CSR

GMC · NHTSA safety record

2021 GMC Terrain

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

34

Complaints

4

Crashes

0

Fires

4

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 GMC Terrain have filed 34 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2021 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 8 of them (24%). The typical failure was reported at 57,422 miles, the median across the 4 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (2)

CHILD SEAT:VEHICLE LATCH ANCHOR

23V339000 · May 11, 2023

The defect
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."
The risk
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.
The 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.

General Motors, LLC · up to 668,187 vehicles across all model years covered

TIRES

21V612000 · August 5, 2021

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles equipped with certain Hankook tires. The tires may have been manufactured with an insufficient amount of curative agent, which could cause tread separation.
The risk
Tread separation can result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the tire DOT numbers, and replace any affected tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 31, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782; and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212343560.

General Motors, LLC · up to 9,597 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 34.

ENGINE 8 24%
POWER TRAIN 8 24%
SERVICE BRAKES 8 24%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 21%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 9%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 6%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 2 6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 6%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 6%
SUSPENSION 2 6%
AIR BAGS 1 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 9.

2021 2025 2026
2021 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.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

i WAS GOING TO MY SONS HOME WHICH IS LOCATED ON A STEEP DOWHILL STREET WITH SEVERAL TURNS, ONE OF THER ALMOST 90 DEGREES.aS i STARTED TO DESEND THE HILL AND GAIN SPEED, I DEPRESSED THE FOOT BRAKE. iT DID NOT RESPOND AT ALL. AS I CONTINUED TO GAIN SPEED AND COMING UP ON THE SHARP CURVE, I CONTINUED TO PUMP AND APPLY BRAKE . tHE BRAKES DID NOT WORK. i CONTINUED TO GAIN SPEED AND GO AROUND 2 OTHER TURNS. AT THE END OF THE STREET i HAD A CHOICE TO CONTINE STRAIGHT AHEAD AND HIT A HOUSE, TURN RIGHT AND CONTINUE DOWN ANOTHER STEEP STREET UNTIL I HIT A HOME AT THE END OF THE STREET OR TRY TO TURNLEFT ANDGO UP HILL. i TURNE LEFT UP THE HILL AND FINALLY GOT STOPPED BEFOR i COULD PUT THE VEHICLE IN

NHTSA complaint 11431951, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

I was in a in a 70 miles an hour highway accident and was hit in front driver side door, went up embankment and hit a tree then rolled backwards onto the highway. No airbags deployed.

NHTSA complaint 11568581. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

The contact owned a 2021 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while the brake pedal was depressed, it was released and the vehicle suddenly accelerated aggressively. The contact attempted to avoid crashing into the vehicle in front and swerved however the front of the vehicle still impacted the vehicle in front. The air bags deployed upon impact. A police report was filed. The contact stated no medical attention was provided, but did suffer bruises from the air bag and seat belt. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

NHTSA complaint 11612312. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

1 injured

Automatic Emergency brakes have unnecessarily or prematurely activated on 2 separate occasions causing my car to stop very abruptly which has resulted in Neck, Shoulder and back pain. I have been very lucky in the recent past and today that a vehicle was not directly behind me. The seat vibrated first when it sensed the car ahead was breaking. When I started to break, the emergency break kicked in. I did not report this the first time because I thought the car was doing what it was supposed to do. Today was unnecessary. No accident and no police report. I do plan on telling the dealership.

NHTSA complaint 11537561. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Vacuum pump failure caused my brakes to lock up and almost caused me to wreck into another vehicle

NHTSA complaint 11749838. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Driving on the Garden state parkway on Sunday night June 28, 2026 I proceed to cross over the ratitan bridge. There was traffic as I was going down the bridge at 70 miles an hour. When I applied the brakes the car would not stop. I had two 6 years old in the backseat. I applied 2 feet to the brake pedal and it was like a rock and the car would not slow down. I thought I was going to crash. I had to steer and lane change several times to avoid hitting other cars. This has something to do with the driving assist braking system. I was scared to death. If this isn’t a safety concern nothing is. This should be a recall for GMC to fix because it’s an accident waiting to happen.

NHTSA complaint 11747599. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Formal Safety Complaint – 2021 GMC Terrain Brake Failure Vehicle: 2021 GMC Terrain Incident Location: Garden State Parkway (NJ) Speed: Approximately 65 mph Incident Description While driving northbound at highway speed, I attempted to change lanes and apply my brakes. When I pressed the brake pedal, it became completely rigid (rock hard) and failed to function. I had no ability to slow the vehicle using normal braking. At that moment, I was forced to: Navigate multiple emergency lane changes to avoid striking other vehicles Prepare for potential collision due to lack of braking control Apply extreme force with both feet on the brake pedal in an attempt to generate any slowing Eventually, I

NHTSA complaint 11747608, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Automatic transmission solenoid control valve body got stuck open and ruined the whole transmission. This has been a reoccurring problem with these vehicles. Image is from a code read. Issue was confirmed by Gastorf Chevrolet, and an independent transmission shop.

NHTSA complaint 11734629. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with a misfire coming from the engine. During the failure, the message "Engine Power Reduced" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, and the contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The contact declined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint 11724576. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Vehicle went into reduce engine power mode and check engine light came on. Vehicle has just over 60,000 miles. Code is telling me I need a new turbo and being quoted $1,500-$3,000. I have read so many people having the same issue with needing a new turbo just after 60,000 miles

NHTSA complaint 11724745. 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
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
2010 290 3

Other 2021 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