GMC Terrain Complaints

3,167 consumer complaints on file.

#11659263May 6, 2025
ENGINE
My 2016 GMC Terrain exhibited the excessive oil consumption outlined in both of the following Special Coverage Adjustment bulletins. In addition to the excessive oil consumption, the oil light and oil pressure warnings never gave any indication that there was an issue or that the oil was low. This ended in the engine shaking the whole car, jerking it forward when stopped, and causing the engine to seize and need replacing. GMC customer service has refused to acknowledge this issue, stating that until the government tells them to issue a recall, they can't do anything to fix my vehicle. GM acknowledged the issue for model years 2010 - 2013 (+2014 later) and alleged that they made production changes in 2013 that fixed the issue. From the experience with my vehicle and the posts on multiple consumer websites by other GM owners, it is clear that they did NOT fix the issue and that there are hundreds of owners of GMC Terrain and Chevy Equinox vehicles with the 2.4L engines that have had this problem and have lost all the value in their vehicles as a result (or had to pay up to $10,000 for a new engine.) [XXX] [XXX] Class action lawsuit about previous model years: [XXX] v. General Motors INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659275May 6, 2025
ENGINE
I am reporting excessive oil consumption in my 2016 GMC Terrain with the 2.4L Ecotec engine. The vehicle burns through an abnormal amount of oil between routine oil changes, often requiring additional oil changes without any visible leaks or dashboard warnings until the oil level is dangerously low. This issue has been diagnosed by a certified GMC dealership, but the repair was not covered under warranty. I’ve learned this is a known and widespread defect related to faulty piston rings and PCV system issues in this engine model, which has led to engine damage or failure in many cases. GMC has not issued a recall for my VIN, and my request for goodwill assistance was denied despite the safety risk of low oil pressure and potential engine failure while driving. I believe this issue poses a safety concern and warrants formal investigation and potential recall expansion.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659326May 6, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine seized. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to another independent mechanic, where the failure was confirmed to be engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was also confirmed as having engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659131May 5, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Timing chain. It had no warning and failed due to poor design and gm in Europe fixed/addressed the issue by installing a plate behind the tensioner a part that isn’t available in the us.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658372May 2, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My backup camera in my 2020 vehicle has failed twice. Once was covered under manufacturer's warranty, and it then failed again 14 months later, which is not covered under warranty. As explained by the dealer, a parts warranty is 12 months if covered under manufacturer warranty and 24 months if paid for by the owner. Different warranties for the same part? Additionally, there is a service bulletin out about this issue as MANY other owners are reporting the same issue. The camera parts are being damaged by "water intrusion". There is NO rust or damage that would be contributing to this, thus it appears to be a manufacturing defect. There is no way I should have had to replace this part twice with only 40,000 miles on the vehicle. (first time at 24,000 miles, second time at 38,500 miles). I feel that the manufacturer should be fixing these as they know it is a widespread problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658545May 2, 2025
ENGINE
GM recently recalled over 500,000 car engines. The warning signs to look out for was a “knocking” sound coming from the engine. I had recently experienced the same issues that the recalled car engines were experiencing. I went to get it checked out and my mechanic said there were chunks of metal in the engine. The GM engine recall should include 2017 GMC TERRAINS SLT. If I had not got it looked at, it would have caused an accident that would have been unpreventable due to the warning signs of only the knocking sound. No other lights had came on in the car. Please consider putting this make and model in the engine recall! If someone reaches out to me, I have the name of my mechanic that can verify the engine issue of my GMC.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658576May 2, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the engine had seized. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was again towed to the dealer, who again diagnosed a failure with the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658578May 2, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2025 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment system displayed a blank screen. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road into a gas station and turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the infotainment system displayed a message "Update Failed - See Dealer to Restore System". The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658371May 2, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Driving on slightly uphill 55 mph highway, vehicle started jumping & losing engine power. Engine light came on, I made it to the top as it was slowing down. Pulled off to the side. Put it in park for a minute. Message showing on dash read - acceleration power reduced. Drove it on home (engine light stayed on) parked it & had it towed to dealership the next morning. Got a call from dealership the same afternoon saying the vehicle was ready to be picked up. Picked up later in evening from dealership. They left keys & paper in car for pick up. We still tend the paper left it in the box showing we picked it up. The vehicle drove good back home. Drove it the next day, As I was pulling out from a stop sign, it started jumping again for a few seconds. Got home & had my husband to drive it, as we were coming up a small hill, it started jumping & losing power again engine light was blinking at this point. Dash board read engine power reduced. My husband kept on the accelerater & when we got on top of the hill engine light went off & we drove it back to the dealership & left it to be checked again. They kept the vehicle for 7 days & said they were not able to find concern. We picked it up again. Drove it back home without any incident. It has been parked since we got it home.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658263May 1, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was adding approximately 3-4 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles. The contact was informed by a mechanic that the failure might be related to a defective oil sending unit or piston oil ring. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657930April 30, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently shifted into neutral(N) and the vehicle lost motive power while the accelerator pedal was depressed. In addition, the vehicle had shifted from park(P) to drive(D) and into neutral(N). There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not identified. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657991April 30, 2025
ENGINE
March 1, 2025, I was driving from Charlotte, NC east bound on highway 40 towards Wilmington and all of a sudden my car just stopped while I was in the left lane. I was able to cruise over to the right shoulder and park my car in front of a sign that read exit 298 a few feet ahead. From there I was on the highway about two hours trying to get a tow truck to tow my 2017 GMC Terrain to the nearest GMC dealership which so happened to be 10 miles away. Which the tow never came. My step father drove about 100 miles west to pick me and my daughters up. All night I was on the phone with one tow truck company after another and every one kept saying they couldn’t find my car. In the morning I called another tow and he was able to find my car in the same location I left it. It was a Sunday so I had to wait until Monday to follow up with GMC Thompson. They advised I needed engine work. I was told I needed, timing chains, compression, gear bolts. However my car had just been repaired in November 2024, because my car wouldn’t start up after work. GMC in Charlotte Liberty GMC they replaced the gasket, chains, pipes, pistons, bolts, screws, seals, valves, bearings, actuators, tensioners, manifold, I mean the engine was rebuilt basically. It Thompson GMC about month to repair the vehicle because they were waiting for parts. The last week Lisa my representative was able to get me a loner car. I’ve been driving the car for about almost 3 weeks and I’m still very Leary of it. Terrible experience and I don’t see any recalls for my year make and model but I believe I’m probably not the only one with this year make and model that has gone through this. There’s two dates so I’m not sure which date to put.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658040April 30, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
Vehicle every other morning shows issue with blind spot assist. It keeps popping an error message and it has happened since I purchased it new. Took it multiple times to dealership and they cannot recreate issue. So it's been an issue since I bought it now.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657553April 29, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and preparing to complete a left turn, there was an abnormal pop coming from underneath the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the driveshaft had fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that several days later the contact heard a loud pop, prompting the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the sound. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,200.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657064April 27, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Breaks went out on vehicle with no warning or lights on dash. Nothing prior or now indicating any issues with breaking system.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657081April 27, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1st time - rear main seal blew out & engine lost all of its oil causing rocker arm to break & chains to slip-vehicle sputtered & DIED while driving down busy street & would not restart - my safety & safety of others driving behind me were at risk for causing a rear end accident and/or pile up crash - no warning lights or sounds alerted me - dealership told us General Motors is aware this is/has been a problem with 2017 Terrain vehicles especially those driven in Midwest states due to colder temperatures - the intake manifold vent hole is not large enough to let air out, so it plugs up & causes pressure to blow out rear seal, which causes oil to leak out and engine dies. When replaced with a remanufactured engine intake manifold vent hole was not drilled out causing it to happen again 2nd time - when leaving parking spot at work noticed oil puddles underneath my vehicle, I checked my oil, it showed full, I was concerned, drove to nearby last place I got my oil change. They informed me that all the oil had leaked out and showed me the bottom of my vehicle oil covered the front to the back of my vehicle. They also said that I was extremely lucky to get to shop before engine blew and stopped dead. AGAIN my safety and safety of others behind me could have been a rear end accident and/or car pileup crash - again no warning lights or sounds alerted me - shop personal told me General Motors is aware this is/has been a problem with 2017 Terrain vehicles especially those driven in Midwest states due to colder temperatures - even though the repairs where done by a certified dealership the first time they replaced with a remanufactured engine but failed to drill out the intake manifold vent hole bigger so this would not happen again BUT IT DID. General Motors cannot just sell vehicles it has to stand behind what they sell which in my case they have not. Due to GM lack of concern, recalls, reimbursements, lives have been and continue to be at risk
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11656552April 24, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission erroneously shifted to the neutral, causing the vehicle to decelerate. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated normally. During the failure, the message " Power Reduced" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 36,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655816April 21, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake booster went out and lost all braking ability on interstate doing 65 mph in spring of 2022 - had brake booster and exhaust cam replaced and April 20 2025 same break and same effect - no braking ability at interstate speed - extremely dangerous situation
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655739April 21, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the service message was displayed, and the audible turn signal became inoperable, along with the collision warning and the On-Star feature. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 22,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655646April 19, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Three times in one month, four months after purchasing vehicle from dealership, the vehicle stalls while driving and will not restart. After running codes, each instance prompted a P129F code for the fuel pump driver control module. After the second incident, the vehicle was inspected by a qualified repair shop and no issue or stored codes were found. When the issues occur and the car stalls, the Check Engine Light and a Low Battery warning message can be seen on the instrument panel. When this issue occurs, the vehicle's gears cannot be shifted manually. The vehicle must be force shifted by hand, via transmission components under the hood, in order to place the car into neutral.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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