What breaks most · 2010 to 2026 model years
GMC Terrain problems by year
Owners have filed 3,094 safety complaints with NHTSA about the GMC Terrain across model years 2010 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2011 for engine complaints, 2012 for engine complaints and 2013 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2021, 2023 and 2024.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2012, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2021, 2023, 2024
- Complaints on file
- 30942010 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2011386 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 12630 fires · 144 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 72kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 40Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 290 | 10 | 3 | Engine (107) | |
| 386 | 11 | 4 | Engine (178) | |
| 364 | 17 | 4 | Engine (169) | |
| 364 | 14 | 3 | Engine (197) | |
| 296 | 7 | 2 | Engine (123) | |
| 297 | 9 | 3 | Wipers and visibility (101) | |
| 152 | 9 | 2 | Engine (46) | |
| 133 | 11 | 1 | Engine (77) | |
| 219 | 14 | 5 | Brakes (68) | |
| 181 | 7 | 3 | Engine (66) | |
| 194 | 7 | 2 | Brakes (63) | |
| 34 | 4 | 2 | Brakes (8) | |
| 57 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (26) | |
| 38 | 2 | 2 | Fuel system (14) | |
| 49 | 1 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (21) | |
| 13 | 2 | 0 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 27 | 1 | 1 | Unknown or other (8) |
What fails on the 2011 GMC Terrain
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 46% |
178 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2011 GMC Terrain |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 20% |
76 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 9% |
33 | 0 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 8% |
31 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2011 GMC Terrain |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 8% |
29 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2011 GMC Terrain |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 7% |
28 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 6% |
25 | 10 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 6% |
22 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2011 GMC Terrain |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Was driving the car and all of a sudden a bunch of lights came on the dash called the dealership where I got it from to get fix and they said sorry they can’t help and then have blocked my number from communication. I can’t drive my car so I don’t know what to do at this point
-
The engine blew. This was already the 2nd engine in the car. Oil consumption. Metal in the oil. No signs. Needs new engine
-
I hit a pot hole and a stabilitrack error popped up. Also reduced engine power I was miles from home and could have easily caused a major accident on the road.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which GMC Terrain years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2011, 2012, 2013 carry the most filings on the GMC Terrain. The 2011 alone has 386 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common GMC Terrain problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 178 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do GMC Terrain problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all GMC Terrain complaints that include mileage is about 72,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.