2021 GMC Terrain Problems and Complaints

Users Opinions on 2021 GMC Terrain

Recommended mentioned in Reviews

Write a Review

Disliked by Users

MT
Melissa T.
• 17/02/2023
Rating:
(2 Out Of 5 stars)
... in 2021. I love this car, well at least I thought I did. It took me nearly 5 months to find the car I wanted and loved. In the last 3 months I have had it at the shop twice for major repairs the fuel pump and now the the drive shaft. Yes it’s all covered under warranty but the car only has 20,000 miles. I bought a brand new car so I wouldn’t have to beRead More
Source: edmunds
L
Lynn
• 11/01/2022
Rating:
(2 Out Of 5 stars)
... cooler that freezes up on a consistent basis, leaving you with low power to limp to a dealership to have it dealt with. I guess GMC is not acknowledging there is an issue as they don't sell enough in the northern areas to worry about due to every vehicle with this engine has this issue. Cheaper to fix than repair permanently. Dealerships are overloaded with this issue. It is not reliable in winter, can'tRead More
Source: edmunds

Nathan Dyer

Senior Editor,

Updated on March 22, 2023

The 2021 GMC Terrain is a five-seater SUV that shares a lot of its underpinnings with the 2021 Chevrolet Equinox, both of which are offerings from brands under the umbrella of General Motors. In recent years, the compact SUV segment has seen a near-meteoric rise in popularity across the globe and is now one of the most heavily contested market segments.

It faces stiff competition from the 2021 Toyota RAV4, the 2021 Honda CR-V, the 2021 Mazda CX-5, and also the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. All of these are very aggressively priced with some even edging out the 2021 GMC Terrain either in terms of equipment, interior space, or outright value for money. However, as far as consumer satisfaction goes, the 2021 GMC Terrain is one of the best options to go for boasting excellent ride quality, cabin space, interior design, and overall functionality.

2021 GMC Terrain User Complaints and Problems

Engine and Mechanical Problems

Engine - A few cases of a grinding noise being heard on starting the engine were noticed and damaged teeth on the flex plate were seen to be the root cause.
Powertrain - Several owners reported experiencing extreme vehicle vibrations when shifting through the gears around bends or when traversing inclines. Another issue was that of incorrect seating of the clutch spring retaining ring on vehicles with automatic transmissions, causing the malfunction indicator light to be set.
Brakes - There were complaints of a grinding noise from the brakes during the first few applications after a cold start. Deglazing of the rotors and pads was advised as a temporary solution.
Excessive vibration - Low-frequency loud sounds or excessive vibrations at low crank speeds were noticed. This was deemed to be a result of rubbing between the radiator's upper mount and the top of the radiator.

Safety Problems

Driver assistance features - Several complaints about features like Lane Keep Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control being non-functional were raised. The root cause was estimated to be an internal fault within the front-view windshield camera.

Exterior Problems

Body - Some users were concerned with a rattling or ticking noise seen to be coming from the B-pillar area and investigation showed it to be because of inaccurate spot welding.

Sunroof - Few complaints regarding the faulty operation, water leakage, and noise concerning the sunroof were raised.

Electrical Problems

Lack of warning/notification - No system warnings were issued and no measures like ignition cut-off were taken despite the absence of the vehicle key in the cabin when the vehicle was moving.
Infotainment - Multiple instances of the infotainment display failing abruptly and being unresponsive for long durations were noticed. Some also reported losing display when in reverse and this was due to excessive resistance in the coaxial cable connectors linked to the backup camera.
Radio - Several owners commented on the radio either rebooting unexpectedly or responding only after a long delay to volume adjustments.
Battery issues - Few cases of the battery failing to start or taking an abnormally long time to charge up were observed and further analysis showed that water intrusion at a connector between the body harness and fuel tank was the reason.
Warning messages - An unnecessary Service Brake Assist message was seen to show up on the driver information cluster along with the notification light for Service Engine Soon being set.

Miscellaneous Problems

Wipers - A squeaking noise was heard during the operation of the wipers due to contact between the wiper arm and the air inlet grill panel.

2021 GMC Terrain Recalls

S. No	Date	NHTSA ID	Issues Noticed	Additional Remarks	Remedy
	August 5, 2021	21V612000	Tire tread separation	Separation of the tread on tires can cause loss of vehicle control and result in a crash. An inadequate amount of curative agent during the production process was noted to be the root cause of tread separation.	Inspection of the tire DOT numbers will be carried out by the dealers and affected tires will be replaced for free. Notification letters were mailed to owners on August 31, 2021.

Should you buy the 2021 GMC Terrain?

If you are on the lookout for a slightly upmarket compact SUV and would prefer it to be from an American automaker, the 2021 GMC Terrain is a worthy choice. It also holds its own with far better reliability reports as opposed to its Japanese and German counterparts. That said, the sales performance hasn’t been quite up to the mark as its more competitively priced rivals. Compared to the previous year, GMC witnessed a steep decline in demand for the Terrain in 2021. If price is not a major concern, then of all the variants on offer, opting for the two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine is recommended as it offers a much better on-road pace and acceleration.

Similar Cars