10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
12,050 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 2018 GMC Terrain:

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

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #25

Jun 202019

Terrain

  • miles
Brakes go to floor an brake peddle starts to vibrate, (lost of brakes ) Brake assist light comes on. Vehicle has 27000 miles. Problem started at 6000 miles an was brought to GMC service centers 3 times for same issue. They replaced 3 different parts at a total cost of1600 dollars. Brake system is being replaced one part at a time at my expense, GMC has no clue what problem is. Will not admit there is an issue? Just got vehicle back for 3rd time an 3rd new part.

- Wildwood, NJ, USA

problem #24

Sep 082022

Terrain

  • miles
Vehicle stuck in emergency assist mood. Without warning I couldn't slow down/stop without putting alot of my weight on the brake breaks were so hard to press down.

- Follansbee, WV, USA

problem #23

Sep 052022

Terrain

  • miles
When trying to brake, brake pedal became extremely hard to push and Repair brake assist notification and check engine light came

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #22

Sep 032022

Terrain

  • miles
Vacuum pump went out brakes hard to push and I know gmc had a recall for this issue on other vehicles as well previously.

- Adel, GA, USA

problem #21

Aug 262022

Terrain

  • miles
Brake has to be pushed all the way down HARD to stop, brake assist warning comes up. I-??ve had the car for less than 2 years and it-??s way too new for anything to go out. Undriveable unless it-??s fixed.

- Harker Heights, TX, USA

problem #20

Jul 302022

Terrain

  • miles
While getting off the interstate, the brakes failed with no prior warning, or issues. The brake pedal became extremely difficult to depress and stopping distance was greatly increased. Could not come to a complete stop without using the emergency brake. We drove home (about 2 miles from the interstate exit) and about a half mile after the brake failure, a "service brake assist" light illuminated. Vehicle was towed to dealership the next morning. The problem was the vacuum pump exploded and caused vacuum to the brake booster to be lost, making the pedal difficult to push. Luckily this happened at 11pm and there was nobody in front of us, there definitely would have been a collision.

- Channahon, IL, USA

problem #19

Jun 032022

Terrain

  • miles
6/3/22 I went to the grocery store which is on a four lane road. When I left the store I had no brakes. On a four lane stop and go road. The was no warning just nothing peddle to the floor and now check engine light is on. I am reading this same problem repeatedly. I love this car but this is a serious hazard and needs to be addressed. We are all driving around practically rear ending people. I was an inch from the guy in front of me thank God the light changed as I was coming up on him or I would have hit him.

- Alliance, OH, USA

problem #18

May 282022

Terrain

  • miles
I was driving out of town (2 hrs from home) with my 2 small children and my mother, when I tried to slow to come to a stop my breaks did not work and I almost rear ended someone. It was sudden, there were no signs that my breaks were going to mess up. When I tried to look up recalls, there were none for my vehicle BUT there were MANY statements of people who drove gmc or gm vehicles that had the same issue with the vacuum boost for the brakes around 50k miles where the breaks just quit or were hard to use. It seems to be a common issue and is VERY unsafe. I cannot afford to fix the issue and I don't feel as though I should have to if other terrains have been recalled, except mine which I do not understand.

- Claremore, OK, USA

problem #17

Mar 182022

Terrain

  • 69,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 50 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The service brake assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

- Deer Park, TX, USA

problem #16

Feb 092022

Terrain

  • miles
The brakes are extremely hard to engage while driving. All 4 rotors are pitted with less than 30k miles. Doing some online research this is a common problem and should be addressed. I just did my first set of brakes at 100,000 miles on my truck.

- Windham, ME, USA

problem #15

Oct 162021

Terrain

  • miles
The vehicle experienced a sudden loss of braking and displayed a -??brake assist -?? fault message. The check engine light has illuminated. The sudden loss of braking was in a residential neighborhood traveling at 35 mph. I was turning during the loss of braking and was able to narrowly avoid collision with the cars at the intersection because I could not slow to a safe speed. The fault codes have not been read by the dealership yet nor has the repair been completed.

- Niceville, FL, USA

problem #14

May 312021

Terrain

  • miles
The "Service Brake Assist" issue in other 2018 GMC SUVs is happening in the 2018 GMC Terrain, but it is not part of the recall. Our brakes became EXTREMELY difficult to press right as we were turning onto the on ramp of an expressway. Thankfully we were smart enough to pull over and not get on the highway. Had we done so, I may not have been here to type this complaint. The brakes be come extremely difficult to press and that message shows. Dealership is going to charge me $400 to replace a vacuum pump - they were not interested in the information I have around this issue in other GMC SUVs since it isn't a formal recall on the Terrain. I could have died yesterday due to this braking issue. I've owned this car for 3 months.

- Redford, MI, USA

problem #13

Mar 202021

Terrain

  • 19,000 miles
Braking assist message is appearing and braking is extremely hard at low speed. You have to push down hard on brake to get car to stop.

- Dalton, GA, USA

problem #12

Feb 232021

Terrain

  • 34,000 miles
When restarting after vehicle "auto stop" I am getting "service brake assist" and occasionally "service ESC" warnings. These warnings were associated with brake failure in GM SUV's and pickups and were subject to a recall. No such recall exists for the Terrain. I haven't yet experienced a brake failure but GM seems to want to wait until I do to fix the problem.

- Chillicothe, OH, USA

problem #11

Jan 312021

Terrain

  • 44,950 miles
My 2018 GMC Terrain brakes did not work when coming to a stop at stop lights which caused me to rear end the car in front of me. There was no warning on my SUV nor did I receive a recall on this matter. This happened twice to me in this same vehicle where the brakes did not respond at a low speed causing an accident. This accident just happened to cause damage to my vehicle and the car in front of me.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #10

Sep 042020

Terrain

  • 96,500 miles
The vacuum pump failed for the second time in less than twelve months. Both times there was no brakes at all when they failed. Both repairs were performed by GMC dealers. Failures happened while the Terrain was being driven.

- Bruce Twp, MI, USA

problem #9

Sep 012020

Terrain

  • 39,600 miles
My 2018 GMC Terrain has major issues that almost caused me to hit a wall on the expressway due to a brake assist issue that other owners have a issue with and GMC has done nothing to help the buyers, where can we the buyers get help with issues GMC is well aware of??

- Park Forest, IL, USA

problem #8

Aug 062020

Terrain 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
I purchased a brand new 2018 GMC Terrain (VIN no. [xxx]) two years ago. The vehicle has approximately 50,000 miles on it. On August 6, 2020, my husband and I were traveling with our 2-year-old son to attend an out-of-state funeral. Traveling around 75 mph on the highway, the brakes failed us. The pedal became entirely stiff making it nearly impossible to slow down and stop. It took considerable force to bring the vehicle to a stop. Remind you, I was traveling with my 2-year-old son. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Perry, MI, USA

problem #7

Jun 122020

Terrain 4-cyl

  • 51,138 miles
My 2018 Terrain has 51138 miles. While driving on the interstate my brake system locked and I was unable to stop. I had to coast to a safe speed and pull my park brake to come to a stop. Because my bumper to bumper warranty is out the dealership is charging me. The vacuum pump is out. Even the technician acknowledged the part was defective and acknowledged it happened really early on in my vehicles mileage but is still saying it is my cost to replace. I asked repeatedly for the part number so I could compare that part number to the part that was recalled on the 2018 GMC trucks and the dealership and GM refused to give me the part number.

- New Iberia, LA, USA

problem #6

May 012019

Terrain

  • 14,000 miles
Bought brand new. At 14,000 miles all 4 rotors are pitted with grooves. Dealer took them apart and found nothing that could cause it. Said they were "weathered". took it to 2 other places and said it was a manufacture defect. Dealer wont replace because bumper to bumper wont cover it. Its a defect didnt notice until another dealer did the oil change. The dealer in February said they werent like that in February.

- Medina, NY, USA

Read the next 5 complaints »