What 397 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 GMC Terrain

Temperature actuator door is broken, this causes my windshield to fog up therefore I can't see to drive.

NHTSA ODI 11556469

The windshield wiper blades stopped working while driving at night in the rain. This was a dangerous situation as i had a hard time seeing where i was driving.

NHTSA ODI 11551493

The contact owns a 2011 GMC Terrain. The contact received notification of GM Special Coverage Adjustment Campaign Number: N192266181. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed in inclement weather, the driver's side windshield wiper detached and flew off the vehicle while it was set at maximum wiper speed. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys, where a technician determined that the windshield wipers were corroded, and the driver's side windshield wiper was replaced. However, the contact stated that upon engaging the windshield wipers the following day, the driver's side and passenger's side became stuck together. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,280.

NHTSA ODI 11513233

The contact owns a 2011 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH with the windshield wipers in use, the contact attempted to use the high setting for the windshield wipers and the driver’s side windshield wiper detached and struck the driver’s side mirror. The contact stated that the windshield wiper was replaced. The failure recurred three times. The dealer had not been informed of the failure. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.

NHTSA ODI 11496245

my windshield wipers just suddenly stopped working during a rain storm. I managed to get home safely and after a quick search I was able to confirm this is a known problem with GMC Terrain's. It is talked about in Special Coverage N192266180. However this happened during a rain storm with limited visibility. So I am filing this complaint because GMC needs to issue a full blown recall and not a fix for after the windshield wiper system module breaks. Failed wipers during a storm could get people killed. I was lucky but others may not be. I took video of the wipers not working during the storm if you wish for me to send it to you.

NHTSA ODI 11477852

My fear is that the car's engine accelerates very slowly when entering large intersections, I feel that it is a great danger

NHTSA ODI 11464515

Wipers were intermittently working then completely died. Took for replacement and 3 months after replacement motor dies again. Take it back to the mechanic which said it would be a dealership issue. I go to the dealership which they do have n192266180 special coverage adjustment wiper transmission arm linkage failure which they said they would have replaced my wiper motor. However, the special cover adjustment has expired. I feel that this is a safety issue. My wipers no longer work and I am looking for a replacement by the dealership due to a safety issue with the wiper transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11458656

The contact owns a 2011 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed in the rain, the front windshield wipers were activated from low to high however, the wiper blades went up and failed to go back down. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the roadway and waited for the rain to stop for the contact to manually push the wiper blades down. The contact attempted to activate the wipers however, the wipers were inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.

NHTSA ODI 11423744

On Wednesday, May 19th at approximately 8:30pm I was driving east on I-10 leaving Baton Rouge during a torrential rain storm with family members in my car. As we were driving with the wiper blades on, without warning the driver side wiper blade completely! stopped! It went off to the left and rested on the driver’s rearview mirror. It was such a horrifying shock, I had to lean over to the front passenger side to see out of the window with the help of my sister. I tried to slow down to see if we could get off the interstate or whether or not there was an overpass we could stop under and try to fix the wiper. When we stopped under the first available overpass, I tried to adjust the wiper and played with the on off switch to see if I could get the driver side wiper to work again. It never has worked since yesterday. I decided to stay at a safe distance behind an 18 wheeler using its red lights and trailer width to exit at the nearest offramp where we waited out the rain. When we started out again, we encountered rain again on the Bonnie Carr spillway which was extraordinarily dangerous. I’ve NEVER been so frightened driving in my life as the life. No mechanic, police or insurance have looked at the car. I found that GMC has/had a recall for the 2013 GMC Terrains(in Canada?) but no other year. In a forum I found many other GMC owners who have experienced the same thing but haven’t received any recall information to get the problem fixed. I cannot imagine a more dangerous situation than having your windshield wipers go out doing a major storm in Louisiana. As we are heading into hurricane season this is a crucial issue for me. It is my sincere hope that GMC will contact me and allow me to go somewhere to get these wiper blades fixed or replaced. If I get the wiper blades fixed myself, I would like GMC to confirm in writing that they will reimburse me for the cost. Also, I’m concerned that I could be putting more defect GMC wiper products on my car. Please help.

NHTSA ODI 11417952

WAS DRIVING ABOUT 35 MPH ON BACK ROADS IN POURING RAIN WITH WIPERS ON HIGH, WHEN THE WIPERS STOPPED IN THE UP POSITION. NO OTHER CARS WHERE ON THE ROADS, AND WAS ONLY ABOUT 2 MILES FROM MY HOUSE, SO MADE IT HOME, BUT VERY SLOWLY. CAN HEAR WIPER MOTOR WORKING, BUT WIPER BLADE ARMS DO NOT MOVE, LIKE THEY HAVE BECOME UNATTACHED FROM WIPER MOTOR.

NHTSA ODI 11355661

WAS ON THE INTERSTATE WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON BECAUSE OF THE VERY HEAVY RAIN. THEN OUT OF NO WHERE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS QUIT WORKING AND WERE COMPLETELY STUCK STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN CAUSING VERY UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS AS I WAS NOT ABLE TO HARDLY SEE AT ALL AND HAD NO WHERE TO SAFELY PULL OFF TO THE SIDE AT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11328081

LAST SUMMER (JULY 2019) OUR WIPERS STOPPED IN THE UP POSITION DURING A HEAVY THUNDERSTORM ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE WE TRAVELING OVER 60 MPH. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND WE ARE LUCKY WE DID NOT CRASH. WE REPLACED THE WIPER BLADE TRANSMISSION. NOW DURING AN ICE STORM THE BLADES QUIT AGAIN. I FIND THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS REGARDING ISSUES WITH THE WIPER BLADES AND THAT CANADA HAS A RECALL ON THEM DUE TO THE SAFETY ISSUE. WHY DO WE NOT HAVE RECALL FOR THIS IN THE US?

NHTSA ODI 11298825

SUDDEN DOWNPOURS, WHEN I ACTIVATED THE WIPERS THERE WAS A MECHANICAL NOISE AND BOTH WIPERS STOPPED WORKING, WHILE IN MOTION ON FREEWAY. FORCED TO DRIVE WITH NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY UNTIL NEXT SAFE STOPPING POINT WITH MY KIDS IN THE CAR. STOPPED, CHECKED FUSE WHICH WAS OK, CHECKED WIPERS AND FOUND THE TRANSMISSION MUST HAVE FAILED AT THE MOTOR OR DRIVE AS BOTH WIPES WERE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER BUT OTHERWISE FREE TO MOVE BY HAND.

NHTSA ODI 11229506

ON JUNE 20, 2019 APRX 3:20 PM I WAS TRAVELING THE NJ TURNPIKE IN A HEAVY DOWNPOUR THE WIPERS JUST STOPPED WORKING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM. HEAVY HEAVY RAIN AND TRAFFIC ON THE TURNPIKE MADE FOR A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I WAS FORCED TO FIND MY WAY TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT IN DOING SO BECAUSE I COULD NOT SEE PROPERLY. I HAD TO STAY PUT UNTIL THE RAIN STOPPED SO I COULD PROCEED HOME. GMC KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE WIPERS YET HAS NOT RECALLED MY VEHICLE. THE RECALLED THE 2013 MODELS YET MOST MODESL FROM 2010 AND UP HAVE THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART (BALL JOINTS IN THE WIPERS TRANSMISSION / MOTOR ARE DEFECTIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11222700

DURING HEAVY RAIN STORM WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING ON HWY. WE WERE UNABLE TO SEE THE ROAD. DEALERSHIP IS SAYING THE WIPER MODULE FAILED.

NHTSA ODI 11220875

DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY DURING A RAINSTORM AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED IN THE UP POSITION. I HAD TO SLOW DOWN QUICKLY AND FIND MY WAY ONTO THE SHOULDER SINCE VISIBILITY WENT TO ZERO AND THERE WAS TRAFFIC ALL AROUND ME. YOU COULD STILL HEAR THE WIPER MOTOR TURNING BUT THE WIPERS WOULDN'T MOVE FROM THE UP POSITION. I HAD TO WAIT OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF FOR THE RAIN TO STOP BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. DUE TO TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE RAIN ON THE PAVEMENT, I WAS ONLY ABLE TO DRIVE AT A SPEED OF 25-30 MPH, SINCE TRAFFIC WAS LIFTING THE RAIN OFF OF THE PAVEMENT AND ONTO MY WINDSHIELD. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE SITUATION WHERE A SEVERE ACCIDENT ALMOST OCCURRED DUE TO THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR AND LINKAGE SYSTEM FAILED. I HAVE CALLED MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND FOUND THAT A RECALL HASN'T BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT THAT THERE HAVE BEEN THOUSANDS OF REPORTS TO THIS FAULTY ISSUE. I HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE IN CANADA BUT NOT IN THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IS CONCERNING.

NHTSA ODI 11220984

DURING A DRIVING RAIN, GOING 65 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN I PUT MY WIPERS ON HIGH, THEY STOPPED WORKING ALTOGETHER. I HAD BEEN IN THE PASSING LANE, HAD TO AVOID CRASHING, AND GET OVER 2 LANES AND GET MYSELF TO THE NEAREST EXIT. A WHITE KNUCKLE EXPERIENCE, TO SAY THE LEAST. WE HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE WIPER MOTOR AT OUR EXPENSE AND INCONVENIENCE.

NHTSA ODI 11149768

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC TERRAIN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH IN THE RAIN, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED OPERATING WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT EXITED THE FREEWAY, PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND WAITED FOR THE RAIN TO STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CALLED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 117,100.

NHTSA ODI 11131700

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC TERRAIN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH IN THE RAIN, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED FUNCTIONING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS ZERO VISIBILITY TO VIEW THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SUN BUICK PONTIAC GMC (4230 BIRNEY AVE, MOOSIC, PA 18507, (570) 456-6828) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FOR THE WIPERS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIN. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,975.

NHTSA ODI 11119873

I WAS ON MY WAY HOME ON THE INTERSTATE DRIVING 55 IN THE POURING RAIN WHEN MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING!! MY BOYFRIEND GOT MY VEHICLE HOME AND DETERMINED WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. EASY FIX. BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT! I WAS PUT IN AN EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS SITUATION. FROM THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME! I CALLED GM AND THEY SAID "WELL AT LEAST NO ONE WAS INJURED" WHICH, YES I AM THANKFUL NO ONE WAS INJURED.. HOWEVER, THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE THAT THEY CARE NOTHING ABOUT! IT NEEDS TO BE HANDLED...

NHTSA ODI 11118912

AS I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK THIS EVENING ON A HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 6:15PM IT STARTED TO POUR DOWN RAIN. DUE TO THE RAIN I WAS GOING ABOUT 45 MPH. I TURNED MY WIPERS ON THE HIGHEST SPEED POSSIBLE. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES THEY INSTANTLY STOPPED WORKING AND WERE STUCK IN THE VERTICAL POSITION. THE WIPERS WOULD NOT MOVE IN MY ATTEMPTS TO CUT THEM ON AND OFF AGAIN. IT WAS TRULY TERRIFYING. BETWEEN THE RAIN, THUNDER, LIGHTNING AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE I WAS REALLY IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT INJURING MYSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE FORTUNATELY. I HAD TO SIT THERE AND WAIT FOR IT TO STOP RAINING BEFORE I COULD GO HOME. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT GMC, IN MY OPINION, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR. I'M SHOCKED THAT WHEN I SEARCHED ONLINE REGARDING THIS ISSUE THAT I SAW NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS. I CAN NOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW DANGEROUS THIS ISSUE IS. I TRULY FEEL THAT ALL TERRAIN OWNERS NEED TO BE MADE AWARE OF THIS. I ALSO FEEL THAT THIS IS SERIOUS ENOUGH THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO CONDUCT A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION AND THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL INITIATED SINCE THERE IS APPARENTLY A RECALL ON THESE SAME VEHICLES IN CANADA. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR TIME REGARDING THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11112046

WHILE DRIVING IN THE POURING RAIN ON A BUSY NEW YORK HIGHWAY BOTH WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING. THEY WERE STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. NOTHING WOULD MAKE THEM MOVE. I HAD TO QUICKLY PULL OVER AND HAVE THE CAR TOWED. IT WAS UNSAFE TO CONTINUE DRIVING IN THE RAIN WHEN IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC HE SAID THE BALL JOINTS IN THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE CORRODED RESULTING IN BOTH OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECOMING INOPERATIVE. THIS ISSUE WAS RECALLED WITH THE 2013 MODEL RECALL NUMBER 16V582000 RECALL DATE 08/04/2016 COMPONENT VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR. GM'S NUMBER FOR THIS RECALL IS 25302 BUT HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED AS OF YET IN THE 2011 MODEL AND IT SHOULD BE!

NHTSA ODI 11111056

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS QUIT WHILE EXITING AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY RAMP (I-94) IN PORT HURON, MI. WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A TORRENTIAL RAIN STORM WITH VERY LOW VISIBILITY AND THE LOSS OF WIPERS CREATED A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE WIPER LINKAGE HAD DISENGAGED AND FALLEN OFF. THE WIPER LINKAGE/TRANSMISSION REQUIRED FOR REPAIR IS ACDELCO PART# DEL 84241847. WE PURCHASED IT AT A COST OF $66.69 AND IT WAS INSTALLED BY A FAMILY MEMBER.

NHTSA ODI 11102881

WHILE DRIVING HOME ON THE HIGHWAY, IT BEGAN TO RAIN HEAVILY. I WENT TO TURN ON MY WINDSHEILD WIPERS AND THEY WOULD NOT ENGAGE. I WAS TERRIFIED AND COULD NOT SEE A THING. BECAUSE THE TRAFFIC WAS HEAVY, I WAS NOT GOING FAST, BUT SLOWED DOWN EVEN MORE TO AFFORD MYSELF SOME VISIBILITY. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND RECALLS FOR THE 2013 MODEL. I ALSO FOUND WEBSITES WHERE OTHER MODEL YEAR OWNERS HAVE DETAILED THE SAME TERRIFYING DEFAULT. I CALLED GMC AND WAS TOLD MY VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. A MECHANIC HAS ADVISED THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE THE MOTOR NEEDS REPLACING BECAUSE HE HEARS THE GEARS GRINDING, BUT THIS WAS NOT AN OFFICIAL DIAGNOSTIC. I DID NOT PURCHASE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR IN DECEMBER 2016. I CANNOT BELIEVE I HAVE TO FORK OVER $$$ TO FIX AN KNOWN GMC ISSUE. I HAVE READ COMPLAINTS ON THE LINK BELOW FROM 2010 OWNERS AS WELL. I HOPE GMC WILL EITHER MAKING THIS MODEL YEAR PART OF THE RECALL, OR REIMBURSING THE OWNERS EXPENSES TO FIX IT. THANKS FOR THE PLATFORM TO BE HEARD.

NHTSA ODI 10992229

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC TERRAIN. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING DURING A RAINSTORM. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,550. UPDATED 05/19/17*LJ *AS

NHTSA ODI 10966111