A reflection caused by the headlight housings may illuminate areas above the vehicle and outside of the driver's view with excessively bright light. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: The bright reflection may cause a glare for other drivers, reducing their visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will install headlamp appliques, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 8, 2022. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N222363740.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2017 GMC Terrain vehicles.
In the affected vehicles, the ball joints in the windshield wiper module may corrode and wear over time, possibly resulting in one or both of the windshield wipers becoming inoperative.
Risk: Inoperative windshield wipers may reduce the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, dealers will repair the AIP-hole, inspect and, if necessary, replace the front wiper module, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 25302.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles.
NHTSA listing: TERRAIN. GMC campaign 25302.
Electrical system
Jul 5, 2016
ignition
Fails federal standard 114 (theft and rollaway protection)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
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's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2013 GMC Terrain.
What owners report
Owners have filed 364 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 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 consumption82 · 23%
Median 89,500 miles at failure, from 53 reports with mileage
Stalling or shutting off56 · 15%
Median 90,000 miles at failure, from 46 reports with mileage
Engine failure or replacement48 · 13%
Median 103,000 miles at failure, from 33 reports with mileage
Check engine light41 · 11%
Median 93,600 miles at failure, from 29 reports with mileage
Timing chain or belt problems37 · 10%
Median 114,500 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
Wiper failures26 · 7%
Median 64,500 miles at failure, from 21 reports with mileage
Loss of power or limp mode24 · 7%
Median 83,500 miles at failure, from 18 reports with mileage
Median 91,000 miles at failure, from 133 reports with mileage
Visibility/wiper50 · 14%
Median 60,000 miles at failure, from 29 reports with mileage
Powertrain44 · 12%
Median 94,800 miles at failure, from 32 reports with mileage
Electrical system22 · 6%
Fuel and propulsion system21 · 6%
Air bags19 · 5%
Steering14 · 4%
Unknown or other25 · 7%
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 2013 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 2013 drew 34.
Owner complaints
2013: 364 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, GMC Terrain
Model year
Complaints
2010
290
2011
386
2012
364
2013
364
2014
296
2015
297
2016
152
2017
134
2018
223
2019
185
2020
197
2021
36
2022
88
2023
39
2024
49
2025
13
2026
33
Safety recalls
2013: 3 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, GMC Terrain
Model year
Recalls
2010
3
2011
4
2012
4
2013
3
2014
2
2015
3
2016
2
2017
1
2018
5
2019
3
2020
2
2021
2
2022
4
2023
2
2024
1
2025
0
2026
1
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.
In the 364 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 GMC Terrain, the problems described most are excessive oil consumption (82), stalling or shutting off (56), and engine failure or replacement (48). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2013 GMC Terrain safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2013 GMC Terrain earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2013 GMC Terrain?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2013 GMC Terrain.
How do I check if my Terrain has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at GMC dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Oct 2, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: TERRAIN.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.