2018 GMC Terrain SERVICE BRAKES,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
My car started experiencing a strange problem while braking on June 15. I released the parking brake leaving my parents driveway. I coasted backwards (as usual), and when I pressed the brake the car didn't stop as expected and the brake pedal was very hard to press. It eventually stopped. I put into park, then put the emergency brake on, then released all and tried again and encountered the same issue, that it was very very slow to stop and the brake pedal was hard to push in. I got home, parked the car - tested the reverse brake on flat surface and didn't notice the issue. The next day, the problem started happening with the front brake as well and an error code popped up that said 'check brake assist' which I've never seen before. I brought it to my local mechanic, who took a look and said that it's a vacuum pump failure, and the result is a lot of metal shards were released into the engine when the vacuum pump failed. My mechanic recommended I take to a GMC dealer for further evaluation. I looked up the recall on this issue, and see that it impacts a lot cars, including the 2017 GMC terrain, but not my 2018 GMC terrain. I am going to take it to the GMC dealer but I'm afraid I won't be able to afford the repair, and it doesn't seem like there was anything I could have done to prevent this from happening.
Brake vacuum pump failed causing engine damage. Camshaft on national back order. Vehicle has been in repair shop for 1.5 months waiting on part. No ETA. There has been recall for similar vehicles with same issue, failure, damage. But not for this VIN. It’s the same failure with same damage. How is this not a recall for this VIN?
I got my car out of the shop a week ago for my brakes the car was in the shop for a month and this past weekend my car is doing the same exact thing a week later I was on I 75 also hit a semi truck
In 2022 and now in sept of 2024 my entire braking system has failed. Cause you a complete in abilty to stop the vehicle. Upon this failure without any warning peice of the braking system connected to the engine shoots shrapnel into my engine and causes the cam to be destroyed. Now I can't get my car back because of a shortage on this part.
The vacuum pump gears for the brake assist was shattered and metal parts were sent into the engine. I lost power brakes and was lucky to be able to stop the suv. The car was towed to a GMC dealer where it was diagnosed with a damaged exhaust cam, a shattered vacuum pump and metal pieces in the motor. Cost to fix $3200. This is a 2018 GMC Terrain with 112000 miles on it. I had a powertrane plus warrenty that was still valid but they refused to pay for anything. They claimed the vacuum pump caused the problem and it was not the engines fault. There were no warning check engine lights before this happened.
While driving the vehicle the vacuum pump failed and caused the camshaft to seize and physically break which caused the break peddle to become hard and breaking the vehicle was limited and almost nonexistent, which caused an extremely dangerous situation on the highway.
While driving on the interstate the brakes all the sudden stopped working. I was able to stop the vehicle by pulling over to the shoulder of the road. I received a warning saying service brake assist and a check engine light after the brakes went out. The vehicle later shut off and is no start with no warning codes. I am currently towing the vehicle to a mechanic. Several people claim to have the same issue online stating that it is an issue with the brake vacuum booster shearing off in the exhaust cam which then causes major damage to the engine. It appears the same issue exists with several other GMC models that were already recalled
Last year this time brakes went out at 50 mph power brake module imploded from inside out. The part was on national back order. Second incident car stopped immediately while traveling 40 mph no warnings or anything both incidents could of been horrible . Not sure on second incident the issue yet car is in shop. Both incidents are safety concerns for myself and others. Driving at average speeds and something malfunctioning is a great concern of mine. I contacted GMC no one to talk too just chat and the person on the other side told me it was no concern of theirs all was dumbfounded by the conversation but until I said I was putting on social media and bringing to everyone attention her entire tune changed in regards to part and service. So I researched locally and luckily I found the part they had one left and I was told by dealer that it is an issue on these vehicles. Both safety incidents have been within a year of each other 2022 and 2023
I was coming to a stop with my vehicle and the brakes would not work. I carefully got my car home and to a shop. It was determined that the break booster pump broke which caused metal parts to go into the engine. Now my engine is blown! Bought my car brand new in 2018 and kept up with regular vehicle maintenance has 90k miles.
I GOT A DIAGNOSTIC ALERT: SERVICE THE ENGING AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IN YOUR 2018 TERRAIN WITHIN 7 DAYS. THE CODE WAS P050F. I HAVE A LITTLE OVER 10,000 MILES ON HERE.
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Quick Summary
The 2018 GMC Terrain has 10 SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.