2018 GMC Terrain Problems, Recalls & Reliability
324 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 GMC Terrain, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 58/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 54,569 miles.
Below average
Where 2018 sits among all Terrain years
What owners report
“Braking assist message is appearing and braking is extremely hard at low speed. You have to push down hard on brake to get car to stop.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Terrain
“Broken piston land and ring. Car went into 'limp mode' while driving on interstate. Taken to dealer, told new engine was needed.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Terrain
“In 25 mph residential areas transmission doesnt feel like it is shifting right, you can feel the change and hear it while driving, then get transmission hot idle engine alert. Took to dealer no codes shown, happens consistently”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Terrain
“Transmission locks up and will not shift into higher gear. This has happened several times while driving.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Terrain
“Radio, hands free calling, and light on mirror shorting out. None of them work. It’s like it has a short in the wiring.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Terrain
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 127 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 18,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 3,000 and 55,705 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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…
Technical service bulletins
1,342 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2018 GMC Terrain. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2018 Terrain TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2018 GMC Terrain reliable?
The 2018 GMC Terrain drew 324 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 58/100, scored against the model's worst year (2011).
What are the most common 2018 GMC Terrain problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 GMC Terrain are brakes & stability (79 complaints), engine (53), and transmission & drivetrain (41).
At what mileage do 2018 GMC Terrain problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 GMC Terrain problems around 18,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 3,000 and 55,705 miles.
Does the 2018 GMC Terrain have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 GMC Terrain. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.