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2017 GMC Terrain

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2017 GMC Terrain do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 182.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Compare all Terrain years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

37 reports with mileage · 96 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 77 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

11 crash reports2 fire reports7 injury reports

What owners actually said

133 reports
Mileage unknown · Apr 16, 2024
Engine

Oil goes back into motor blowing motor so causing you to get a new motor

NHTSA ODI #11583225

Mileage unknown · Apr 3, 2024
Engine

4/3/2024 picked my car up from the mechanics at 5pm and when driving home going 35 mph the engine shut off. This incident is is tied to my previous incident.

NHTSA ODI #11580978

Mileage unknown · Apr 3, 2024
Engine

2.4L Ecotec engines contain a defect that consumes excessive engine oil leading to: unanticipated engine shutdowns, engine stalls, engine knocking, unexpected loss of power, and vehicle jerking. The first instance I was still in a parking lot, the second on was on a local street traveling at 25 mph. During the third instance, M…

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2.4L Ecotec engines contain a defect that consumes excessive engine oil leading to: unanticipated engine shutdowns, engine stalls, engine knocking, unexpected loss of power, and vehicle jerking. The first instance I was still in a parking lot, the second on was on a local street traveling at 25 mph. During the third instance, My son and I have driven our car on 4 separate occasions and while driving on the freeway at 70 mph just after rush yesterday when the engine shut off. I took the car to my mechanic who informed me that my vehicle that has less than 88k miles is burning up the oil and soon will need the engine replaced.

NHTSA ODI #11580953

Mileage unknown · Mar 22, 2024
Engine

My car was driving without issue until I stopped at a street light. My car started rocking front to back while sitting at the light and every other time I had to make a stop. The engine light came on. I had the vehicle towed to an auto shop where they confirmed that the timing chain broke. Due to this my engine was damaged to no…

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My car was driving without issue until I stopped at a street light. My car started rocking front to back while sitting at the light and every other time I had to make a stop. The engine light came on. I had the vehicle towed to an auto shop where they confirmed that the timing chain broke. Due to this my engine was damaged to no repair. I would need to replace it. My gmc terrain is a 2017 with only 99,000 miles. I further learned that GM is aware of this issue but failed to recall this issue or warn owners that we were at risk. This can cause a vehicle to stop in the middle of driving which could cause a death if in the wrong place.

NHTSA ODI #11578892

Mileage unknown · Feb 29, 2024
Fuel/propulsion System

Rear main oil seal is faulty. It caused the vehicle to leak oil to the point where it was dry. This is a known issue with these vehicles and could have caused catastrophic damage to the engine. Additionally, this can cause the vehicle to stop running and/or catch fire.

NHTSA ODI #11574754

Mileage unknown · Feb 22, 2024
Seat Belts

While in park and driving, the passenger seat belt locks and will not unlock. You must unfasten belt and refasten it. It does this multiple times during a trip. This has occurred since 2020.

NHTSA ODI #11573418

Mileage unknown · Feb 15, 2024
EngineUnknown Or Other

Broken rear main seal broke which causes oil leak. Almost all GM vehicles around my year have the same issue resulting in blow engine. $2000 to repair and GM told me they know of this being an issue but won’t do anything to resolve.

NHTSA ODI #11572235

Mileage unknown · Feb 7, 2024
Unknown Or Other

In September of 2022 my gmc automatically shut off right in the middle of traffic on a Friday night. No warring, no lights to indicate that something was wrong with my vehicle. I took it to a mechanic shop and they said nothing was wrong and they did a diagnostic test on the car and no codes popped up. A week later my engine lig…

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In September of 2022 my gmc automatically shut off right in the middle of traffic on a Friday night. No warring, no lights to indicate that something was wrong with my vehicle. I took it to a mechanic shop and they said nothing was wrong and they did a diagnostic test on the car and no codes popped up. A week later my engine light came on. And my car died again. Thankfully, I had an extended warranty on my car and took to another mechanic shop. It turns out the timing changes on my car needed to be replaced. Fast forward to today Jan 22,2024. I smelled burning oil every time I would drive the vehicle. The rear main seal and PCV was leaking in between my engine and transmission. I lost 5 quarts of oil between Wednesday and Sunday. My oil light never came in. Thankfully, my engine didn’t lock up. It is currently in the shop getting repaired. My car is still under an extended warranty.

NHTSA ODI #11570474

Mileage unknown · Feb 5, 2024
Air BagsEngine

The air bags will show that they are shut off while we are driving down the road with my wife sitting in the seat and they will also does it if we are just sitting in the drive way. Also they had a recall in the older models of this car for the pvc valve getting clogged and building pressure and causing the lower seal to bust …

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The air bags will show that they are shut off while we are driving down the road with my wife sitting in the seat and they will also does it if we are just sitting in the drive way. Also they had a recall in the older models of this car for the pvc valve getting clogged and building pressure and causing the lower seal to bust and that happed to my car but they never gave a low oil light when it happed. All that happed was my wife was driving and the lower engine power came on while she was driving in traffic causing her to freak out and feel unsafe with my kids in the car as well. I contacted them about and they said there is no recall for the car at all about it. They clearly still had the same issues in my car because the pvc valve was clogged and then now I’m loosing all of the oil from my motor. When I went to out oil in it after work I had to add 4.5 quarts of oil to it and it only holds 5 quarts. It still never had a low oil light when I went to start it to get it to level ground so I could check it. Clearly this is a safety issue and I don’t want it to happen to someone while they are on the Interstate during heavy traffic and potentially cause an accident.

NHTSA ODI #11570146

Mileage unknown · Jan 30, 2024
Engine

main seal blew is in dealership now. it was not running right as i drove it was afraid it would die in the middle of the road. just inspected at the dealership. i got the engine light about a mile from my home where it sat till it went to the dealership.was over 4 quarts low with oil but never had oil light or anything else befo…

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main seal blew is in dealership now. it was not running right as i drove it was afraid it would die in the middle of the road. just inspected at the dealership. i got the engine light about a mile from my home where it sat till it went to the dealership.was over 4 quarts low with oil but never had oil light or anything else before it showed engine light.

NHTSA ODI #11568685

Official recalls

1

22V137000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights

Mar 8, 2022

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2017 GMC Terrain vehicles. A reflection caused by the headlight housings may illuminate areas above the vehicle and outside of the driver's view with excessively bright light. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The bright reflection may cause a glare for other drivers, reducing their visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will install headlamp appliques, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 8, 2022. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N222363740.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.