CSR

GMC · NHTSA safety record

2023 GMC Terrain

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

Owners have filed 39 safety complaints about the 2023 GMC Terrain with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering child seat and the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the fuel and propulsion system, named in 15 complaints, 38% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 25,500 miles, the median across the 8 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers October 2023 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

39 complaints on file

39

Complaints

2

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 15 · 38%
ENGINE 14 · 36%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 · 18%
POWER TRAIN 7 · 18%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7 · 18%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 6 · 15%
LANE DEPARTURE 4 · 10%
AIR BAGS 2 · 5%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 3%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 39.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 21.

24 18 12 6
23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2023 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2023 GMC TERRAIN, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 16.4% 18.5%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

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

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

22V929000 · December 15, 2022

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2023 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles equipped with ventilated front passenger seats. The Occupant Classification System may not properly disable the front passenger air bag when there is a small child or child restraint detected in the seat.
The risk
In the event of a crash, a front passenger air bag that deploys with a child or infant in the front passenger seat can increase their risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the passenger presence system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 24, 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 N222388911.

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

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

STEERING

1 injured · crash · towed

My son was making a left onto a freeway on ramp after traffic cleared and the steering wheel completely locked up resulting in him going over the curb and rolling completely over in a steep ditch. This occurred at a low speed (no more than 25mph), confirmed by the Life369 app. My son's description was that it felt like the wheels were against a wall and the wheel wouldn't turn even though he was using both hands in an attempt to turn. My son said there was no warning lights or any other indication that he noticed, other than the complete locking up of the steering. The resulting rollover into the ditch has totaled the vehicle so it was not inspected by any collision shop. I attempted to

NHTSA complaint 11673998, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

fire · crash

Please let me

NHTSA complaint 11571522. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

towed · 41,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the message "Engine Power Reduced” was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle the lost motive power in the middle of the roadway. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the high-pressure fuel pump, causing fuel to leak into the oil, resulting in damages to the catalytic converter and Oxygen sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 41,000.

NHTSA complaint 11669569. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 45,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and the engine stalled. The contact attempted to drive the vehicle to the shoulder of the road, the engine seized. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed fuel pump. The contact was informed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed back to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed fuel injector. The contact was informed that the fuel injector

NHTSA complaint 11740826, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I purchased this vehicle two weeks ago. It was my first time driving it since I bought it home from the dealer. I was on the highway driving about 55 mph in the left lane. All of a sudden the car started to slow down on its own going down to 15 mph without knowing what was happening. I tried to ease my way to the left and was almost hit by multiple vehicles. Once I got to the left lane the vehicle stopped running. I couldn’t start it. I noticed a pool of liquid on the right side of the vehicle. I also started to detect a strong smell of gasoline. I had to get towed off the road by calling 911 for assistance. The tow truck driver also confirmed that the liquid was gasoline. I had to get the

NHTSA complaint 11765686, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Harness for the airbag gave out. Puts the passenger at risk. Confirmed by service members at Rodenroth Motors Inc. in Sault Ste Marie MI. Message said service "Restraint system". There was no official incident date. One day whenever somebody sat in the passenger side the warning would appear.

NHTSA complaint 11761445. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

towed · 27,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated and failed to properly accelerate. The service transmission and service fuel management system messages were displayed, and the check engine warning light was flashing with several other unknown warnings illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and while test-driving the vehicle, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and an engineer was sent to the dealer to inspect the vehicle. No further information was available. The contact

NHTSA complaint 11754923, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
adaptive cruise disengaging alert on dash- no cars or weather conditions to induce this. loss of power and bucking on highway( near accident caused) catostostrophic sudden loss of power engine/transmission failure while mechanic driving resulting in car towed back to dealer. loss of power multiple times causing near accidents. sudden jolting at stop light causing car to propel forward requiered both feet on brake pedal to stop. 4 episodes of near collision 1st altert started 04/4/2024 adaptive cruise light on dash 14,700 miles on vehicle 5 episodes continued and now car is still at dealership for emissions failure, loss of power x 4 weeks. ALL PHOTOS OF DASH LIGHTS, REPAIR INVOICES AND

NHTSA complaint 11755131, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I have had 2 different instances where my vehicle stops in the middle of a busy intersection or traffic and have no warning what so ever. Vehicle just shuts off and I am not able to turn back on to move out of the way. First time I got it repaired it was related to the fuel pump and now I am waiting to hear back from my mechanic to see what the issue is but so far it is an indication of the fuel pump as well. Both times I required help from law enforcement because vehicle shut off in the middle of the road and safety to myself and other drivers was an issue until tow truck arrived to move my vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11741516. 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 33 1 —
2024 49 1 —
2022 60 2 —
2021 36 2 —
2020 197 2 —
2019 185 3 —
2018 223 5 —
2017 134 1 —
2016 152 2 —
2015 297 3 —
2014 296 2 —
2013 364 3 1
2012 364 4 —
2011 386 4 —
2010 290 3 —

Other 2023 GMC models

Every GMC on this site — 149 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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