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    2016
    New 2019
    Used 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

    GMC Terrain Change Vehicle

    While the GMC Terrain and its twin the Chevrolet Equinox are not bad vehicles, the competition has left them in the dust. They split the difference between small SUVs such as the Toyota RAV4 and midsized models like the Ford Explorer. While they're nice and roomy inside, the Equinox and Terrain are less efficient than other five-passenger SUVs and burn as much gas as larger, seven-passenger models.
    Alerts
    There is 1 recall on this vehicle. Learn More.
    2016
    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.
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    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.
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    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 the GMC Terrain and its twin the Chevrolet Equinox are not bad vehicles, the competition has left them in the dust. They split the difference between small SUVs such as the Toyota RAV4 and midsized models like the Ford Explorer. While they're nice and roomy inside, the Equinox and Terrain are less efficient than other five-passenger SUVs and burn 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 manages to still feel sluggish in routine driving, with its unrefined and slow-shifting six-speed automatic transmission doing no favors. With 18 mpg overall, fuel economy from the V6 falls short of much more capable and roomy SUVs, like the Toyota Highlander and Hyundai Santa Fe. Four-cylinder models have an overworked 2.4-liter engine, which returns 21 mpg. Again, that falls far short of rivals like the Toyota RAV4 or Subaru Forester, 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 2016 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

    Backup or other camera/sensors

    “system did not operate when backing up”

    G C., FL (2016 GMC Terrain SLT 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    “The whole center console has intermittent failures & affects everything or parts of the console. Electrical issues in general happen. Restarting the car works most of the time”

    Kim M., MN (2016 GMC Terrain Denali 3.6-L V6)

    “There have been times when the vehicle blind spot monitor stays on for miles without any vehicle in the blind spot. The dealership has looked at the issue 2x times now without any luck in repairing it”

    Scott B., GA (2016 GMC Terrain SLT 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    “Multiple times the screen has gone blank and stops working for no reason. It usually resets when you turn off the vehicle and turn it back on, but one time it did not reset until about 4 power cycles”

    Scott B., GA (2016 GMC Terrain SLT 2.4-L 4 Cyl)
    In-dash navigation system (GPS)

    “VOICE RECOGNITION DOES NOT WORK”

    Anonymous, TX (2016 GMC Terrain SLT 3.6-L V6)

    “Bad connection”

    Juan M., TX (2016 GMC Terrain SLT 3.6-L V6)
    Load more

    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

    Gauges

    “The main display on the infotainment center went black. Luckily everything continued to work but it was a lot harder to know what was going on. They diagnosed the issue as the main screen was bad. It was replaced and it has been working since the replacement”

    Edward H., PA (2016 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    “The dash lights go out when entering a tunnel. Sometimes the lights are to dim to see the speedometer, etc. We ad a similar problem with a 2012 Terrain (but it was worse)”

    Anonymous, OK (2016 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    Climate System

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

    What Owners Say

    A/C compressor

    “The a/c was erratic at best and never cooled the cabin properly. The compressor was found to be defective on the second service call and it's been fine since then”

    Edward H., PA (2016 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)
    Automatic climate control

    “60 degrees outside and the heater comes on automatically when all indicators are off”

    Anonymous, FL (2016 GMC Terrain Denali 3.6-L V6)

    Transmission Major

    Transmission rebuild or replacement, torque converter, clutch replacement.

    What Owners Say

    Transmission rebuild or replacement

    “It locked up and couldn't move, in a dangerous position in the middle of the road, under warranty, but a pain, GM Care was called and the dealership was close by”

    Anonymous, WI (2016 GMC Terrain SLT 3.6-L V6)

    “Transmission failed at 1700 miles. Fixed under warranty”

    Ronald H., AZ (2016 GMC Terrain SLT 3.6-L V6)

    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

    Electrical failure

    “The whole center stack console does not light up, buttons for heat and such do not work. Nothing works or part of the stack work. The issue is intermittent, so it keeps me from reporting this to the dealer”

    Kim M., MN (2016 GMC Terrain Denali 3.6-L V6)
    4WD/AWD components

    “A gasket in the driveshaft was pinched at the factory and was leaking oil the repair was covered on the warranty”

    Ed L., NJ (2016 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

    Seals and/or weather-stripping

    “GM forgot the clips to keep the window from rattling, poor quality controls, dealer fixed these on the driver's side, but now the passenger side is getting close to fixing”

    Anonymous, WI (2016 GMC Terrain SLT 3.6-L V6)

    Exhaust

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

    What Owners Say

    Exhaust leaks

    “during installation, an O ring got rolled. It kept triggering the exhaust sensor”

    Michelle M., AR (2016 GMC Terrain SLE 2.4-L 4 Cyl)

    Brakes

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

    What Owners Say

    Rotors

    “Vibration from rotors, were replaced on warranty”

    Anonymous, AZ (2016 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

    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.

    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.

    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.

    Transmission Minor

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

    Paint/Trim

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

    Engine Cooling

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

    Engine Major

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

    Engine Minor

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

    Change Vehicle