What 179 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 GMC Terrain

Backup camera stopped working and displays a blue screen stating “service backup camera.” This was an issue when the vehicle was under 3 year manufacturer bumper to bumper warranty and was fixed by dealer at no cost. Now this same issue has occurred again approximately 3-4 years later. I thought at first this was an issue specific to my vehicle but now after doing research I see this is an issue across several GMC Terrian vehicles and other GM vehicles. This issue should be fixed by the manufacturer for all vehicles affected. Vehicle owners should not be responsible to fix faulty parts from the manufacturer.

NHTSA ODI 11745463

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that shortly after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle suddenly stalled while accelerating from a stop light. The contact stated that after the vehicle stalled, the transmission failed to shift out of park, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with fuel pump failure. The fuel pump was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 46,917.

NHTSA ODI 11744805

On June 7, 2026, I was driving my 2020 GMC Terrain. I was going at about 40MPH along a very busy main road. While slowing for a red light the Check Engine Light turned on and the car displayed a notice about reduced engine power. Seconds later, the brake pedal became stuck and would not press down all the way and I lost braking ability. The car rattled/shook violently, made a grinding noise, and then the engine shut off and the car stopped abruptly, narrowly avoiding hitting the car in front of us. I turned on the hazard lights. I was not able to get the car to start again, nor was I able to get the car to shift into any other gear including neutral. We were nearly hit by other vehicles multiple times while attempting to get the car to move again, and to get myself and my child safely out of the road. Myself and multiple bystanders attempted to engage the transmission interlock override multiple time. We were eventually able to engage it and push the car to the side of the road. This failure created an extremely unsafe situation for all involved as this road is very busy and there were numerous near-collisions both with my disabled vehicle, and with other drivers serving out of the way and into other lanes at the last second. As time went on and the battery drained, most of the car's exterior lights turned off and other drivers had a hard time seeing my car. I used a strobe flashlight to alert other drivers but this required that I had to stand in the road near the vehicle. Police were called immediately when I found that we could not move the car out of the road, but they did not arrive. Ultimately the vehicle was stuck and inoperable in a travel lane for over two hours. The car was then towed to a nearby repair shop. The mechanic evaluation stated that the brake vacuum pump had failed resulting in loss of braking ability and expensive damage to the engine and other components. The manufacturer is aware of this issue. See: Thieme, et al. v. General Motors LLC.

NHTSA ODI 11742733

The brake vacuum pump had a catastrophic failure which resulted in the immediate loss of all brakes in the vehicle. I had the vehicle repaired only to find that GM has issued numerous repair bulletins to dealers and mechanics. This appears to be an issue known to them. As the vehicle was repaired, the parts are no longer available for inspection. This was a danger to me and others around me because I was traveling 60mph down hill with no means to slow or stop. I narrowly avoided an accident. There were no warning lamps before the incident. A warning lamp did come on after the loss of brakes but only after I attempted to brake.

NHTSA ODI 11742755

During my daily commute to work on the interstate the service break assist message came on my dash and when attempting to break the pedal was very hard, to the point where I had to push extremely hard and quickly realized I had to brake much much soon than normal to prevent hitting other vehicles. Sudden loss of brakes put me and other drivers at risk due to my near inability to slow down or stop and the sudden and unexpected nature of the event.

NHTSA ODI 11742854

I am a [XXX] resident. While commuting to work in [XXX], my GMC Terrain experienced a sudden, catastrophic failure of the brake vacuum pump while traveling at highway speeds. When I attempted to slow down for the exit, the brake pedal instantly became extremely stiff and nearly impossible to depress. I realized I had suffered an absolute loss of power braking assist. To avoid a high-speed collision with heavy highway traffic, I was forced to deliberately steer onto the roadside rumble strips, relying on tire friction to slow the vehicle down. This severe near-miss left me terrified and distraught. Because the shoulder was narrow, my disabled vehicle was left partially protruding into the active roadway. Passing cars sped by so close that my vehicle was violently rocking, creating an incredibly unsafe situation. I was forced to call the State Police for emergency assistance. They dispatched a trooper and a tow truck to remove me and the vehicle safely from the highway. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic in Massachusetts. The mechanic discovered that the vacuum pump had internally exploded. This explosion sent catastrophic metal shards and debris directly into the engines oil galleys and oiling system. While the vehicle has 121,776 miles, this is not a normal wear-and-tear component failure. The brake vacuum pump suffered a catastrophic internal mechanical explosion at highway speeds, completely eliminating my ability to stop the vehicle. A mechanical component failure should never cause an immediate, life-threatening loss of brake control, regardless of mileage. This is a known, systemic engineering defect that is currently the subject of active federal class-action litigation (XXX v. General Motors LLC). This defect did not just cause an immediate life-threatening braking failure, it completely contaminated the oiling system, destroyed the entire engine, and rendered the vehicle a total loss requiring a full engine replacement. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11742437

Transmission wouldnt shift. Sensor in car is causing issue, code is N 202321840

NHTSA ODI 11741315

I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious and dangerous brake failure involving my 2020 GMC Terrain SLT with approximately 150,000 miles. While driving, the vehicle suddenly experienced a vacuum pump failure that caused a severe loss of braking ability with no warning beforehand. The brake pedal became extremely hard, and the vehicle would barely stop. This created a very dangerous situation and could have easily resulted in a serious accident. Thankfully, I was not driving at a high speed when the failure occurred, and there were no vehicles directly in front of me at the time. However, only minutes earlier I had been traveling approximately 65–70 mph on the highway. If this brake failure had occurred while driving at highway speeds or in heavy traffic, I truly believe it could have caused a major crash resulting in serious injury or death. What concerns me most is that there was no warning before the brakes failed. No warning lights and no issues with my brakes. The sudden loss of braking power was extremely frightening and created an immediate safety hazard. After researching this issue, I discovered that other GMC and GM vehicle owners have reported similar vacuum pump failures and brake assist problems. I believe this is a significant safety issue that should be investigated further. Drivers should not experience sudden brake failure without warning, especially on a vehicle that otherwise appeared to be operating normally beforehand. I am very thankful no one was injured in my situation, but I am concerned that another driver may not be as fortunate. My vehicle had to be towed to a nearby shop and they suspected it was the vacuum pump failure and the car started smoking badly. so I had it towed to the GMC dealership and they called me today to confirm that was the problem and it also caused damage to the camshaft. This is a known issue with the terrain and there is currently a class action lawsuit.

NHTSA ODI 11740175

The vacuum pump for the brake system failed catastrophically while driving causing damage to the brake booster and lodging metal debree into the engine components. This happened at less than 100k miles on a 2020 gmc terrain.

NHTSA ODI 11738404

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the tire well was filled with water. The contact stated that the unknown box on the side was filled with water. In addition, the contact stated that the water dripped onto the ground underneath the rear tire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11737045

Filled up with gas and went to leave gas station and was still rolling to come to a stop and car shut off and would not crank back up o couldn't put in neutral to even move out of the way. After about 10 mins I was able to crank it back up. No lights came or was on and battery was showing 14.5 now that im sitting battery is showing 12.8. Oil was just changed 4 days ago. Just purchased used less then 3 weeks ago. Im at a lost has 122,272 miles on it

NHTSA ODI 11732923

After vehicle acting like it isnt getting power and trying to die, I pulled into a gas station and turned it off. When I went to restart it, the vehicle kept turning over and over automatically not wanting to start and the engine light came on. I let it sit for about 5 minutes and tried again. It did same thing. I tried a 3rd time pushing the gas pedal and it finally started. I made it home 2 miles away. Turned the car off and tried starting it again with same issues.

NHTSA ODI 11732955

Random problems accelerating. Like I can be pulling out of my parking spot in revese then switch it to drive an try to move and it won’t move at all or very slowly then out of nowhere it accelerates fast

NHTSA ODI 11731643

The article below appears online, 4/13/2026. I have the exact same problem with my 2020 GMC Terrain Denali and I would like other GM vehicles added to their Chevy recall. They use the same parts within GM's product lines. As background info, I went to the dealer, Matick Buick GMC, 29300 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, MI 48034 on Jan. 14, 2026 for repair. I was told water infiltrated my backup camera and its harness. Matick said very few parts are available in the USA. Still not fixed and it is dangerous. Yes is the answer to the 1st 4 general guideline questions. The 5th question is NO. READ MORE TRENDING NEWS: Chevrolet has recalled 271,770 vehicles over an issue with the rearview camera. Some 2023 to 2025 Chevy Malibus were recalled because the camera screen may show a distorted or blank image, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. Dealers will replace the camera at no cost to correct the issue. Owners will get letters in the mail alerting them to the problem after May 18, the agency said. For more information, call Chevrolet at 800-222-1020. The company’s internal recall number is N262551720. The vehicle identification numbers can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

NHTSA ODI 11730928

1- at 71,000 miles in 2022 brake vacuum pump “exploded” broke into many small pieces in the middle of driving. Causing brakes to lock. Brake pedal was brick hard. Hard to maneuver the car out of traffic without causing a collision. Luckily car was not being driven at high speed. At time of repair costing $1,000 Mechanic informed me that the pump was made out of a non metal material and he could not fish the small particles out of the motor with a magnet. The motor would need to be taken apart, cleaned out and reassembled….. From this point forward the car drives in “low engine power mode” even with repairs completed and codes cleared. 2- 2 years later the same part “brake vacuum pump” exploded again. Another $1000 repair. At this time we discovered that the fine particles that were not removed from motor has now knocked the timing off by 8%. Also it has caused a knick in a seal causing an oil leak under 100k miles $1800 repair. After these extensive repairs…… The car emits gas fumes into cabin. The smell is so strong it can’t be parked in the garage because it circulates through the house. Even when car is not running. The Car can’t be driven because risk of fire or explosion from gas. Fuel system gets cleaned. Injectors replaced. The car temporarily runs without the gas smell. 2 weeks later the gas smell returns Come to find out the fuel pump failed. Search online and find there is a recall for fuel pumps in this same make model and year. But not this vin number. The car has been a headache from day 1. Recall the whole car at this point, to have so many faulty parts in such major systems of a car is crazy.

NHTSA ODI 11727732

Catastrophic engine failure; no warning lights,etc. took place on or about end of January 2026. Car completely died and would not start. Car towed to dealer (GMC Blaise Alexander, Hazleton, PA) Vehicle inspected by dealer master mechanic and others. Engine completely disassembled. Unable to repair. No warnings, lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to failure. Tremendous expense had to be incurred by us over this incident. We had to purchase a new car. Terrain had been meticulously maintained by dealer since purchase. We still had over one year of payments remaining. Expected car to last closer to 200,000 miles. A new engine could have been installed, but cost was too expensive. We lost all of our equity in the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11724322

The airbag system on my 2020 GMC Terrain has an intermittent malfunction. The airbag warning light turns on and off and the diagnostic code B0014 has been identified by a dealership. When the warning light is on, the airbag system may not deploy properly in a crash, creating a safety risk. The vehicle has approximately 49,000 miles. The problem has occurred for about three years. The dealership repaired the issue when the vehicle was first purchased and the light went off temporarily, but it returned a few months later. A second dealership attempted a repair and again the light went off temporarily before returning. The issue continues to occur intermittently. The warning lamp for the airbag system appears on the dashboard. The vehicle has been inspected by dealerships but the problem has not been permanently fixed.

NHTSA ODI 11723564

I was driving 55 miles an hour on an Expressway. And suddenly my truck just shut off.The brake became very hard unable to break very scary situation for me and my children. Engine power was reduced and would not start, many errors came up. The vacuum pump failed, which also caused the cam shafts to fail.The vacuum pump exploded into pieces and sent metal into my engine.

NHTSA ODI 11722686

While driving I received a "service brake assist system" alert and a check engine light. After this happened the brakes were extremely hard to press. I had to put my entire weight on the breaks to stop the car. The brake "assist" feature really is making the brakes functional. We were able to safely get to the side of the road. We found a vacuum pump failed and needed to be replaced. There was no sign that this was failing; it worked, then it didn't.

NHTSA ODI 11720626

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving in cold weather at various speeds; moisture accumulated and deactivated the charger, causing the vehicle to go into LIMP Mode and lose drive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the charger air cooler was defective and needed to be replaced. The dealer also wanted to place an air deflector on the vehicle. The contact was informed of a service update for the failure however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched and learned that in Canada, the issue was being remedied with a bra apparatus and a thermal wrap for the engine to prevent the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the VIN was not covered. The contact was waiting to hear from a supervisor. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11716636

I own a 2020 GMC Terrain with approximately 110,000 miles. While driving in winter, the vehicle suddenly lost cabin heat and defrosting capability. The temperature gauge began fluctuating and the cooling fans continued running after the vehicle was shut off. A mechanic diagnosed the cause as a cracked radiator that allowed coolant to leak out, which is a known frequent failure on this model. Because the heater stopped working in sub-freezing temperatures, this created a safety hazard due to lack of defrosting and heat while driving. The failure occurred without warning, and no coolant warning light was displayed before the heater stopped working. The vehicle was not overheating at the time, but the loss of heat and defrost made winter driving unsafe.

NHTSA ODI 11714544

I noticed a sticker in driver door stating recall however no evidence. The vehicle will not pull hills, back up on a hill and will not accelerate over 25 miles per minute. Dangerous to drive on roads. Took vehicle to a GMC dealer for diagnostic test, received the report for what the report found. Took the report to auto shop to get repaired however the vehicle still continues with same issue. Took the vehicle to another auto shop. I was informed of some differences added issues. I had those issues fixed. The vehicle still running the exact way after all of the repairs. The top hood on the vehicle paint starts peeling after a year of owning it. I purchased the vehicle at Kia of Gardendale 2020. No one had any answer regarding the situation. Very disappointed with a GMC vehicle. I just want to know the mystery.

NHTSA ODI 11713540

While driving down the interstate a notice popped up on my dash about the brake assist. When I attempted to slow down the vehicle to safely pull over the brake pedal was very hard to push. I was able to slow the vehicle to a complete stop but needing to use both feed and press hard with all my weight. Once the vehicle was parked and shut off I turned it back on to have the check engine light pop up on the dash. I contacted Onstar and was towed to a dealership. The brake vacuum pump had broken off at the cam shaft and required extensive repairs. It is my understanding that this is a common occurance and there were previous recalls on the other style Terrains due to the same issue. yet they used the same part on the newer body style being fully aware of the design flaw.

NHTSA ODI 11709184

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. While the contact’s wife was driving approximately 40 MPH and attempting to depress the brake pedal to pull into the parking lot of Walmart, the braking distance was extended while bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. The driver used excessive force on the brake pedal using both feet. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the brake vacuum pump had failed. The vacuum pump had fractured where it was connected to the camshaft, causing pieces to enter the engine. The brake vacuum pump and the connector were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.

NHTSA ODI 11708791

Towards the tail end of a nearly 2.5 hour drive, the Automatic Theft Deterrent System was activated on the interstate. I lost every display on the dash panel including my speedometer, battery, coolant, gas, turn signals, and windshield wipers. I went into the nearest parking lot and was unable to restart the vehicle. It was towed to the dealership closest to our home and was repaired for $2200. The technicians at the dealership were not sure of what caused it and had never seen an issue like this so it was “elevated” to the GM engineers at their headquarters. They replaced the electrical control module and both key FOBs. We have not experienced any similar issues.

NHTSA ODI 11707653