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RecallScanner Severity Profile

GMC TERRAIN

Watch2 recall campaigns, verify by VIN.
0
RecallScore
Critical
1
Fire risk
0
Crash risk
2
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Check your specific TERRAIN

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All Recalls

2 campaigns
2 recalls 1 critical💥 2 crash risk
Model year
Airbag
May 24, 2018
3003 days ago

Your airbags may not deploy in a crash, leaving you and your passengers unprotected.

Affected: AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE · 2018
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 GMC Terrain vehicles. The sensing diagnostic module (SDM) that senses a crash and deploys the necessary air bags may not power down correctly when the vehicle is shut off, causing it to be inoperative when the vehicle is restarted.

Consequence

If the SDM becomes inoperative, it will not detect a crash or command the necessary air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the SDM with updated software, free of charge. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18179.

Lighting
Aug 3, 2022
1471 days ago

Your headlights can reflect bright light into other drivers' eyes and cause them to crash.

Affected: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS · 2017
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2017 GMC Terrain vehicles. 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."

Consequence

The bright reflection may cause a glare for other drivers, reducing their visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

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.

Full analysis: how to read the GMC TERRAIN recall history
Year range, common components, complaint patterns, and how to use this page.

Understanding the GMC TERRAIN recall history

The GMC TERRAIN currently has 2 recall campaigns indexed from the NHTSA public database. Each recall represents a formal campaign to fix a defect at no cost to the current owner. Owner complaints are self-reported incidents that haven't (yet) resulted in a recall but can indicate emerging patterns worth watching.

The most frequent recall categories for the TERRAIN in our dataset are air bag (1), and lighting (1). These clusters matter when you're shopping for a used TERRAIN: recalls in these systems tend to be the ones most likely to have been skipped by previous owners, because they aren't always visible during a routine test drive or pre-purchase inspection.

The tracked recalls span model years 2017–2018, with campaigns reported to NHTSA between 2018 and 2022. Not every model year carries every recall. Each campaign is scoped to a specific year range and often a specific build window, which is why a VIN lookup is the only way to know whether a particular TERRAIN is actually affected by any of these campaigns.

How to use this page

The safest path for an owner is to run your VIN through the checker above. A VIN query hits NHTSA's live API and tells you whether your specific TERRAIN has an open, unresolved recall. If you're researching a used TERRAINbefore buying, use the recall list below to understand the model's full history, then check the seller's VIN to see whether prior owners actually completed the free repairs. Many don't, and unresolved recalls can linger for years.

Figures are generated live from the RecallScanner dataset, which is sourced from NHTSA's public recall and complaint APIs and refreshed daily. RecallScanner is independent and not affiliated with GMC or any U.S. government agency.