CSR

GMC · NHTSA safety record

2010 GMC Terrain

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

290

Complaints

10

Crashes

0

Fires

12

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2010 GMC Terrain have filed 290 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2010 and June 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 107 of them (37%). The typical failure was reported at 74,000 miles, the median across the 236 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

22V137000 · March 8, 2022

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2017 GMC Terrain vehicles. A reflection caused by the headlight housings may illuminate areas above the vehicle and outside of the driver's view with excessively bright light. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
The bright reflection may cause a glare for other drivers, reducing their visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will install headlamp appliques, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 8, 2022. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N222363740.

General Motors, LLC · up to 740,581 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST

14V447000 · July 23, 2014

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
The risk
If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.

General Motors LLC · up to 414,333 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM

09V489000 · December 23, 2009

The defect
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 CHEVROLET EQUINOX AND GMC TERRAIN VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 103, "WINDSHIELD DEFROSTING AND DEFOGGING SYSTEMS AND WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 101, CONTROLS AND DISPLAYS". THE SOFTWARE IN THE CENTER INSTRUMENT PANEL CAN CAUSE THE HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING, DEFROST, AND RADIO CONTROLS, AS WELL AS THE PANEL ILLUMINATION TO BECOME INOPERATIVE.
The risk
DRIVING WITHOUT A FUNCTIONING DEFROST SYSTEM CAN DECREASE YOUR VISIBILITY UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS AND COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE COMPUTER MODULE IN THE CENTER INSTRUMENT PANEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JANUARY 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

GENERAL MOTORS CORP. · up to 59,031 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (3)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Momentary Increased Steering Effort

PE20009

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened June 1, 2020 · closed June 3, 2022

the steering

On June 1, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE20-009 to investigate instances of a momentary increase in steering effort after the vehicle is driven in a straight line for a period of time due to an issue with the steering gear in model year (MY) 2010 through 2012 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain SUVs.If the electric power steering system fails to operate as intended, the driver will experience momentary increased effort when attempting to turn the steering wheel from the straight-ahead position. For this condition to occur, the driver would need to have traveled in a straight line at a sustained high speed, without turning the steering wheel, for approximately 30 minutes or longer. The steering gear contains a servo unit that includes a worm gear with a worm and a worm wheel. General Motors (GM) stated that the primary root cause of the increased steering effort is the supplier's inconsistent application of grease in the interface between the worm and the worm wheel. The grease may have been applied in a location on the worm wheel that didn't interface with the worm, depriving the worm gear of proper lubrication.On November 1, 2014, GM issued Special Coverage 14232 to address the power steering stick-slip issue in MY 2010-2014 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain; MY 2011-2014 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt; MY 2012-2014 Buick Verano; and MY 2013-2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. GM notified consumers via mail.The Special Coverage repair includes the replacement of the steering gear with an improved internal worm gear greasing process for MY 2010-2012 vehicles. For the MY 2013-2014 vehicles, the Special Coverage repair includes a reprogramming of the steering gear control module. The new software has an anti-stick feature which senses and reduces the friction between the worm and worm wheel by oscillating the worm gear. GM stated that the difference in remedy is due to the inability of the MY 2010-2012 steering gear control module to accept the new software.The remedy implemented in GM Special Coverage 14232 appears to be sufficient in addressing the safety-related concerns of this issue. Considering the low complaint and warranty rates of steering rack replacement as well as the field exposure time for the subject vehicles, the potential safety consequences of this issue are very low. To date, there have been no reported crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. ODI has not identified a safety defect or defect-related failure trend in the subject vehicles. In view of the Special Coverage, low rate of failure, and low potential hazard to drivers, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the following identification numbers:11424633,11421725,11229647,11101375,10919921,10689932,10671557,10664687,10663350, 10593429,10592065,10585476,10585365,10576237,10575693,10532766,10490295,10434128, 10417845,10412535,10403168,10395532,10395171,10391948,10384211,10375515,10366297, 10360999,10360599,10345626,10319530,10305569,10304769,10299745

Front Wiper Transmission Inoperative

EA19005

Closed engineering analysis · opened December 13, 2019 · closed November 28, 2022 · led to recall 22V165000

visibility, visibility and the wipers

On December 13, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis (EA19-005) to further assess the MY2010-2016 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain windshield wiper failures. Due to a prior recall, 16V-582, addressing this issue in the MY2013 subject vehicles, MY2013 was not included in the analysis. To date, ODI had received 998 complaints with allegations of the front windshield wiper failing in adverse whether conditions, while the vehicle was in motion.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intruding into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint resulting in loss of windshield wiper function. ODI?s review focused on 2010-2012 and 2014-2016 Equinox and Terrain vehicles. Owners were reporting a high rate of failures of the windshield wiper system. These failures were the same as that addressed by recall 16V-582. ODI's review of data supplied by GM as well as its own confirmed a high failure rate in model years 2014 and 2015. On March 17, 2022, GM filed a defect information report recalling all MY2014-2015 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles to remedy the potential failure of the front windshield wiper transmission assembly.General Motors is also conducting a special coverage program, N192266181, for MY2010-2012 and MY2016-2017 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The special coverage is for a period of 15 years or 200,000 miles, whichever comes first.Both the recall, 22V-165, and the special coverage program, N192266181, address windshield wiper system failures on the subject vehicles. The dealership will inspect the front wiper assembly for ball joint wear. Depending on the degree of wear, the wiper links will be replaced, and a water shield installed or the entire module will be replaced.In view of the recall and special coverage, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis (EA). NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov under the following ODI identification numbers in a separate attachment.

Windshield Wiper Transmission Failure

RQ18002

Closed recall query · opened November 2, 2018 · closed December 19, 2019

visibility, visibility and the wipers

On November 2, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ18-002) to assess the scope of Recall 16V-582.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intrusion into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint with an attendant loss of windshield wiper function. The recall remedy addressed these conditions with the installation of an improved windshield wiper motor/transmission assembly and the relocation of a drain hole on the Air Inlet Panel at the base of the windshield.RQ18-002 was opened to assess windshield wiper failure rates in the MY 2010-2012 and MY 2014 - 2016 Equinox and Terrain (subject vehicles).During the course of the investigation, ODI received additional consumer complaint traffic bringing its total to 602 concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. In their December 20, 2018 response to ODI's Information Request (IR) Letter, GM reported 1,303 complaints related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. Together, these bodies of data correspond to 1,905 unique Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN).GM stated the recalled vehicles exhibited double the warranty rate and five times the complaint rate of the subject vehicles and that continuing complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles stemmed from publicity surrounding Recall 16V-582.ODI's review of GM's data confirms the stated difference in failure rates between the recalled and subject vehicles. However, ODI believes that the subject vehicle failure rates are nevertheless elevated and that publicity alone cannot account for the continued consumer complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. ODI is upgrading to RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis to compare subject vehicle failure rates and engineering practices to those in peer vehicles.The 602 ODI complaints cited can be viewed in a separate attachment.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 290.

ENGINE 107 37%
POWER TRAIN 51 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 48 17%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 40 14%
AIR BAGS 24 8%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 21 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 17 6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16 6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 14 5%
VISIBILITY 14 5%
STEERING 12 4%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 10 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2016 at 45.

2010 2016 2026
2010 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

3 injured · crash · 8,450 miles

TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY ABOUT 50MPH A CAR TURNED LEFT IN FRONT OF US. WE T-BONED THE CAR. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE DRIVER AIR BAG SHOT OFF TO THE LEFT. THIS WAS A 2010 TERRAIN. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10367996. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · 9,600 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 GMC TERRAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE DRIVER SUFFERED BACK, NECK AND LEG INJURIES. THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER SUFFERED NECK AND BACK INJURIES, AND BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED OF THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY DURING THE CRASH. NO DEFECTS WAS DETECTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,600.

NHTSA complaint 10567810. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1 injured · crash · 22,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 GMC TERRAIN. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 5 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE BEGAN ABNORMALLY SKIPPING GEARS. THE CONTACT WAS ACCELERATING FROM A TRAFFIC STOP WHEN THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY LUNGED FORWARD AND CAUSED THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO THE REAR OF A PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE DRIVER OF THE SECOND VEHICLE WAS INJURED. A POLICE REPORT WAS AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000.

NHTSA complaint 10369924. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · 51,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2010 GMC TERRAIN. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED FACIAL INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

NHTSA complaint 10810541. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am reporting an auto dealership and its finance company for contract fraud, electronic profile manipulation, and using illegal repossession threats to cover it up. During my vehicle purchase, the dealership used deceptive bait-and-switch tactics. They altered my final contract numbers without my consent, hid account ledgers, and changed how my down payment was applied. Crucially, they entered falsified financial metrics and manipulated personal tracking data within the electronic underwriting systems and lending networks to force a loan approval that never should have happened. The business records prove the companies have known about this active fraud dispute since March 31st, when I

NHTSA complaint 11743328, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I bought this car and the mileage said 120K, but the title says when it was tagged 157K. the car has been tampered with and the some of the lights for the car on the dash are missing, such as the check engine light. Also, it misses so bad that it will die at times

NHTSA complaint 11732619. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Got everything under the hood done n still have the same problem with it shut off while driving

NHTSA complaint 11719522. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY

114,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the center console display intermittently malfunctioned and became inoperable. During the failure, the HVAC system was no longer blowing hot air, and the front windshield could not be defrosted, creating a visibility hazard for the driver. Additionally, the radio had become inoperable, and the audible clicking from the turn signal was muted. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V489000 (VISIBILITY). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure

NHTSA complaint 11706578, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 120,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the service stabili-trak and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to O’Reilly Auto Parts, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #3. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that there was no compression in cylinder #3. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The

NHTSA complaint 11705073, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Reduce spreed unknown if related to fuel pressure regulator since repaired twice told could be to service bulletin. Warning lights keeps appearing while driving at a speed of 40 to 50 mph.

NHTSA complaint 11627256. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the GMC Terrain

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 24 1
2024 48 1
2023 37 2
2022 52 2
2021 34 2
2020 189 2
2019 178 3
2018 216 5
2017 133 1
2016 152 2
2015 297 3
2014 296 2
2013 363 3 1
2012 364 4
2011 386 4

Other 2010 GMC models

Every GMC on this site — 144 vehicles, 425 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst