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2014 GMC Terrain: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
57%
155 of 272 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

57% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2014 GMC Terrain are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 75% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 29 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 51%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
155
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
301
this model year
Fires reported
2
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
2
7 crashes · 8 injuries

Complaints by component

ENGINE124 · 41%
VISIBILITY/WIPER74 · 25%
POWER TRAIN33 · 11%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM32 · 11%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING17 · 6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM16 · 5%

The years either side

2010
57%
151 of 295
2011
69%
248 of 397
2012
59%
195 of 370
2013
67%
229 of 369
2014
57%
155 of 301
2015
40%
108 of 315
2016
40%
53 of 152
2017
81%
92 of 133
2018
44%
89 of 219
2019
55%
96 of 182
2020
45%
85 of 195
2021
47%
15 of 34
2022
57%
48 of 85
2023
75%
27 of 38

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Other compact SUVs with no elevated signal in 2014

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

ENGINE02/18/2026
My husband just did an at home oil change on the car not long before the incident. Unfortunately my car was barely under 3,000 miles since the oil change and we were going to change the oil again when my engine died mid drive on the way home. There was no oil in the car due to high oil consumption and no coolant either…
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM07/21/2025
I purchased this in March of 2025. 2 or 3 weeks after I bought this I took it to an oil lube shop and they said there was not any oil on the.dip stick. Also I started noticing the car being jerky while driving and when shutting it off it sputters. I took it to Max motors, a GMC dealer for a diagnostic check because i…
ENGINE07/15/2025
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and hesitating abnormally. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the piston rings were damaged, the high-pressure fuel pump had failed, and the …

Three of 155 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (2)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
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 ou…
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The ball joints in the windshield wiper module may corrode, causing o…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2014 GMC Terrain

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.