Problems · NHTSA complaints
2014 GMC Terrain problems
Owners filed 302 complaints about the 2014 GMC Terrain with NHTSA between Apr 2014 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is engine (124).
Complaints
302
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
7
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
8
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Engine124
- Visibility/wiper74
- Power train33
- Electrical system32
- Exterior lighting17
- Fuel/propulsion system16
- Visibility15
- Air bags11
- Service brakes10
- Electronic stability control (esc)9
- Engine and engine cooling7
- Structure5
- Steering5
- Vehicle speed control3
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 29, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
13
10
12
13
25
47
45
41
41
21
21
11
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 13 |
| 2015 | 10 |
| 2016 | 12 |
| 2017 | 13 |
| 2018 | 25 |
| 2019 | 47 |
| 2020 | 45 |
| 2021 | 41 |
| 2022 | 41 |
| 2023 | 21 |
| 2024 | 21 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2026 | 2 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Engine
124 reports
“My husband just did an at home oil change on the car not long before the incident. Unfortunately my car was barely under 3,000 miles since the oil change and we were going to change the oil again when my engine died mid drive on the way home. There was no oil in the car due to high oil consumption and no coolant either. High oil consumption was not reported and not disclosed to me before and a broken guide for my timing chain leading to total engine failure just after I started to exit the highway. Had my car died any sooner I would have crashed. Or wrecked with another vehicle. GMC and the dealership I got the car from did not properly disclose this safety risk to me when I purchased the car and no recall information was ever sent out. The high oil consumption causing engine failure has been a part of a class action lawsuit for these vehicles before and THAT was not disclosed to me either at any point. No notifications of low oil or other issues aside from a check engine light came on for my vehicle when I was driving. I dont know how fast I was going as I was applying the brakes to my car for a traffic light.”
Visibility/wiper
74 reports1 fire
“The contact owns a 2014 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH in a snowstorm, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V165000 (Visibility). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer informed the contact that the recall repair could not be performed due to a Salvage Title. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact that the repair could be covered because the Salvage Title was not related to the windshield wipers; however, the manufacturer called the contact and informed the contact that the repair could no longer be covered due to the Salvage Title. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 149,680.”
Power train
33 reports
“Tensioner issues keeps breaking the timing chain. . Replaced twice at own cost. Fuel pump/ loss of power while driving. Back up camera doesn't work sometimes. Screen goes black. If key is left in the ignition it starts itself. If you try to use a car charger for a phone the AC shuts off and a "systems error" message pops up. This happens alot. It's an ongoing issue since I bought the car in Feburary this year.”
Electrical system
32 reports
“ABS Brake problem and have tried to get it repaired for over 3 months and cannot seem to be able to get the part and call GM with no help. Can not tell me when or where to buy the part. Nobody seems to be able to get a new part and no help from GM. If there is this many problems that there is no part left available it should be a national recall.”
Exterior lighting
17 reports1 fire1 related recall
“The contact owns a 2014 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds at night, the headlight illumination was inadequate. The contact used the high-beam headlights while driving at night. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V137000 (Exterior Lighting). The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.”
Fuel/propulsion system
16 reports
“I purchased this in March of 2025. 2 or 3 weeks after I bought this I took it to an oil lube shop and they said there was not any oil on the.dip stick. Also I started noticing the car being jerky while driving and when shutting it off it sputters. I took it to Max motors, a GMC dealer for a diagnostic check because it uses a quart of oil a week. They told me the high pressure fuel pump is bad and the piston rings were no good. This was on the 18th of June. I had taken it to the dealer I bought it from and complained about the problems, but he wouldn't do anything about it . The warranty was good at that time. Max motors told me it would cost me about $5000 to fix it which I don't have. I read that there was a recall on these cars with a 2.4L engine for these problems.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 29, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.