2019 GMC Terrain engine problems

ENGINE

On Saturday, August 15th we were driving on the freeway when with no warning the check engine light came on and the vehicle began to run poorly, and then the vehicle lost electrical power and it became difficult to steer and the brake pedal became stiff, making it difficult to stop and pull over. The vehicle would not start on command but kept running very poorly, it also became impossible to shut the vehicle off until it seized. It was later towed to a local repair shop, and today, Friday August 21st the shop confirmed that the vacuum pump on the brake assist failed and it would need a total engine replacement.

NHTSA complaint #11758591 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The car’s brakes hardened on the highway, posing a life-threatening danger, right before the engine died. Following a tow to the dealership’s service center, an initial inspection revealed a broken vacuum pump and broken camshaft. The dealership stated that there was evidence that camshaft debris may be scattered throughout the engine. No further inspection has been done at this time due to the probability of major engine damage and/or potential repairs.

NHTSA complaint #11757612 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

While driving my 2019 GMC Terrain on local roads, the vehicle suffered a sudden and complete failure of the braking system. The brake pedal became extremely hard to press, and the dashboard displayed a critical error message stating 'Engine Power is Reduced.' during this frightening safety incident i felt lucky to bring the car to a stop without an accident. The vehicle had to be flatbed towed to a repair facility. This sudden loss of power braking is a known, documented defect matching the engine-driven brake vacuum pump failures currently subject to federal class-action litigation (Thieme v. General Motors). I am requesting a formal safety investigation into why the GMC Terrain was excluded from previous GM vacuum pump recalls despite posing an identical, life-threatening risk to occupants."

NHTSA complaint #11755772 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

While driving the vehicle became extremely difficult to stop I was advised that the Vacuum booster pump was broken and it needed to be replaced. This was first completed 09/24/25 by Gateway tire and service center. I was advised that there was a service bulletin for the issue. Then I have had the same thing happen and I returned the vehicle to the same repair shop and I was advised that the Vacuum booster pump was broken and it caused the exhaust camshaft to break, as well as the timing was out. The shop had to replace several things in order to repair and I was responsible for the cost. There was no warning before either of the incidents.

NHTSA complaint #11748359 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The turbo went completely out at around 105k miles while I was driving to work. I had to coast into a repair shop because it was smoking and wouldn’t go over 20mph and then have it towed to the place that repaired it. Since then, the transmission is having trouble shifting gears. The car struggles to accelerate and I have to go abnormally slow after coming to a complete stop in order for the car to get into gear. The onstar diagnostic says everything is fine but it is clearly not fine.

NHTSA complaint #11743318 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while stopped and attempting to turn to exit a highway ramp, he observed a loud banging noise emanating from the engine compartment. An "engine reduced power" message appeared. The vehicle then went into limp mode, and when the brake pedal was depressed, it was stiff as a rock. The vehicle coasted while he continued attempting to depress the brake pedal, and it eventually slowed down. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. When the vehicle was turned back on and he attempted to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle did not accelerate. The vehicle was taken to his mother's residence approximately 100 miles away in limp mode and parked. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that his brother, during an inspection of the vehicle, removed the vacuum pump and noticed that it was broken with numerous pieces that had gone into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

NHTSA complaint #11737591 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

ENGINE BREAKDOWN 1.5TURBO IN 11/28/25 WITH 16820 MILES ON IT. IT IS NOT AVAILABLE I HEARD A BANG AND SMOKE OUT OF BACK LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGH WAY DAMAGE WAS CONFIRMED BUY A DEALER GOODWIN CHEVROLET IN BRUNSWICK ME YES BUY GM DEALER. NO THERE WERE NO WARNING LAMPS OR OTHER SYMPTOMS BEFORE FAILURE. CAR WAS CHECK ON 3/30/2023 AT 10383 MILES FOR SHAKING AND LOSING POWER.CAR DID COME OUT IT TOOK IT TO LEE GM DEALER IN AUBURN ME COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #11732575 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Vacuum pump exploded into camshaft and engine area, causing me to lose brakes completely on the highway. Costly repairs to clear out metal shrapnel and replace camshaft.

NHTSA complaint #11724591 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I am driving a 2019 GMC Terrain SLT, and I have a serious concern regarding a recent service experience. On 02/10/2026, I had an oil change and a complete vehicle inspection performed at Kunes GMC Greenfield, Wisconsin. After the service was completed and I returned home, I noticed an unusual noise coming from under the engine hood. I immediately went back to the dealership and informed them of the issue. I was asked to return the following day (02/11) for further inspection. After their investigation, I was informed that the vacuum booster had failed. It appears that this issue was not identified during the original inspection, and I was the one who brought the noise to their attention. From my understanding, vacuum pump/booster issues are common with many 2019 GMC Terrain models. I am surprised that this has not resulted in a recall, especially considering the potential safety risks it poses to me and my family. What concerns me even more is that this issue was not detected during the dealership’s inspection. If it had worsened, it could have led to a serious safety situation. I had to spend $450 today to repair what appears to be a manufacturing-related defect. I respectfully request that this matter be escalated and that my claim for reimbursement be reviewed. I would appreciate your assistance in helping me pursue compensation for this expense.

NHTSA complaint #11717369 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

My family and I were returning home from vacation in another state, and while we were driving on the interstate, an alarm popped up on the DTC stating ruduced engine power. I tried to start slowing down so I could take the next off ramp and could not push the brake pedal in. I had absolutely no brakes trying to slow down from interstate speed. I was able to pull into a gas station parking lot while avoiding other vehicles. I was very lucky not to get in an accident. I had to have it towed to the nearest service center and was charged nearly $4000 for repair. The car has not ran right since we recieved it back. I called them back to let them know and was told the only way I would not have to pay to have it looked at was to bring it back to them. That shop was four and a half hours away from my house. The car was less than twenty miles out of the warranty when it broke down (nine miles to be exact), then they lied on the the paperwork and put the milage after they test drove it.

NHTSA complaint #11715704 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Vehicle was started for the second time that day on 1/5/26 and the engine light was on. I drove the vehicle to an auto parts store to have them check it with an OBD-II scanner. It had code P050F. I had no idea how serious this issue could be at the time. I made an appt with the GMC dealership and dropped it off the evening of 1/6/26. They said there was a software anomaly in the engine control module and needed to be reprogrammed. I paid the $200 diagnostic fee for them to reprogram it. I learned that this anomaly could have caused my brakes to not work while driving it. I had been driving the vehicle back and forth to work until I dropped it off. This issue could have caused serious harm or death to myself and others. While researching online, I've seen that other vehicles have had safety recalls and additional warranties added for these issues, but my vehicle isn't included in this.

NHTSA complaint #11710765 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Drove car approximately 15 miles. Parked car. Car would not turn off. Message- Transmission/Park. Wouldn't Car stayed neutral. Had to call wecker to take dealership. ... Diagnostic Solenoid Valve Body faulty.... 2019 Terrain Miles 91669. Is there recall. Have more reports of issue. Should this happen with a well maintained vehicle All maintenance updated to date.

NHTSA complaint #11710073 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I bought this Terrain brand new from Betten Baker Chevrolet in Muskegon Mi in 2019 with 500 miles. That same year we had transmission Slippage causing it to slip out of gear then slam back into gear while driving. I took it to the dealer to have it looked at. They did nothing and informed me it was known by the manufacturer that this was an issue. I then had to bring it back for electrical issues as the lights would all start going off in the cab including dome lights and shift buttons. All key fob would not be recognized by the car and would have to be reprogrammed counting 5 times now. Now I am sitting at just oflver 100,000 miles and what I thought was going to be a simple spark plug change gas turned into a complete motor failure. did an oil change and there was no oil in it. The turbo was replaced and now the engine started making a lot of rattling noises and just stopped. the dash says service transmission, ECS, Extremely low battery voltage and has jost die after oil started pouring out the bottom of the car. It is now sitting at the dealership service department where I was told by am employee there that they have been seeing them come in at 150,000 miles for complete rebuilds and mine was early. let me tell you that this car isn't even paid off yet. And the 2006 Ram 1500 is more reliable.

NHTSA complaint #11703191 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Vehicle has had check engine light and engine reduced power flicking on and off for months, randomly reducing power on highway or nearly causing accidents. Brought car to GMC dealer, they said it was underboost code and needed new turbo. Paid over 7,000$ for repair. Next morning, same issue still was happening. I believe my vehicle has EMISSIONS recall issue “N192271200 Charge Air Cooler Disconnect at Throttle Body” but GM has not properly attached my vin number for this recall repair. I have poured thousands into repairs out of pocket and the same issue still persists. I believe strongly the recall emission issue is the problem and should be on my vin. Vehicle has been to dealer 3 times in the past 2 weeks, issue has not been fixed. Improperly diagnosed, random repairs made not fixing actual issue.

NHTSA complaint #11698842 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I was driving home from vacation the vehicle went into limp mode and started to run very poorly with a brake pedal that was almost impossible to push. I limped the vehicle a couple of miles to the next exit. I had the car trailered home and taken to a service center the following Monday. They inspected the vehicle and found the vacuum pump had failed and caused what was described as “catastrophic engine failure.” They are now saying it needs a full motor replacement due to the widespread and severe damage. This is not the first time this pump has been an issue or supposed issue. About a year before this incident a month after we bought the vehicle in used condition from a GM dealership it started making a noise. We took it back to see if they could help us out being that it was recently purchased and they diagnosed it as the vacuum pump making the noise. They wanted almost $800.00 to replace it. I googled a video on how to fix it and found the cost of the part. The part itself is between $75-$90 from local and name brand parts stores. I paid the $250 diagnostic fee and took it somewhere else for a second opinion. The GM dealership pushed hard for the vacuum pump replacement and told me it was a well known issue for that part on that motor in many different makes and models. They said they recommend you change that mechanical part out every 80k miles or so and that you do not go by what the owners manual says for oil changes which is 5k miles and instead do that every 3k miles. That should not be “preventative maintenance.” That is a manufacturer issue. This should be a recall on the pump. I again did research and this vacuum pump is a known issue. You can find endless examples and discussions about it. It turned out not to be the pump originally that was making the noise saving me $800. The service center that has it now has all the pictures and pieces to show it’s failure and damage. It’s unsafe for something $85 dollars to cause that while driving at any time.

NHTSA complaint #11694577 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the warning light turned off after approximately three miles of driving. The contact also stated that the vehicle experienced abnormal RPM fluctuations while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed; however, the diagnostic information was not provided to the contact. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 117,951.

NHTSA complaint #11693948 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Driving approximately 70mph on interstate. Came to a slight hill, gently applied brake pressure, brakes become hard to apply/would not apply. After diagnostics, found Brake Vacuum Pump with damaged fins.

NHTSA complaint #11692986 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

While working out of town for work my engine light started flashing and the dash lights went nuts. My brakes were nonexistent and were hard as a rock. I had zero warning as to what happened. Working 3 hours away from home the car had to be towed and I was informed the engine code came back as my cam shaft. Took it to the dealer as Gm has a bulletin put out. I didn’t know what that meant. Long story short and 3000.00 dollars later I find out that the vacuum pump exploded which cause the cam shaft to fail. I was out of work for almost a month. There is a recall for almost all vehicles from this year but not the 2019 terrain even though it contains the same vacuum pump as all the recalled makes and models. Vacuum pump, cam shaft, oil pan, oil pump had to all be replaced at under 100,000 highway miles. Someone needs to address this problem.

NHTSA complaint #11686266 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Two weeks ago I was driving on the highway. My car felt fine. No warning light the dashboard. Suddenly I receive a notification on my dash stating “engine speed reduced” and my check engine light went on. My car at this point still feels fine, not shaking, no smoke, etc. I’m on the highway and not in a safe position to pull over. 2 minutes later I receive another notification on my dash stating “service breaks”. I immediately tap my brakes to check and they are stiff. I let off the gas as I was approaching the exit and begin pumping my brakes. They continue to be stiff. Luckily there was no one I front of me as this exit led to a rotary. I was able to coast around the rotary and into a parking lot where I attempted to push the E- break which did not work. My steering tightened and then my car died. I have the car towed to GMC where I bought the vehicle. Am told I will be charged a diagnostic fee and they will let me know what they find before repairs are made. I receive a call back the following day stating “the vacuum pump exploded causing you to loose brakes”. I was told “the vacuum pump and repairs would be about $1,200. BUT they could not guarantee that once the vacuum pump was removed, there wouldn’t be more debris and destruction to the cam shaft and engine”. We asked they continue with the diagnostics and check the engine for debris. We receive a call back stating “the vacuum pump exploded and there are shards of medal debris in your engine”. Recommendations are that I need a new engine as "the vacuum pump explosion caused catastrophic damage to the engine". My safety and the safety of other innocent drivers on the highway were put in extreme danger! I lost all break control, power steering, and emergency break control. I had minutes from the time the first warning alerted to the time I lost complete control of the car. This is a known issue with GM Motors specifically made between 2016-2019.

NHTSA complaint #11685543 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

While driving the vehicle the car went into limp mode and the back brakes stopped working. The car had to be drifted into a parking lot. The vacuum pump malfunctioned and has damaged the engine. If it was me in the driver seat instead of my partner, the incident would’ve 100% been an accident. The car was really unable to be controlled and we just happened to have that space that was empty to turn into. The car gave code when this happened. When getting a tow the car also wouldn’t take itself out of park or start to go into neutral to move the car to get it towed. Nothing is working with each other anymore and we were on a busy road of people when our brakes just went out.

NHTSA complaint #11684171 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Brake vacuum pump premature failure. As you see GMC, terrains, in Equinox, I have an issue, while the engine it's on while driving etc, if this bark fails, you will have an issue I'm trying to stop. This is a known problem or GM. And as of now, they have not come out with a solution or a recall for this problem. This problem has caused many customers. To lose thousands of dollars, he repairs. I'm not covered by the warranty. This should be addressed and repaired as soon as possible as it may cause someone else to lose their life. Second problem is the 9 speed transmission transmission lack power when trying to gain speed as you enter the highway. Lastly they blamed the selenoids etc. Lastly the pulley belt retention broke down premature with only 68k miles. This is an ongoing problem gm is well aware and tries to hide or fix. When someone buys a vehicle we expect to last longer than 100k miles.

NHTSA complaint #11680816 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I was driving this morning and my car put itself in neutral. I think had to pull off to the side because it was not accelerating. I could get it to go over 20 mph. Every time I tired to accelerate. The engine would feel forced.

NHTSA complaint #11675123 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The low power message was displayed. The contact pulled over to the left side of the road and waited for towing assistance. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was towed to an independent where it was diagnosed that timing chain, timing gears, the vacuum pump, cam phasers, and sensors all needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred by the manufacturer and was informed to contact NHTSA to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11666004 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Faulty vaccuum pump blew leading to engine failure. On the highway randomly, with my child in the vehicle. This almost caused a huge accident. I’ve kept up on all maintence and oil changes. This has been a huge effect on my life as I’m a single parent and randomly had to spend thousands on a new engine for zero fault of my own. I’ve read many many people having this issue. Something needs to be done and action needs to be taken!!!!!!!!

NHTSA complaint #11648110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Vacuum pump failed causing hard brake pedal and the inability to properly stop the vehicle. Thankfully I made it to a safe area and had the vehicle towed. No warning light or engine service lights ever illuminated. Once it was taken apart the bearings were disintegrated and metal shavings are in engine components.

NHTSA complaint #11645845 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Service parking brake comes on, steering reduced. Problem reoccurring often, but intermittently. Actuators malfunctioning causing many sensors to fail off and on. Huge safety concern for myself, my riders, and anyone else on the road. When this happens my car has to “think” to move unless you clear the pop up message. Check engine light comes off and on at its leisure. When steering reduced comes on the car will not move until ready. This is clearly affecting electrical things as when I shut power off to other supplies it sometimes becomes more frequent as well as less frequent. The car does not understand what to do as its computers are confused at what the problem is, as the problem does not consistently happen. I have print outs of one time I caught it with failing actuators. I refuse to go to the dealership as I’m told “oh the problem isn’t happening now.” Which negates safety of all people on the roadways. You’re more than welcome to inspect. Though I will be present as I refuse to be told there’s no problem. As previously stated this happens when it wants to happen, but again I’ve caught the issue and can supply information.

NHTSA complaint #11640760 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Driving home from dropping my daughter off at school. When slowing down at stop sign, car locked up brakes completely, almost went through stop sign, car shut down engine and placed vehicle in park. Diagnosis is a vacuum pump failure, causing reluctor wheel to spin freely from camshaft. This happened without warning at 70k miles. Diagnostic report from three weeks prior showed no bad diagnostics with engine or drivetrain components, or brake components. Had to have car towed from intersection where i was impeding traffic due to sudden failure. Garage is concerned regarding potential for debris and engine damage, as well as timing issues due to sudden failure of vacuum pump. GM has authorized vacuum pump recalls on other makes from prior years, not Terrain for some reason. This is how becoming highly reported failure among GMC/Chevy vehicles with shaft driven vacuum pump design between 2019-2022. GM has stopped using this design on 23 and newer models. They should absolutely recall these older models for this issue. Sudden vacuum pump failure can lead to unrepairable engine damage due to design.

NHTSA complaint #11636398 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Driving on the interstate and got to a Toll the automatic stop start stopped the car and the car never came back on. The battery and starter started smoking and the engine has gone out. No explanation no nothing and the Mechanics at the Gmc Dealership stated it just happens with these engines they just go out! I purchased the vehicle on April 9th before I purchased it I had the dealership send it to a Gmc certified dealership to have it serviced. I've attached the paperwork from the dealership as well.

NHTSA complaint #11624984 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I was riding on the freeway when my brakes failed. i was not able to press down on my brakes with zero warning. I had to swerve to miss cars and pull on the shoulder of the freeway and my car still would not slow down. I finally got from 65 to 35 and pressed on my emergency brakes. I stopped the vehicle then my engine light came on and I got my car towed to the car shop where my car would not stop and suffered internal damage to my engine from the brakes and vacuum pump

NHTSA complaint #11621716 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact called on behalf of her husband who owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 50 MPH, the brakes seized, and the contact veered off into a lot to park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake vacuum pump and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

NHTSA complaint #11618883 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.