9.6

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
754 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2020 GMC Terrain electrical problems

electrical problem

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2020 GMC Terrain Owner Comments

problem #13

Jan 122024

Terrain

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Purchased Vehicle brand new- Beck & Masten Buick GM - Houston, TX [XXX] Performed rout maint regularly. Last oil change 1-5-2024 before catastrophic failure and complete engine seizure. Towed to Wiesner GMC [XXX] 1-12-2024: Mileage on car roughly 99K- had no issues no check engine light, no mechanical failure or indication that anything was running other than normal. No Start on [XXX] PM after work, tried to return next day with battery, changed out battery, engine still would not start, after new battery installed and we attempted to start, that is when engine started making loud shaking motion while attempting to start, windshield wipers came on randomly. First initial diagnostic: Found all oils & fluids in check, could not identify cause of failure, would have to break down and take apart. Had to authorize the tear down at a $1800 cost, 2/2/2024: Broke down engine, found that the crankshaft would move one way, but not other, removed the engine from transmission and now crankshaft moves freely. Now the AC comp is locked up (excessive play on magnet & clutch), tech still unable to identify what caused the failure, they advised that they found traces of metal in oil pan, scored cylinder walls, starter shorted as well. They still could not indicate where these metal pieces came from, how or that it was due to owner negligence or manuf defects. Again this is a vehicle with 99K Miles and now we were looking at a 15K price tag for a new engine, turbo, AC, starter on a car that is worth 12K. This is absolutely insane. We reached out for Goodwill Discounts for some assistance since the dealership could not solidify a cause of failure, but GM decided to not warranty and stand behind their product. We were left with a rebuild option for $7500. which we had to do in order to get the car back. I am completely disappointed in GM as a company. This engine should have never failed at 99K. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Rockdale , TX, USA

problem #12

Oct 012023

Terrain

  • miles
Driving down the road at 40mph when the car shifts to park, the brake and steering wheel lock up and the car won-??t accelerate. I had to pull over because I almost crashed due to the abrupt shift. Once pulled over I tried to restart the car but once off and back on it wouldn-??t allow me to shift or drive it. The steering wheel and brake remained locked. It has happened several times over the past week.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #11

Aug 242023

Terrain

  • miles
After heavy rain the backseat of the car was flooded as well as the rear wheel well likely due to the sunroof not draining properly. This led to electrical failure of the sunroof mechanism and potential to damage other electrical elements. This will be looked at by the dealership but have read that this is a known issue.

- Rocky River, OH, USA

problem #10

Jun 062023

Terrain

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2020 GMC Terrain SLE Elevation Package 83,000 miles and needs complete engine rebuild @ cost of $10,700 per Dealership Service. Was told -??I drove the vehicle with low oil-?? which Inturn is the cause of needing engine rebuilt. I have had this vehicle serviced, oil changed regularly etc NOT ONE TIME has the oil pressure/low engine oil nor anything related to oil illuminated on my dash. CEL yes after it apparently was too late and damage was done which showed code P06DD And P0324 through OnStar Diagnostics. There are also other complaints with same issue, and no notification of oil /oil pressure issues with relatively low mileage that have led to engine rebuild. I still owe on this vehicle through GM Financial, and a $10,200 engine rebuild on top of that-?? Not what I would expect out of GMC~

- Germantown, OH, USA

problem #9

Mar 072023

Terrain

  • miles
Radio goes from normal volume to as loud as possible while just driving.scares ya to death! Can't turn volume down with out 1st shutting off radio and turning it back on.dealship stayed there isn't a problem they could find.Blu tooth cuts in and out and locks the radio up untill you shut vehicle off and restart.shows you still on a call even though you have disconnected phone from radio.volume issue has happened several times

- Ivesdale, IL, USA

problem #8

Apr 082022

Terrain

  • miles
Dash had gone black intermittently, did not know what speed I was going. OnStar called oor phone multiple to notify us that our airbags we're offline for ten days no warning light on dash until one to two days later. Took to service was informed that gear shift control, engine control module, passenger presence module and airbag sensor needed replaced. All within a month of purchase of said USED vehicle. Vixed under warranty. Then another monther later, got warning on dash saying "conditions not current for shifting", park break light came on, and a p in a yellow circle with a wrench under it came on. Serive did fix vehicle, but could not verify message on dash about conditions not favorable... Also recalibrated breaker. Complained numerous times to dealer about these issues and was told "live with it".

- Niles , OH, USA

problem #7

Jan 142022

Terrain

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Infotainment system shuts off completely. Disables blinker. Bluetooth and USB ports continuously went in and out and wouldn-??t stay connected. Took to dealership on 02/07/2022 and was advised the system needed an update and the USB port needed to be replaced. USB port was replaced and software bulletin #20-NA-171 was applied. I picked up my vehicle on 02/08/2022 and the infotainment issue has not been corrected. It turned off again. USB ports seem to be working as they should for now. Also an issue with rear camera. Camera view sometimes shows a fisheye lens instead of normal camera view. Rear camera will sometimes stay on once car is in drive for a few seconds. I also notice a noise and vibration within my gas pedal randomly while driving. Clearly there are multiple issues that GM needs to acknowledge. It-??s not a coincidence that this is happening to multiple people.

- Enterprise , AL, USA

problem #6

Dec 302021

Terrain

  • miles
This 2020 GMC Terrain has a "feature" called autostop. This is not a switch to turn this off. It would not be so bad if the engine would run for 5 minutes at a stoplight before stopping the engine but it immediately shuts down the engine after a stop. This is getting annoying and dangerous due to the delay in getting the car moving. I have only had the car for a month. I understand that later gmc cars have a disable switch. This car should be recalled and either disable the auto stop permanently or be able to disable the "feature" on demand. Problem: potential crash hazard due to car not starting and damage to battery and starter.

- Catawba, NC, USA

problem #5

Nov 052021

Terrain

  • miles
While driving instrumental panel and infotainment panel completely blacked out for no reason at all. This is the second time in two days this has happened.

- Bristow , VA, USA

problem #4

Nov 042021

Terrain

  • miles
Instrument panel and infotainment system panel completely blacked out while driving vehicle

- Bristow , VA, USA

problem #3

Apr 232021

Terrain

  • 4,200 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While starting vehicle the infotainment screen went black and nothing would work. Stayed this way while driving. Stopped turned off car and still didnt work. Was told it was the data communications module.

- Buffalo, NY, USA

problem #2

Nov 122020

Terrain

  • 5,600 miles
Twice within the last two months my entire radio shut off, my screen went black and so did my gauges for at least 20 seconds. Then they just came back on and picked up where it left off.

- Simmesport, LA, USA

problem #1

Aug 302020

Terrain

  • miles
We drove to a farm with a family of 5M kids and an elderly, and parked my car for 2-3 hours in the farm's open area parking lot. Vehicle showed no warning lights, no problems, no issues during our drive to the farm and prior to this trip. Everything was fine when we go there and parked. We were ready to leave the farm to drive back home, but the car simply wouldn't start.the neutral gear didn't work, I attempted many times in 30 minutes to start the car, but it didn't start, continued making the sound of engine attempting to start but not suceeding. 30 minutes later, I decided to give it another try, I was afraid to burn down the starter after attempting so many times. It sounded terrible, screeching metal sound. All of a sudden, the car started. I let it run, afraid to turn it off again. After 15 minutes of running, while we were waiting for roadside assistance to arrive, the vehicle turned off again, all by itself. No one was inside the car, we were waiting outside with the driver door wide open. I called roadside assistance, waited 40 minutes to get a live agent to talk to. The yellow engine light is on. I tried to look in the manual to be able to find anything remotely close to what was happening. Came up with nothing. This was so far the trickiest thing to happen to me. I scheduled an appointment to take the car to the dealership for diagnosis.

- North Hollywood, CA, USA

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