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).
I was driving on the highway at 60 MPH and all of a sudden lost power. The reduced power and check stabilitrak messages appeared on the screen. I pulled over to the side of the road and turned the engine off. I immediately tried starting the vehicle again and it did, so went on my way. Got down the road about three miles and the same thing, so pulled to the side of the road and turned the engine off. I tried to start the vehicle, but there was no response, everything was dead. I waited several minutes and tried again and it started. I continued on my way and didn't have anymore trouble getting to my destination. A couple of days later, the same thing happened except when I tried to turn the vehicle off, it continued to run very roughly and then finally shut off. It did start again and had the engine light on. …
During a normal commute on route on 2/15 received about 3 miles into the drive received a warning error - loss of engine power and the car would not accelerate. The car started shaking violently and received a stabilititrak error. The car was pulled to the side of the road and placed in neutral. The shaking became worse and the car was shut off. After two minutes the car was started again, with no issues and was driven 6 more miles without issue. After 6 miles of driving the same engine power warning and stabilitrack error came back. The car was violently shaking and the driver shut it off. It was towed to the dealership. The dealership received one code for the throttle sensor positioner. The code was reset and a loose connection was diagnosed as the fault and returned to owner. Five days later the car was started in the garage. Upon startup it started again to shake violently. …
I have been having an issue with the stability track/reduced engine power coming on. I will be driving and then the reduced engine power with an exclamation mark pops up, my car speed drops and then the car cuts off. The car would crank back up after sitting for a while. After researching this, I found that several other GMC, Chevy and cadillacs had this same issue and were given the run around by GMC when trying to have it fixed. There was a recall for those vehicles but not the Terrain. I have had the throttle body cleaned like suggested and that did not solve the problem. The problem occurs no matter if I am on the highway or regular streets. Being a single parent of 3 and legal guardian of 1 grandchild, I don't have money to keep trying to repair this issue. I had my transmission looked at and that was not the issue. …
I was driving on the highway and the car cut off as soon as I slowed down getting off the exit. I started the car back up and it said that the stabilitrack was off and that I was losing engine power. I got to safety, checked my fluids and I had no oil in the car. But I changed the oil recently and had 3,000 more miles till my next oil change. I towed the car to my mechanic and described what happened. He told me that their was an internal engine failure that caused the timing belt to break. I called my insurance and they had a field adjuster look at the vehicle and he nor the mechanic could figure out why or how this happened on such a well maintained vehicle. They both stated that there is no way that I should have had 2 major system failures (I just replaced the transmission) with the current vehicle mileage. I called GMC and they will not so anything to help me. …
I purchased my car used in September two weeks later I started experiencing stalling and erratic jerking while driving. I took the car to the dealer where I purchased the car (while it was under warranty) and was told not to worry it's just the o2 sensors. The car was loosing oil like crazy. December the car became worse and stalled and would not start. The dealership informed me I need a new engine, I am no longer covered under warranty and still paying for this car. No one will help me so now I'm stuck with a payment and an inoperable car.. Oh did I mention I got a car fax once the car broke down to see the vehicle history the title is branded manufactor buy back/lemon.. I have seen on several forums and google that many people have complained and GM will not do a recall this issue is totally unsafe and can cause serious injury.
While driving message read reduced engine power lost all power could not control the steering wheel! Then the car shut down and continued to roll down the highway .almost got hit by other cars from behind. Very frightening for me I almost got a panic attack. I managed to stop the car on the shoulder of the road with half of the car still blocking other cars .car will not start. The battery is new .I have done research on social media and there's thousands of GM customers who have or are facing the same issues. Is this another cover up by GM that's continuously ignoring this problem and the consumers are paying thousands of dollars in this repair. I was told I need repairs that will cost $4000 dollars on a 2011 GMC Terrain car I got a year ago. This is ridiculous. Who is fighting for the consumers?
I had oil changed that morning. That night, while driving, "engine power reduced" and "service stabilitrac" lights came on and vehicle would not accelerate over 15 MPH. I had to pull to the side of the freeway and turn off the vehicle, wait a few minutes and try again. It was fine until the next day when the same thing happened again. It has been one week and has happened multiple times everyday since. I read many complaints on-line addressing this same issue and stating that it is the throttle body. I took it to the dealer and the diagnostic said the throttle body needs replaced. This is a safety issue! Imagine traveling 70 MPH down the highway, and you lose power to your engine! This is an accident waiting to happen!
While drive down the interstate my car said service stability track then said engine power reduced, speed dropped dramatically then shut off completely. Engine would not turn back over. Had it towed to the shop only to find out the engine locked up due to no oil. Dealer said it was due to a very common problem with GM with excessive oil consumption! I had my oil changed and a full tune up 2 weeks ago! Called to check recalls only to find out that in fact there was an recall for excessive oil consumption but my VIN wasn't involved. Dealer says in fact it should be! This could have caused a accident and caused my children and I to be seriously injured!
I have a 2011 GMC Terrain about 62390 miles. When I am accelerating the car jerks. I took it to the dealer they state they could not find nothing wrong. I just got the fuel pump replaced due to a recall. And now a light came on that read ac off due to high engine temp but the temperature gauge showed cold and it never went to normal after being on for 20 mins and to this day is goes to the notch right before normal. Also when the fuel is low the light does not come on. I called the dealership and they stated they have to duplicate the problem to fix it but I cant bring it in until 12/16/2016 because they are booked
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 GMC Terrain. While driving 45-50 MPH, the check engine warning light and traction control warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the throttle body modular cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,158. Updated 04/04/16
Traction Control complaints in other Terrain years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2011 GMC Terrain?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2011 GMC Terrain, 6% of the model year's 386 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 GMC Terrain traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control 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 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles, and 11% 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.