2023 GMC Terrain problems & reliability
39 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 GMC Terrain, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 23, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2023 GMC Terrain vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 5 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 15 | 38% |
| Engine → | 14 | 36% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 18% |
| Power Train | 7 | 18% |
| Unknown / Other | 7 | 18% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 15% |
| Lane Departure | 4 | 10% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 5% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 15 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I purchased this vehicle two weeks ago. It was my first time driving it since I bought it home from the dealer. I was on the highway driving about 55 mph in the left lane. All of a sudden the car started to slow down on its own going down to 15 mph without knowing what was happening. I tried to ease my way to the left…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Sep 20, 2026
“Harness for the airbag gave out. Puts the passenger at risk. Confirmed by service members at Rodenroth Motors Inc. in Sault Ste Marie MI. Message said service "Restraint system". There was no official incident date. One day whenever somebody sat in the passenger side the warning would appear.”
Air Bags · filed Sep 1, 2026
“adaptive cruise disengaging alert on dash- no cars or weather conditions to induce this. loss of power and bucking on highway( near accident caused) catostostrophic sudden loss of power engine/transmission failure while mechanic driving resulting in car towed back to dealer. loss of power multiple times causing near…”
Engine · filed Aug 5, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
455 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2023 GMC Terrain. The 10 most recent:
General Motors has decided to conduct a Voluntary Emission Recall. Certain vehicles may have a condition which can cause the fuel pump power control module to fail. If this were to occur, fuel flow to the engine could…
N262558690 · Service Campaign · issued Sep 16, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 4, 2026
Emission Recall. General Motors has decided to conduct a Voluntary Emission Recall. Certain vehicles listed above may have a condition which can cause the fuel pump power control module to fail. If this were to occur…
N262558690-01 · Emissions · issued Sep 1, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a MEC reset for wireless projection issues
PIC6551C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
General Motors has decided to conduct a Voluntary Emission Recall. Certain vehicles may have a condition which can cause the fuel pump power control module to fail. If this were to occur, fuel flow to the engine could…
N262558690-01 · Service Campaign · issued Aug 12, 2026
PI to help diagnose A/C concern
PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates an issue with an OTA pending message still displayed after an OTA event and how to reset/clear the message.
PIT5966F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates the potential for MIL illuminated with oil pressure related DTC concerns on LSD engines.
PIP6125 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2026
This preliminary information is to inform technicians and customers that the voice command will be inoperative when trying to open applications. Engineering is investigating and this PI will be converted to a bulletin…
PIT6519 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 27, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates the possibility of reduced power with dtc P0237 and/or p0299 due to damaged Charge Air Inlet Pipe connection at Turbocharger.
PIP5927E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 19, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2023 GMC Terrain has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2023 GMC Terrain?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.