Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 GMC Terrain owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
November 18,2021: Driving vehicle on the freeway 70mph, for 1.5 hours,then exit to a main street within speed limit during rush hour traffic. Parked the vehicle for 2.5 hours in a parking lot, returned to vehicle, turned onto street drove about 2 miles,30mph. The vehicle made a sound as if metal was being dragged, I tried to align the wheels but it was difficult. I turned on the emergency flashers & struggled to pull into a gas station parking lot,looked underneath the vehicle but saw nothing. The 2015 GMC Terrain AWD (less than 80,000miles) had to be towed to the GMC Dealership. November 19, 2021 service rep stated that the transfer case was damaged. Something broke a loose inside the case & caused damage, there are metal shavings visible. Cost for part, $2200 My response to him: What is a transfer case? Why is the part not inspected during regular maintenance? …
The blower fan for heat In my vehicle was replaced in October 2022, recently the Defroster will not engage and it is vital to winter driving. The mechanism that switches between which vent to blow out air was replaced and the Defroster will still not engage, rather it comes out of the heat and face vents. Shortly after the Defroster stopped engaging, the rpms will start fluctuating from 2 suddenly up to 6-8 without warning or acceleration then go back down and back up as if it's chugging along. Even when applying the brakes, this will continue to happen and there's concern for Rear-ending or crashing when this happens. When driving home 2 nights ago the county police pulled my vehicle over due to burnt out headlight, which was replaced less than 6 months ago. …
The engine is burning oil at a rate of about a quart every 2k miles. The check engine light came on recently and very shortly after a reduced power warning came on and made the vehicle difficult to drive. Which was not safe on a major road. It had to be towed to my mechanic and he mentioned to me that the engines in this vehicle are known to be problems. The pistons have an issue that burns oil in excess he said. I looked this up and found a class action settlement was just awarded to people in 3 states. However not mine.
The timing belt on the GMC Terrains from 2013 to 2015, mostly 2015 are breaking at a unusual amount. If you google it , there is story after story about this problem and GMC has not done anything. This appears to be a problem with the Terrain and I want them to issue a recall before mine breaks. It is expensive to fix and it can also be a huge problem if it breaks when you are driving. Something has to be done as this is not a coincidence that this is occurring to a large amount of Terrains.
UNKNOWN The car shakes when I tried to reverse and when I try to move forward it doesn't accelerate. The tire pressure lights went on but the tire pressure is fine. I had it towed to a shop and they said they're getting transmission codes. Unfortunately that shop doesn't specialize in transmission so I'm waiting for a transmission specialist to look at it. Also the driver side electric seat doesn't move backwards anymore it's stuck in one spot.
My GMC terrian has 98567 miles and had check engine light problem. Dealer said that I needed new timing chain. Cost $2282.05. Have not found a recall on the timing chain problem, but have seen many complains about the same issue. With some being replaced multiple times. Why has GMC not done anything to cure this problem. Van does not burn oil. Have it serviced at the GMC dealer since I purchased it with only 16000 miles.
Never had issues on my vehicle I only have 42,000 miles when I brought my vehicle it only had 28,000 miles I had two recalls recently fixed 2/21/2023 a month later while driving my vehicle stopped and check engine light came on also there is a dinging sound whenever I get into my car which wasn't there before I was in my parking lot parking my car when it shut off 3 times
There have been problems with the 2015 GMC Terrains Timing chain. The timing chain will break when the vehicle is being operated which causes the driver to lose complete control of the SUV, additionally, the engine will be destroyed. The bigger issue is the loss of control when you are driving - especially at highway speeds. GMC had hundreds of complaints but refused to issue a recall. A recall was issued but for only certain batches of VINs. I contacted GMC corporate service to inquire about what they are doing for the other owners who are experiencing the symptoms before the chain breaks. The representative told me they were only recalling certain VINS, I explained that it was not a fluke that my car was experiencing the same issues as the recalled ones. The response was they weren't recalling my VIN. …
Vehicle purchase from coulter Cadillac tempe az - 9/1/2018. This problem has occured 3 times. Dealer acknowledges "we put you in a bad car". Problem: vehicle while in motion (street/intersection/highway), will just "shut down" and move in "limp mode" fashion. The engine and stability lights will appear on the dashboard and on the most recent event, all the gauges on the dashboard shut down. After the shut down,1 & 2 gears are no longer available. In order to move the vehicle, the vehicle needs to reach a speed between 20 / 30 miles an hour in order for the 3rd gear to engage. The last time this situation happened was on the freeway @ 65 MPH. I was in the hov lane with my 3.5 year old grandson and my wife. All the traffic @ 4:45 pm on the northbound lane of the az 17 highway came to a stop because of the rippling effect this problem caused. …
I have been having problems with my car sense I have owned it . From day one it started with my wheels rubbing and scrubbing when in motion .I called dealership had repairs done on it for the first 7 months .I reported the problem back then to you all. Then after 3 yrs I started to feel some hesitation when sitting or taking off .then the forth year my power steering light comes on had that fixed now my engine light keeps coming on car still having some hesitation on and off . I paid to have a diagnostic test done on it by the place that does my oil change and was told that my codes where off and they were reset but 5 days later my engine light is back on ,ironically right after my five years limited warranty is over and my car only have 38,490 miles to this day and it is not yet paid for. …
Transmission complaints in other Terrain years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2015 GMC Terrain?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2015 GMC Terrain, 7% of the model year's 298 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2015 GMC Terrain transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2015 GMC Terrain, though it has 3 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 2015 GMC Terrain transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 38,000 miles, and 50% 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.