2018 GMC Terrain UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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
Vehicle will not shift out of park, despite replacing the valve body, putting in a new battery, and transmission fluid. It has been this way since mid January. The codes don’t make sense and there is no current recall, nor have we had this vehicle for very long. It has 48,000 miles on it and is having this issue. Very disappointed.
I was 30 seconds away to pull in my driveway. WARNING came up on screen (service) TRANSMISSION UNABLE TO SHIFT. When I turned into my driveway the vehicle stopped suddenly & threw itself into PARK. Vehicle still running but would not go into any gear, drive or reverse. I then pushed the PARK button & I think it said EMERGENCY BRAKE RELEASED. I then proceeded to drive up my driveway with no problem. Haven’t gotten back in vehicle yet as I am afraid to but l made appointment to take it to the dealership to check it out. On 3/24. (Linus Cadillac Buick GMC)Thank god it happened in my driveway as it would’ve caused an accident. ( the vehicle was driven up the Rd. walking distance. Sat there for an hr. Visiting my family. Then was driving home When incident happened. So it wasn’t running hot or anything.
My car is allowing me to drive without the key fob. I've drove two hours away from my house where my key fob was. It allows me to shut off the vehicle. Vehicle says ' no remote detected. Press Brake to restart. This is the 3rd incident. This is definitely a safty issue. Someone can take my car 2 hours or so from my residence.
The clips popped off or something happened and now the headliner is hanging and I can't see out the rear view mirror. It's a hazard for anyone sitting in backseat. I've had it in 2 different shops .needs to be a recall because I've read several other people having this issue
This complaint is for the rear camera / back up camera system: After purchasing the vehicle the back up camera started to get hazy around 25,000 miles. At 35,000 miles it was completely useless. I purchased a second back up camera and had the body shop install it. It has now been right at the same mileage, 30,000 miles, and the camera is again hazy. This is not an external haze where I can just wipe the camera off, even carefully so as to not scratch the lens or cover, but a haze that is behind (inside) the protective outer lens (cap). This has happened with both cameras and I am facing installing a third. My vehicle has less than 70,000 miles on it! I've had other vehicles where the camera lasted way longer (lifetime!) of the vehicle. When I went to the dealer with the complaint on the original equipment they said it was because the lens was scratched, but didn't look any further that the lens was foggy 'inside'. The safety of myself and others comes into play when I cannot see what is behind me: trees, curbs, vehicles, people, drop-offs. Also, at night when in reverse the dash area the feed goes to is so bright that it blinds the driver and the system is unable to be dimmed to allow proper viewing.
I was driving my car December 10, 2023 when I was at a red light my truck completely shut down I could not reverse I could not put in drive I could not put in Park I could not switch gears. I didn’t know what happened. I had to call a tow truck to get me home once I got home I got my car towed to a shop. Before my car was towed I contacted OnStar. OnStar did a diagnosis on my car and it came back ECM which stands for electric control module. When my car was at the shop i got a tune up & the mechanic was able to start my car. Driving again on the date of December 15, 2023 it did it again and it said ECM. I was paranoid because I was on the expressway I had too get my car towed to the Dealership. This is the second time that my car has did this. I keep all maintenance up on my car. I’m not understanding what’s going on. I feel like it should be a recall on this issue. It was very dangerous both times that my car stopped. Now yet again I’m waiting to see what the problem is. This is definitely a safety recall issue. I have a 2018 Denali terrain with only 71,000 miles i keep up with oil changes and maintenance on my vehicle. Who do i contact about this concerning scary situation, Will it take for a person to die before this is is rectified. Someone please contact me or respond to this situation. So we can request for a recall on this serious matter
I was driving at night with my daughter on a two lane highway with no traffic. There was a sound like a gun shot or explosion in the cabin of the car. My panoramic moonroof literally exploded. The glass shattered but did not fall into the cabin. Had the glass fallen into the cabin it could have cut or blinded us or caused an accident as we were traveling at a high rate of speed. No indicators went off as the moonroof has no such indicator. We pulled over to inspect the damage and immediately saw the glass damage. I have contacted insurance for repair. Upon research it seems that this is quite common for vehicles but not enough for any type of recall or service bulletin.
Auto-Stop feature does not have a button to disable the feature.2019 model has the disable feature and GM needs to provide a means to disable it, even if on a temporary basis.
DRIVING 50MPH ON AN OVERPASS, SUNROOF EXPLODED.
I WAS NOTIFIED OF MY DEALER OF RECALL N192217490. WHICH IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND IT'S NOT ON YOUR LIST WONDERING WHY YOUR LIST IS LACKING YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE AUTHORITY ON RECALLS BUT YET ON STAR NOTIFIED MY DEALER OF THIS RECALL AND IT'S A TRANSMISSION ISSUE OR CLUTCH ISSUE WHICH IS SERIOUS WHY IS IT NOT ON YOUR LIST HOW CAN I TRUST YOUR COMPANY TO HAVE A THOROUGH LISTING OF ALL RECALLS WHEN THIS WIND IS NOT EVEN ON CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR YOUR EXPLANATION
TRANSMISSION LOCKS UP AND WILL NOT SHIFT INTO HIGHER GEAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING.
WHEN VEERING OR STEERING INTO ANOTHER LANE, LEFT OR RIGHT, THE SAFETY ALERTS, I.E. THE TUG OF THE STEERING WHEEL AND VIBRATION OF SEAT, ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP OF THIS VEHICLE, THIS FEATURE WORKED FINE. HOWEVER, IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS, IT HAS QUIT WORKING OR WORKS SPORATICALLY BUT WHEN WORKING SPORATICALLY, DOES NOT WORK AS IT SHOULD. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT IS UNABLE TO FIX IT STATING THAT IN "UPDATING" THE PROGRAMMING IN MY CAR, THIS FEATURE WAS WEAKENED (DILIBERATELY BECAUSE GMC INTENDED TO WEAKEN THE FEATURE STATING THE REASON WAS BECAUSE SOME DRIVERS WERE USING THIS FEATURE AS AN AUTO-DRIVE). I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE, ONE OF THE REASONS BEING THAT IT OFFERED THIS FEATURE AND NOW THE FEATURE DOESN'T WORK THE WAY IT DID WHEN I BOUGHT IT.
WHILE DRIVING, THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM GOES BLACK, NO AUDIO - THEN REBOOTS AFTER A MINUTE OR TWO. I HAVE DETECTED A BURNING SMELL AS WELL, BUT CANNOT DETERMINE IF IT IS COMING FROM MY VEHICLE OR OUTSIDE. THIS HAS HAPPENED 5 TIMES AND THE DEALER IS TELLING ME THEY CAN NOT REPLICATE OR FIND ANYTHING WRONG. VERY FRUSTRATING!!! THIS HAS HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING HOME, WHILE DRIVING ON CITY ROADS, AFTER DRIVING A WHILE, ON THE HIGHWAY, STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. THERE IS SO SPECIFIC TIME OR FREQUENCY THAT THIS OCCURS. THIS FIRST HAPPENED WITHIN 300 MILES OF WHEN I FIRST LEASED, UP TO A WEEK AGO SUNDAY, JULY 7. TOTAL OF 5 TIMES IN THE PAST 10 MONTHS!
WHEN I DRIVE MY CAR AFTER COMING OUT OF REVERSE THE CAR REVS UP BETWEEN 35 AND 45 RPMS. THIS IS WHEN IT IS GOING ABOUT 25 MPH. WHEN I REMOVE MY FOOT FROM THE GAS THE CAR JERKS VIOLENTLY FORWARD AND RPMS DROP TO 25RMS. WHEN I GIVE IT SOME GAS THE RPMS GO UP AGAIN TO THE 35-45 RPM. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THIS TO STOP IS TO PULL OVER, PUT THE CAR IN PARK, TURN OFF THE CAR AND OPEN THE DOOR. I LET IT SIT FOR ABOUT 10 MIN AND THEN TURN IT BACK ON AND DRIVE. I HAVE BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY KEEP TELLING ME THERE IS NOTHING WRONG THAT WHEN THEY PLUG IT IN EVERYTHING COMES BACK FINE. I HAVE HAD OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CAR AND IT HAS HAPPENED WITH WITNESSES SO I AM NOT IMAGINING IT. THIS IS A BRAND NEW VEHICLE AND STARTED HAPPENING A FEW DAYS AFTER I GOT IT. THE DATE I AM GIVING OF WHEN IT HAPPENED IS THE LATEST ONE - IT STARTED 8/18.
1. LANE DEPARTURE WARNING ONLY WORKS WITH HANDS OFF THE STEERING WHEEL.GM REFUSES TO FIX IT AS THEY SAID THEY DESIGNED THE VEHICLE THIS WAY. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND DRIVES WITH HANDS OFF THE STEERING WHEEL, WE BOUGHT THIS FEATURE FOR OUR YOUNG DRIVERS TO HAVE THEM REMINDED IF THEY DRIFT OUT OF THEIR LANE. 2. WARNING WINDOW ABOUT DISTRACTED DRIVING DISPLAYS ON THE RADIO SCREEN WHILE DRIVING, SO YOU HAVE TO TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD TO PUSH OK TO GET RID OF IT. GM REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT EITHER. 3. SEATBELTS ARE NON ADJUSTABLE HEIGHTWISE AND LENGTHWISE. THEY ARE OK FOR TALL PEOPLE, FOR ME BEING 5'4 THEY ARE UNCOMFORTABLE AND RUB MY NECK.SO I HAVE TO DRIVE WITHOUT THEM. GM IN 2018 DESIGNED ALL THEIR GMC AND BUICK VEHICLES THIS WAY, TO SAVE MONEY, I AM SURE. THESE TYPE OF UNADJUSTSBLE SEATBELTS WERE USED BACK IM THE 80'S.
THEIR IS A START/STOP FEATURE IN THIS MODEL WHERE THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY SHUTS OFF WHEN THE VEHICLE STARTS. I'M TOLD IT'S FOR FUEL EFFICIENCY. ONE DAY I STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN WHICH HAPPENED TO BE ON A SMALL HILL. THE CAR STOPPED AND BEGAN ROLLING BACKWARDS. IT SCARED ME AND I THOUGHT I WOULD HIT THE CAR BEHIND ME. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE TO MAKE THE CAR RE-START, THEN IMMEDIATELY STEPPED ON THE BRAKE. I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD SACRIFICE SAFETY OVER FUEL. IF ONLY THERE WAS AN OPTION TO DISABLE THIS FUNCTION. I WAS SCARED FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WERE BEHIND ME. SCARY SITUATION TO BE IN!
THERE IS NO WAY TO DEACTIVATE THE AUTO / STOP FEATURE; I CONSIDER EACH USER SHOULD HAVE THE OPTION TO ACTIVATE OR DEACTIVATE THIS OPTION.
DRIVING OVER A BRIDGE OVER WATER,A LOUD EXPLOSION HAPPENED.AT FIRST I DID NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS,UNTIL I HEARD WIND BLOWING FROM THE MOON ROOF AREA.THE GLASS ON THE ROOF EXPLODED AND SENT GLASS DOWN WARD.LUCKILY I HAD THE MOON ROOF SHADE CLOSED OR THE GLASS WOULD HAVE CAME DOWN ON ME.I NEARLY LOST CONTROL. THE WEATHER WAS DRY WITH A OVERCAST SKY. THE TRAFFIC WAS VERY LIGHT.IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR ANY FOREIGN MATTER TO HIT THE GLASS.I AMMEDIATELY DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE GMC,WHERE I PURCHASED IT.( DIXIE BUICK GMC).MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 2040 MILES ON IT.THIS WAS A SATURDAY AND THE SERVICE DEPT. WAS CLOSED. SPOKE TO THE SALES MANAGER,WHO SAID HE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. HE GAVE ME A LOANER CAR TO USE. THE SERVICE DEPT. CALLED ON MONDAY,AND STATED THAT THE WAS NO DEFECT,AND I OR MY INSURANCE CO, WOULD HAVE TO PAY. I CALLED GMC CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD DO WHAT THE SERVICE DEPT. SAID.SO THEY WILL NOT COVER IT.FINALLY TODAY I CALLED MY INSURANCE CO. AND LOOKS LIKE THEY ALSO WILL NOT COVER IT.I'AM STILL WAITING FOR A FINAL DECISION FROM STATE FARM INS.MY VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING SOUTH ON INTERSTATE 75 IN SOUTH WEST FLORIDA IN FT. MYERS.
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Quick Summary
The 2018 GMC Terrain has 18 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.