERVICE BRAKES tl* the contact owns a 2014 gmc terrain. while driving various speeds the vehicle stalled without warning and the abs...	37 ~ 44794 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE purchased a 2014 gmc terrain certified from a dealer and it had visible rust on drivers side rear passenger door...	34 ~ 42573 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING first incident-august 28 2014 accelerating onto highway from store lot sharp right accelerated and engine died. no power battery ok....	25 ~ 20876 miles
SEAT BELTS my air bag / seat belt keep light keeps coming on . code b001b air bag passenger seat anchor pretension	22 ~ 54337 miles
SEATS i had this car as a rental. my wife was in the passenger seat and uses a cushion to sit...	22 ~ 25103 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2014 gmc terrain. the contact stated that while with low beams activated the upper half...	21 ~ 19978 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE my 2011 gmc terrain has a 2.4l 4 cylinder front wheel drive. it is rated at 32 mpg highway. since...	17 ~ 16434 miles
WHEELS when driving at very low speed there is a creaking sound which seems to be coming from the front side...	16 ~ 32859 miles
SUSPENSION when driving at very low speed there is a creaking sound which seems to be coming from the front side...	14 ~ 18482 miles
STRUCTURE the data i entered for "failure mileage" and "speed at time of incident" should not be used as concrete...	12 ~ 10067 miles
VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2014 gmc terrain. the contact stated that while with low beams activated the upper half...	10 ~ 8259 miles
DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2013 gmc terrain. while driving the instrument panel darkened without warning. the failure was experienced...	9 ~ 54795 miles
MOTOR > WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2012 gmc terrain. during inclement weather the window wipers ceased to function. the failure occurred...	7 ~ 89825 miles
HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE > BODY > STRUCTURE tl* the contact owns a 2014 gmc terrain. when the tailgate was ajar it independently closed. the failure was persistent....	7 ~ 49885 miles
TIRES a second michelin latitude tour tire on 2013 gmc terrain (purchased new in may 2013) had repetitive low tire pressure...	7 ~ 21857 miles
SIDEWALL > TIRES a second michelin latitude tour tire on 2013 gmc terrain (purchased new in may 2013) had repetitive low tire pressure...	5 ~ 22300 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN tl*the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. while driving approximately 15 mph and shifting from first to second gear the...	5 ~ 4628 miles
ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING the issue is only happening on 2011 i-4 2.4l engines. many people with this engine (terrain and equinoxs for a...	4 ~ 5450 miles
CRANKCASE (PCV) > EMISSION CONTROL > EXHAUST SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2013 gmc terrain. while driving approximately 35 mph the vehicle shut off without warning. the...	3 ~ 76233 miles
RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. > ELECTRICAL > EQUIPMENT tl* the contact owns a 2013 gmc terrain. while driving 45 mph the center console lost power independently. the vehicle...	3 ~ 13985 miles
EXHAUST SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING tl* the contact owns a 2014 gmc terrain. while driving approximately 40 mph in the rain the windshield wipers suddenly...	3 ~ 35587 miles
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES tl* the contact owns a 2014 gmc terrain. the contact stated that while driving at 60 mph the doors automatically...	3 ~ 8833 miles
EQUIPMENT the 4 phone system developed static either bluetooth connection or using the onstar phone system. over several months i changed...	3 ~ 1000 miles
CATALYTIC CONVERTOR > EMISSION CONTROL > EXHAUST SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. the contact mentioned that the catalytic converters were eroded and had to...	2 ~ 52293 miles
SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2012 gmc terrain. the contact stated that the draining hose from the sun roof leaked...	2 ~ 51000 miles
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2013 gmc terrain. while driving the instrument panel darkened without warning. the failure was experienced...	2 ~ 50000 miles
MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE > EXHAUST SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. while driving approximately 65 mph the contact heard a loud noise coming...	2 ~ 114854 miles
TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) > POWER TRAIN tl* the contact owns a 2013 gmc terrain. while driving 55 mph there was an abnormal loud noise coming from...	2 ~ 51500 miles
WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER > VISIBILITY 2013 gmc terrain. consumer writes in regards to vehicle windshield wipers malfunction while driving. *smd the consumer stated that windshield...	2 ~ 5500 miles
DOOR > BODY > STRUCTURE tl* the contact owns a 2012 gmc terrain. the contact stated that there was severe corrosion on the rear driver...	2 ~ 43000 miles
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. while driving 45-50 mph the check engine warning light and traction control...	2 ~ 68648 miles
TREAD/BELT > TIRES all four tires separated. *tr...	2 ~ 20750 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC i purchased this terrain as the 99 gmc pickup that i purchased from sheehan had 3 total brake failures and...	2 ~ 3500 miles
PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS > TIRES tl* the contact owns a 2012 gmc terrain. while driving 10 mph the tpms warning light for the front driver...	2 ~ 61395 miles
FRONTAL > AIR BAGS my new 2010 gma terrain will randomly display passenger seat belt is off while there is an adult passenger (+150...	2 ~ 9225 miles
AIR CONDITIONER > APPLIANCE > EQUIPMENT tl* the contact owns a 2013 gmc terrain. the contact stated that there were white particles emitting from the air...	1 ~ 60660 miles
CLUTCH ASSEMBLY > POWER TRAIN tl* the contact owns a 2018 gmc terrain. when driving downhill the vehicle stalled and would not accelerate. there were...	1 ~ 4200 miles
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING > FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE tl* the contact owns a 2019 gmc terrain. while driving 70 mph with the cruise control engaged the automatic emergency...	1 ~ 4473 miles
CAMERA > SENSING SYSTEM > BACK OVER PREVENTION tl* the contact owns a 2018 gmc terrain. while driving at night and attempting to back into the driveway the...	1 ~ 300 miles
FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS > WIRING > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2014 gmc terrain. while driving 30 mph the horn failed to work. the dealer (penske...	1 ~ 30885 miles
HORN > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2014 gmc terrain. while driving 30 mph the horn failed to work. the dealer (penske...	1 ~ 30885 miles
WINDSHIELD > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2015 gmc terrain. while the vehicle was stationary and while driving various speeds at night...	1 ~ 25000 miles
HEADLIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2015 gmc terrain. while driving at normal speeds the headlights lost power. the dealer was	1 ~ 126000 miles
FUEL PUMP > DELIVERY > FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE there was a recall for my vehicle to replace the high pressure fuel pump. this was replaced and 1 week...	1 ~ 138300 miles
CAMERA SYSTEM > BACK OVER PREVENTION tl* the contact owns a 2013 gmc terrain. when the ignition was turned to the on position the backup camera...	1
12V/24V/48V BATTERY > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power...	1 ~ 112790 miles
SWITCH > IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2012 gmc terrain. the contact stated that after inserting the key into the ignition switch...	1 ~ 41000 miles
HEATER CORE > DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2010 gmc terrain. the contact stated that the heat and defrost failed to work without...	1 ~ 60000 miles
IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl * the contact owns a 2014 gmc terrain. while driving various speeds the vehicle veered to the right and...	1 ~ 50 miles
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY while driving the crash light and signal came on and the truck slowed down this happen about 6 times since	1 ~ 1500 miles
INTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2010 gmc terrain. the contact stated that the radio display lighting flickered and would not...	1 ~ 44000 miles
REAR > SUSPENSION tl* the contact owns a 2013 gmc terrain. while driving 3 mph and making a right turn the contact heard...	1 ~ 70000 miles
ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT > MECHANICAL > EQUIPMENT tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. the contact stated that the driver was attempting to change a flat...	1 ~ 14000 miles
CRUISE CONTROL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL the select the parts wont let me enter the description. when my vehicle is in cruise control the switch can...	1 ~ 1500 miles
MECHANICAL > EQUIPMENT i bought a 2011 black slt terrain 4/11/11 and has had problems with the noise it makes along with the...	1
FRONT > SUSPENSION issue - 5/20/2011 vehicle brought in for rattling heard from front right wheel. diagnosis noise was found to be coming...	1 ~ 37000 miles
MACPHERSON STRUT > FRONT > SUSPENSION issue - 5/20/2011 vehicle brought in for rattling heard from front right wheel. diagnosis noise was found to be coming...	1 ~ 37000 miles
CHILD SEAT sunshine kids radian super latch defect. it is installed properly and comes loose very easily! my 20 month old daughter	1
LATCH CONNECTOR/CLIP > CHILD SEAT sunshine kids radian super latch defect. it is installed properly and comes loose very easily! my 20 month old daughter	1
DRIVELINE > POWER TRAIN 2010 gmc terrain. potential problem with the vehicle build quality. my vehicle hit a severe pothole very common in nj....	1 ~ 3500 miles
SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE > FRONTAL > AIR BAGS i purchased a 2010 gmc terrain from rossi dealership .i had the truck for a day and the service airbag...	1 ~ 231 miles
AXLE ASSEMBLY > POWER TRAIN tl*the contact owns a 2010 gmc terrain. the contact was driving approximately 25 mph proceeded to make a right turn...	1 ~ 94 miles

FAQ

What year GMC Terrain is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 11 years, GMC Terrain models of 2020, 2017, 2019 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for GMC Terrain?

GMC Terrain models of 2011 and 2010 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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