GMC · Terrain · 2018
5
Recalls
208
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2018 GMC Terrain has 5 recalls and 208 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: service brakes (38 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
16.4% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 GMC Terrain vehicles. The sensing diagnostic module (SDM) that senses a crash and deploys the necessary air bags may not power down correctly when the vehicle is shut off, causing it to be inoperative when the vehicle is restarted.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the SDM with updated software, free of charge. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18179.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles and 2017-2018 GMC Acadia vehicles. The right front intermediate driveshaft may fracture and separate while driving.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right front intermediate drive shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2017. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17329.
We just got off the bus thruway and my brakes pedal got hard to press and it was hard to stop car I had to push on brake dry hard to get the car to stop it was jarring and o had to get my some and o to a safe place. Garage said it’s brake assist and he researched there’s is an active law suit against GM bc lots of Moses and models have this issue although they claim to know nothing about it
My car was t-boned on the driver side and no airbags deployed. The outer door and window exploded with the force. We were also hit from behind
The control knob that controls AWD, 2WD,Off-road, and 4 x4 AWD. Just stopped working. Stuck on 2WD mode. I did have it checked for any codes, even though, there is NO check engine light is on.
Faulty Brake Vacuum Pump!!!! 2018 GMC Terrain @ 119254 miles--- NO warning! Brakes were hard to press, did not work and I rolled into ditch to prevent an accident. I see hundreds of people with same issue now that I Am having to research. This was very scary. I was told it was as a brake booster pressure sensor. But that was not the problem. It is the brake vacuum pump. This is so dangerous. Why is GMC not correcting this issue? This is insane. GM issued multiple technical service bulletins on vacuum and booster issues starting in 2017. Why hasn't anything been done?
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. While attempting to shift to reverse(R) out of a parking spot, the message “Transmission Unable to Shift” was displayed on the instrument panel, and the transmission was unable to shift into reverse(R). The contact called for tow truck assistance. The vehicle was unable to shift into neutral (N). The contact stated that prior to the transmission failure, the “Service Transmission Soon” message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 245,000.
Brakes were hard to engage or press when stopping due to Vacuum pump stop working. Had to replace the vacuum pump
Vehicle will not shift out of park, despite replacing the valve body, putting in a new battery, and transmission fluid. It has been this way since mid January. The codes don’t make sense and there is no current recall, nor have we had this vehicle for very long. It has 48,000 miles on it and is having this issue. Very disappointed.
Turbo boost went out in my vehicle and 3 others with the same engine, different makes/models. Vehicles were serviced at Grayling Car Care 4430 M-72, Grayling, MI 49738 (989) 348-3200. Significant power loss, sluggish acceleration, poor fuel economy, and often strange noises (whining, grinding), accompanied by blue smoke from burning oil and a lit check engine light, with the severe risk of catastrophic engine damage from broken parts entering the engine if driven, requiring prompt replacement. It's generally unsafe to drive with a bad turbo, as metal fragments can destroy the engine.
Vacuum pump failure resulting in crankshaft sensor to completely sheer off.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal became extremely difficult to depress, with the message "Brake Assist" displayed. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway and the parking brake was activated, and the vehicle was turned off. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift into gear, and the vehicle was dragged onto a flatbed truck and towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 132,386.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and failed to come to a stop while the brake pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a locked brake vacuum pump. The contact was informed that parts of the brake vacuum pump had entered inside the camshaft and valve cover. Several unknown local dealers were contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired because there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 183,000.
The infotainment system will just randomly start going haywire and when it happens, you cannot use the touchscreen. It will try to randomly delete app icons such as the camera, it will try to delete connected phones, it will try to delete radio favorites and it will move app icons all around. These are just a few examples of things that happen.
My car said to me this not that there is something wrong with the Service Safety Restraint system! It was fine last night when I got home! I just bought this car a month ago and everything was fine and now my air bag light is on and will not go off!
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag and ABS warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with air bag failure. The contact was informed that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that there were no open recalls on the VIN. In addition, the contact was informed that once a recall repair was completed, it would not be performed a second time free of charge. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,100.
April 2025, Vacuum Pump went out meaning lost breaks going 60 miles per hour down the road after engine light came on. Left me and two children stranded 2 hours from home with no way to get back except a tow. Now September 2025 Cam Shafts are out as well as Vacuum Pump. Stranded boyfriend and I two hours away again. Now metal in oil and warranty is not willing to cover it due to the vacuum pump going out. Made a post on Facebook and got lots of feedback on how their newer terrains have done the same things. Work in insurance and have people car pertaining to their terrains wondering if we cover engine replacements. There is major issues with these vehicle. Mine only has 107,000 miles on it and I have 12,000 left to pay. The motor is shot and dealership wants to “flush” the metal out of the engine. Very frustrated, I put 12,000 out of my college fund to have a reliable vehicle for my two kids and now this is all I have. A car that doesn’t run. I called warranty and the man I talked to even said that they get a lot of calls for these cars needing to be fixed. I am at a loss on what to do now. The below information about the incident is for the most recent one happening in September. I know that this sounds like a warranty and dealership issue but I guaranty if you send something out to terrain owners they will report major issues that they have had. Leaving them stuck in loans and no where to go.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the unintendedly decelerated and failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced with a used transmission, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that the replacement transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000. The VIN was not available.
Difficulty with power assistive braking when traveling at low speeds
Component Affected: Service Brakes, Hydraulic – Brake Vacuum Pump Summary of the Problem: I am reporting a serious safety issue involving the brake vacuum pump on my 2018 GMC Terrain. The brake pump failed catastrophically ("blew up"), resulting in a sudden loss of braking power. This occurred without warning and posed a significant risk to my safety and others on the road. We were traveling to vacation in Florida and thankfully had just gotten off the interstate. Details: The failure caused the brake pedal to become extremely hard to press, and the vehicle required a much longer distance to stop. We experienced no brake at the brake booster and a blown vacuum pump is due to a faulty vacuum pump which is a known issue for this model. Fortunately, no accident occurred, but the situation could have easily led to a collision. A certified mechanic confirmed that the brake vacuum pump exploded and needs to be replaced. I have incurred significant out-of-pocket repair costs due to this issue. We had to uber to our vacation room, get Walmart Plus to have groceries delivered to our room. We had to have Uber Eats deliver other supplies. We have had to walk to various places for dinner and entertainment because Avis and Budget had no vehicles available to rent and Enterprise was closed as we arrived on Saturday afternoon. I have checked for recalls and service bulletins using my VIN, but none are currently listed for this specific issue, despite similar problems being reported in other GM vehicles. Request: I urge the NHTSA to investigate this issue further. The failure of a critical braking component without warning is a serious safety concern. I believe this may be part of a broader pattern of brake system failures in GM vehicles and should be addressed through a recall or safety campaign. Also, the estimate for the repair is $2,500 so any reimbursement would be greatly appreciated. We just received this estimate but I can provide it at a later date.
It starts to “warn” you by the seat doing whatever it does and the dash lights up collision flashing and slams on the brakes when nothing is even around
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the vehicle while transitioning to 4WD. The contact continued driving and the driving sound became more frequent while shifting into 4WD. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the driveshaft had detached and was hanging down from the suspension. An independent mechanic was contacted, and the contact was informed about NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V516000 (Power Train); which the mechanic associated to the failure. The contact called two local dealers and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2018 GMC Terrain has 5 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 208 owner-reported complaints for the 2018 GMC Terrain.
The 2018 GMC Terrain received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2018 GMC Terrain are service brakes (38 reports), unknown or other (19 reports), power train (17 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 5 recalls on record for the 2018 GMC Terrain. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.