2018 GMC Terrain problems
NHTSA has received 340 complaints about the 2018 GMC Terrain, and 25% of them involve brakes. After that come engine (16%) and drivetrain & axles (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 340 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 22 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 17 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 16,000 miles 140 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 | 77 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 19 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 12 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 9 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 7 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 7 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Among the 140 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 16,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 59,000 miles (28 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 22 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 17 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2018 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 17 model years of the GMC Terrain with enough data (213 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 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.
I was sitting at a red light in the left hand turn lane. A truck ran their red light hitting another truck sending both of them crashing into my vehicle. The first truck struck the front bumper at the headlight & skid all the way down the side of the vehicle then the other truck was slammed into the side of my vehicle. All the damage was on the driver side of the car. My car was moved over into the next lane but no air bags went off. This happened on a hwy where the speed limit is 65.
When the side curtain airbag went off it burned a hole through my daughter's coat and shirt causing 2nd-3rd degree burns.
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.
I pulled into our carport. It felt like the car just "sped up and went faster and faster." it hit the front of the car straight on. No airbags deployed nor did the front end collision stop happen.
I got a diagnostic alert: service the enging and transmission system in your 2018 terrain within 7 days. The code was p050f. I have a little over 10,000 miles on here.