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2019 GMC Terrain

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2019 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

50 reports with mileage · 132 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.

  • Engine. Review the 67 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 62 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

7 crash reports3 fire reports6 injury reports

What owners actually said

182 reports
Mileage unknown · Oct 24, 2024
EngineService Brakes

I was riding on the freeway when my brakes failed. i was not able to press down on my brakes with zero warning. I had to swerve to miss cars and pull on the shoulder of the freeway and my car still would not slow down. I finally got from 65 to 35 and pressed on my emergency brakes. I stopped the vehicle then my engine light came…

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I was riding on the freeway when my brakes failed. i was not able to press down on my brakes with zero warning. I had to swerve to miss cars and pull on the shoulder of the freeway and my car still would not slow down. I finally got from 65 to 35 and pressed on my emergency brakes. I stopped the vehicle then my engine light came on and I got my car towed to the car shop where my car would not stop and suffered internal damage to my engine from the brakes and vacuum pump

NHTSA ODI #11621716

72,000 miles · Oct 9, 2024
EngineService Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact called on behalf of her husband who owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 50 MPH, the brakes seized, and the contact veered off into a lot to park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was infor…

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The contact called on behalf of her husband who owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 50 MPH, the brakes seized, and the contact veered off into a lot to park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake vacuum pump and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

NHTSA ODI #11618883

Mileage unknown · Oct 7, 2024
Engine

Turbo Charge Engine

NHTSA ODI #11618554

Mileage unknown · Sep 22, 2024
EngineFire

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 …

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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 two Wednesdays ago. I've been working with GMC to try to purchase a new vehicle and get mine bought back, but it's been a whole process but I'm trying to work with Moses so I can purchase a new vehicle but they won't call me back and i feel like its because they know something is defective. The engine had a Regen done before i purchased it and now all of a sudden the cars engine is Done. Now when this happened the battery got so hot my car started smoking we originally thought it was the starter. Because when it stopped working we were at a Toll booth and pressed the break and the stop start kicked the engine off and it never came back on. Even now if you try to start it the battery gets hot and the starter smokes. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11615813

Mileage unknown · Aug 19, 2024
Forward Collision AvoidancePower TrainService Brakes

Break booster pressure sensor and engine underbooster causes the car to slam on breaks or not break at all.

NHTSA ODI #11609485

Mileage unknown · Aug 4, 2024
Service Brakes

The brakes failed with zero warning while driving. Car only has 60,000 miles. Extremely dangerous and it looks like it has been reported and known issue! It needs to be recalled.

NHTSA ODI #11606319

Mileage unknown · Aug 2, 2024
Power TrainSuspension

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 i…

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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. Incidents with the the shifting into drive or reverse have happened before, but never nearly as intense. About a year ago, I brought my vehicle in to my local GMC Dealership for a concern with my transmission shifting weirdly and holding itself in gear at an unnecessarily high RPM speed. The technician stated to me, “with these 9-speeds, they tend to get confused at various speeds”. I asked him to elaborate and he could not. These issues have now gotten worse. With my suspension, every turn I take, I get a kreaking sound from my front driver side wheel well. It sounds as if my tire if going to break off. I’ve done visual inspections and nothing out of the ordinary is noticeable to the eye. My vehicle is a 2019 with less than 40,000 miles on it. I should not be having all of these issues. I’m genuinely concerned for my safety.

NHTSA ODI #11606036

Mileage unknown · Jul 29, 2024
EngineService Brakes

on two occasions the vacuum pump booster failed causing the vehicle to lose braking ability while traveling on a highway at highway speeds. The vehicles brake completely failed and were unable to be engaged. the part was initially replaced by the dealer at the owner's expense and then the same issue occurred only a few months la…

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on two occasions the vacuum pump booster failed causing the vehicle to lose braking ability while traveling on a highway at highway speeds. The vehicles brake completely failed and were unable to be engaged. the part was initially replaced by the dealer at the owner's expense and then the same issue occurred only a few months later. the second occurrence cause additional damage to the camshaft and timing chain causing the vehicle to not even be able to start. The vehicle was inspected by the servicing dealer and found metal shavings in the oil as well as extensive damage to the engine.

NHTSA ODI #11605233

Mileage unknown · Jun 28, 2024
EnginePower TrainService Brakes

My daughter was driving her 2019 GMC Terrain at 15 - 20mph when she suddenly lost her brakes. Fortunately she had just turned into a new housing development where the road ended into an empty field. This could have been catastrophic for her & other citizens on the road. The following morning she would have been heading to work o…

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My daughter was driving her 2019 GMC Terrain at 15 - 20mph when she suddenly lost her brakes. Fortunately she had just turned into a new housing development where the road ended into an empty field. This could have been catastrophic for her & other citizens on the road. The following morning she would have been heading to work on a highway with heavy traffic with a posted speed limit of 65mph. We towed the vehicle home & after some investigating I found a vacuum pump failure. This vacuum pump broke apart internally sending chunks & shards of metal into her valve train. This issue is mentioned several times in Terrain forums & someone needs to address this issue before it becomes a fatality.

NHTSA ODI #11597503

40,000 miles · Jun 21, 2024
Service BrakesCrashInjury

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 th…

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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 received medical attention via an ambulance on the scene. No occupants in the second vehicle were reported injured. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 40,000.

NHTSA ODI #11595648

Official recalls

3

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.

19V184000 · Seats

Mar 7, 2019

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The rear-right seat may have insufficient welds on the head-restraint bracket.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, the insufficient welds may result in an increased risk of injury for an occupant seated in the rear-right position.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear-right seatback frame, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192209550.

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.

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.