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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2011 GMC Terrain — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 397 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

397
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
11
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
8
Involved Fire
owner-reported
24
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

GMC Terrain — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

295 complaints

397 complaints

370 complaints

369 complaints

302 complaints

316 complaints

152 complaints

135 complaints

224 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 178 reports
Power Train 76 reports
Unknown Or Other 41 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 31 reports
Air Bags 30 reports
Electrical System 29 reports
Visibility/wiper 28 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling 22 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Seats ODI 10669239 12/31/2014

SHOULDER BOLT THAT CONTROLS HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT ON POWER DRIVER'S SEAT. I HAVE ASKED ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND ALWAYS NO PARTS AVAILABLE. DO NOT ALLOW WIFE TO DRIVE VEHICLE AS THERE IS SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN OUR HEIGHTS. *JS

Engine ODI 11163900 12/29/2018

MY TERRAIN HAS 104,000 MILES I WAS DRIVING IT WHEN THE TIMING BELT BROKE AND DESTROYED THE ENGINE. THE MECHANIC SAYS IT WAS DUE TO LACK OF OIL CHANGES BUT THAT IS A LIE BECAUSE I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP EVERY TIME AND I HAD ON STAR ACTIVE SO THE COULD REMIND ME TOO I BROUGHT IT TO BARKER GMC IN YOU MA LA THEY HAVE A RECORD OF MY SERVICE.I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN …

Fuel System ODI 10668900 12/29/2014

WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 376 WEST OUT OF DOWN TOWN PITTSBURGH, PA DURING RUSH HOUR THE SERVICE STABILITRACK WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED AND THEN THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER WARNING CAME ON. AT THE TIME WE WERE TRAVELING ABOUT 45 MPH AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT GO ANY FASTER THAN 20 MPH WHEN WE GOT THE MESSAGES, WE HAD TO TRY TO GET OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.... WE TURNED OFF…

Unknown Or Other ODI 11163571 12/26/2018

DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN THE CAR STARTED MAKING A HORRIBLE GRINDING NOISE. I THOUGHT MY WHEEL WAS COMING DETACHED FROM THE CAR. HAD THE CAR TOWED AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT MY FRONT DIFFERENTIAL "EXPLODED". NOT A HAPPY CAMPER, BOUGHT 2ND HAND, HAS 77,000 MILES NOW COSTING ME 2500.00 TO 5000.00 TO REPAIR. SAD THING IS, IS WE NEVER USE THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE.

Engine ODI 11163595 12/26/2018

TAKATA RECALL : SUCKING UP OIL, RATTLING SOUND, CAR JERKING FORWARD- DIAGNOSIS FROM GMC DEALERSHIP- REPLACE PISTONS, TIMING RINGS, AND ACTUATORS, VEHICLE HAD 1 QUART OF OIL AND VEHICLE HAD REGULAR OIL CHECKS AND WAS IN SHOP LESS THAN A YEAR PRIOR. THIS WAS A KNOWN RECALL BY THE DEALERSHIP. 59K MILEAGE ON VEHICLE . WE HAVE LETTER AND ALL DOCUMENTS

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2011 GMC Terrain, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2011 GMC Terrain reliable?
Owners have filed 397 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 GMC Terrain, most often about engine. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which GMC Terrain years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.