2016 GMC Terrain Engine Problems

Carr paused, and then stopped in the middle of the highway, without any warning lights or identifiers. Other vehicles had to come to abrupt stops or even veer to avoid hitting me the manufacturer is aware, and has had a large lawsuit settlement due to a faulty rear seal causes massive internal oil consumption without any warning to the operator of of the vehicle. My research has shown that it is a catastrophic common issue with this vehicles model and year a certified GMC dealership has identified this as the reason for the sudden shut down without warning, not one warning light illuminated to indicate low or any other issue. The car has had regular oil changes and maintenance. This well-known defect should normally be caused for alarm and the safety of drivers would also for a mass recall.

excessive oil consumption....caused engine to fail....yes, car is available for inspection ...caused the car to lag and initially break down without any warning lights ...confirmed form dealer new engine needed...law suits in other states have proven that this seal problem has been known to GMC for years and they haven't repaired these faulty parts...again, no warning lights came on...please assist

I bought the vehicle in November of 2025. No warning lights or problems running. Check the engine oil upon purchase and have the dealership sticker showing oil change was recently done and oil showed that it was full. Approximately 3 weeks after purchasing, the car starting idling rough and stalled a few times during my commute to work. The check engine light came on and it showed that the vvt was a possible solution for the code P0014 this was on December 12th 2025. I replaced the suspected part with no change in vehicle condition. I checked the oil and found that it was empty/no oil on dipstick. I had to add 5 quarts of oil and then it showed it was in the safe zone on the dip stick. Today (January 15th 2026) I checked the oil again and it showed no oil on the dipstick. I had to add 2 quarts for it to be at the bottom of the safe zone on the dipstick.

I check my oil every time I get gas as to ensure that i don't go below the threshold for the oil, as I know these engines have an oil consumption issue. My terrain started having a loud grinding sound after losing power on the highway and I was able to pull off before the car died completely over 60 miles from home. I have since changed the upstream, and downstream O2 sensors (they needed it), VVT solenoids, and now going to be required to change my catalytic converter because the excessive oil consumption has clogged it almost completely. Why will GM not issue a recall for this engine and get it fixed, when they have knowledge that there is an issue. A recall was issued for previous years (on the same model) having the same issue, but yet we are left to "figure it out" at our own expense? Come on GM and the NHTSA, get it together and issue a recall already, you have all the complaints, and history you need to start one.

I am reporting excessive oil consumption in my 2016 GMC Terrain with the 2.4L Ecotec engine. The vehicle burns through an abnormal amount of oil between routine oil changes, often requiring additional oil changes without any visible leaks or dashboard warnings until the oil level is dangerously low. This issue has been diagnosed by a certified GMC dealership, but the repair was not covered under warranty. I’ve learned this is a known and widespread defect related to faulty piston rings and PCV system issues in this engine model, which has led to engine damage or failure in many cases. GMC has not issued a recall for my VIN, and my request for goodwill assistance was denied despite the safety risk of low oil pressure and potential engine failure while driving. I believe this issue poses a safety concern and warrants formal investigation and potential recall expansion.

My vehicle started shaking & stalling really badly out of nowhere on April 18, 2025. Had to have it towed to GMC dealership. They said the engine was showing low compression. Got timely oil changes and everything on this engine. The check engine light nor any other warning light ever came on when this happened. After some research, the engine in my car, the 2.4 L engine on the 2014 - 2017 models of the GMC Terrain has known defects which although GMC has known about, they have done nothing to address the issue. There was no prior warning that the engine was failing. It was very sudden and I was in traffic when this happened putting both my safety and the safety of other drivers and pedestrians in danger.

I was driving my vehicle to the gym when I noticed it was driving weird, it would not accelerate like normal, was having a hard time getting going and was making a weird noise. I had just put some oil in the car because we had known for a little while that it had a problem with burning oil because of the make and model (as told by other mechanics previously), when I got to the gym I heard a pop noise and the car stalled on me, I eventually got it started up again after 2 hours of being stranded at the gym. The next day I had to drive 40 minutes away for nursing school Clincial where on the way home it was back to driving weird and making a loud horrible noise from the engine. I was only 5 minutes from home when it was really bad and once there I noticed the burning smell from the engine. When I checked the oil level after an hour and half of cooling down I could not get any oil reading on the dipstick, after adding almost 4 quarts there was still no reading on the dipstick. We finally drove the car to my mechanic (8 minutes away) and it was already back to making the loud noise, having trouble accelerating, and producing the foul odor. I was told the PCV was restricted and caused the engine to over pressurize and that lead to the Main Rear bursting and all the oil in my car being thrown over the entire underside and probably the roads. They also checked the oil filter in the car to see if the engine itself was salvageable, where they found metal flakes in the oil filter and deemed the engine failed and are saying the engine needs replaced in order to fix the car I’ve had for 15 months… I’m still paying this car off and I have only driven it for less than 17,000 miles. It is a 2016 GMC terrain that only has 91k miles, I truly hope GM makes this right seeing as so many have come with the same exact problem due to poor design and vehicle quality. My car has had regular oil changes and I check the oil every week because of the prior burning problem.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shook abnormally and lost motive power. The contact restarted the vehicle, and the low engine oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was scheduled for a diagnostic test at the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle had recently received an oil change at Walmart. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

When starting the vehicle, I received a “reduced power” warning and then the check engine light came on. I was afraid to drive it to the service center, so It was towed. The repair center informed me that the timing chain failed and that engine will no longer start at all. I cannot afford to have the engine repaired no matter the cost because I’m still responsible for almost $6k of the loan for this vehicle, in addition to full coverage insurance required by the lender. Also, probably taxes as well because I now have a very expensive lawn ornament. Oh, and towing fees to deliver the ornament to the lawn. And then there’s the cost of finding transportation so I can actually work to throw money at all of those costs. Being buried financially because I put faith in this product is an injury and an expensive lesson.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking noise heard coming from the front of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle was towed to the residence and then to the local mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed. The local mechanic stated that the rear main seal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,394.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the timing chain had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 104,000. The contact was instructed to take it and have it diagnosed by the dealership he bought it from so I spent more money to have the garage take it on their roll back and drop it off at the dealership. The email stated I needed an engine with a $9000 estimate.

Driving down the road yesterday and outta nowhere I lost power and got a low oil pressure warning then the car just shut off merging onto a busy highway. Blown rear main seal and locked up the engine with no warning. Only 65k miles on the car. Dealership wants to charge me 11k to replace the engine. This is a very common occurrence with this vehicle I’m reading now. This could’ve caused a major accident

My 2016 GMC Terrain exhibited the excessive oil consumption outlined in both of the following Special Coverage Adjustment bulletins. In addition to the excessive oil consumption, the oil light and oil pressure warnings never gave any indication that there was an issue or that the oil was low. This ended in the engine shaking the whole car, jerking it forward when stopped, and causing the engine to seize and need replacing. GMC customer service has refused to acknowledge this issue, stating that until the government tells them to issue a recall, they can't do anything to fix my vehicle. GM acknowledged the issue for model years 2010 - 2013 (+2014 later) and alleged that they made production changes in 2013 that fixed the issue. From the experience with my vehicle and the posts on multiple consumer websites by other GM owners, it is clear that they did NOT fix the issue and that there are hundreds of owners of GMC Terrain and Chevy Equinox vehicles with the 2.4L engines that have had this problem and have lost all the value in their vehicles as a result (or had to pay up to $10,000 for a new engine.) [XXX] [XXX] Class action lawsuit about previous model years: [XXX] v. General Motors INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

This is a 2016 GMC all wheel Terrain. Over the past several years when accelerating the car would shake violently, because we could not reenact dealership could not diagnose the problem ,however as the issue has gotten worse we have been able to recreate and diagnose AND we are looking at a $2,000 repair based on a known ISSUE which DID NOT lead to a recall. The ACTUAL ENGINE IN ITS ENTIRETY SHAKES VIOLENTLY when accelerating!! How in the hell is this possible that these cars are allowed on the street without a recall. You should be ashamed!

The engine - My engine blew because oil evaporated out of the #1 cyclinder, which drained the oil. No warning lights went on and the vehicle stalled in the middle of rush hour traffic. The dealership told me it was because of a factory defect, but no recall on that part of the vehicle. This could have been much worse if the vehicles behind me were going faster than they were and not able to stop before rear ending me. Because this was a factory defect it should have been recalled and I should have been notified of this problem when I bought the vehicle.

Excess Oil consumption

Was driving home from work and the engine light came on. Shortly after the stabilitrak warning light came on followed by the reduced engine power warning. I had a GM dealer work on why the engine light came on while the car was still under warranty and i thought that would have fixed it. I have been reading on articles how the engines in these models are defective and consumes a lot of oil. I always have to add oil in between changes. I had a mechanic look at my car and run a diagnostic and basically the pistons need replacing...due to the defective engine. I feel the engine repairs that will be needed should be covered.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, an abnormal oil odor was present inside the cabin of the vehicle, causing the driver to experience a headache. Additionally, while driving the vehicle was shaking and vibrating. The vehicle was later towed to the local service center diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,496

Timing chain went out, at 80,000 miles, causing vehicle to stall.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The oil warning light was illuminated, and an unknown message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the lower engine seal and bearing were faulty. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,600. The VIN was unavailable.