← New search

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 · Jan 29, 2024
Engine

I was driving our 2017 GMC Terrain in subzero temperatures when my vehicle started making sounds and loosing power. With in seconds I heard a pop, and then my dash went crazy with alarms. I had it towed to my local mechanic who determined that the vehicle's engine was seized do to a frozen PCV valve that caused the engines rea…

Read full complaint

I was driving our 2017 GMC Terrain in subzero temperatures when my vehicle started making sounds and loosing power. With in seconds I heard a pop, and then my dash went crazy with alarms. I had it towed to my local mechanic who determined that the vehicle's engine was seized do to a frozen PCV valve that caused the engines real seal to give away. If need be, the the vehicle is currently available to be examined. My family's safety was in danger because of the location and frigid temperatures that were present at the time of the breakage. The vehicle has not been examine by a GMC dealer, just an independent mechanic. There was no warning what so ever of a possible problem. The vehicle started making sounds and loosing power. With in seconds, I heard a pop and all the lights on the dash light up. We had no other issues with this vehicle leading up to the breakage.

NHTSA ODI #11568574

Mileage unknown · Jan 26, 2024
EngineService BrakesSteering

On Friday, January 19, 2024, I was driving home from school at night in my 2017 GMC Terrain when suddenly my car was chugging and quit. my steering and brakes froze. Other cars were passing me and it was snowing. I was scared someone was going to hit me. I was able to start it up again and to get it to a Walmart parking lot jus…

Read full complaint

On Friday, January 19, 2024, I was driving home from school at night in my 2017 GMC Terrain when suddenly my car was chugging and quit. my steering and brakes froze. Other cars were passing me and it was snowing. I was scared someone was going to hit me. I was able to start it up again and to get it to a Walmart parking lot just down the road, but before, it would chug and quit again. My steering was hard. There was no warning light or service light on dashboard telling me something was wrong. I called my sister to come get me. The car would start, but would keep quitting. I called a tow truck and had it towed to the condo. The next day, I went out to start it and it would start and oil light came on. It smelled. I turned it off. I called another tow truck and had it towed to a Mechanic at a shop. He informed me on Monday that the engine was no good due to lack of oil. Even though he said there was 15% left on the gauge. He said these cars have had problems of using excessive oil and he has had to replace and fix them. He also said others had same issue and no warning light as well. I have to replace my engine. He said the cost would be between $5000-$6000. I can't afford that going to school. I'm afraid that if someone else has this problem they could get hurt. I am going to contact General Motors about this, but I'm sure they won't help. Any Suggestions?

NHTSA ODI #11567946

Mileage unknown · Jan 25, 2024
EngineUnknown Or Other

In certain makes of General Motor vehicles there is a defect with the PCV system in which the system can freeze in cold temperatures which in turns causes excessive crankcase pressure in the engine, and can lead to a dangerous loss of motor power due to this defect. The dangers of this defect can be catastrophic to myself and ot…

Read full complaint

In certain makes of General Motor vehicles there is a defect with the PCV system in which the system can freeze in cold temperatures which in turns causes excessive crankcase pressure in the engine, and can lead to a dangerous loss of motor power due to this defect. The dangers of this defect can be catastrophic to myself and others on the roadway as the loss of motor power can happen suddenly and can happen while the vehicle is being driven. General Motors has released many service bulletins regarding this specific defect. The most recent service bulletin that was issued was GM January 2019 Bulletin PIP5093C, so they are aware of this dangerous problem in these vehicles. For my vehicle I have had a certified GMC dealership diagnosis the problem, and submit their findings to General Motors. There were not any warning lamps, messages, lights, or symptoms signaling that there was a problem prior to the occurrence on January 15th, 2024.

NHTSA ODI #11567838

Mileage unknown · Jan 23, 2024
Engine

Rear oil seal failed resulting in engine oil pressure loss and vehicle was stopped in middle of roadway

NHTSA ODI #11567175

Mileage unknown · Jan 22, 2024
EnginePower Train

It's a known problem with gmc with a lawsuit for the PVC pipes clogging and blowing the main rear oil seal causing the vehicle to quit running

NHTSA ODI #11567067

Mileage unknown · Jan 19, 2024
Engine

I just had an oil change in late December of 2023. As I was driving to work on [XXX]. My engine locked up. There were no warning lights. By the time I was able to pull over, a rod had gone thru the engine. Apparently there was an oil leak but no warning lights. This has not only caused me to have to purchase a new engin…

Read full complaint

I just had an oil change in late December of 2023. As I was driving to work on [XXX]. My engine locked up. There were no warning lights. By the time I was able to pull over, a rod had gone thru the engine. Apparently there was an oil leak but no warning lights. This has not only caused me to have to purchase a new engine but could have resulted in a collision while driving. After doing some research this is a known defect by GM and a class action lawsuit. GM has failed to recall these vehicles for a known defect. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11566480

Mileage unknown · Jan 5, 2024
Engine

I purchased this Vehicle in February of 2023, I had a problem shortly after with the oil always being low. I was adding oil to it all the time. 7 months later the engine blew. This is a very faulty problem with this engine that I am NOW finding out. This problem needs to be addressed and fixed. Now I am stuck with a vehicle…

Read full complaint

I purchased this Vehicle in February of 2023, I had a problem shortly after with the oil always being low. I was adding oil to it all the time. 7 months later the engine blew. This is a very faulty problem with this engine that I am NOW finding out. This problem needs to be addressed and fixed. Now I am stuck with a vehicle that I still owe money on that will cost me 6 to 9 thousand to replace the engine.

NHTSA ODI #11563678

130,000 miles · Jan 4, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road, and the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road, and the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an abnormal oil consumption after the engine replacement. The contact stated that there was no evidence of an oil leak. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI #11563572

Mileage unknown · Dec 28, 2023
Structure

The latch for the rear hatch/door does not release every time. There have been instances when itmes have been in the cargo area and when the button is pressed, it will not release the latch. This causes someone to have to crawl over the back seat to retrieve the items from the cargo area. This also is causing my son to have to s…

Read full complaint

The latch for the rear hatch/door does not release every time. There have been instances when itmes have been in the cargo area and when the button is pressed, it will not release the latch. This causes someone to have to crawl over the back seat to retrieve the items from the cargo area. This also is causing my son to have to store items, that would normally be in the crgo area, on his back seat. I owned a 2015 terrain and had this same issue. The latch was replaced but still did not operate correctly.

NHTSA ODI #11562235

125,000 miles · Dec 19, 2023
Power Train

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she observed white smoke coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle lost motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the vehicle was consum…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she observed white smoke coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle lost motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, who confirmed the diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 125,000.

NHTSA ODI #11560970

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.