What 313 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 GMC Terrain

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 186,000.

NHTSA ODI 11526946

My GMC terrian has 98567 miles and had check engine light problem. Dealer said that I needed new timing chain. Cost $2282.05. Have not found a recall on the timing chain problem, but have seen many complains about the same issue. With some being replaced multiple times. Why has GMC not done anything to cure this problem. Van does not burn oil. Have it serviced at the GMC dealer since I purchased it with only 16000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11524404

My vehicle keeps running extremely low in oil and not alerting me with any warning lights. My vehicle starts to shake like it is going to stall and the engine makes a rattling noise. This is a safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11523934

The vehicle excessively burned oil and the engine now needs replaced. 4 oil changes in the last 11 months on top of adding oil in between oil changes. At a stop light the car died and was towed to a dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11523773

Engine lost power suddenly while driving. No warning. Fuel pressure slowed to where vehicle no longer moved forward. Again. No warning. Timing chain slipped TWICE and destroyed engine without warning. “Engine power lost” appeared on dash from driving without warning or incident. Excessive oil consumption without warning. Smoking engine even though had regular oil changes. Engine had been inspected by dealership and allegedly had no issues. Car never smoked but did after second time of timing chain slipping/breaking. This issue has happened repeatedly to many drivers who own these vehicles. Had a difficult time stopping after engine and total power failure without warning.

NHTSA ODI 11523594

During a long distance trip, the timing chain tensioner failed. There were no obvious signs of this condition when driving at highway speeds. No warning lights or reduced engine performance! After traveling over 200 miles, we stopped and discovered the engine was running very rough. We decided to stay overnight in a hotel and check the condition of the Terrain in the morning. The next day the car, started briefly and then stalled. It didn’t start again. We had the vehicle towed and the repair shop determined the the timing chain tensioner broke at some point on our trip. This caused the chain to come partially loose and that in turn “chewed up” the gear teeth. The metal fragments from the gears spread throughout the entire engine. This resulted in the engine to be declared unrepairable. If we hadn’t stopped, the engine could have creased up, and the almost assuredly would have resulted in a serious car accident. This was an expensive repair, approx $8000 and we incurred the cost of staying in a hotel for a week.

NHTSA ODI 11517338

Never had issues on my vehicle I only have 42,000 miles when I brought my vehicle it only had 28,000 miles I had two recalls recently fixed 2/21/2023 a month later while driving my vehicle stopped and check engine light came on also there is a dinging sound whenever I get into my car which wasn’t there before I was in my parking lot parking my car when it shut off 3 times

NHTSA ODI 11514940

2015 GMC Terrain-The PCV system or rear engine seal froze and burst. It happened last month when GA experience record cold weather. When the vehicle’s PCV system freezes it caused pressure to build up in the vehicle’s crankcase that breaks or pops out the rear main engine seal and caused all of the oil to drain from the vehicle while driving. The engine has completely seized and will need to be replaced. There are several bulletins issues about this but no recall. After researching I see there has been a few class action suits filed within the past 12 months. This apparently has happened to quite a few people. I am now up to over 9K total. The PCV repair was 2800, then the timing chains 1800, only to find out that the engine suffered as well. New engine 4500. Please do something about this.

NHTSA ODI 11503079

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started jerking, lost motive power, and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted, and the contact continued to drive; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the “Engine Power Reduced” message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the timing chain had fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure but provided no additional assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11501470

Stopped at Kwik Trip to get coffee before work one morning. Restarted Terrain and while leaving the SUV lost power and went into limp mode in heavy traffic. Car was towed to repair facility. Diagnosed as timing chain and guides failed resulting in major engine damage. Bill was $4302.85. Vehicle had 87397 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11498787

Engine died in the middle of the freeway when driving, creating hazardous condition. It was later found out there was no oil. Oil was changed less than 2000 miles prior by GM dealer, there was no leak on the garage floor and there was no warning that oil was low and the exhaust did not look any different. There was no way to tell the engine was burning oil. The engine had barely 110k miles.

NHTSA ODI 11495369

The engine is burning oil at a rate of about a quart every 2k miles. The check engine light came on recently and very shortly after a reduced power warning came on and made the vehicle difficult to drive. Which was not safe on a major road. It had to be towed to my mechanic and he mentioned to me that the engines in this vehicle are known to be problems. The pistons have an issue that burns oil in excess he said. I looked this up and found a class action settlement was just awarded to people in 3 states. However not mine.

NHTSA ODI 11494164

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while performing an oil change, he noticed that the timing chain cover was leaking oil. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that other GMC vehicles had similar failure; however, there were no recalls on his vehicle. Both the dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and neither offered any assistance. The contact was later referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ODI 11489926

My vehicle had lack of engine excelleration, hesitated and was hard to drive. Took it to the GMC dealership and was told it was the timing chains. Because this was my only car and needed transportation for work I had it repaired. The amount was an expensive repair of $2,219.71 for what I researched was something that was happening in many of the 2015 GMC Terrains. People have been trying to get a recall notice to be sent to owners because it is so common and dangerous. I could be out on a busy highway and having the car die on me. Is there a way to receive some compensation for this seeming to be a normal problem for these cars. Why is there no recall especially since it has happened in many many of these 2015 GMC vehicles

NHTSA ODI 11481350

Engine failure - car engine turned off when I stopped at a stop sign. Car warning lights flashed. Had to shut ignition off and turn on again. Car started again, but with check engine light staying on. From that point on, every time I would slow down for traffic lights, stop signs, turns or for any other reason when slowing down, the car would shut off. This was extremely dangerous in traffic as it would stall out randomly when slowing down. The car did not give any indication of any pending problems. Windshield wipers - stopped dead during a heavy rainstorm while traveling on a highway. Wipers were completely non-functional in any mode. Had to try to pull off the highway and park as driving visibility was non-existent. Safety to myself and others was completely compromised as I could not see to drive. No warning signs or messages to advise of this problem coming.

NHTSA ODI 11474552

I was so excited to buy my first car!!!! found a 2015 GMC Terrain and loved the look of it and the thought of buying American Made. During the summer of 2020...just after COVID shut down...my car wouldn't start when running an errand. Got it towed to our local car guy and found out that the timing chain busted and the engine seized up at 52,000 miles. I still owed over $5,000.00 on it! Car guy said it would cost 5,200 to replace engine!!! Had it towed back to my garage and it's been sitting in there for 2 years. I have 2 more car payments left on a car I haven't been able to drive. Worst investment I have ever made and I will never buy a GMC or a Chevy again.

NHTSA ODI 11470937

I turned on my car and it stalled while I was backing out of the driveway. The engine oil consumption is much higher than it should be so I was running on No oil when I had just gotten oil put in my car

NHTSA ODI 11464730

Car has 77,000 miles with regular oil change and maintenance. Timing chain broke and engine failure.

NHTSA ODI 11461143

There is a known issue with the oil consumption in multiple other GM models with the same 2.4 engine. Even after getting my routine oil change unpon checking my oil it was completely empty. This issue causes the vehicle to idle when there is no excelleration and it has even cut off twice within the past 5 months due to this issue. The recall was brought to my attention by the GMC service department where I purchased the vehicle while I was explaining the current issue. There are no alerts that the vehicle is completely out of oil, the check engine light never came in and there were no other warning signs, even when the vehicle has cut off.

NHTSA ODI 11459786

My 2015 GMS Terrain SLE-2 engine failed last week with 109000 miles, just past the warranty. I was told the engine ran out of oil yet there were no signs of leaks. This caused the timing chain to fail and lifters broke. I have it changed regularly at my original and then local dealership and have all receipts. I had to scrap the car. GM nor the dealership informed me that there were issues with oil consumption. The dealership had NO explanation as to how it ran out of oil.

NHTSA ODI 11457596

In October 2021 I took my car to have brake pads replaced, oil and filter change, and tire rotation. The day before the appointment the engine light came on. I parked the vehicle and waited for my appointment. The mechanic there told me there was not a drop of oil registering on the dipstick.... very odd considering I had the oil changed regularly. The appointment was completed and the engine light reset. The next day the engine light came back on and the code it was giving was for a Timing Control Solenoid, so I purchased the parts and took it back to the same mechanic. Engine light off- vehicle running normally- a few months pass-another routine oil/filter change in between and the engine light comes back on. This time I take it to a dealership and again there is not a drop of oil registering on the dipstick. Now it is sitting in the dealership garage waiting on parts to arrive to replace the entire timing chain assembly. I have read many complaints in the last several months about the same issue. This should have been a recall by now. If the timing chain were to snap it could cause heavy engine damage as well as an accident if on the road at the time. GMC needs to be made aware of this situation and the heavy consumption of oil. My mileage at this time is only at 82K - this should not be happening this early on.

NHTSA ODI 11452066

Check engine light on took to dealer and they ran diagnostic. Timing chain is also on its way out. I am the original owner. "Water in PCV system obstruction in the secondary air system." I had this cleaned out a few years ago $500.00. If the PCV freezes without warning, the engine will seize. No warning for PCV, just visual inspection from tech at dealer.

NHTSA ODI 11450720

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that upon checking the oil reservoir, he noticed that the oil was low despite recently having an oil change performed. The contact replenished the oil; however, he began to notice that the vehicle was vibrating with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to three independent mechanics; the first two were unable to diagnose the failure; however, the third dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a defective camshaft phaser. The contact called the dealer about the failure; however, they were unable to offer any assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

NHTSA ODI 11450736

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while reversing out of her driveway, the vehicle started making abnormal knocking sounds. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the battery was severely corroded and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 113,000.

NHTSA ODI 11444669

The vehicle last ran on 8/16/21. Then I had a surgery the next day and tried to drive it on 8/17 only to find out it wouldn’t work. Then I had emergency surgery because of an infection from first surgery. So after surgeries and recuperation I am just getting the car estimated for repair and found out need new engine. Trying to find out if any recalls or warranty (purchased from Kia after a lease was returned in August of 2018 and there isn’t a warranty with Kia.

NHTSA ODI 11437246