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2020 GMC Terrain: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
45%
85 of 195 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

45% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2020 GMC Terrain are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 55% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
85
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
195
this model year
Fires reported
2
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
2
7 crashes · 5 injuries

Complaints by component

SERVICE BRAKES70 · 36%
ENGINE57 · 29%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER34 · 17%
POWER TRAIN27 · 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM27 · 14%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM25 · 13%

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 2020

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

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE08/18/20232 INJURED
While on highway service brake system warning light came on,brake became hard to apply almost causing an accident. Vehicle had to be towed to a repair shop(dealer).after paying over $1600 the problem was not resolved and found there are numerous complaints about issues with the terrain and no recall issued.are they wa…
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE09/08/2026
Having the start stop issue on my terrain and recently over the last few months, it has been using oil everything that sounds exactly like the recall but mine is not included. My start stop is not working and I have to get him since it had only 60,000 miles on it years ago, but nothing was done.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM09/02/2026
Fuel pump control module and or the in tank fuel pump failed and or isn’t making proper connection for car to run correctly. Safety was put at risk as car came to abrupt halt while driving. Driver was outside of vehicle at busy intersection for vehicle diagnostics and battery jump. Battery was removed and new batter…

Three of 85 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)

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet…
CHILD SEAT:VEHICLE LATCH ANCHOR
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The four rear-seat lower child seat LATCH anchorage bars may have exc…

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

Before you buy a 2020 GMC Terrain

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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.