2019 GMC Terrain Problems & Owner Complaints

Service Brakes 65 1 crash 3 injury

“The contact owned a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while the wife was driving at approximately 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and it felt stiff. The vehicle failed to decrease in speed and as a result, the driver merged to the shoulder of the road however another vehicle crashed into the front driver side of the vehicle. The driver was able to merge to the shoulder of the road where the road bumps were able to decrease the speed of the vehicle. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The driver, front passenger, and rear driver's side passenger all sustained headaches and rece…”
NHTSA complaint #11595648, 2024 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while stopped and attempting to turn to exit a highway ramp, he observed a loud banging noise emanating from the engine compartment. An "engine reduced power" message appeared. The vehicle then went into limp mode, and when the brake pedal was depressed, it was stiff as a rock. The vehicle coasted while he continued attempting to depress the brake pedal, and it eventually slowed down. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. When the vehicle was turned back on and he attempted to depress the accelerator pedal,…”
NHTSA complaint #11737591, 2026

“Brake assist light came on and brake pedal became stiff/hard to push. Vehicle struggled to brake. Replaced brake pads and checked brake fluid. Brakes still inoperable. Check engine light came on for vacuum pump. When replacing pump, metal shards and pieces were falling out when original was removed. Once replacement was installed vehicle began hesitating to start and run.”
NHTSA complaint #11727730, 2026

Engine 63 2 fire

“I bought a car from Boone Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership in North Carolina on [XXX] and by [XXX] my engine was out before I purchase my car I made sure they serviced my vehicle at a GMC Dealership and there's a warranty on the service of my engine I did not buy the warranty on my car because they couldn't guarantee that the warranty transferred over to West Virginia shop's and that they would cover issues they stated they could deny service cuz it was out of state. So my car went to Moses Cadillac GMC in downtown Charleston on [XXX] they literally just randomly dropped it back off to me tw…”
NHTSA complaint #11615813, 2024 · fire

“My wife was driving the car, about 70 mph on route 84 passing danbury ct. She was traveling in the middle lane, some kind of oil light went on the dashboard, car shut down while traveling 70 mph on the highway, and caught on fire under the hood. She managed to pull over, and got out of the car with my daughter. This is a 2019 car with 14K miles. This car was packed with milwaukee cordless tools, complete Festool set, complete golf bag with all the clubs, two suitcases of best clothes for me and my daughter, her laptop, etc. We were driving to our new home in south carolina, and on the w…”
NHTSA complaint #11440494, 2021 · fire

“While driving the vehicle became extremely difficult to stop I was advised that the Vacuum booster pump was broken and it needed to be replaced. This was first completed 09/24/25 by Gateway tire and service center. I was advised that there was a service bulletin for the issue. Then I have had the same thing happen and I returned the vehicle to the same repair shop and I was advised that the Vacuum booster pump was broken and it caused the exhaust camshaft to break, as well as the timing was out. The shop had to replace several things in order to repair and I was responsible for the cost. The…”
NHTSA complaint #11748359, 2026

Power Train 50

“No engine lights are on. When at stops it starts chugging and when I accelerate sometimes it does not go like it should. It idles high and feels like it is slipping. I have almost been hit in the rear several times when this happens. One lady did rear end me but the damage was so little that I did not call the cops. This vehicle has not been inspected and it is available for inspection at any time.”
NHTSA complaint #11748117, 2026

“The turbo went completely out at around 105k miles while I was driving to work. I had to coast into a repair shop because it was smoking and wouldn’t go over 20mph and then have it towed to the place that repaired it. Since then, the transmission is having trouble shifting gears. The car struggles to accelerate and I have to go abnormally slow after coming to a complete stop in order for the car to get into gear. The onstar diagnostic says everything is fine but it is clearly not fine.”
NHTSA complaint #11743318, 2026

“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly shifted into neutral(N). There was transmission fluid on the ground, and the vehicle became disabled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a transmission accumulator leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,400.”
NHTSA complaint #11724954, 2026

Electrical System 37 1 fire 2 injury

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GMC TERRAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE AIR CONDITION WAS ACTIVATED, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL CHEMICAL BURNING ODOR COMING THROUGH THE VENTS, CAUSING HE AND HIS WIFE TO GET HEADACHES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MEADOWLAND OF CARMEL GMC (1952 US-6, CARMEL HAMLET, NY 10512) HOWEVER, WAS NOT DIAGNOSED FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS FIRST PURCHASED AND THE ODOR WAS FIRST EXPERIENCED, THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACED THE VEHICLE WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILUR…”
NHTSA complaint #11374242, 2020 · fire · 2 injury(ies)

“My cars breaks failed by a vacuum pump failer and I almost died on the a hill going home”
NHTSA complaint #11733476, 2025

“I bought this Terrain brand new from Betten Baker Chevrolet in Muskegon Mi in 2019 with 500 miles. That same year we had transmission Slippage causing it to slip out of gear then slam back into gear while driving. I took it to the dealer to have it looked at. They did nothing and informed me it was known by the manufacturer that this was an issue. I then had to bring it back for electrical issues as the lights would all start going off in the cab including dome lights and shift buttons. All key fob would not be recognized by the car and would have to be reprogrammed counting 5 times now. Now I…”
NHTSA complaint #11703191, 2025

Unknown Or Other 21 1 crash 1 injury

“LIFT GATE ON THIS VEHICLE OPENS TO A HEIGHT OF 69 INCHES . AT 74 INCHES I AM CONSTANTLY BANGING MY HEAD ON THE LIFT GATE. MY 2017 MODEL OPENED TO AT LEAST 76 INCHES WHICH IS MORE REASONABLE. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE, AS THIS IS A FLAW IN THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE. THE MODEL THAT HAS A POWER LIFT GATE OPENS TO AROUND 76 INCHES.. A FULL 7 INCHES HIGHER THAN THE MANUAL ONE.. THE DEALERSHIP NEVER POINTED OUT THIS PROBLEM TO ME SEEING THAT I AM 74 INCHES TALL.”
NHTSA complaint #11163864, 2018 · 1 injury(ies)

“Carfax report showed that Air bag deployed in the accident on 3/22/2019. Which is wrong information. The car was repaired through state farm authorize body shop. The effect part was front bumper, grill , left side head ligh and left fender.”
NHTSA complaint #11434330, 2019 · crash

“While driving the vehicle became extremely difficult to stop I was advised that the Vacuum booster pump was broken and it needed to be replaced. This was first completed 09/24/25 by Gateway tire and service center. I was advised that there was a service bulletin for the issue. Then I have had the same thing happen and I returned the vehicle to the same repair shop and I was advised that the Vacuum booster pump was broken and it caused the exhaust camshaft to break, as well as the timing was out. The shop had to replace several things in order to repair and I was responsible for the cost. The…”
NHTSA complaint #11748359, 2026

Vehicle Speed Control 9

“Vehicle struggles to shift from low gears; seems to completely miss 3rd gear. Codes from maintenance indicate TCC slip”
NHTSA complaint #11688959, 2025

“Friday July 25, 2025 I was driving my 2019 GMC Terrain SLE and when exiting the interstate the brake pedal got hard and I could not stop. After almost rear ending another vehicle, I got the vehicle into the ditch and safely off the road. After several attempts to correct the problem, I was unsuccessful. The vehicle was towed home and seen by a mechanic. The vacuum pump went out while I was driving.”
NHTSA complaint #11676573, 2025

“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the accelerator was depressed to overtake a vehicle; however, the vehicle hesitated, and RPM revved to 4,000 RPM. The vehicle then shifted into gear with a jerk, causing the vehicle to shake abnormally. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while accelerating from a stop. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle but was unable to retrieve a fault code. The vehicle had not been repaired. T…”
NHTSA complaint #11544078, 2023

Back Over Prevention 7 1 crash

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GMC TERRAIN. WHILE REVERSING AT 3 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TELEPHONE POLE DUE TO THE BACK UP CAMERA BEING INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CAMERA DID NOT DETECT THE OBJECT THAT WAS LOCATED ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE LIFTGATE AND THE REAR WINDOW WAS SHATTERED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEA…”
NHTSA complaint #11267945, 2019 · crash

“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while reversing the vehicle, the display screen failed to display an image and was instead displaying a blue screen. The backover prevention system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11634605, 2024

“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera displayed a blank image. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11633432, 2024

Electronic Stability Control (Esc) 6 1 crash

“STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON I-75. THE VEHICLE JUMPED FORWARD. DRIVER TRYING TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT IT WAS NOT WORKING, AUTO SENSORING HAD TAKEN OVER THE VEHICLE AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO REARENDED THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF IT PUSHING THAT VEHICLE INTO THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF THAT ONE.”
NHTSA complaint #11193889, 2019 · crash

“The contact's wife owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that upon making a left turn, the steering wheel would forcefully jerk to right, thrusting the vehicle into the opposite direction. The contact stated that the service ESC and service brake assist warning lights were illuminated. The warning lights would disappear soon after the failure as well as upon restart. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on multiple occasions where he was repeatedly informed that unless the service light was illuminated upon arrival to the dealer, they would be unable to service the vehicle. Th…”
NHTSA complaint #11473648, 2022

“9/30/20 DRIVING HOME AND WAS ACCELERATING TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE, THE TCS AND STABILITRAK LIGHTS CAME ON AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH. A BRIEF MESSAGE POPPED UP TO SERVICE THE TCS SYSTEM AND WENT AWAY. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STOPPED FLASHING BUT TCS & STABILITRAK/TRACTION LIGHTS REMAINED ON. I STOPPED THE VEHICLE AS SOON AS I COULD, TURNED IT OFF, WAITING A FEW MINUTES AND RESTARTED - ALL LIGHTS HAD TURNED OFF. PROBLEM HAS NOT REPLICATED, BUT AM SCHEDULED FOR SERVICE (OIL CHANGE) AT DEALER TASCA BUICK GMC SAT OCT 3RD, WILL DISCUSS DURING SERVICE APPOINTMENT. (I COMMUTE DAILY ROUND TRIP 1…”
NHTSA complaint #11361931, 2020

Forward Collision Avoidance 6

“Break booster pressure sensor and engine underbooster causes the car to slam on breaks or not break at all.”
NHTSA complaint #11609485, 2024

“Brakes got hard all of a sudden locked up, almost hit another car, front collision warning keeps going off and automatically hitting brakes with no one in front of me. I’ve read it could vacuum brake pump failure. Please recall this as many people have kids and could hurt them.”
NHTSA complaint #11572976, 2024

“I’m crying out to you because I bought a 2019 GMC Terrain in April of this year with about 14,000 miles. The suv ran great for about 2 months and since then I’ve been dealing with nothing but a nightmare. We’re dealing with a situation where the suv goes into park while driving. We’ve brought the suv multiple times to GMC dealership and even reached out to GMC, and had no luck resolving the issue. Last night, while driving to a family event, the suv went into park while I was driving. This is the 4th time since we got the suv. I’m scared for my safely in this suv, if you could please assist”
NHTSA complaint #11495885, 2022

Exterior Lighting 5

“Headlights flicker when auto stop releases and clicks back on to move the vehicle. This happens when it wants too but usually at the same time service parking brake will pop up, followed by steering is reduced, drive with care.. Lets see what else. Carplay no longer works. No sound. sd card error pops up. Car will not play music through a cord but will via bluetooth, but charges a phone. OnStar light flickering between green and red until I turned off power to the liftgate. (manually clicking over knob to disable) Headlights flickering can cause accidents. Sure hope there's no epileptics out.…”
NHTSA complaint #11640766, 2024

“When parked in home driveway brake lights came on with no one in car or driven during the day. Only way to turn off brake is to remote start & then cut off engine with Fob. Dealer diagnostic unable to find issue & condition didn't occur when at their location.”
NHTSA complaint #11531074, 2023

“I was driving at nighttime and my head lights cut off.. they were in auto light mode. I read that gmc knows about some sort of issue with this but only covers repairs up to 150k miles. My car is 156k miles. There was no warning lights and no indication anything was wrong. Luckily I was the only care on my side of the highway and was able to slam on the brakes and come to a complete stop. I turned the car off and then turned the head lights to manual and they can back on. A few hours later when I got home, I let the car cool off and turned the headlight back to auto and turned the car on and th…”
NHTSA complaint #11519172, 2023

Fuel/Propulsion System 4

“My cars breaks failed by a vacuum pump failer and I almost died on the a hill going home”
NHTSA complaint #11733476, 2025

“Drove car approximately 15 miles. Parked car. Car would not turn off. Message- Transmission/Park. Wouldn't Car stayed neutral. Had to call wecker to take dealership. ... Diagnostic Solenoid Valve Body faulty.... 2019 Terrain Miles 91669. Is there recall. Have more reports of issue. Should this happen with a well maintained vehicle All maintenance updated to date.”
NHTSA complaint #11710073, 2025

“Vehicle struggles to shift from low gears; seems to completely miss 3rd gear. Codes from maintenance indicate TCC slip”
NHTSA complaint #11688959, 2025

Steering 4

“Friday July 25, 2025 I was driving my 2019 GMC Terrain SLE and when exiting the interstate the brake pedal got hard and I could not stop. After almost rear ending another vehicle, I got the vehicle into the ditch and safely off the road. After several attempts to correct the problem, I was unsuccessful. The vehicle was towed home and seen by a mechanic. The vacuum pump went out while I was driving.”
NHTSA complaint #11676573, 2025

“My ESC randomly comes on. Service parking brake message comes on intermittently. Messages pop a up saying steering wheel assist limited, drive with care. Again, all of these are intermittent but when they happen my steering wheel locks up. Even mid turn. Being intermittent it doesn’t always happen and weather seems to affect when it happens, or that’s a coincidence.”
NHTSA complaint #11629553, 2024

“When turning right or left from a stop, the steering wheel jerks sharply in the opposite direction as soon as the car starts to accelerate. Diagnostic tests and inspection determined that the steering gear is loosing voltage causing the jerk in the steering wheel. The gear has the latest calibration and needs to be replaced. Cost estimate to replace is $2035.63”
NHTSA complaint #11552276, 2023

Suspension 3 1 crash

“Recently experience rear differential binding with vehicle resulting in an accident.”
NHTSA complaint #11689378, 2025 · crash

“My transmission keeps sticking when I shift into drive or reverse. Just a couple of days ago, it happened the worst it has ever done before. I shifted into reverse and my vehicle was completely stopped when I shifted. I began to let off of the brakes and gently push the accelerator to start moving back, my vehicle then punched itself into reverse. I felt after that incident, something had to have been damaged. I’m almost afraid to drive my vehicle after that. When my vehicle punched itself into reverse, I was literally jolted towards the steering wheel and thankfully my seatbelt caught me. Inc…”
NHTSA complaint #11606036, 2024

“When turning right or left from a stop, the steering wheel jerks sharply in the opposite direction as soon as the car starts to accelerate. Diagnostic tests and inspection determined that the steering gear is loosing voltage causing the jerk in the steering wheel. The gear has the latest calibration and needs to be replaced. Cost estimate to replace is $2035.63”
NHTSA complaint #11552276, 2023

Air Bags 2 2 crash 2 injury

“The contact owned a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle crashed into the passenger side of the contact's vehicle. The air bags deployed; however, metal fragments from the air bag hit the contact's face, causing severe injuries. The contact received medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. A police report was filed. The vehicle was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11531264, 2020 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AND WAS HIT IN THE DRIVER ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE ON THE STREET. THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY DURING THE ACCIDENT.”
NHTSA complaint #11231253, 2019 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Tires 2

“BOTH FRONT TIRES SHOWING HEAVY CHIPPING OFF OF TIRE TREAD”
NHTSA complaint #11445662, 2021

“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain equipped with Hankook Tires, Tire Line: Ventus S1 Noble 2 Tires, Tire Size: 235/50/R19, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 45 - 50 MPH, the low-pressure tire warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter pulled over and noticed that there was tread separation on the front passenger's side tire. The contact's daughter replaced the affected tire with the spare tire. The vehicle was later towed to the dealer. The dealer was awaiting approval from the manufacturer to replace the tire. The tire manufact…”
NHTSA complaint #11443629, 2021

Seat Belts 1

“The drivers side Seat belt buckle breaks somehow and we are unable to buckle the seatbelt in the car. After the first time, I bought another brand new buckle, replaced it. After one week of use, it also locked up. I am not sure what is going on and why such a thing keeps happening, but it is not safe and needs to be fixed ASAP. Not everyone has $80 to spend once a week on a new belt buckle which should last a lifetime. This is beyond dangerous, since seat belts are mandatory and my wife being unable to use it can be a matter of life or death. This is her only means of transportation and we can…”
NHTSA complaint #11431876, 2021

Structure 1

“While I was driving on a highway, my sunroof suddenly imploded, causing shattered glass to fall all over myself and my car. The outside temperature was 50° and my car’s internal temperature was set to 68°. I reported this to the GM dealership and they told me to just report it to insurance. I am making a claim with insurance now. There were no warning or signs of this happening, just a sudden extremely loud noise and glass falling. No inspections have been done.”
NHTSA complaint #11627379, 2024

Visibility 1 4 injury

“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75 MPH, the panoramic glass sunroof shattered, causing shards of glass to enter the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the panoramic sunroof was in the closed position when the failure occurred. During the failure, the front passenger sustained lacerations to the back, leg, and shoulder. The eleven-month-old child seated in the rear passenger’s side seat sustained lacerations to both legs. The rear middle seat occupant sustained a laceration to the rear head area, while the rear driver’s side…”
NHTSA complaint #11523167, 2023 · 4 injury(ies)

Visibility/Wiper 1

“I got into my car to head to the store today. Upon closing drivers door I heard a muffled sounding pop. As I looked around I noticed back windshield looked “weird”. Got out and walked around the back to see it completely shattered. It just exploded and every inch has a crack or chip, even all asking the edges of the glass. I lifted the tail gate to see if a rock was thrown by chance and a chunk fell into the car. No rock was found. It simply shattered. The temp today was low 60’s on May 3rd, 2026 here in Ohio.”
NHTSA complaint #11735393, 2026