Vehicle speed control, engine and powertrain issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Owners of the GMC brand expect a luxury feel with durable quality. That’s what the company used to stand for when it made reliable vehicles. The 2019 GMC Terrain might be a compact SUV that appeals to the masses, but it has a faulty engine, shoddy powertrain and defective vehicle speed control. All of these are vital components that drivers need; without them, the Terrain doesn’t offer much.
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The engine is the heart of the entire vehicle. It gives the SUV the “get up and go” needed to get from Point A to Point B. When the engine fails, there’s no hope of getting anywhere.
Just read this one review on the NHTSA website about the engine problems. “I have a 2019 GMC Terrain with 2,500 miles. I was driving it and the car flashed low fuel, check transmission and check engine warning and shut down while I was at highway speed. I was fortunately ok, however it stranded me at a spot with merging traffic, no shoulder and no power to get the vehicle out of there. The vehicle was able to start up shortly, then I had to deal with getting going again in this precarious spot.”
The service bulletins regarding engine troubles are overwhelming. The company discusses oil leaks that are happening, stalling issues and rattles that shouldn’t exist. It seems this company has more engine trouble than it cares to admit. If drivers wanted a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox, they would have paid a lot less to get it.
ON MAY 25, 2019 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, I WAS LOSING POWER TO THE ENGINE. THAT SAME NIGHT CUSTOMER SERVICE TOWED MY VEHICLE TO SUNRISE CHEVROLET BUICK GMC, 1800 COVINGTON PIKE MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE 38128, A NEARBY GMC DEALERSHIP AND SET UP A RENTAL CAR IN THE AREA FOR ME TO DRIVE. BECAUSE IT WAS THE HOLIDAY, ENTERPRISE WAS CLOSED, AND I HAD NO VEHICLE TO DRIVE FOR TWO DAYS. THIS WAS AN INCONVENIENCE TO ME AND MY FAMILY, I HAD TO ALTER MY TRIP PLANS THAT WERE MADE BACK IN FEBRUARY 2019. ON MAY 27, 2019 I WAS TOLD BY [XXX] THE TECHNICIAN AT SUNRISE CHEVROLET THAT AIR BOX TUBE WAS LOOSE AND NOT PROPERLY INSTALLED AND COULD HAVE BEEN DONE DURING MY SERVICE I HAD DONE APRIL 23RD. I WAS ASSURED EVERYTHING WAS OKAY AND I WAS GOOD TO GO. ON MAY 31, WHILE TRAVELING BACK HOME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. SAME MESSAGE ON THE DASH AND IT WAS RAINING AT 3AM. I WAS CLOSE TO HOME AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT I PURCHASED IT FROM.MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SERVICE SINCE MAY 31, 2019 AND I AM JUST FINDING OUT THAT I HAVE A PART THAT IS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER. I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH MY EXPERIENCE AN I AM REACHING OUT TO YOU TO RESOLVE THIS MATTER.
JULY 10, 2019 AT HIGHWAY SPEED UPON ACCELERATION TURBO BODY TUBE BLEW OFF SUDDENLY AND ENGINE REDUCED TO HALF POWER / CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. THIS HAPPENED AFTER ONLY 1000 MILES ON NEW CAR. AFTER A REPAIR BY DEALERSHIP JULY 11,2019 SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED JULY 12, 2019 WHILE ON HIGHWAY. WAS 4,000.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Power Train | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electronic Stability Control | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic |
Another vital component is the transmission, which is part of the powertrain. If this is built well, the car shifts appropriately and provides a comfortable ride. As can be expected, GMC didn’t seem to get this right either.
Just look at what this person wrote on the Edmunds website. “Purchased my 2019 Denali terrain on10/31018 and the entertainment system has not worked right since I got it. Been to the shop one time already, and still isn’t fixed. Also warning signs for “ service transmission “ on it has already started coming on, and it doesn’t even have 2500 miles on it. Breaks are scrubbing also.So disappointed in my Terrain. Cost too much for the quality of the vehicle.”
This owner has a lot of complaints, more than just the transmission. It seems the entire vehicle is malfunctioning at once. Again, the automaker has a slew of service bulletins related to the powertrain. We see reports of the charge air cooler pipe connection coming undone from the throttle body and issues that stop the vehicle from going faster than 25 mph. The only consumers that might be happy about that would be grandma and grandpa. They just need someone to give them a ride to the dealership when the car is ready for more repairs.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GMC TERRAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR FROM THE PARKED POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED AGAIN TWO WEEKS AGO AND THE SERVICE TRANSMISSION AND TRANSMISSION UNABLE TO SHIFT INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AGAIN AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LEHMAN BUICK GMC (21200 NW 2ND AVE, MIAMI, FL 33169, (305) 356-7579). THE DEALER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS AUTHORIZED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN THE DEALER TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE, THE TRANSMISSION INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE DEALER WAS CURRENTLY DIAGNOSING THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.
JUST OVER 5200 MILES STARTED EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE WHEN STOPPING OR STARTING. AROUND 5500 MILES STARTED HEARING LOUD CLICKING ROARING SOUND. WAS RETURNING HOME FROM VACATION ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND KNEW ALL SERVICE AREAS OF ALL GM DEALERSHIPS WOULD BE CLOSED BUT HEADED TO A NEARBY CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IN BOSSIER CITY, LA TO LEAVE CAR TO BE LOOKED AT ON MONDAY. NEVER MADE IT. CAR STALLED AND WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR. HAD IT TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. FOLLOWING TUESDAY RECEIVED TEXT MESSAGE FROM DEALERSHIP THAT THE PLANETARY GEAR AND SOME OTHER PARTS WENT OUT. PARTS ON ORDER BUT NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL FOLLOWING FRIDAY. SEARCHING INTERNET FOUND SEVERAL REPORTS OF 2017, 2018, 2019 GMC TERRAINS HAVING TRANSMISSION ISSUES. SEEMS GM HAS TRANSMISSION ISSUES WITH THE TERRAIN TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING, SLIPPING, AND FAILING.
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Advanced technology makes modern cars safer and more enjoyable to drive. There are new systems installed every year, causing automakers to compete over who has more driver aids available. With vehicle speed control systems, crashes are being avoided – when it works properly.
The 2019 GMC Terrain isn’t one of these vehicles. This Edmunds user says, “Do NOT waste your time leasing/buying one of these cars. After watching my parents have several GMC’s, I decided to get one myself and it is the biggest regret. I had the car for THREE WEEKS when it had to go into the shop for the first time. It spent a month in the shop due to a broken torch tube and driveshaft. A month after that, my car had problems with the engine and it would reduce the engine power while I was driving down the road. It spent over 10 days in the shop for that issue. Since then, it’s continued to have problems with the navigation and the heating system. I have been calling GM multiple times trying to get them to get me out of my lease so I can get into something I can actually rely on and they are horrible at calling back. Do not buy this car unless you want it to spend 40 days in the shop before it’s 7 months old.”
Despite the overwhelming amount of complaints regarding the speed control, there are no service bulletins discussing the problems. With more than 170 communications about the smallest issues, it would make sense that GMC would address this somewhere, but they don’t. Instead, owners are left wondering why the engine continues to throttle back the power. As stated above, there is only a handful of people this SUV might be useful for. It’s like the turtle racing the hare, except it doesn’t keep going. Not only is it slow, but unreliable and fails at the most inopportune times.
THIS VEHICLE (LANE ASSIST AND ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL OPERATING) APPLIED ITS BRAKES SOMEWHAT AGGRESSIVELY WITHOUT REASON. THIS WAS ON A HIGHWAY. I HAVE BLACKVUE CAMERAS THAT RECORDED THE EVENT.
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes GMC pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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All of these comments and review are occurring for my vehicle too and the dealership is literally telling me that they have heard this complaint.. even say it is COMMON yet they don’t have a solution or have not received a recall yet…. WELLL I didn’t sign up for a problem, I bought the vehicle because I truly believed a GMC over other brands would have value… meanwhile my vehicles depreciation at this stage of 15,000 miles/2019/4vmonths old purchased with 7 miles… especially considering the 38,000 I paid upon purchase after additional warranties** to protect myself…only to get it appraised at their dealership for 16,000… that alone told me the issues with the electrical screen cutting on and off prohibiting me to utilize apple car play, listen to music, etc. Jumping. Shutting off and not restarting with auto stop. purring and rattling engine, delayed acceleration, slow turtle compared to other competitors and priced way over the average competitor were more than likely true. when I shift its always extremely uncomfortable as the vehicle slams the breaks throwing you forward. The transmission or engine is defective regardless of their results.. it sounds like there is CLEARLY something not right. The vehicle will slow itself when I am trying to accelerate and I am pushing down on the gas petal.. it will almost rev and then slow to a put again and then RATTLE… I HAVE ALREADY HAD OIL LEAKS.. and its so disappointing to have quite frankly given myself more of a problem than what I traded out of and no one given me even a solution to a common problem and defect in their product?
HOW DOES THIS MAKE SENSE
WHY am I bearing the consequence of negative equity that I recently had paid off trade, YEARS to accomplish, and it was an achievement for me to get a new vehicle and this vehicle has done nothing but disappointment me, inconvience me, and put me in debt that I downright will not stop until I get back,
I respected this brand until their lack of attention to thousands of customers driving defective products and they have yet to create a solution that we can use to create reliability. A vehicle is the second largest purchase one makes… I didn’t spend that kind of money to own a problem GMC won’t acknowledge exists.. I expected quality. NOT TO MENTION… the warranty and rental policies require24 hours before they allow that coverage . every single time they do a diagnostic and tell me everything is perfectly fine and I leave with the same problems an hour or two later and I KNOW they obviously weren’t thorough.. problem occurring immediately upon leaving. I am just so discouraged with this.. they don’t believe this issues exist so now I know I’m not cray cray. Just give me my money back. Take your problem back and give me an opportunity to buy something that performs simple function but they do not respond to complaints…
DO NOT BUY THIS CAR