Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 GMC Terrain owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2011 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence, where an independent mechanic diagnosed that the high-pressure fuel pump and camshaft sensor needed to be replaced. The mechanic replaced the camshaft sensor; however, the high-pressure fuel pump was not replaced, and the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
My car wouldn't start, later found out it was due to timing chain issue which ended up blowing up my engine. I live 40 minutes from work and am consistently driving on the interstate for at least an hour a day. GM said there's nothing they can do even though there's been class action lawsuits for the engine. My car has also had oil consumption problems. I bought my car in March of 2022. The engine blew up by November 2022. I barely got my car back in September 2023. After the engine replacement, still wouldn't turn on, over heated immediately when I did get it back. After paying $7440 for the engine replacement I had to fork over snother $650 to replace the fuel pump control module, and an engine control unit. My car overheated AGAIN just 2 weeks ago!!!!
SUV gets a slow down warning and it stops shuts off , it's happened several times now I'm scared!!you wait few minutes it turns back on , mechanic said this a complain about this vehicle all the time , it has not been repaired I'm disabled with no money , I was on the highway and thank God I was on the slow lane if not I would have been killed by an eighteen wheeler. GMC is waiting for someone to die and probably address this issue
Engine Failure: Timing chain had excessive slack causing guide to be sheared off. Timing chain guide bolt was completely stripped requiring both the timing chain and cylinder head to be replaced. Safety: The vehicle stalled while driving Problem: Problem was confirmed by a dealer Warnings: The check engine light came on as the vehicle stalled
Was driving home from work had a half tank of gas no lights or anything came on, car just shut off was not able to start it from that point. I spoke with car lot to whom I'm making payments with and not able to get anything done with the vehicle. Now I've lost my job and I'm about to be homeless due to this mechanic problem on this vehicle.
There was a recall for my vehicle to replace the high pressure fuel pump. This was replaced and 1 week later the check engine light came on. Taken to dealer. Diagnosed as catalytic converter. The catalytic converter is under a public service extended warranty (10 years, 120,000 miles whichever comes first). Of course I now have 138,000 mile on the vehicle. GMC will not cover repair costs. This should be a recall not an extended service warranty. The vehicle was moving when the light came on. I first called about replacing the catalytic converter when notified by mail of the extended service warranty, and because the mileage was over 120,000 miles and the light was not on, I was told there was no reason to have it repaired. Depending on what is causing the catalytic converter diagnostic to indicate it has a problem, this could be a serious safety problem. …
While driving down a busy two lane road I pulled out into an intersection in an attempt to make a left hand turn when the car stalled in the middle of traffic. I turned the car off and turned it back on again and it worked. However, later that day it stalled again while it was sitting at an intersection. I brought it to the dealership for repair and they said it was not covered under warranty even though I still had one. They said there was a fuel leak at the fuel composition sensor. They replaced the sensor. GM extended special coverage # 17097 in May 1, 2017 for 2011-2013 Chevy equinox and GMC terrains that are equipped with flex fuel due to a fuel leak at the fuel composition sensor but they did not include my 2011 model Terrain that is not equipped with flex fuel but it should have been. …
Purchased my certified 2011 GMC Terrain 7/12/2016. After driving a few days noticed car was stalling while accelerating or in stop and go traffic. (1st service) took it in 7/28/2016 to be serviced, was told it was the catalytic converter-vehicle was better, but still hesitates on take off (2nd service) took it in 11/10/2016 received the recall notice about the fuel pump. Finally it seems to be driving better'for a couple of weeks (3rd service) took in 1/16/2017 to be serviced- car completely shut off on busy highway several times during morning rush hour (stop and go traffic), this time engine light came on. Was told something to do with electrical programming communicating with the fuel pump?! As of today car is starting to stall and hesitate again. My certified warranty is up in 3/2017, my fear is next few incidents will not be covered. …
The car was taken into steven lust automotive and we were told that a transfer seal needed to be replaced and that GMC was aware of the issue but would only warranty the issue if the car was produced in a certain factory. Same year same model all having same issue but produced in a different plant. Now the stabililtrac warning comes on and from research on the web this is a common issue that they are aware of also but refuse to fix. This car only has 66000 miles on it. We also contacted GMC and they told us that they are aware of the problem but will not warranty it unless is was produced at a certain factory. When the stabilitrac warning was noted I was driving down the highway and the engine just shut down. I do believe this issue is due to the excessive oil leak coming from the seal. This is the second time that I have placed this complaint. …
Going to visit son, daughter in law and grandaughter in virginia from michigan. Got reduced power message with stability control light. First time was without warning on the curvy hilly pennsylvania turnpike in traffic at appx 70 MPH.. Lost power on hill had no acceleration, vehicle decelerated in front of traffic. Put on hazards and worked our way over to shoulder across 2 lanes of traffic. Thank god this didn't cause a pileup of holiday travelers. Stopped vehicle, engine was misfiring, there was no throttle response. Shut off engine and restarted, power was back but check engine light is on. Continued trip, 2nd incident was about 1 hour later also without warning. Had about 5 incidents this trip.
Fuel System complaints in other Terrain years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2011 GMC Terrain?
NHTSA has 48 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2011 GMC Terrain, 12% of the model year's 386 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 GMC Terrain fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2011 GMC Terrain, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 GMC Terrain fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 66,000 miles, and 30% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.