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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2015 GMC Terrain — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 316 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

316
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
10
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
1
Involved Fire
owner-reported
7
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

186 complaints

197 complaints

36 complaints

88 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Visibility/wiper 102 reports
Engine 81 reports
Electrical System 35 reports
Exterior Lighting 30 reports
Power Train 26 reports
Unknown Or Other 22 reports
Visibility 20 reports
Air Bags 16 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Power Train ODI 11562794 12/31/2023

The blower fan for heat In my vehicle was replaced in October 2022, recently the Defroster will not engage and it is vital to winter driving. The mechanism that switches between which vent to blow out air was replaced and the Defroster will still not engage, rather it comes out of the heat and face vents. Shortly after the Defroster stopped engaging, the rpms will start fluct…

Visibility/wiper ODI 11164295 12/31/2018

2015 GMC TERRAIN WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAME INOPERATIVE ON DECEMBER 31, 2018 WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET DURING HEAVY RAIN. WIPERS WERE SET ON REGULAR SPEED WHEN THEY FAILED. UPON INSPECTION THE WIPER ARMS FEEL TOTALLY DISCONNECTED FROM THE WIPER MOTOR. *DT*JB

Vehicle Speed Control ODI 11164022 12/29/2018

THE CAR KEEPS STALLING WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE IN REVERSE OR DRIVE AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. THIS IS PROBLEM AS I AM READING UP ON THIS SO I BELIEVE THERE IS SOME KIND OF RECALL THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. THIS IS [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Engine ODI 11498787 12/25/2022

Stopped at Kwik Trip to get coffee before work one morning. Restarted Terrain and while leaving the SUV lost power and went into limp mode in heavy traffic. Car was towed to repair facility. Diagnosed as timing chain and guides failed resulting in major engine damage. Bill was $4302.85. Vehicle had 87397 miles on it.

Engine ODI 11444669 12/22/2021

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while reversing out of her driveway, the vehicle started making abnormal knocking sounds. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the battery was severely corroded and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the battery was replaced; ho…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2015 GMC Terrain, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

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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 2015 GMC Terrain reliable?
Owners have filed 316 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2015 GMC Terrain, most often about visibility/wiper. 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.