GMC Terrain Complaints

3,167 consumer complaints on file.

#11706256December 20, 2025
ENGINE
For a year we have had to check to the oil weekly and add oil due to the vehicle burning oil so quickly. The past month we have had to check it daily and add oil. We do regular routine oil changes and have had to get them before the next one is due. Recently when driving the “oil pressure low stop engine” light has been coming on almost daily. The oil change company has reported to us that it is due to the 2.4 Eco tech motor. You can smell the oil burning through the vents inside the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11706083December 19, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal while driving uphill or making a left or right turn, the tires were skipping, and there was a clicking and whining sound coming from the front of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that a friend test-drove the vehicle and informed that the vehicle had experienced transmission failure. Neither the independent mechanic nor the dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V668000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 104,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11706001December 18, 2025
ENGINE
This message concerns a persistent engine light that activates and generates engine code P0299, indicating an engine underboost issue. There have been several occasions where I am driving over 55mph on the highway and my 2020 Terrain SLT fails to pick up speed over 60mph in traffic. I took it to my GMC dealer earlier this year for them to diagnose, and they discovered that the charge air cooler tube had collected moisture. Once that was fixed, the vehicle was fine for about a month when the same thing happened. I took it to another GMC dealer and found that the turbocharger wastegate actuator had to be replaced. Once replaced, I had no problems until it began to get cold where I live. Now the vehicle is doing the same thing. Now what happens is the engine light will come on and give the engine underboost message but goes away after a week of driving. I have taken it to 2 dealers for diagnosis, only for the engine light to disappear before they can figure out what the problem is now. This continues to be an issue, as I frequently drive on the highway over 55mph for work, errands, etc., and presents a potential hazard if I have to pick up speed and can't on a major highway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705536December 17, 2025
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, a second vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. During the crash, the vehicle sustained severe damage to the front passenger side, but no air bags inside the cabin of the vehicle deployed. The driver of the other vehicle reported no injuries, and the air bags in her vehicle did deploy. The contact was transported from the scene of the crash to the local hospital with multiple injuries that included a head contusion and burn, left knee contusion, right hand, and right foot contusions. A police report was taken at the scene, and the vehicle was towed to the local collision center. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 129,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11705510December 17, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The intercooler has been a document problem on GMC Terrains for awhile now. I had my intercooler replaced and now less than 10 months it is having the same problem. The vehicle will go into reduced power mode which would be a safety hazard because it will also stall sometimes when it is having performance issues. That could lead to someone colliding into me if it suddenly stops when someone is behind me. I believe this part should be recalled and fixed for free.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705372December 16, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Since August 2024, my brake booster has gone a total of five times each time with the notification on the dash service brake assist. And it just went again as of two days ago. I’ve brought it to Firestone where they have replaced it each time with a warranty on the part. I called them yesterday to tell them that it went again and they refused to fix it telling me that they got the part from the dealership and that I would have to take it there so the dealership would have to figure out what’s wrong with it as to why the car is “chewing up” the part. I have young kids and this part has gone five times.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705467December 16, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Failure of the cam driven vacuum pump causing brake failure. Leading to a hard brake pedal which increases risk of a crash. Debris from the broken vacuum pump can fall down into the engine causing a catastrophic failure of the engine needing a replacement. This happens with little to no warning. Warranty companies will not pay to repair the known issue. A recall needs to be issued for this to provide a fix. This is a family suv and I do not feel safe putting my children in a vehicle that can endanger their lives and safety.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705073December 15, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2010 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the service stabili-trak and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to O’Reilly Auto Parts, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #3. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that there was no compression in cylinder #3. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that several oil consumption tests were performed by the dealer over the past three years. The contact stated that after each oil consumption test was performed, the oil pressure was always a quart or more lower when checked; however, the contact was informed that it was not an issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11704838December 13, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
When driving vehicle, alert sounded lowered speed detection and my engine light came on. My vehicle then lagged power and it smelled like something was burning. Called dealer i bought vehicle from and i drove it in to them. I just bought the vehicle 8 months ago. I was just in to same dealer for a GPS tracker that was in my vehicle unknown to me that the Onstar stopped working and the dealer had stating they missed it in the pre certified inspection and they had to replace the telemax module do to the unknown GPS Tracker. My vehicle is now in for the lowered speed detection problem which my GM app stated it was an air induction system problem. I do not have paper work for the air induction system yet but i have sent photo of what my GM app produced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11704787December 12, 2025
ENGINE
Was driving my terrain and suddenly it started to shake and then check engine Light came on. Upon getting out I checked the dipstick and no oil was on dipstick. Start to put oil in and it's running out of the oil pan underneath the vehicle. Towed it home removed oil pan and engine parts laying shattered in bottom. Never got a low oil alert . Had codes misfire and knock sensor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11704389December 11, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The infotainment system will just randomly start going haywire and when it happens, you cannot use the touchscreen. It will try to randomly delete app icons such as the camera, it will try to delete connected phones, it will try to delete radio favorites and it will move app icons all around. These are just a few examples of things that happen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11704451December 11, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Re: 2020 GMC Terrain. Our fuel pump control module (FPCM) unexpectedly failed after driving a short distance. Vehicle stalled without warning on the street and was unable to be started again. This could have resulted in a crash and/or injury to other people in the area. An independent service center suspected an issue with the module but was unable to make an official diagnosis. The vehicle was towed to the local GMC dealer who confirmed the FPCM failure and needed to be replaced at a cost of $850. There were no warning indicators prior to the incident and the vehicle's display only showed "battery saver mode" after stalling on the street.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11704199December 10, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The car went into limp mode while I was on the highway. The car said reducing engine power and then I couldn't go the speed limit I had to drive well under the speed limit and pull off the road as soon as possible. I brought it home and water came pouring out the intercooler after looking online. I found out this is a known issue for this vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11703650December 8, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal became extremely difficult to depress, with the message "Brake Assist" displayed. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway and the parking brake was activated, and the vehicle was turned off. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift into gear, and the vehicle was dragged onto a flatbed truck and towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 132,386.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11703191December 5, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I bought this Terrain brand new from Betten Baker Chevrolet in Muskegon Mi in 2019 with 500 miles. That same year we had transmission Slippage causing it to slip out of gear then slam back into gear while driving. I took it to the dealer to have it looked at. They did nothing and informed me it was known by the manufacturer that this was an issue. I then had to bring it back for electrical issues as the lights would all start going off in the cab including dome lights and shift buttons. All key fob would not be recognized by the car and would have to be reprogrammed counting 5 times now. Now I am sitting at just oflver 100,000 miles and what I thought was going to be a simple spark plug change gas turned into a complete motor failure. did an oil change and there was no oil in it. The turbo was replaced and now the engine started making a lot of rattling noises and just stopped. the dash says service transmission, ECS, Extremely low battery voltage and has jost die after oil started pouring out the bottom of the car. It is now sitting at the dealership service department where I was told by am employee there that they have been seeing them come in at 150,000 miles for complete rebuilds and mine was early. let me tell you that this car isn't even paid off yet. And the 2006 Ram 1500 is more reliable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702750December 3, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
While driving my brakes failed. I was unable to stop my car, my brake pedal became very stiff and I could not stop my car. There were no warning signs or lights on indicating there were any issues with my car prior to this happening. I had to have my car towed to the dealer. The current estimate is for a vacuum pump failure resulting in camshaft damage. Both need to be replaced. I see other GMC cars were recalled for what appears to be a similar issue. I am lucky no one was injured as this could have very easily resulted in a fatal event. I have never heard of such a thing happening before and am beyond belief that this has occurred. This is the third repair I've had done this year. I have also replaced a booter pipe and valve gasket due to leaking oil. The amount of repairs required in such a short a time seems excessive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702441December 2, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving up the driveway at approximately 10 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to function as intended. The contact used force to depress the brake pedal. When the vehicle came to a stop, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the front brakes. The contact stated that the message "Power Assist Brakes" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 198,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702097November 30, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
While driving on a main road at around 45mph the vacuum pump that supplies brake fluid to the brakes failed. The car was unable to be stopped and had it not been late in the night I could have crashed into other vehicles on the road or hit someone walking. There was not indication prior to the malfunction and was very sudden. This issue has been observed by the dealer as well as multiple other individuals with the same problem for this make and model of car as well as others by the same manufacturer for similar years of manufacturing. This part has also been shown to break into the engine causing complete engine failure due to lack of a shear pin on the vacuum pump.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701734November 26, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that upon shifting to reverse(R), the rear-view camera image was blue, and the parking sensor beeping sound was inoperable. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701012November 22, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The rear backup camera in my 2020 GMC Terrain failed. I first noticed and noted that the image was 'cloudy' on 5/3/2023, and it became very bad by 1/22/2024. On 7/1/2024, the image stopped working completely, replaced with a blue screen on the dashboard screen. I ordered a new camera and replaced it myself on 8/1/2024. Because the dealership did not mention any safety effects or recalls, and instead quoted me a very expensive repair estimate, and the vehicle was out of its 3 year warranty, I assumed it was my responsibility to repair this feature. However, I have seen recent news articles where other vehicles have been recalled by NHTSA for similar problems with backup cameras.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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