CSR

GMC · NHTSA safety record

2026 GMC Terrain

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

Owners have filed 33 safety complaints about the 2026 GMC Terrain with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 2 mention a fire, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering equipment.

The most complained-about system is forward collision avoidance, named in 6 complaints, 18% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 3,000 miles, the median across the 7 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers August 2025 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

33 complaints on file

33

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

2

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
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 · 27%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6 · 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 · 15%
POWER TRAIN 5 · 15%
SUSPENSION 5 · 15%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 12%
WHEELS 4 · 12%
STEERING 3 · 9%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 6%
STRUCTURE 2 · 6%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 3%
ENGINE 1 · 3%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 33.

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 29.

32 24 16 8
25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2025 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 2026 GMC TERRAIN, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV N/A AWD SUV N/A FWD
Overall Not rated Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated Not rated
Frontal, driver Not rated Not rated
Frontal, passenger Not rated Not rated
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 17.4% 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

1 on file

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

26V114000 · February 26, 2026

The defect
General Motors has decided that certain 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 2025-2026 Cadillac OPTIQ, Chevrolet Colorado, Equinox EV, GMC Canyon, 2026 Buick Enclave, Envision, Cadillac CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade IQ, Escalade IQL, LYRIQ, VISTIQ, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Corvette Convertible, Corvette Coupe, Corvette Convertible E-Ray, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, Silverado EV, Suburban 1500, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Hummer EV Pickup, Hummer EV SUV, Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, Sierra EV, Terrain, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The radio may not have been set to the correct status to download the electronic owner's manual during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, “Occupant Protection.”
The risk
Without an owner's manual to consult, owners may not know how to safely use and operate the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will reset the vehicle radio, which will facilitate automatic download of the electronic owner’s manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-467-9700, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N252540430. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 26, 2026.

General Motors, LLC · up to 5,861 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.

STRUCTURE:INTERIOR PANELS:CENTER CONSOLE

1 injured · fire · crash · towed · 6,300 miles

The contact owned a 2026 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while her husband was driving on a perpendicular road at an undisclosed speed, entering a highway, the driver yielded; however, a truck in the median was attempting to cross the highway during oncoming traffic, and an oncoming vehicle crashed into that vehicle, causing the truck to crash into the front of the vehicle. The front air bags deployed as intended. The contact stated that an electrical fire started under the center console, and the driver’s shirt was burned by the fire. The Fire Department was on scene and removed the contact from the vehicle; however, a fire report was not filed. An off-duty sheriff witnessed the crash

NHTSA complaint 11745975, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire

Car was off and parked and randomly caught on fire. Completely totaling the car

NHTSA complaint 11726875. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On the evening ofXXX, at approximately 6:00 PM, I was driving this Avis rental vehicle on a highway in [XXX] at normal highway speed, below the posted limit, with my foot on the accelerator. The forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking system activated and applied the brakes hard. There was no vehicle, pedestrian, obstacle, or hazard ahead of me, and no vehicle behind me or beside me. The roadway was clear and dry. The sun was low in the sky, and the vehicle was crossing a metal expansion joint on an overpass at the moment of activation. I believe the low sun angle, the expansion joint, or both caused a false object detection by the forward-facing camera or radar. The

NHTSA complaint 11766350, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
a failing telematics module on your 2026 GMC Terrain is causing network corruption, leading to an erratic speedometer and loss of driver assistance systems while driving.

NHTSA complaint 11765984. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
My vehicle is making a squeaky sound/noise when breaking and getting louder. I took it in for service and they couldn’t seem to find the issue. It’s coming from the front end of the vehicle

NHTSA complaint 11765446. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
Shimmy, shake, wobble, after TSB 26-NA-109 repair, replace front springs, vehicle feels less stable at highway speeds. The initial condition, Shimmy, Shake, Wobble, under moderate acceleration, still exists after last repair attempt.

NHTSA complaint 11765270. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

2,500 miles

The contact owns a 2026 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH and pulling into a parking lot, the vehicle was shifted into drive(D) and the driver’s door lock unexpectedly unlocked. The contact stated that on another occasion, a passenger in the front passenger’s seat noticed the same failure with the passenger’s side door lock. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact expressed concern that the failure was hazardous and posed a safety risk because the doors could open while the vehicle was moving. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,500.

NHTSA complaint 11764146. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Avis Rental. Vehicle simply shut down while driving and would not re-start. Vehicle could NOT be put into neutral to move from roadway. Emergency services vehicles had to remain on site awaiting tow vehicle. Very dangerous situation.

NHTSA complaint 11763641. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the GMC Terrain

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 49 1 —
2023 39 2 —
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 2026 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