Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2011 GMC Terrain submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 29 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 29, in the owner's own words
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 GMC Terrain. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 87,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 200,000.
Ok so my 2011 GMC terrain just went over 150,000 miles I bought this vehicle used from a dealership not knowing that there was a big lawsuit or that GMC continuted making this make and model knowing that it had a oil usage problem. So mmm mmm with that being said let's start with my vehicle uses oil, my vehicle idles high low and always rough at times, my service stabilitrak flashes, my motor sounds like a HEMI kock knock knock instead of a 2.4, doesn't matter where I'm at or where I'm going I let off of the gas and my car dies.... Let me clarify on that last one me and my 9 year old daughter we're headed home today let off the gas to go around a curve and a hill and you guesswd it my 2011 GMC TERRAIN died I lost all control and all power had no power steering and no brakes... I just thank Jesus I wasn't speeding and that there was no oncoming traffic cuz I don't think me nor my 9 year old would have made it out ok. So thanks to whatever faulty motor engine or power train GMC has with this make and model putting people's safety and lives in danger due to these issues and only choosing certain VINS eligible instead of all VINS from 2011 GMC TERRAINS in my opinion is just choosing which owners survive because this make and model is dangerous to whoever drives it and to whoever meets it on the highway.
2011 GMC Terrain SLT The engine blew do to timing Chain breaking and it tore up the injectors as i was looking it up there where lots of people with the same problem and when it blew i was on the Highway and almost wrecked. We put new engine. After putting the engine in the transmission seems like every gear you put it in is like neutral and reeding up on other complaints people are having the same problems it only has 80,000 miles No lights came on or Warnings
I have owned this car for a little over year and have had nothing but issues. The car started on fire with an electrical issues once, the car has just stopped running on me multiple times while I was driving, almost causing a wreck. The engine goes through Oil like crazy. I've had it back to the dealership multiple times and never get a fix. I believe this vehicle is a true lemon.
The failure point was the seal on the sunroof and the sunroof itself. A correct failure mode would be for it to leak into the cabin thus being immediately visable. Instead, an internal seal apparently failed allowing the intruding water to flow unobserved into the bulkhead region between the car body and the internal liner of the vehicle. As a consequence it flowed down a side post exiting into the dashboard and control panel. The dashboard shorted out elliminating the turn signal indicator (and possibly the turn signal itself). The radio and amplifier and the general alarm system went to maximum volume. Fortunately, it did not short out the airbag, thus it did not deploy while I was on the freeway, maybe next time. The salient point is that water was allowed to intrude through the sunroof and able to proceed unobserved to the back of the dashboard. The inside of the car was removed and replaced as was the major components behind the dashboard. The airbags were not replaced.
Oil burning too quickly I recent got an oil change in Aug, checked oil and it was completely dry less then 2 months (oil consumption recall expired) I had same issue in 2017 but my was non operational due to oil consumption problem damaged my engine and dealer couldn't run test so I paid for new engine out of pocket! Second issue shortage in rear passenger lights I've changed bulbs several times now I see there's a shortage definitely.
CURRENT KEY IS 10+ YEARS OLD. STEERING LOCKS UP SOMETIMES AND CANNOT START CAR. IT IS HELL TO UNLOCK STEERING. I ORDERED A NEW KEY BOB ABOUT 5 WEEKS AGO. GMC PARTS SAYS GM HAS NOT SNET NEW KEY BOB YET!!! SO, STEERING MAY LOCK UP AND WITH NO NEW KEY BOB CANNOT DRIVE CAR. SO, I'M SUPPOSE TO PUSH CAR???
CAR RANDOMLY SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING IT DOESN'T MATTER IF I AM ON THE HIGHWAY OR DRIVING THROUGH THE CITY, ALSO ENGINE POWER REDUCED MODE. THROWS RANDOM CODES EVEN AFTER CODES HAVE BEEN SERVICED. WE HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE FOR CLOSE TO 2 YEARS WITH NO RESOLVE. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION WE HAVE FOUND THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS OF THIS EXACT ISSUE.
BURNS TO MUCH OIL AND I CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THE SPEED LIMIT IT'S IN AND THE SHOP GOT TO PUT A NEW TIMING BELT ON
ENGINE RANDOMLY STALLS WHILE DRIVING AND REFUSES TO START BACK UP. NO CODES ARE BEING PRESENTED WHEN IT DOES STALL. *TR
SINCE I BOUGHT MY TRUCK I HAVE BEEN HAVING MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION I'VE TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP TO GET MY CAR LOOKED AT AND THEY DO NOT RESPOND BACK TO ME I FEEL LIKE THEY ACT AS IF I DID NO BUSINESS WITH THEM ON PURCHASING MY CAR
AFTER DEALING WITH THE REPAIRS ON EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUES, MY WARRANTY IS NOW UP AND I AM DEALING WITH MY CAR COMPLETELY DYING AT A MOMENTS NOTICE. THIS IS NOT THE BATTERY AS WE'VE HAD BOTH AAA AND OUR MECHANIC TEST THE BATTERY SEVERAL TIMES - THE ISSUE, ACCORDING TO OUR MECHANIC, IS "COMPUTER FAILURE." ESSENTIALLY, I SPENT $400 FOUR WEEKS AGO FOR MY MECHANIC TO TELL ME THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG EXCEPT THE COMPUTER STOPPED COMMUNICATING TO THE CAR TO "WORK" , AND MY CAR HAS STILL DIED TWICE SINCE...WITH THE KEYS STUCK IN THE IGNITION. TONIGHT IS THE THIRD TIME MY VEHICLE HAS DIED AND IT HAS NOT STARTED UP AGAIN. MY CAR WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY AND I WAS UNABLE TO UNLOCK IT BEFORE THE POWER COMPLETELY DYING. NOW I AM UNABLE TO START OR LOCK THE VEHICLE AGAIN. AND THE KEYS ARE STUCK IN THE IGNITION. I AM STILL PAYING THIS CAR OFF AND IT IS AT 89,000 MILES. I AM BEGINNING TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT THIS IS A COMPLETE LOSS, SINCE NO ONE CAN HELP DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE OR SOLVE THE PROBLEM. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO MAKE MONTHLY PAYMENTS ON A VEHICLE THAT STALLS OUT EVERY FEW WEEKS. I DRIVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN AROUND AND I AM JUST AT A LOSS FOR HOW TO PROCEED.
MY CAR SHUT OFF ONCE WHILE I WAS IN IDLE AT A RED LIGHT AND SECOND TIME WHEN I WAS BACKING UP INTO A PARKING SPOT SOME ONE WHO WAS DRIVING OPPOSITE ME COULD HAVE HIT ME WHEN THE CAR ABRUPTLY STOPPED. LUCKILY THEY WERE GOING VERY SLOW AND STOPPED WHEN MY CAR STOPPED. THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF AS WELL AS THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH BUT WHEN YOU PUT IT IN PARK AND START IT UP AGAIN THE ENGINE STARTS BACK UP AND NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS APPEAR. CAN YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS?
TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITH NO WARNING, TORQUE CONVERTER REPLACEMENT $3,500 AROUND 120K MILES. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT UNABLE TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED SUCCESFULLY SINCE 100K MILES. CODE P0420 WITH NO CATALYTIC CONVERTER ISSUES. EVERY O2 SENSOR REPLACED, CODE WILL NOT CLEAR. STALLS WITHOUT ANY WARNING, LOW RPM, ROUGH IDLES, ENGINE JUST SHUTS DOWN. NO DASH INDICATOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATE WHEN FAILURE OCCURS. RESTARTS. OIL MUST BE CHANGED EARLY AS IT SEEMS TO CONSUME TOO MUCH. UNDIAGNOSABLE. HAVE BEEN TOLD BY EVERY MECHANIC IT COULD BE COMPUTER RELATED, TIMING CHAIN RELATED, REGARDLESS THIS 4CYL GMC HAS TOO MANY COMPLAINTS FOR YHEAE ISSUES NOT TO HAVE A RECALL. IT IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS WHEN RANDOM ENGINE FAILURE OCCURS AND I HAVE HAD MORE CLOSE CALLS FEARING FOR MY LIFE IN THIS VEHICLE THAN I CAN RECALL AT THIS POINT. I HAVE SPENT ALMOST THE VALUE OF THIS VEHICLE IN MAJOR REPAIRS IN THE YEAR I HAVE OWNED IT.
THE AUTOMATIC LIFT GATE WILL OPEN, REACH THE TOP AND THEN AUTOMATICALLY GO DOWN. IT WILL GO HALF WAY , POP BACK OPEN TO THE TOP THEN FULLY SHUT. IT DOES NOT READ THAT SOMETHING IS STOPPING IT FROM CLOSING. THE ENCLAVE, TRAVERSE, ACADIA AND OUTLOOK ARE CURRENTLY UNDER RECALL WITH THE SAME ISSUE BUT NOT THE TERRAIN.
IGNITION COMPLETELY TURNED OFF, I PUSH BUTTON TO TURN ON RADIO AND I HEAR SEVERAL TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP BEHIND MID-DASH RADIO-CD, A.C, HEAT CONTROL UNIT. I'M SURE THE TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP NOISE IS DOOR TO AIR RECIRCULATION/NO RECIRCULATION DOOR THAT SOMEHOW ACTIVATES UNIT ACTUATOR JUST BY TURNING ON RADIO! UNBELIEVABLE! ALSO, WHEN I NEED TO DEFROST WINDSHIELD I TURN TEMP KNOB TO COLD AND THE TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP NOISE HAPPENS! I DO NOT TURN ON A/C COMPRESSOR. AGAIN, UNBELIEVABLE!! THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT FOR SURE. I'M SURE THAT TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THE STEERING WHEEL, DASH MUST BE REMOVED SO TECH,. CAN GAT TO MIS-DESIGNED PARTS. NO CUSTOMER SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS KIND OF DESIGN DEFECT. I WANT GMC TO OAY TO SOLVE THEIR DESIGN DEFECT!!! THIS DEFECT HAPPENS EVERY TIME I TURN ON RADIO OF DO A COLD DEFROST. PROBLEM HAPPENS AT ANY SPEED OR WHEN NO KEY IN IGNITION.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC TERRAIN. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE, THE KEY WAS LOCKED IN THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TUMBLERS MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GEM CITY MOTORS (406-433-3120, 701 S CENTRAL AVE, SIDNEY, MT 59270) WHERE NO DIAGNOSTIC FAILURE CODES WERE FOUND AND THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED TO CALL NHTSA. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
THE ENGINE WILL RANDOMLY STALL AND SHUT OFF. THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF YOU GOOGLE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD.
REPLACED TIMING CHAIN-51000 MILES, NOW AT 59000 MILES AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON: CODE; P00013XX CAM POSITION SENSORS (BOTH) ARE CODING AS WELL AS SOLENOIDS. THIS CODE COMES BEFORE ENGINE STARTS. INTERIOR LIGHTING OFTEN NOT WORKING INCLUDING SHIFT INDICATOR, WIPERS AND DEFROSTER. BOTH AT START AND WHILE DRIVING. CALLED LOCAL GMC- "NOT RECALLED AND OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR
THE CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AND NOW THE COMPRESSOR AND CONDENSER ARE BROKEN AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. SEEM LIKE GM PRODUCTS AREN'T HOLDING UP VERY WELL. I HAD TO HAVE FREION ADDED LAST YEAR BECAUSE THE AC WOULDN'T WORK AND AGAIN THIS YEAR.
MY TERRAIN SHUT OFF THE FIRST TIME DAYS AFTER OIL CHANGE WHILE PARKED IN A PARKING LOT AND RUNNING FOR 5 MINUTES. DAYS LATER WHILE TURNING LEFT AT BUSY INTERSECTION TO ENTER EXPRESSWAY IT STALLED AND I BARELY ROLLED TO SIDE OF ROAD AND WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED. THEN A FEW DAYS LATER WHILE AT A BUS STOP AND READY TO ACCELERATE IT STALLED AGAIN. I HAD TO RESTART. DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY. HAD TO GET OVER $3000 IN WORK ON ENGINE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC TERRAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS. THE TPMS WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO CHECKED THE ALTERNATOR AND STATED THAT THE BATTERY WAS LOW AND THE VEHICLE NEEDED AN OIL CHANGE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,790.
I BOUGH 2011 GMC TERRAIN 4 CYLINDER.. ABOUT 3 MONTHS LATER THE CAR START TO STALL ON ME MAKING WEIRD NOISES AND LOSING OIL..TOOK TO A DEALERSHIP NEAR WHERE I LIVE THE SERVICE GUY ASKED ME IF IT STALLS ON YOU WILL HAVE TO STALL ON ME TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE DIDNT STALL.. I PUT MY FOOT DOWN AND SAID TO HIM TO SCAN THE CAR AT THE POINT HE GAVE ME A CAR TO COME HOME AND I LEFT MY TERRAIN THEIR TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS THEY FOUND OUT THAT THE SENSORS FAILED AND SOME OTHER STUFF.. AFTER THE CAR BEING THEIR FOR 4 DAYS I GO PICK IT UP AND IT WAS BETTER... ONLY LASTED FOR 6 MONTHS STARTED AGAIN TO BREAK DOWN AND LEAKING OIL I WOULD CHANGE THE OIL EVERY 3 MONTHS BUT IN BETWEEN I HAD TO PUT OIL THAT I WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THE STORE OR GASTATION WHEN I WAS PUTTING GAS... I AM A VERY BUSY HARD WORKING PERSON SO MY TIME IS LIMITED AND I HAVE 2 KIDS IF NOT I WOULD GO TO THE DEALERSHIP EVERY OTHER DAY TO COMPLAINT... ALSO WITH NOT A LOT OF TIME IN MY HANDS HERE GOES ANOTHER YEAR AND THE PROBLEM REALLY NEVER GOT PROPERLY FIXED AND THE CAR IS MAKING CRAZY NOISES LEAKING OIL ALL OVER AND STALLING AGAIN..WE COULD GET KILLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAR NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY... I ALMOST GOT INTO A CAR ACCIDENT CAUSE I WAS DRIVING AND CAR JUST STOPPED... THIS IS UNFAIR ESPECIALLY AFTER READING HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS WHEN I JUST TYPE ON MY COMPUTER 2011 GMC STALLING PROBLEMS TONS OF PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINT THE SAME WAY WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS I AM HAVING... OIL LEAKING STALLING ON HIGHWAYS JUST HORRIBLE I ALSO HAD THE CAR TOWED ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO JUST STOPPED CAM SENSOR NEED TO CHANGED AGAIN.FOR THE LAST 3 WEEKS THE CAR IS AGAIN STILLING BUT THANKFULLY I PUT IN PARK AND IT STARTS UP AGAIN... THIS PROBLEM SHOULD GET RESOLVED... TONS OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUES GMC SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED OF THIS SITUATION AND FIX IT OR AT LEAST TRY... THE PEOPLE AT THE DEALERSHIP AT THE SERVICE DESK THEMSELVES ARE TIRED OF HEARING PEOPLE SCREAMING AT THEM ABOUT ALL THIS ISSUES.. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC TERRAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TERMINAL CABLE ENDS AND BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CORROSION. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE WAS 80,000.
WHEN PARKING AFTER DRIVING , THE KEY WILL NOT BE RELEASED . YOU MAY HAVE TO TURN THE KEY ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL IT RELEASES. THERE IS ALSO A PROBLEM WITH STARTING THE CAR WHERE YOU TURN THE KEY AND THE CAR WILL NOT START. ON OCCASION (NOT EVERY TIME) YOU NEED TO TURN THE KEY ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL IT STARTS. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM- STILL HAPPENING. TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE EVEN THOUGH IT HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES DAILY. *TR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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