2015 GMC Terrain Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
I GOT IN MY CAR AND PROCEED TO DRIVE AND THE POWER LOW ENGINE SIGN CAME ON. TOOK TRUCK TO MECHANIC AND PAID $1000 BECAUSE GAS WAS GOING INTO MY ENGINE.
I own a 2015 GMC Terrain, 4D. Vehicle started displaying error P0016 during the evening of 07/27/2025, the following day the vehicle stopped working. I towed the vehicle to three different mechanics. All three mechanics indicated that the engine needs to be replaced. Two of the mechanics indicated that this was a common issue with this GMC SUV and I wanted to reported. P0016 states, "crankshaft position camshaft position correlation Bank 1". I am disappointed that this issue has not been reported or recall. There are multiple youtube videos and online chats regarding this issue.
Catastrophic mechanical failure; engine failure. Below freezing day driving normally until the car just died right in the middle of a busy 4 lane road. No warning lights were displayed. Luckily I was able to drift the car over to the curb lane then manually push into a parking lot with cars driving around me. Vehicle taken to independent Auto Care Service which did an inspection stating the PCV valve was frozen which then caused the pressure to blow rear seal and metal fragments could be seen in the oil drippings. No issues or dashboard notifications prior to this event.
Oil consumption on this vehicle is terrible. All GMC for that matter. It burns in the engine and have to refill or top off multiple times a month.
Clogged manifold and engine head. Blockage buildup in manifold and Pcv valve causing exhaust problems. Oil sludge block air in head and manifold causing CEL to come on. And these vehicles drink engine oil like water. Gives code P0411
There is a well known piston ring gasket issue with various GMC Terrain model years. GMC had recalled some for the engine defect but not all years with the affected engine. The 24L Eco tec engine is faulty. The motor uses excessive amounts of oil between oil changes and all kinds of systems are affected by carbon buildup. The engines run rough and stall out WHILE DRIVING. GMC refuses to recall all of the vehicles with this problem and that includes my 2015 model year GMC Terrain with the 24L engine. This would cost me thousands to fix myself. This is a serious issue and also a safety issue that they can get away with selling such faulty vehicles to families and no one makes them fess up and fix the engines at their expense not ours. My wife has had the vehicle stall out constantly while driving and with our partially disabled child in the car. It has happened countless times to me as well. This will also eventually cause the motor to have a much shorter life. There is also a chance of the timing chain breaking and causing the engine to break. These defects should be fixed via a recall. This is a WELL KNOWN MANUFACTURER DEFECT please look it up. It affects thousands of GMC Terrains and other GM vehicles with the 24L Ecotec motor.
My Car is using oil excessively. I need to add about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts weekly. I only drive about 40 each week.
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact turned off the vehicle and removed the key and the vehicle was shaking and shuddering until the vehicle independently turned off. The contact stated that there was an oil leak and oil was being added every four days. The contact stated that coolant was also frequently added. The contact stated that the vehicle was taking to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the engine power reduced message was displayed, and the vehicle decelerated to 20 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the residence and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the message "Power Reduction Mode" was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, there was a ticking sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled another time. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine timing was faulty, and the engine had experienced a loss of engine compression. The contact was advised to contact a local dealer for service. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 160,000.
The rear main seal for the engine fails because of a clogged PCV valve. This was a problem on previous years for the Terrain and other vehicles that carried a similar type of engine. There was a recall for those previous years (2011-2014). My vehicle is a 2015 GMC Terrain, and I am currently experiencing the same issue. I took my vehicle to a licensed dealership and they quoted me a price of close to $3,000 to make the necessary repairs. In my opinion, since the same issue/problem is occurring, there should be a recall issued to include at least the 2015 year models for that engine.
Terrian with 2.4v have a massive oil burning problem. I have to put at least 2 quarts of oil in my car a week to get oil in it. There is problem with them during oil or oil rings are junk.
Engine timing chain broke car stop working in the middle of the road
Vehicle has been consuming oil quicker than normal with no known reason as to why. Vehicle has also had 2 incidents of the vehicle not starting and no engine light or codes appear after vehicle gets started.
The front and rear seal of the engine went out in the matter of two weeks spraying oil all over the roadway and making to car not drivable.
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started jerking, lost motive power, and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted, and the contact continued to drive; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the “Engine Power Reduced” message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the timing chain had fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure but provided no additional assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up as needed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to oil not reaching the engine block and the engine burning. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
Vehicle stalled, steering column was shaking. Fortunately, this took place when leaving work parking lot. Had it happened on the road, driver and passenger safety would've been at greater risk. In addition, this particular issue could've resulted in a fire in the engine compartment. Took to mechanics and was informed that cylinder #3 was no longer contributing to engine function. Technician discovered cylinder was leaking from exhaust valves. Vehicle has not been inspected by the other individuals. Prior to this incident, vehicle was consuming oil at an enhanced pace although the oil light indicator would never turn on. Engine light didn't appear until cylinder #3 failed. It's important to note there is a previous (successful) class action lawsuit for the 2010-2013 models for the same exact reasons noted above. Missouri is in the process of filing a lawsuit for the 2014-2017 models.
Timing chain stretching or breaking that can cause drivers to have a wreck or lose control of vehicle and also causes damage to the engine
Timing chain issues that causes new engine because the way it’s set up
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 186,000.
The vehicle excessively burned oil and the engine now needs replaced. 4 oil changes in the last 11 months on top of adding oil in between oil changes. At a stop light the car died and was towed to a dealership.
The engine burned a usually large amount of oil without warning the driver, resulting in engine failure. With minimal local driving and no warning, the engine was completely out of oil, resulting in an engine banging/rattling that began, resulting in total car failure. Like others with the same issue, a certified dealer diagnosed that a new engine was needed at a cost of $9500. An independent repair shop also confirmed a new engine would be needed.
During a long distance trip, the timing chain tensioner failed. There were no obvious signs of this condition when driving at highway speeds. No warning lights or reduced engine performance! After traveling over 200 miles, we stopped and discovered the engine was running very rough. We decided to stay overnight in a hotel and check the condition of the Terrain in the morning. The next day the car, started briefly and then stalled. It didn’t start again. We had the vehicle towed and the repair shop determined the the timing chain tensioner broke at some point on our trip. This caused the chain to come partially loose and that in turn “chewed up” the gear teeth. The metal fragments from the gears spread throughout the entire engine. This resulted in the engine to be declared unrepairable. If we hadn’t stopped, the engine could have creased up, and the almost assuredly would have resulted in a serious car accident. This was an expensive repair, approx $8000 and we incurred the cost of staying in a hotel for a week.
2015 GMC Terrain-The PCV system or rear engine seal froze and burst. It happened last month when GA experience record cold weather. When the vehicle’s PCV system freezes it caused pressure to build up in the vehicle’s crankcase that breaks or pops out the rear main engine seal and caused all of the oil to drain from the vehicle while driving. The engine has completely seized and will need to be replaced. There are several bulletins issues about this but no recall. After researching I see there has been a few class action suits filed within the past 12 months. This apparently has happened to quite a few people. I am now up to over 9K total. The PCV repair was 2800, then the timing chains 1800, only to find out that the engine suffered as well. New engine 4500. Please do something about this.
Engine started sputtering, then vehicle was shifting hard and occasionally jerking forward while braking/at a complete stop. Check engine light came on. Found there was no oil left. Was less than 3000 miles since prior oil change. Dealer service sticker stated oil change was not due until 5000 miles (synthetic). Oil light never came on. After refilling oil, check engine light turned off and vehicle started operating normally. Discovered many others with problems with this vehicle consuming oil. Luckily, we caught it before engine failure, but obviously worried that this could happen at any time.
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Quick Summary
The 2015 GMC Terrain has 52 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.