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2020 GMC Terrain

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2020 GMC Terrain do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 182.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 40 of 195 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 27 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 reports2 fire reports3 injury reports

What owners actually said

195 reports
Mileage unknown · Jul 30, 2026
Service Brakes

While driving north in interstate 79, the brakes became very hard to push making it difficult to stop the vehicle. We got off the interstate and proceeded back home. The brakes were as hard as a rock to push and it was difficult to stop the vehicle. When this happened, the check engine light came on and stayed on. It was ver…

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While driving north in interstate 79, the brakes became very hard to push making it difficult to stop the vehicle. We got off the interstate and proceeded back home. The brakes were as hard as a rock to push and it was difficult to stop the vehicle. When this happened, the check engine light came on and stayed on. It was very dangerous to drive due to the brakes not working properly and the stopping distance was greatly reduced and it was difficult to stop the vehicle putting our family at risk for their safety. We took the vehicle to a repair shop and they checked and diagnosed the issue and told us the vacuum pump for the brakes was no good and needed replaced. We found that this is a common issue for breakdown on our type of vehicle. Repairs were made and the total cost was $352.24 including tax.

NHTSA ODI #11753729

Mileage unknown · Jul 23, 2026
EngineService Brakes

Vacuum pump failure causing sudden and unexpected hard brake pedal and loss of braking coming off the highway. Ended up catastrophic engine failure. This is the SECOND incident with this vehicle of the exact same problem. GMC refuses to address this issue and continues to risk the lives of their customers.

NHTSA ODI #11752293

Mileage unknown · Jul 18, 2026
Electrical SystemSeatsUnknown Or OtherFire

The back passenger seat exploded and caught fire, burning the back of the seat in front and burning the ceilings. Inside the whole vehicle is black from smoke damage. Incident assessed by fire marshal who has ruled as electrical issue. No warning lights or systems displayed anything.

NHTSA ODI #11751287

Mileage unknown · Jul 18, 2026
Service Brakes

I was traveling down the interstate at 70mph. Traffic began slowing ahead of me. I hit the brakes and the pedal was rock hard and I could not stop my vehicle safely. Service brake assist light flashed momentarily. Ended up being the vacuum pump. I was told by the dealership I had it towed to that the vacuum pump had broken off a…

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I was traveling down the interstate at 70mph. Traffic began slowing ahead of me. I hit the brakes and the pedal was rock hard and I could not stop my vehicle safely. Service brake assist light flashed momentarily. Ended up being the vacuum pump. I was told by the dealership I had it towed to that the vacuum pump had broken off and failed. This was an absolutely horrifying situation that could have caused severe injury or death.

NHTSA ODI #11751242

Mileage unknown · Jul 10, 2026
Fuel/propulsion System

Vehicle was filled with a full tank of gas, went to crank the car up to go home from work it acted like it wanted to crank but seemed to be getting no gas. Diagnostic was performed and the fuel pump control module failed. I thank God It did not start because if it did and I just so happen to pull out into traffic and the car ju…

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Vehicle was filled with a full tank of gas, went to crank the car up to go home from work it acted like it wanted to crank but seemed to be getting no gas. Diagnostic was performed and the fuel pump control module failed. I thank God It did not start because if it did and I just so happen to pull out into traffic and the car just die in the middle of the road I don't think it would of been pretty. Frankly I think it would of be a very dangerous situation. My vehicle was not part of the recall but somehow my vehicle was still affected hopefully GM would look into the 2020 Terrains with the 2.0 engine. Maybe I will be reimbursed.

NHTSA ODI #11749649

Mileage unknown · Jul 9, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI #11749358

Mileage unknown · Jun 21, 2026
Back Over PreventionUnknown Or Other

Backup camera stopped working and displays a blue screen stating “service backup camera.” This was an issue when the vehicle was under 3 year manufacturer bumper to bumper warranty and was fixed by dealer at no cost. Now this same issue has occurred again approximately 3-4 years later. I thought at first this was an issue specif…

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Backup camera stopped working and displays a blue screen stating “service backup camera.” This was an issue when the vehicle was under 3 year manufacturer bumper to bumper warranty and was fixed by dealer at no cost. Now this same issue has occurred again approximately 3-4 years later. I thought at first this was an issue specific to my vehicle but now after doing research I see this is an issue across several GMC Terrian vehicles and other GM vehicles. This issue should be fixed by the manufacturer for all vehicles affected. Vehicle owners should not be responsible to fix faulty parts from the manufacturer.

NHTSA ODI #11745463

46,917 miles · Jun 17, 2026
Fuel System, Gasoline

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that shortly after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle suddenly stalled while accelerating from a stop light. The contact stated that after the vehicle stalled, the transmission failed to shift out of park, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was later towed to th…

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The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that shortly after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle suddenly stalled while accelerating from a stop light. The contact stated that after the vehicle stalled, the transmission failed to shift out of park, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with fuel pump failure. The fuel pump was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 46,917.

NHTSA ODI #11744805

Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 2026
EngineService Brakes

During my daily commute to work on the interstate the service break assist message came on my dash and when attempting to break the pedal was very hard, to the point where I had to push extremely hard and quickly realized I had to brake much much soon than normal to prevent hitting other vehicles. Sudden loss of brakes put me an…

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During my daily commute to work on the interstate the service break assist message came on my dash and when attempting to break the pedal was very hard, to the point where I had to push extremely hard and quickly realized I had to brake much much soon than normal to prevent hitting other vehicles. Sudden loss of brakes put me and other drivers at risk due to my near inability to slow down or stop and the sudden and unexpected nature of the event.

NHTSA ODI #11742854

Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 2026
Service Brakes

The brake vacuum pump had a catastrophic failure which resulted in the immediate loss of all brakes in the vehicle. I had the vehicle repaired only to find that GM has issued numerous repair bulletins to dealers and mechanics. This appears to be an issue known to them. As the vehicle was repaired, the parts are no longer availa…

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The brake vacuum pump had a catastrophic failure which resulted in the immediate loss of all brakes in the vehicle. I had the vehicle repaired only to find that GM has issued numerous repair bulletins to dealers and mechanics. This appears to be an issue known to them. As the vehicle was repaired, the parts are no longer available for inspection. This was a danger to me and others around me because I was traveling 60mph down hill with no means to slow or stop. I narrowly avoided an accident. There were no warning lamps before the incident. A warning lamp did come on after the loss of brakes but only after I attempted to brake.

NHTSA ODI #11742755

Official recalls

2

23V339000 · Child Seat:vehicle Latch Anchor

May 11, 2023

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The four rear-seat lower child seat LATCH anchorage bars may have excessive powder coating, which could prevent a child seat from being installed with the anchorage bars. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The inability to install a child seat with the LATCH anchorage bars could result in an unsecured child seat, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Owners are advised to install child seats using the vehicle's rear seat belts until the remedy is complete. Dealers will inspect the latch anchorage bars, and remove and replace the finish, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 2, 2023. 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 N232403240.

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.

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.