GMC Terrain years to avoid
Across the 2015–2022 GMC Terrain, the 2015 model year drew the most owner complaints to NHTSA: 315, about 1.9× the 167 median of the other six model years with enough complaints to compare. It is also the oldest year in this comparison, and older years have had longer to accumulate reports. The most-reported components that year were the windshield wipers and the engine. The 2022 drew the fewest of the years with enough complaints to compare, at 85. NHTSA holds fewer than 40 complaints for 2021, too few to read as a quiet year rather than a gap in the records. Separately, the 2018 carries the most recall campaigns, 5. Complaint volume and recall campaign counts also reflect how long a model year has been on the road and how many were sold, so they rank years within this model rather than measuring build quality.
The 2015 Terrain is the outlier of the 2015–2022 GMC Terrain, with 315 complaints against the model's 182 median.
Every Terrain model year, ranked
Every Terrain model year NHTSA holds records for, most complaints first. Counts are NHTSA records as of 2026-09-15; recall campaigns and complaints are counted separately because a recall is the manufacturer acting and a complaint is an owner reporting. Years with enough on record have a page of their own.
| Model year | Owner complaints | vs the 182 median | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Terrain | 315 | 1.7× | 3 | the windshield wipers |
| 2018 Terrain | 219 | 1.2× | 5 | the brakes |
| 2020 Terrain | 195 | 1.1× | 2 | the brakes |
| 2019 Terrain | 182 | 1× | 3 | the engine |
| 2016 Terrain | 152 | 0.8× | 2 | the engine |
| 2017 Terrain | 133 | 0.7× | 1 | the engine |
| 2022 Terrain | 85 | 0.5× | 2 | the fuel system |
| 2021 Terrain | 34 — too few to compare | — | 2 | — |
Buying a GMC Terrain? Check its VIN.
Model-year complaint totals do not describe one car. Confirm its identity free, then decide whether to review its reported title, mileage and auction history before you buy.
Title brands · Odometer records · Auction history, where reported
No subscription. No charge to check the VIN. Report contents vary by vehicle; applicable tax is shown at checkout.
See what the paid report includes →How to read these numbers
- A higher count is not proof of a worse car. Complaint volume rises with sales volume and with years on the road.
- The comparison is between years of the Terrain only. It says nothing about how the Terrain compares with other models.
- NHTSA publishes owner reports without verifying them. A complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- Recall campaigns cover production ranges. Only a VIN lookup shows whether one vehicle is included and whether the work was done.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
GMC Terrain year-by-year questions
Which GMC Terrain year should I avoid?
Across the 2015–2022 GMC Terrain, the 2015 model year drew the most owner complaints to NHTSA: 315, about 1.9× the 167 median of the other six model years with enough complaints to compare. It is also the oldest year in this comparison, and older years have had longer to accumulate reports. The most-reported components that year were the windshield wipers and the engine. The 2022 drew the fewest of the years with enough complaints to compare, at 85. NHTSA holds fewer than 40 complaints for 2021, too few to read as a quiet year rather than a gap in the records. Separately, the 2018 carries the most recall campaigns, 5. Complaint volume and recall campaign counts also reflect how long a model year has been on the road and how many were sold, so they rank years within this model rather than measuring build quality.
Which GMC Terrain year is the safest bet?
Of the 2015–2022 GMC Terrain, the 2022 drew the fewest owner complaints to NHTSA — 85, against the model's 182 median. Years NHTSA holds fewer than 40 complaints for (2021) are left out: too few reports is a gap in the records, not a quiet year. Newer years have had less time on the road, which lowers their count on its own, so treat this as a starting point and check the individual VIN.
Do complaint counts mean the GMC Terrain is unreliable?
No. NHTSA complaints are unverified owner reports, and the count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road. They are useful for comparing years of the same model — which is what this page does — not for ranking one model against another.
How do I check a specific Terrain?
Take the 17-character VIN from the windshield or driver-door label and run it through NHTSA's free recall lookup. That reports open campaigns for that exact vehicle, including whether the repair is still outstanding. A model-year page cannot tell you that.