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2018 GMC Terrain

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 GMC Terrain do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 182.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

91 reports with mileage · 129 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Service Brakes. Review the 68 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

14 crash reports1 fire reports7 injury reports

What owners actually said

220 reports
Mileage unknown · Jul 19, 2023
EnginePower TrainService Brakes

The vacuum pump started leaking and the car was parked immediately. When The pump was pulled out to be replaced, the reason for the leak was identified. The vacuum pump had busted into small pieces which are now in the engine.

NHTSA ODI #11533352

Mileage unknown · Jul 17, 2023
Power Train

Transmission failed. Unable to purchase a replacement as there are no available transmissions for this year terrian.

NHTSA ODI #11532789

Mileage unknown · Jul 9, 2023
Fuel/propulsion SystemPower TrainSteeringCrashInjury

My husband and son were involved in an almost fatal accident on 07/08/23 in our 2018 Terrain. My husband described that the vehicle spontaneously veered to the right uncontrollably, he was unable to steer to correct the vehicle, unable to brake, they went airborne, hit several poles and a transformer, rolled and flipped sever…

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My husband and son were involved in an almost fatal accident on 07/08/23 in our 2018 Terrain. My husband described that the vehicle spontaneously veered to the right uncontrollably, he was unable to steer to correct the vehicle, unable to brake, they went airborne, hit several poles and a transformer, rolled and flipped several times. All the airbags deployed.After the accident, I found a recall notice from back in 2017, I believe, regarding the drive train. My husband was extricated from the vehicle. My son wasble to cut the seatbelt and crawl out the window. From what my husband explained (he was the driver), this sounds like what they experienced during the collision. I never received a recall letter from GM as this is something I would of taken care of and have got repaired. Please see the photos and the recall I found. Please let me know if there is anyone else I need to contact regarsing this collision.My car was almost paid off. My husband and son could of lost their life. Please advise. Thank you!

NHTSA ODI #11531130

Mileage unknown · Jul 4, 2023
Engine

Catalytic converter went out at 101,650 miles and the dealer has no replacement part. This is the diesel engine, almost every other year was recalled and they extended the warranty to 100,000 miles. And they stopped making this engine. Seems like they should at the least have a replacement part for a car 5 1/2 years old. The…

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Catalytic converter went out at 101,650 miles and the dealer has no replacement part. This is the diesel engine, almost every other year was recalled and they extended the warranty to 100,000 miles. And they stopped making this engine. Seems like they should at the least have a replacement part for a car 5 1/2 years old. They also said the 2017 were recalled, this vehicle was built Jan 2018. The vehicle currently will only go 5 MPH so it cant be driven. There was no warning of the failure.

NHTSA ODI #11530270

79,000 miles · May 31, 2023
Service Brakes

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated while making a left turn the brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving without proper braking response to her residence. The contact…

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The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated while making a left turn the brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving without proper braking response to her residence. The contact stated she used the parking brake to fully stop the vehicle. The contact's husband took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing an unknown pipe and vacuum pump to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

NHTSA ODI #11524691

Mileage unknown · May 12, 2023
Engine

In mid traffic my 2018 GMC terrain just stopped with no warning, no check engine lights, no smoke from the vehicle, nothing. I was in Charlotte traffic, driving, with my family in the vehicle, the car stopped right in the middle of driving, and I had to quickly and sharply turn the wheel to got into a median to avoid hitting the…

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In mid traffic my 2018 GMC terrain just stopped with no warning, no check engine lights, no smoke from the vehicle, nothing. I was in Charlotte traffic, driving, with my family in the vehicle, the car stopped right in the middle of driving, and I had to quickly and sharply turn the wheel to got into a median to avoid hitting the car in front of me and avoid being rear-ended. The dealership informed me that the vacuum pump in the engine cracked (broke) causing another part in the engine to malfunction. There were no, none, warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to this incident that would of indicated a problem so that I can proactively service the vehicle and keep my family safe.

NHTSA ODI #11521632

Mileage unknown · May 5, 2023
Engine

I was driving my vehicle, there was no indication that the vehicle was in need of servicing or that something was wrong with the vehicle, no check engine lights were on. The vehicle stopped in mid traffic, just completely shut down in active traffic. I had to serve my vehicle in to the curb/median to stop if from hitting traffic…

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I was driving my vehicle, there was no indication that the vehicle was in need of servicing or that something was wrong with the vehicle, no check engine lights were on. The vehicle stopped in mid traffic, just completely shut down in active traffic. I had to serve my vehicle in to the curb/median to stop if from hitting traffic ahead of me.

NHTSA ODI #11520600

Mileage unknown · May 1, 2023
Service BrakesUnknown Or Other

Driving home from our local town 4/15/2023, the brake pedal became to hard to push down. Check engine light came on as I got to my driveway, and that is 1 mile from the main road. My kids were scared to tears as was my girlfriend. Run a scan and dtc p0557. Come to find the vacuum pump on the top drivers side of motor is the part…

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Driving home from our local town 4/15/2023, the brake pedal became to hard to push down. Check engine light came on as I got to my driveway, and that is 1 mile from the main road. My kids were scared to tears as was my girlfriend. Run a scan and dtc p0557. Come to find the vacuum pump on the top drivers side of motor is the part that is bad it broke inside the valve cover. Looking up the issue and find out it is a known problem and no recall. I have kept the parts and all receipts for the repairs, I have to do myself cause the repairs are way to much for me to pay out of pocket. This is a serious issue for this car and year and GMC needs to address the issue. Why has nothing been done yet??? I am making payments on this car with no warranty for the car so I'm stuck fixing the car. But GMC knows that this is a problem and does nothing?!? I remember when American cars were good cars what happened to that time ?? And what happened to company's being responsible for the product they put out to customers? Guess that time is gone, I won't buy another American car again, unless it's a old Detroit built car.

NHTSA ODI #11519724

55,705 miles · Apr 11, 2023
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the service restraint system message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact stated that the driver’s side front impact sensor had failed and needed…

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The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the service restraint system message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact stated that the driver’s side front impact sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,705. The contact stated that the dealership suggested that the issue be addressed right away since it involves the airbags.

NHTSA ODI #11516478

Mileage unknown · Mar 3, 2023
Electrical System

Temperature sensor for the engine went out...which now affects my remote start not to work

NHTSA ODI #11510077

Official recalls

5

20V668000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Oct 29, 2020

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.

18V576000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper

Aug 30, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.

18V358000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

May 31, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

18V340000 · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module

May 24, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 GMC Terrain vehicles. The sensing diagnostic module (SDM) that senses a crash and deploys the necessary air bags may not power down correctly when the vehicle is shut off, causing it to be inoperative when the vehicle is restarted.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the SDM becomes inoperative, it will not detect a crash or command the necessary air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the SDM with updated software, free of charge. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18179.

17V516000 · Power Train:driveline:driveshaft

Aug 22, 2017

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles and 2017-2018 GMC Acadia vehicles. The right front intermediate driveshaft may fracture and separate while driving.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the front right intermediate drive shaft assembly separates while driving, the vehicle will lose propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. If the assembly separates while parked on a grade, without the park brake engaged, the vehicle may move unintentionally, increasing the risk of a vehicle roll-away.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right front intermediate drive shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2017. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17329.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.