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What 370 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 GMC Terrain

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (370)Crash / fire / injury (26)Engine (170)Visibility & wipers (81)Transmission & drivetrain (37)Electrical system (33)Fuel system (30)Airbags (27)Body & structure (14)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (13)Speed control (11)Lights (10)

2 of 370 complaints match · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Nov 5, 2017Electrical systemEngineFire

VEHICLE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT 50,000 MILES, WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION. COMPUTER DID NOT SHOW WHAT PROBLEM WAS. CAR WOULD CUT OFF IN DRIVE IN IDLE. CAR WOULD SHAKE. MECHANICS PUT IN NEW PARTS AND BATTERY FOR MORE THAN $1200. STILL WAS NOT FIXED. MECHANIC WENT TO A DEALERSHIP TO INQUIRE IF THEY HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM. AT THE DEALERSHIP IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT MANY OF THE PARTS THAT WOULD CAUSE THE PROBLEM WERE ON RECALL. GM HAD NOT POSTED THESE RECALLS OR NOTIFIED ME, THE OWNER. AFTER INSPECTING THE CAR THEY SAID THERE WAS TOO MUCH WRONG TO REPAIR AND THE ENTIRE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THEY SAID I WOULD NEED TO DRIVE 2000 MILES TO CHECK OIL CONSUMPTION. THEY NEVER MADE US AWARE THERE MAY BE PROBLEM WITH THE OIL CONSUMPTION. I AM 68 YRS OLD AND WALK WITH A WALKER. I AM IN THE HOSPITAL OFTEN. THE MECHANICS SAID THEY WOULD DRIVE THE CAR AS MUCH AS THEY THOUGHT NECESSARY TO DETERMINE OIL CONSUMPTION. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN CHARLOTTE NC THE CAR STARTED SMOKING AND CAUGHT FIRE. THE DRIVER FORCED HIS WAY OUT BUT HAD THAT BEEN ME, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DIED DUE TO MY HANDICAP. I HAVE NOW BEEN WITHOUT A VEHICLE FOR OVER A MONTH. I HAVE CONTACTED GM BUT THEY ARE SLOW FOR ANY RESOLUTION. I ASKED FOR A LOANER VEHICLE BUT WAS TOLD THEY COULDN'T DO THAT NOW.

NHTSA ODI 11043478

Jun 12, 2017Electrical systemAirbagsSeat beltsCrash

ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS WHEN SLOWING DOWN OR TURNING, THE ENGINE WILL DIE. FRONT END ACCIDENT GOING 55+ MPH ON A COUNTRY ROAD, HIT A VERY LARGE DIP, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, SEAT BELTS DID LOCK UP.

NHTSA ODI 10994533

Working with the data? Download all 370 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 GMC Terrain verdict →