NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 185 owner complaints for the 2019 GMC Terrain.
3Safety recalls
185Owner complaints
7Complaints citing a crash
3Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: powertrain, seats, and brakes. Most-described problem: the check engine light coming on (28 complaints, 15%), then brake failure or a soft or hard pedal (25). Most-reported area: brakes (71 complaints, 38%).
3 safety recalls for the 2019 GMC Terrain
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Risk: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles.
The rear-right seat may have insufficient welds on the head-restraint bracket.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the insufficient welds may result in an increased risk of injury for an occupant seated in the rear-right position.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear-right seatback frame, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. 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 N192209550.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles.
The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles.
NHTSA listing: TERRAIN. GMC campaign 18279.
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 185 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 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
Check engine light28 · 15%
Brake failure or a soft or hard pedal25 · 14%
Loss of power or limp mode19 · 10%
Stalling or shutting off while driving18 · 10%
Backup camera problems14 · 8%
Engine failure or replacement9 · 5%
Hesitation or slow acceleration6 · 3%
Won't start6 · 3%
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
Brakes71 · 38%
Engine69 · 37%
Powertrain51 · 28%
Electrical system39 · 21%
Speed control9 · 5%
Backover prevention and rearview camera7 · 4%
Most named: sensing system, camera (4)
Forward collision avoidance6 · 3%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (5)
Unknown or other21 · 11%
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 2019 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 2019 drew 50.
Owner complaints
2019: 185 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
2019: 3 recallsTap 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 16.4%
GMC Terrain SUV FWD
Rollover risk 18.5%
Questions
What are the most common 2019 Terrain problems?
In the 185 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2019 GMC Terrain, the problems described most are the check engine light coming on (28), brake failure or a soft or hard pedal (25), and loss of power or limp mode (19). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2019 GMC Terrain safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2019 GMC Terrain earns 5 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.