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2016 GMC Terrain

Gas

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
5 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11

Safety Signal

84 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns2

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA152

Crash ratingNHTSA overall4★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA26 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2016 GMC Terrain is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Terrain FWD, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 152 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Terrain FWD	Gas	FWD	2.4L 4-cyl	22	31	26	$2,400
Terrain FWD	Gas	FWD	2.4L 4-cyl	22	31	26	$2,400
Terrain AWD	Gas	AWD	2.4L 4-cyl	20	28	23	$2,700
Terrain FWD	Gas	FWD	3.6L 6-cyl	17	24	20	$3,100
Terrain AWD	Gas	AWD	3.6L 6-cyl	16	23	18	$3,450

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36499, 36500, 36332, 36602, 36510.

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Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Exterior Lighting

N222363740

740,581 vehicles

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

NHTSA campaign 22V137000reported Mar 8, 2022General Motors, LLC

▲high

Tires

46600

17 vehicles

ProblemGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles manufactured October 16, 2015. The certification labels may have incorrect tire/rim size and cold tire pressure information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."RiskIf the information on the certification labels is incorrect, the operator may install incorrectly sized tires or rims or may improperly inflate the tires, increasing the risk of a crash.FixGM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the certification label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1050, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 46600.

NHTSA campaign 16V449000reported Jun 21, 2016General Motors LLC

NHTSA defect investigations

Visibility/Wiper — Front Wiper Transmission Inoperative closed

On December 13, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis (EA19-005) to further assess the MY2010-2016 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain windshield wiper failures. Due to a prior recall, 16V-582, addressing this issue in the MY2013 subject vehicles, MY2013 was not included in the analysis. To date, ODI had received 998 complaints with allegations of the front windshield wiper failing in adverse whether conditions, while the vehicle was in motion.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to wa

Opened Dec 13, 2019 · closed Nov 28, 2022 · action EA19005

Visibility/Wiper — Windshield Wiper Transmission Failure closed

On November 2, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ18-002) to assess the scope of Recall 16V-582.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intrusion into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint with an attendant loss of windshield wiper function. The recall remedy addressed these conditions with the installation of an improved windshield wiper motor/transmission assembly and the relocation of a drain hole on

Opened Nov 2, 2018 · closed Dec 19, 2019 · action RQ18002

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

152complaints filed

9 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 9 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2018: 9 · 2019: 16 · 2020: 17 · 2021: 22 · 2022: 23 · 2023: 17 · 2024: 14 · 2025: 16 · 2026: 12

Most-cited components

Engine46

Visibility/Wiper46

Unspecified13

Power Train11

Exterior Lighting10

Electrical System9

What owners describe

“While driving in rain, I turned wipers on. The rain turned heavy and I put wiper setting to faster mode. The wipers suddenly failed and stayed on windshield. The wipers failed to work in any setting. I pulled car to the side of road waited for the rain to pass before driving.”May 16, 2022 · Visibility/Wiper · NHTSA owner report

“The contact owns a 2016 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH in inclement weather, the windshield wipers stopped working as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and waited until the rain slowed down and drove home safely. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who …”May 10, 2022 · Visibility/Wiper · NHTSA owner report

“The contact owns a 2016 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH his vehicle inadvertently and unknowingly crashed into the vehicle in front. The contact was unable to see the vehicle in front of him due to the glare of headlights. The air bags did deploy. There were no warning lights. The veh…”May 4, 2022 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
SUV AWD	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	17%
SUV FWD	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	19%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Terrain model years

2027 GMC Terrain

0 recalls · 0 complaints

2026 GMC Terrain

1 recalls · 27 complaints

2025 GMC Terrain

0 recalls · 13 complaints

2024 GMC Terrain

1 recalls · 49 complaints

2023 GMC Terrain

2 recalls · 38 complaints

2022 GMC Terrain

4 recalls · 85 complaints

2021 GMC Terrain

2 recalls · 34 complaints

2020 GMC Terrain

2 recalls · 195 complaints

2019 GMC Terrain

3 recalls · 182 complaints

2018 GMC Terrain

5 recalls · 219 complaints

2017 GMC Terrain

1 recalls · 133 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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