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.
NHTSA listing: TERRAIN. GMC campaign N222363740.
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.
What owners report
Owners have filed 133 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 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
Engine failure or replacement23 · 17%
Stalling or shutting off while driving21 · 16%
Excessive oil consumption19 · 14%
Loss of power or limp mode14 · 11%
Timing chain or belt problems12 · 9%
Oil leaks11 · 8%
Check engine light10 · 8%
Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting6 · 5%
Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these.
Areas named in complaints
Engine77 · 58%
Powertrain23 · 17%
Air bags12 · 9%
Electrical system9 · 7%
Body structure7 · 5%
Most named: body (6)
Exterior lighting7 · 5%
Fuel and propulsion system4 · 3%
Unknown or other20 · 15%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
GMC Terrain recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2017 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 2017 drew 17.
Owner complaints
2017: 133 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, GMC Terrain
Model year
Complaints
2016
152
2017
133
2018
220
2019
185
2020
196
2021
35
2022
88
2023
39
2024
49
2025
13
2026
33
Safety recalls
2017: 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, GMC Terrain
Model year
Recalls
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
GMC Terrain SUV AWD
Rollover risk 17.4%
GMC Terrain SUV FWD
Rollover risk 19.1%
Questions
What are the most common 2017 Terrain problems?
In the 133 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 GMC Terrain, the problems described most are engine failure or replacement (23), stalling or shutting off while driving (21), and excessive oil consumption (19). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2017 GMC Terrain safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2017 GMC Terrain earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
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 Sep 29, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 28, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
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.