167 of the
4,355 complaints filed about the GMC Terrain
are about the airbag system —
4% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2011.
I was driving north on [XXX] when I felt a slight pull to the right. I figured it was my lane assist even though I was in my lane. Seconds later it felt like if someone was in my passenger seat and just yanked my steering wheel to the right hitting the guardrail. My whole tire and the assembly was off but everything was still intact to the tire. The tie rods, axle, ball joints, the whole assembly. During investigation I was told by the mechanic that the stabilizer bar was a clean break. There was damage to the front end and all down the side. I was told by GM that the force of the impact was what ripped off my tire but it was not enough impact or damage to deploy the airbags. I was on crutches for my left leg, bruising and scar now from a huge abrasion to my right arm. Still having right shoulder pain. I sent all this to the attorney General and they tried to mediate but Afton from GM told Mike that he contacted me 3 times and I did not return her calls. I called her a left her multiple messages and she has not returned my calls. I only had the car for a few months with 5,000 miles on it. I put $2,500 down then had to turn around and get a used vehicle, put another $2,000 down and making the same payment due to the hit on my credit for a 2023 plain vehicle. Plus my insurance went up, missed work, medical bills, etc. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11746462 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2024 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 5 MPH on an intersection, another vehicle driving 40 MPH crashed into the driver's side of the vehicle, by the driver's side door. The driver's side curtain air bag deployed. The contact stated that the three holes on the air bag propelled burning air, which melted and burned through the three layers of clothing of the driver. The driver sustained second-degree burns and blisters on the hip. The contact picked up and transported the driver to Urgent Care, where medical assistance was provided. A police report was filed. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the police officer. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, pending assessment from the insurance company. The dealer and the manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
NHTSA complaint #11731421 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The airbag system on my 2020 GMC Terrain has an intermittent malfunction. The airbag warning light turns on and off and the diagnostic code B0014 has been identified by a dealership. When the warning light is on, the airbag system may not deploy properly in a crash, creating a safety risk. The vehicle has approximately 49,000 miles. The problem has occurred for about three years. The dealership repaired the issue when the vehicle was first purchased and the light went off temporarily, but it returned a few months later. A second dealership attempted a repair and again the light went off temporarily before returning. The issue continues to occur intermittently. The warning lamp for the airbag system appears on the dashboard. The vehicle has been inspected by dealerships but the problem has not been permanently fixed.
NHTSA complaint #11723564 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, a second vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. During the crash, the vehicle sustained severe damage to the front passenger side, but no air bags inside the cabin of the vehicle deployed. The driver of the other vehicle reported no injuries, and the air bags in her vehicle did deploy. The contact was transported from the scene of the crash to the local hospital with multiple injuries that included a head contusion and burn, left knee contusion, right hand, and right foot contusions. A police report was taken at the scene, and the vehicle was towed to the local collision center. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 129,000.
NHTSA complaint #11705536 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My car said to me this not that there is something wrong with the Service Safety Restraint system! It was fine last night when I got home! I just bought this car a month ago and everything was fine and now my air bag light is on and will not go off!
NHTSA complaint #11696252 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag and ABS warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with air bag failure. The contact was informed that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that there were no open recalls on the VIN. In addition, the contact was informed that once a recall repair was completed, it would not be performed a second time free of charge. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,100.
NHTSA complaint #11694159 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving down a paved road and my side airbags deployed. The gm investigation showed my car left the road way, however I am uncertain of that. There was no crash or impact or damage to the vehicle from this incident other than the airbags deploying. There is a scrape on the passenger side due to an incident in April. That is not related to this incident.
NHTSA complaint #11681255 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Service Vehicle Soon" message was displayed, and the air bag warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
NHTSA complaint #11663931 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving and nearly coming to a complete stop in the right lane, another vehicle driving approximately 40-50 MPH crashed into the rear of the vehicle, causing the contact to hit her face against the steering wheel, and the contact became unconscious temporarily. The contact stated that upon regaining consciousness, the contact noticed that the vehicle had moved to the grass by the left lane of the road, where traffic was going in the opposite direction. It was unknown whether the vehicle was involved in a second collision. A message advising that an accident was detected and inquiring whether 911 should be contacted was displayed. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy, and the front driver's side seat belt failed to retract as needed. A bystander opened the driver's side door to verify that the contact was safe. The contact noticed that she was bleeding significantly and was unable to move the right shoulder and the neck. The emergency units assisted the contact out of the vehicle. The emergency units placed braces on the contact's neck and placed the contact on a stretcher. The contact was transported to the hospital, where the contact underwent X-rays and CT scans. The contact was informed that she had sustained a concussion, lumbar injuries, a fractured nose, loss of taste and smell, laceration on the inner and outer side of the bottom lip, carpal tunnel on the right hand, severe whiplash, laceration on the right shoulder, and a cut behind the right ear. The contact was in the process of undergoing MRIs. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and totaled, but was still under investigation. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed; however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11662829 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the front driver's side air bag unexpectedly deployed without an impact to the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 148,116.
NHTSA complaint #11662388 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
consumption of oil! I got my oil changed January 1, 2025. It is now February 1. I have driven less than 500 miles. I had no oil. I have no Leaks or anything wrong. The car just consumes . I have had to have 6 oil changes in the past 3 months. Shop after shop. Has said it just consumes oil and this vehicle is trash. I noticed there was also a lawsuit against it. If you do not put a recall out on my vehicle ASAP, I am going to file a personal lawsuit and sue the hell out of you! For your scam! Somebody better give me a call immediately. Or set me up at my local GMC dealer to fix this issue. I better be expecting a notice in my mailbox or an appointment for a free fix and this better be a recall immediately! Or you’re asking for another lawsuit! I was told my car could blow up. With my kids and it could kill us! You better fix this immediately!!!!!!!
NHTSA complaint #11640149 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving back home when I suddenly heard a loud pop and my car seat belt immediately tightened up. I saw smoke inside the car and the screen in my dashboard said "airbag service" There was no air bag physical deployed in the car so I believe it happened internally. Now my driver seatbelt will not retract and the front passenger seatbelt will not come out.
NHTSA complaint #11617757 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The "Service Safety Restraint System" warning light appears on the dashboard and warning chimes continually sound. To my knowledge GMC had a recall for this in 2018. I purchased the vehicle in 2021. I contacted GMC and told them this issue and they informed me that there are no recalls on the vehicle. My concerns being that airbags are fully functional.
NHTSA complaint #11617658 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2016 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while making a right turn, a Dodge Ram truck ran through a stop sign causing the contact to crash into the truck head-on. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact's daughter arrived at the scene and transported him to the local hospital to be evaluated for brain, neck, left-hand fingers, swollen right leg, and back pain injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed but the police report number was not available. The vehicle was towed to a salvage junkyard. The dealer was not contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000.
NHTSA complaint #11593763 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The OBD airbag deployment sensor is displayed. The GM dealership service center advised the airbag may not deploy in the event of an accident. The service center advised that we would need to pay for the airbag and sensor to be replaced / repaired regardless of the ACRO agreement to replace and repair airbags. This is unacceptable and a danger to all drivers or passengers of the vehicle. It appears several other complaints have been filed where drivers or passengers were injured due to this issue.
NHTSA complaint #11571604 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The air bags will show that they are shut off while we are driving down the road with my wife sitting in the seat and they will also does it if we are just sitting in the drive way. Also they had a recall in the older models of this car for the pvc valve getting clogged and building pressure and causing the lower seal to bust and that happed to my car but they never gave a low oil light when it happed. All that happed was my wife was driving and the lower engine power came on while she was driving in traffic causing her to freak out and feel unsafe with my kids in the car as well. I contacted them about and they said there is no recall for the car at all about it. They clearly still had the same issues in my car because the pvc valve was clogged and then now I’m loosing all of the oil from my motor. When I went to out oil in it after work I had to add 4.5 quarts of oil to it and it only holds 5 quarts. It still never had a low oil light when I went to start it to get it to level ground so I could check it. Clearly this is a safety issue and I don’t want it to happen to someone while they are on the Interstate during heavy traffic and potentially cause an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11570146 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.