10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
64,788 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2010 GMC Terrain:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #64

Jan 262018

Terrain

  • 75,000 miles
75K miles on vehicle which was maintained regularly and engine seized due to oil consumption. No sort of low oil, replace oil or any type of indicator light illuminated to warn me of any sort of issue. Vehicle was in motion, engine light came on then car died. Informed by GMC that there was likely nothing they can do because the car will not start to evaluate the issue and I did not do my maintenance at the dealership

- East Meadow, NY, USA

problem #63

Nov 152017

Terrain

  • 73 miles
I was getting gas, fiiled up, when I got back into car, didn't want to start, really had to hit gas pedal, very scary, that happened 3 times after getting gas, another time I was at stop light, and it just stalled, engine completely stopped, hard start up again, so I decided for safety reasons taking it to dealership, it's still there as of 11/20/2017, but wanted to get this out there, I think maybe this is ongoing issue with certain models of GMC, and feel maybe it will be a recall issue if enough people report issues as such as these. I thank god I wasn't driving and this happened, def a safety concern GMC needs to address.

- Hartland, MI, USA

problem #62

Jul 242017

Terrain

  • 92,000 miles
Car lost power in the middle of traffic moving at 60 mph on a busy highway. Had to be towed to a dealer, where they said the timing chain had broken and the engine was destroyed as a result. Then we find out that broken timing chains and broken balance chains are common problems on 2010/2011 Terrains.yet GM has never been forced to acknowledge the problem or issue a recall for this serious safety issue. (timing chain breakage in any engine should be rare, not a common occurrence!)

- Madison, MO, USA

problem #61

Jul 192017

Terrain

  • 49,500 miles
No warning indicators (as in none ) of any kind for low oil or low oil pressure as a result when oil is low or empty it will cause the timing chain / belt to break. GMC has a warning about worn rings that results in excessive consumption of oil. Within about 2500 miles of my oil change it was out of oil and resulted in the timing chain / belt breaking. It happened as I was on the entrance ramp to the interstate system.

- West Allis, WI, USA

problem #60

Jul 012017

Terrain

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 GMC Terrain. On several occasions, the check engine warning indicator illuminated intermittently. Additionally, the vehicle vibrated abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the camshaft position sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #59

Jun 042017

Terrain

  • 25 miles
Takata recall- the radio screen goes completely black when it comes back on its un- readable. Also whenever you turn the ac on it makes a clicking sound. Both happen while driving( in motion, stationary, city streets as well as highway... also, the back windows click when rolling them up or down.

- Moreno Valley, CA, USA

problem #58

May 172017

Terrain

  • 97,665 miles
The catalytic converters have been replaced under warranty. Engine indicator light came on and was checked by GM dealer P0017, cranshaft camshaft 9-16-16. The dealer says they fixed it. Also using too much oil. Dealer started oil consumption test in April 2017. Check engine light is still on. As of 5-17-17 I now have to have the timing chain replaced at 103075 miles. GM has issued service/technical bulletins but does help anyone over 100,000 miles. Numerous complaints please issue a recall. I don't want to replace the complete engine. Oil changes have been at GM dealers and I have all the documentation.

- Fenton, MI, USA

problem #57

Apr 292017

Terrain

  • miles
My husband change the oil 2 days ago and said that there was a leak of oil.. I had changed my oil back on 2-28-2017. My husband said there was oil on the stick. So I want to say that it was short 2 or 3 quarts of oil. Me not knowing that it had been leaking. Its making a sound like its knotting, like if the belt was loose, a check engine light came on after having the oil changed.. we have already changed sparknplugs and tyhey were bad.

- Gonzales, TX, USA

problem #56

Dec 112016

Terrain

  • 90,000 miles
Had to replace engine which cost over $4300 and I think it was due to some recall parts (timing chain and Cadillac converter) I should not have had to pay for a new engine because this company had some faulty parts. I would like to be reimbursed for this.

- Okemah, OK, USA

problem #55

Sep 012016

Terrain

  • 85,000 miles
While driving at about 5 miles an hour, turning vehicle around a cul-de-sac the vehicle completely turns off. I have contacted the GMC dealership about this and the only recall I was told was the fuel pump. I was told they would order my parts and they would call me; I never received a call. I have towed the vehicle to two repair shops and I have been told by both that it is a timing chain issue and I need to install a new engine! I called the GMC dealership and asked if the recall could be a direct result of my timing chain issue, and if I had any other recalls? I was told I would have to pay for them to look at my vehicle if not apart of the recall. I do not have the extra money to pay multiple times for my car to be looked at or to put an engine in a vehicle that has less than 85K miles. I purchased this vehicle in late December of 2015 and have not be able to drive the vehicle since about September of 2016. I have gotten at least two oil changes in that time frame (Dec-Sept) from the same GMC dealership and was never told about any recalls or any issues with my vehicle besides needing tires/brakes. One of the mechanics that I took the vehicle to said I have other recalls. I was not able to locate any others online and that is my reason for writing this. I am very unsatisfied and do not know how to proceed.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

problem #54

Mar 172017

Terrain

  • miles
I have a vehicle that has excessive oil consumption. It uses a quart every 900 miles. The dealerships say it is not covered because my vehicle VIN is not included in the special coverage of 10 years, 120000 mi. However, my vehicle engine was completely replaced by a dealership for the same issue. This new engine is not the original engine. I asked the dealership if they can trace the engine serial number back and see if it was built in the same timeframe as the suspect engine. However they will not do that. Dealership is changing the timing chain for special coverage though. I will probably have the dealership fix the oil consumption problem out of my own pocket since the they have to take the engine apart for the timing chain issue. It's cheaper than doing it by itself or changing the engine.

- Noblesville, IN, USA

problem #53

Mar 152017

Terrain

  • 135,880 miles
Stalling when turning, coming up to stop lights and going down hills, engine making loud noises and excessive oil changes. Engine is now unoperable

- Colesburg, IA, USA

problem #52

Jan 072017

Terrain

  • 63,400 miles
Getting gas in oil runs when you shut it off ruff idle

- Romulus, MI, USA

problem #51

Jan 162017

Terrain 4-cyl

  • 70,707 miles
While coming to a stop on a highway exit ramp, the timing chain of my 2010 GMC Terrain with 70,707 miles became disengaged resulting in a catastrophic engine failure. The consumer stated the vehicle failed without warning. The manufacturer offered the consumer $2,000 towards a new vehicle. The consumer declined the offer.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #50

Jan 162017

Terrain

  • 140,000 miles
"takata recall" so far at 140,000 miles on my 2010 Terrain I have had to put a new engine in, all 3 catalytic converters and now a power steering pump and rack. I could have bought a brand new car by now. No recalls on any of these"?" there should be. The engine just stopped on the highway and once replaced then the steering became tight and barely made it to the shop

- Damascus, MD, USA

problem #49

Jan 042017

Terrain

  • 138,671 miles
Vehicle makes noise on cold starts, rattle and engine noise. Found oil leaking on driveway after dealership oil change. Indication was poor fit of filter. Second such vehicle to have this issue. Other 2009 Saturn outlook (vehicle rollover injuries sustained and complained NHTSA). The cold crank engine noise was present prior to oil change on 4cyl, and steering also makes noise on cold start. Vehicle is stationary and has been purchased second hand from dealership 1 year ago

- Durand, MI, USA

problem #48

Dec 042016

Terrain 4-cyl

  • miles
I am adding on additional information to my previous complaint #10938600. GMC sca #14159, 14232, 15810, 12313, and my transmission failure all seem to fall victim to excessive heat. I was pulling into traffic when the transmission failed. My Terrain has fallen victim to three possibly four of the five calamities. There is no reason to believe all five will not fail under the same driving conditions. Somehow not once did warning lights come on for multiple engine oil occurrences, nor for my transmission failure. I was an HVAC chiller technician for 28 years. When I hear ECM referenced, as in sca#12312, I have to ask which values were changed and why. Thermistors and pressure switches designed to protect vital engine compartment components run through the ECM yet no warning. My transmission failed on December 4, 2016, the catalytic converter may be bad, the steering gear is suspect, and the engine warning lights have not done what they are supposed to do. The unnecessarily long delay in addressing the oil consumption issue outlined in sca#14159 probably compromised my engine in other ways. Sca#12313 resulted from GM delaying the repair of sca#14159 for so long. What, why, and how. We know what is failing. Simply replacing the part in kind or similar is not addressing why. How do we keep it from happening again is definitely not being addressed. Safety as well as quality issues are at hand here. GM has ignored my requests for all information regarding sca#14159, 14232, 15810, 12313, and 12312, as well as the transmission. Why they are failing is excessive heat. That is just my guess. They know what it is. I can not afford a costly transmission bill that only finds me back in an unreliable vehicle with some serious safety issues.

- Salisbury, MD, USA

problem #47

Jan 022017

Terrain

  • miles
Takata re call while driving on secondary street my vehicle lost momentum. Fromm 45 mph to 30 then shut down. The recieved message engine power reduced. It vibrated and shut down. I looked up the code. Sat for a moment and restarted. It went without incident for a couple of days. Had it checked out says it's the throttle body was needed. Is there a recall?

- Clinton, MD, USA

problem #46

Jan 122017

Terrain

  • 90,000 miles
Initially radio stayed on after leaving car once. Later the car would not start even though battery was fairly new. Mechanic diagnosed 2 codes (P062B control micro processor and P0690 relay circuit) related to ECM. Mechanic reset the ECM and tried running car but codes came back again. New ECM had to be ordered and installed.

- Churchton, MD, USA

problem #45

Jan 062017

Terrain 4-cyl

  • 58,332 miles
The contact owns a 2010 GMC Terrain. While driving various speeds, the check engine and control assist warning indicators illuminated. The speed decelerated below 10 mph independently in addition the engine made an abnormal sound. The contact managed to drive the vehicle home slowly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,332. Upated 03/07/17

- El Paso, TX, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »