2012 GMC Terrain Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 364 owner complaints for the 2012 GMC Terrain.

Recalled components: exterior lighting, electrical system, seats, and tires. Most-described problem: excessive oil consumption (70 complaints, 19%). Most-reported area: engine (169 complaints, 46%; median mileage when it happened: 85,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Best year

4 safety recalls for the 2012 GMC Terrain

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 3 investigations that name the 2012 GMC Terrain; all 3 are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. A recall query is a review of whether a recall covered the right vehicles or whether its fix works. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 364 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Terrain. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Excessive oil consumption70 · 19%
  Median 92,600 miles at failure, from 44 reports with mileage
• Wiper failures69 · 19%
  Median 92,600 miles at failure, from 54 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off53 · 15%
  Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 47 reports with mileage
• Check engine light42 · 12%
  Median 75,000 miles at failure, from 31 reports with mileage
• Timing chain or belt problems35 · 10%
  Median 90,000 miles at failure, from 21 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode34 · 9%
  Median 87,400 miles at failure, from 23 reports with mileage
• Engine failure or replacement31 · 9%
  Median 93,100 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
• Airbags did not deploy in a crash16 · 4%

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Engine169 · 46%
  Median 85,000 miles at failure, from 115 reports with mileage
• Visibility/wiper74 · 20%
  Median 89,500 miles at failure, from 56 reports with mileage
• Powertrain37 · 10%
  Median 87,100 miles at failure, from 22 reports with mileage
• Electrical system32 · 9%
  Median 77,000 miles at failure, from 21 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system28 · 8%
• Air bags25 · 7%
  Median 99,000 miles at failure, from 19 reports with mileage
• Stability control13 · 4%
• Unknown or other37 · 10%
  Median 63,600 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

GMC Terrain recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2012 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 Terrain drew the most (65) and the 2012 drew 24.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2012 Terrain MPG

Questions