2019 Gmc Terrain problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (58) · Power Train (35) · Engine (16)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Gmc Terrain model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
51 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2020-10-29 · campaign 20V668000 · 194,105 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Risk: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
Seats 2019-03-07 · campaign 19V184000 · 120 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The rear-right seat may have insufficient welds on the head-restraint bracket.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the insufficient welds may result in an increased risk of injury for an occupant seated in the rear-right position.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear-right seatback frame, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192209550.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper 2018-08-30 · campaign 18V576000 · 210,628 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
Service bulletins (1,006)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-26 · GM Update N25-250552 · Over The Air
• improvements to onstar functionality.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-27 · PIT5992B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information discusses a condition that may arise from the drivers window switch sending an errant message causing the vehicle to enter manual fob learn mode.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,006 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-23 · Power Train“transmission leak caused but start and stop accumulator …”
2026-10-13 · Service Brakes“vin: [xxx] mileage: approximately 103,576 incident location: [xxx] safety complaint: while my wife was driving our 2019 gmc terrain into a shopping center parking lot, the vehicle suddenly experienced a severe loss of braking assistance. the brake pedal became extremely stiff and difficult to depress, and she was barely able to slow the vehicle…”
2026-09-24 · Service Brakes“while driving on an interstate, vehicle became sluggish when accelerating. took off on exit, engine was reduced to 50% power, attempted to drive to large parking lot, lost brakes, got the vehicle stopped in an intersection, would not shut off, go into neutral. finally shut off, had to call tow truck, holding up traffic in a busy intersection. was…”
2026-09-23 · Power Train · 60,000 mi“the contact owns a 2019 gmc terrain. the contact stated that after pulling into a parking lot, the vehicle failed to shift into park. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the contact was informed that three fault codes were found. the dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to be disassembled for a full diagnostic test. the vehi…”
2026-09-17 · Service Brakes“on 9/15/2026, my wife drove her car, a 2019 gmc terrain, to a doctor's appointment. she reported no known issues with the way the car operated during her drive nor had she or i experienced issues prior to this event. after she finished her appointment, she attempted to start her car and was unable to get the car to start. she also noticed that the…”
2026-09-04 · Service Brakes“while driving my 2019 gmc terrain with three children as passengers, the vehicle developed a braking/engine problem. the brake pedal became very hard, and the vehicle subsequently became undrivable and would not start. i received no advance warning through the gmc app indicating that the vacuum pump was failing. the vehicle was towed to a gmc deal…”
2026-08-21 · Visibility/Wiper“this is the second time i have noticed storm heavy rain that my car is taken on water. we had an extremely heavy rain in june and no windows was left open. i did not know water had gotten into my car for an entire month when i heard a solution sale when i came to a break, what i did realize is that there was condensation buildup is inside of my car…”
2026-08-21 · Service Brakes“on saturday, august 15th we were driving on the freeway when with no warning the check engine light came on and the vehicle began to run poorly, and then the vehicle lost electrical power and it became difficult to steer and the brake pedal became stiff, making it difficult to stop and pull over. the vehicle would not start on command but kept runn…”
2026-08-18 · Service Brakes“the car’s brakes hardened on the highway, posing a life-threatening danger, right before the engine died. following a tow to the dealership’s service center, an initial inspection revealed a broken vacuum pump and broken camshaft. the dealership stated that there was evidence that camshaft debris may be scattered throughout the engine. no further i…”
2026-08-09 · Service Brakes“while driving my 2019 gmc terrain on local roads, the vehicle suffered a sudden and complete failure of the braking system. the brake pedal became extremely hard to press, and the dashboard displayed a critical error message stating 'engine power is reduced.' during this frightening safety incident i felt lucky to bring the car to a stop without an…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.