2013 GMC Terrain problems
NHTSA has received 485 complaints about the 2013 GMC Terrain, and 43% of them involve engine. After that come wipers, windshield & visibility (11%) and drivetrain & axles (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 485 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 43% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 18 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 45 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 77,000 miles 318 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 35 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 24 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 48 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 60 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 63 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 41 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 24 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 12 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 9 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Among the 318 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 77,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 91,000 miles (141 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 18 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 45 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2013 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 17 model years of the GMC Terrain with enough data (215 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Vehicle involved in a significant head on crash. Child was restrained in the right rear in Cosco Easy Elite All in One forward facing car seat. The buckle positioned between the legs failed by ripping through the plastic base of the car seat. The plastic base was damaged and the buckle was no longer attached to the car seat. Child sustained fatal injuries from this crash.
Dear safety officer, this is to bring to your attention that I wish to pursue legal action against GMC. My life was at risk in an accident. As it is accidents are un-welcomed, to add to it the safety feature (airbags) from my GMC vehicle chasis no [xxx],origin canada,register in uae did not function at all. A deploy sign appeared on the display, but none of the airbags functioned as required. The vehicle was purchased brand new less than a year ago under warranty with complete service history.
We bought a 2013 GMC terrain in april 2018 with 129k miles for approximately $15k after tax and title. We had it for about 8 months and were bringing it to a local chevrolet dealership for routine oil changes every 5,000 miles. About 1000 miles before our next oil change in december 2018, we noticed the engine knocking. The dash illuminated the check engine symbol. We connected an obdii reader to the PCM at a nearby part store.
Rear engine seal blew according to bulletin 14882 march 2015 caused by a frozen pcv valve. Purchased the vehicle used from a GM dealership as a good used SUV. When reporting the problem,they said there was no bulletin,changed their mind,but said VIN disqualified it for repairs and said I had bad luck vehicle is unusable as it blows oil thru the seal when in operation