2018 GMC Terrain engine problems
55 of the 223 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2018 GMC Terrain name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 375 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database0 of the 55 reports a crash · 1 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2018: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 13 · 2025: 7 · 2026: 7
Half of the 18 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 2,000 and 65,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
223 complaints in all about the 2018 GMC Terrain, 7 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: GMC Terrain engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
I have a 2018 GMC TERRAIN which I bought brand new from General Motors. In May 2022, the vehicle started jerking/hoping and trying to stall when the speed gets to 55 miles per hour or higher. I have taken it to the dealership on three different occasions for repair and I still have this issue.
Catalytic converter failed when driving damaging the engine. Vehicle undrivable and waited for repair at shop for over 90 days. Engine warning light keeps coming on with error code P1186 that the GMC dealer can not fix
Beaverton GMC did repair work on my vehicle. During the inspection they said they found the radiator leaking from a number of spots and it needed replaced. It has never leaked and did not need replaced. Why did they do it? I as for the parts but they tossed them and would not give them to me
My auto started leaking some kind of oil. Not sure what kind but I can see accumulation on driveway concrete pad. Had motor oil & filter changed in case it was a o-ring or not tight enough. It continues to leak
The new auto stop that shuts off the motor when you're at a red light doesn't work properly. Sometimes it shuts off, but most of the time it doesn't been to the dealer two times and the radio will not come on at times even though GM has performed updates on these problems. The problems still exist
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications375 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P0300 P0299 P2227 P1101 P050D B3055 B3060 B3935
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2018 GMC Terrain names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2018 GMC Terrain
Source: the same files- brake problems 83 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2018 GMC Terrain?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 55 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (25% of everything owners filed about it), and 375 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2018 GMC Terrain?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 5 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do engine problems show up on the 2018 GMC Terrain?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 18,000 miles; half of them between 2,000 and 65,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.