Product Reviews
News
Take Action
About Us
search
Become a Member
Donate
Search
All Products A-Z
    Become a Member
    Donate

    Welcome to Consumer Reports.

    We’re so glad to have you as a member. You now have access to benefits that can help you choose right, be safe and stay informed.
    Get Started
    2015
    New 2019
    Used 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

    GMC Terrain Change Vehicle

    While this version of the GMC Terrain is not a bad vehicle, the competition had left it in the dust. While nice and roomy inside, the Terrain is less efficient than other five-passenger SUVs, but burns as much gas as larger, seven-passenger models. The 3.6-liter engine, shared with many other General Motors products, supplies quick acceleration times at the test track, but feels sluggish in routine driving.
    Alerts
    There is 1 recall on this vehicle. Learn More.
    2015
    New 2019
    Used 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

    GMC Terrain

    Reliability
    See All
    Owner Satisfaction
    See All
    Crash and Rollover Tests
    IIHS Front Moderate Overlap Good
    IIHS Front Small Overlap, Driver Good
    IIHS Side Crash Good
    NHTSA Frontal-Crash, Driver
    NHTSA Frontal-Crash, Passenger
    See All

    Road Test Results

    Performance
    Acceleration Acceleration Acceleration tests are conducted on a smooth, flat pavement straightaway at the track. Time, speed, and distance measurements are taken with a precise GPS-based device that’s hooked to a data-logging computer.
    0 to 60 mph 0 to 60 mph (sec.) The time in seconds that a vehicle takes to reach 60 mph from a standstill with the engine idling.
    Transmission Transmission Transmission performance is determined by shifting smoothness, response, shifter action, and clutch actuation for manual transmissions.
    Fuel Economy Fuel Economy We perform our own fuel-economy tests, independent of the government's often-quoted EPA figures and the manufacturers' claims. Using a precise fuel-flow measuring device spliced into the fuel line, we run two separate circuits to represent city and highway consumption.
    CR's Overall Mileage CR's Overall Mileage CR's overall mileage is a composite of measured fuel usage on a prescribed city course and highway cruising; and CR's 150-mile test trip of mixed driving, if tested. In recent road tests, we've discontinued the 150-mile trip test.
    CR's City Mileage CR's City Mileage Measured fuel usage on a prescribed city course.
    CR's Highway Mileage CR's Highway Mileage Measured fuel usage on a prescribed highway cruising.
    Annual Fuel Cost Annual Fuel Cost The cost and amount of fuel used in 12,000 miles and is calculated from CR's overall mileage.
    Braking Braking The braking rating is a composite of wet and dry stopping distances and pedal feel. Braking distance is from 60 mph, with no wheels locked.
    Emergency Handling Emergency Handling Several factors go into the rating, including the avoidance maneuver speed and confidence, as well as how the vehicle behaves when pushed to its limit,
    Comfort / Convenience
    Ride Ride Our expert judgment of how well the suspension isolates and absorbs road imperfections and how steady it keeps the body on various road surfaces.
    Noise Noise Our expert judgment of the vehicle's interior noise level in everyday driving.
    Front Seat Comfort Front Seat Comfort Our judgment of how comfortable the front seat is for drivers of various heights.
    Rear Seat Comfort Rear Seat Comfort Our judgment of how comfortable the rear seat is for two passengers to sit across.
    Interior Fit and Finish Interior Fit and Finish An expert evaluation of the interior quality and craftsmanship.
    Trunk/Cargo Area Trunk/Cargo Area Our rating is based on the amount of luggage or cargo space that a vehicle has in the trunk or cargo area.

    Owner Reports

    Worse Better
    Reliability History Reliability History The reliability charts are based on responses on hundreds of thousands of vehicles from our latest Annual Auto Survey. Consumer Reports subscribers reported on any serious problems they had with their vehicles during the past 12 months that they considered serious because of cost, failure, safety, or downtime, in any of the trouble spots included in the table below. The results are presented relative to the average model that year. Extra weight is given to the more serious areas such as major engine or transmission problems. Based on this data and further analysis, we predict reliability for the latest year. N/A indicates that we did not receive a large enough sample size to provide data for a specific year. An X indicates that the vehicle was not manufactured for a specific year.
    2000
    2001
    2002
    2003
    2004
    2005
    2006
    2007
    2008
    2009
    2010
    2011
    2012
    2013
    2014
    2015
    2016
    2017
    2018
    Reliability Trouble Spots
    Engine Major Engine Major Engine rebuild or replacement, cylinder head, head gasket, turbo or supercharger, timing chain or timing belt.
    Engine Minor Engine Minor Accessory belts and pulleys, engine computer, engine mounts, engine knock or ping, oil leaks.
    Engine Cooling Engine Cooling Radiator, cooling fan, antifreeze leaks, water pump, thermostat, overheating.
    Transmission Major Transmission Major Transmission rebuild or replacement, torque converter, clutch replacement.
    View all Reliability
    Owner Satisfaction Owner Satisfaction To learn about satisfaction, CR has collected survey data from our annual survey on more than half a million vehicles. Our subscribers provide great insights into their satisfaction by answering one simple question: If they had it to do all over again, would they definitely buy or lease the same model? In addition, respondents also rate their cars in six categories: driving experience, comfort, value, styling, audio, and climate systems. N/A indicates that we did not receive a large enough sample size to provide data for a specific year. An X indicates that the vehicle was not manufactured for a specific year.
    2000
    2001
    2002
    2003
    2004
    2005
    2006
    2007
    2008
    2009
    2010
    2011
    2012
    2013
    2014
    2015
    2016
    2017
    2018
    Driving Experience Driving Experience Includes acceleration and handling
    Comfort Comfort Includes seats, climate control, noise, and ride
    Value Value Did you get what you wanted relative to the price you paid?
    Styling Styling How it looks inside and out
    View all Owner Satisfaction
    Safety Equipment
    ABS and ESC standard. Side and head protection air bags standard.
    Road Test

    While this version of the GMC Terrain is not a bad vehicle, the competition had left it in the dust. While nice and roomy inside, the Terrain is less efficient than other five-passenger SUVs, but burns as much gas as larger, seven-passenger models.

    The 3.6-liter engine, shared with many other General Motors products, supplies quick acceleration times at the test track, but feels sluggish in routine driving. Plus, the unrefined and slow-shifting six-speed automatic transmission does it no favors. With 18 mpg overall, fuel economy from the V6 falls short of more capable and roomy SUVs. Four-cylinder models have an overworked 2.4-liter engine, which returns 21 mpg. Again, that falls far short of rivals, which approach 26 mpg overall. Handling and ride are decent, but ordinary.

    Seating
    2 front, 3 rear
    Drive Wheels
    AWD , Front
    Warranty

    In most cases, automotive warranties are based on the vehicle identification number (VIN), and the warranty will be valid regardless of ownership. The dealership can tell you exactly how much warranty is left.

    Read more about extended warranties
    Body Styles
    4-door SUV
    Transmissions Available
    • 6-speed Automatic
    Engines Available
    • 2.4-liter 4 (182 hp)
    • 3.6-liter V6 (301 hp)

    Owner Reported Trouble Spots

    The Reliability score is based on our latest subscriber survey of 2015 GMC Terrain owners. The owner comments describe problems respondents experienced with this vehicle.

    In-car Electronics

    CD or DVD players, radio, speakers, GPS, communication system (e.g., OnStar), display screen freezes or goes blank, phone pairing (e.g. Bluetooth), voice control commands, steering wheel controls, portable music device interface (e.g., iPod/MP3 player), backup or other camera/sensors.

    What Owners Say

    External music device interface (e.g., smart phone, MP3 player)

    “System does not shuffle music, but rather goes by Alpha listing”

    Anonymous, CT (2015 GMC Terrain Denali 3.6-L V6)

    “Even though this is a 2015 vehicle, the software was designed in 2009. The smartphones I've had did not work at all with the system. USB was incompatible with the phone. The radio could not even play now music from the phone neither thru the Bluetooth USB, or mi rophone cable”

    Joseph P., NY (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    “It is impossible to pair. It is slow. It farts out when you restart the car and has trouble pairing up again. I don't care for Intellilink”

    Anonymous, CT (2015 GMC Terrain SLT 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    “Stops functioning completely. Will reboot after several minutes but nothing will work till it reboots”

    Ralph S., NH (2015 GMC Terrain SLT 2.4-L 4 Cyl)
    Display screen goes blank

    “They won't check it out unless they see it. Something new with GM dealers, we can't fix what we can't see. They don't even try to diagnosed the issue”

    Joseph P., NY (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)
    In-dash navigation system (GPS)

    “As far as I am concerned the OnStar on GM vehicles is an ABSOLUTE JOKE. Mine does NOT work more than id does work. GM should call it that "Piece of Shit" on your vehicle rather than OnStar. I can't make phone calls, you try to call OnStar by pushing the Blue Button nothing happens. One day I pushed the SOS button and 29 minutes later I finally got a response. I asked the guy, "Do you have any idea how many people have died in the last 29 minutes?" His response was you should push the blue”

    Rodney B., WI (2015 GMC Terrain SLT 3.6-L V6)

    “The navigation system gets "off track" and stops giving releable directions. It has been into 3 different dealerships (becasue we travel), a total of 8 times, we sent a letter to GMC via certified mail and we have had 21 telephone calls to GMC Customer Assistance. Their answer is that the technial people are workinf on a correction and they ask us to continue to be patient. GMC acknowledged there is a problem with the navigation system in several models in Document ID: 4174284 #PIC6057A released”

    Tom W., FL (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    “Locks up and car must be shut down and restarted to reboot system”

    Anonymous, OH (2015 GMC Terrain Denali 3.6-L V6)
    Load more

    Suspension

    Shocks or struts, ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings, alignment, steering linkage (includes rack and pinion), power steering (pumps and hoses, leaks), wheel balance, springs or torsion bars, bushings, electronic or air suspension.

    What Owners Say

    Power steering pumps and hoses

    “Vibration and strange noise when making a sharp turn at low speed”

    Peter S., FL (2015 GMC Terrain Denali 3.6-L V6)
    Bushings

    “Bushings had to be replaced”

    Anonymous, FL (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 3.6-L V6)
    Shocks or struts

    “The left rear spring insulator was distorted and the spring was out of position. Vehicle continued to sway on curves after the repair. Found out the left rear stabilizer link was broken and then replaced”

    Anonymous, FL (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)
    Steering wheel vibration

    “Wheels were out of balance”

    Anonymous, MO (2015 GMC Terrain SLT 3.6-L V6)
    Load more

    Fuel System

    Check engine light, sensors (includes O2 or oxygen sensor), emission control devices (includes EGR), engine computer, engine computer, fuel cap, fuel gauge/sender, fuel injection system, fuel pump, fuel leaks, stalling or hesitation.

    What Owners Say

    Fuel pump

    “Fuel pump shorted out from CPU sending unit fail”

    Frank D., FL (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    “Gas tank needed to be removed; fuel pump replaced”

    Anonymous, WI (2015 GMC Terrain SLT 3.6-L V6)
    Sensors (includes O2 or oxygen sensor)

    “The air intake sensor failed. Remote start would not operate Check engine light was on”

    Anonymous, NY (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 3.6-L V6)

    Climate System

    Blower (fan) motor, A/C compressor, condenser, evaporator, heater system, automatic climate control, refrigerant leakage, electrical failure.

    What Owners Say

    Automatic climate control

    “Using heat or air conditioner, the fan changes to half speed when the ECO button is pushed. Also, you can turn up the heat temp control with no result. Must turn it way up to have any change. Worst heat/air conditioning control system I have seen”

    Anonymous, MI (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    “a part went bad causing the heater to run hot even when I tried the air conditioning. The vents got too hot to touch. I called the dealer and took the car over and left it overnight for repair”

    Anonymous, WV (2015 GMC Terrain Unsure 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    Body Hardware

    Power or manual windows, locks and latches, tailgate, hatch or trunk, doors or sliding doors, mirrors, seat controls, safety belts, sunroof, convertible top.

    What Owners Say

    Locks and latches

    “The door latch wouldn't work because the rear driver side door was installed crooked. Door had to be realigned”

    Anonymous, IL (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)
    Tailgate, hatch or trunk

    “Powerade tailgate failed to open completely. Lift cylinders failed prematurely - replaced under warranty”

    Anonymous, OH (2015 GMC Terrain Denali 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    Engine Minor

    Accessory belts and pulleys, engine computer, engine mounts, engine knock or ping, oil leaks.

    What Owners Say

    Engine computer

    “Lost ability to accelerate Message said powered down”

    Anonymous, MO (2015 GMC Terrain SLT 2.4-L 4 Cyl)
    Engine knock or ping

    “Tapping sound on start up after sitting overnight.continues until engine warms up. Only does it when temp outside is 30-50 degrees”

    Anonymous, KY (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    Body Integrity

    Squeaks, rattles, wind noises, loose or cracked seals and/or weather-stripping, air and water leaks.

    What Owners Say

    Squeaks or rattles

    “rattles under dashboard”

    Anonymous, FL (2015 GMC Terrain Denali 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    Paint/Trim

    Paint (fading, chalking, cracking, or peeling), loose interior and exterior trim or moldings, rust.

    What Owners Say

    Paint (fading, chalking, cracking, or peeling)

    “paint bubbled on back fender”

    Frank D., FL (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    Drive System

    Driveshaft or axle, CV joint, differential, transfer case, 4WD/AWD components, driveline vibration, traction control, electronic stability control (ESC), electrical failure.

    What Owners Say

    Stability control (ESC)

    “Warning light saying it was not operating properly/ Turned out to be burnt or chewed wiring harness according to dealer service”

    George V., MI (2015 GMC Terrain Unsure 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    Electric System

    Alternator, starter, hybrid battery and related systems, regular battery, battery cables, engine harness, coil, ignition switch, electronic ignition, distributor or rotor failure, spark plugs and wires failure.

    What Owners Say

    Heated or cooled seats

    “would not turn on”

    T H., WI (2015 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    Exhaust

    Muffler, pipes, catalytic converter, exhaust manifold, leaks.

    What Owners Say

    Other/unsure

    “Navigation cuts out and eventually the entire system shuts down then reinitializes s itself. Dealer says there is an update program that requires a service call”

    Anonymous, MN (2015 GMC Terrain SLT 3.6-L V6)

    Power Equipment

    Cruise control, clock, warning lights, body control module, keyless entry, wiper motor or washer, tire pressure monitor, interior or exterior lights, horn, gauges, 12V power plug, remote engine start, alarm or security system

    Engine Major

    Engine rebuild or replacement, cylinder head, head gasket, turbo or supercharger, timing chain or timing belt.

    Engine Cooling

    Radiator, cooling fan, antifreeze leaks, water pump, thermostat, overheating.

    Brakes

    Antilock system (ABS), parking brake, master cylinder, calipers, rotors, pulsation or vibration, squeaking, brake failure or wear.

    Transmission Minor

    Gear selector or linkage, leaks, transmission computer, transmission sensor or solenoid, clutch adjustment, rough shifting, slipping transmission.

    Change Vehicle