2019 GMC Terrain Complaint Log

Brake assist light came on and brake pedal became stiff/hard to push. Vehicle struggled to brake. Replaced brake pads and checked brake fluid. Brakes still inoperable. Check engine light came on for vacuum pump. When replacing pump, metal shards and pieces were falling out when original was removed. Once replacement was installed vehicle began hesitating to start and run.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly shifted into neutral(N). There was transmission fluid on the ground, and the vehicle became disabled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a transmission accumulator leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,400.

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.

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.

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.

This is the 4th time my vacuum pump has “broke” my brakes become hard and stiff and my brake assist light comes on. It happens EVERY winter when it drops below freezing. This is the second time this winter it has broke and now my check engine light is on. It is not cheap to fix and a major safety issue. Would like to add I was only backing out of my drive way this last time it happened. I was going maybe 5-10 mph.

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.

Failure of the cam driven vacuum pump causing brake failure. Leading to a hard brake pedal which increases risk of a crash. Debris from the broken vacuum pump can fall down into the engine causing a catastrophic failure of the engine needing a replacement. This happens with little to no warning. Warranty companies will not pay to repair the known issue. A recall needs to be issued for this to provide a fix. This is a family suv and I do not feel safe putting my children in a vehicle that can endanger their lives and safety.

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.

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.

My cars breaks failed by a vacuum pump failer and I almost died on the a hill going home

When approaching a stop sign, the brake pedal became extremely hard I was unable to stop, and rolled through the intersection avoiding collision. I was able to slow down enough to engage the emergency brake. There are no lights on the dash.

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.

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.

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.

Vehicle struggles to shift from low gears; seems to completely miss 3rd gear. Codes from maintenance indicate TCC slip

I was backing out of the driveway, and it was extremely hard to brake enough to stop the car. I immediately parked back into the driveway. I had to stand on the brake to completely stop. Vacuum pump was completely busted and in many pieces.

Recently experience rear differential binding with vehicle resulting in an accident.

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.

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.

The GMC Terrain P187E transmission code indicates a problem with the transmission senor or shift interlock. It prevented our car from shifting into park. The car won't start now. We had to disconnect the battery because the car would not stop beeping. Milage is only 22000 miles and we have owned it for less then 2 months. It is a 9 speed transmission which I understand this to be an on going issue with this transmission.

Back up camera just started showing a blue screen with message that stated service back up camera. No accident, has not been to dealership. Just started 8/15/2025. No warning given.

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.

Friday July 25, 2025 I was driving my 2019 GMC Terrain SLE and when exiting the interstate the brake pedal got hard and I could not stop. After almost rear ending another vehicle, I got the vehicle into the ditch and safely off the road. After several attempts to correct the problem, I was unsuccessful. The vehicle was towed home and seen by a mechanic. The vacuum pump went out while I was driving.

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.

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.

My Transmission went out of my truck. I was told this has happened to others of the same make and model, so this is a known issue with this transmission. I was driving down the road and the car completely stopped in moving traffic. I was almost hit by other vehicles and then had to take my truck to get it repaired. I was told it was not able to be rebuilt that it had to be completely replaced. This is radiculitis since this vehicle is not that old and again a known issue. I want to be sure mine was listed as one that had to be repaired in the event a recall is done so that I may get my money back.

Sunshade is not rolling back and has come off the tracks obstructing rear view and I am unable to drive the vehicle

Back up camera service notice.

The contact's wife owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal was firm, and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal with excessive force, the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated upon inspecting underneath the brake booster, the contact noticed a lot of debris due to lack of vacuum pressure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to the Nissan dealer where it was purchased for an oil change, the dealer informed the contact that there was a crack in the transmission. The vehicle was then taken to a GMC dealer, where the contact was informed that the crack was more than two months old. The dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,700.

Vacuum pump broke and car has no brakes

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.

While driving the breaks completely locked up and the smell of exhaust entered through vents. Ran a code machine indicating that the break booster power vacuum pump was needing replaced. There are no other issues with my vehicle that would cause it to malfunction out of no where.

Breaks went out on vehicle with no warning or lights on dash. Nothing prior or now indicating any issues with breaking system.

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.

While driving under normal conditions the panoramic sunroof shattered. This is a serious safety issue and obviously a problem with the manufacturing of the tempered glass

The backup camera in our 2019 GMC Terrain stopped working one day - has blue screen and says Service Rear Vision System - so we’ve been driving a year with no backup camera. The dealership wants almost $1000 to fix this issue. And this issue seems to be very common in 2018-2020 Terrains. We bought the vehicle in December 2023

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.

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.

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.

We have been having varying issues with this GMC, and have found numerous others with the same issue. Vacuum pump went out while driving. Thankfully I was not going very fast and it stopped prior to hitting someone. This is a known issue, yet no recall from GMC. Vacuum pump is said to have been failing causing other engine and transmission issues that can never be "re-created" for the vehicle to be fixed.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera displayed a blank image. 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 approximately 80,000.

While driving the car went into power save mode and completely shut down. There were no prior lights or warnings that the car was having issues. While driving at 45mph on a busy road it just suddenly shut down. It would not move to get it out of the road. I was almost hit from behind. After the car was towed, it was diagnosed as a broken vacuum pump and exhaust camshaft. Our Terrain only has 67,773 miles at the time of the incident which was unfortunately just outside of warranty. Since this incident and the repair, the car has had to go back to the shop 4 times. It is still not driving correctly and stalled as I pulled out onto a main road almost causing an accident. Still working on getting it diagnosed and repaired correctly. The mechanics I have spoken to indicated this engine/car is known for these issues. Without any warning lights or signs of issues prior it really put us in a dangerous situation.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while reversing the vehicle, the display screen failed to display an image and was instead displaying a blue screen. The backover prevention system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.

Blue screen with the message "Service Rear Vision System"

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the back-up camera failed to operate as needed with the display screen displaying a blue image. The "Service Rear Vision System" message was displayed on the instrument panel. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified about the failure. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 19-NA-076. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

Backup camera stopped working, giving me a blue screen

While I was driving on a highway, my sunroof suddenly imploded, causing shattered glass to fall all over myself and my car. The outside temperature was 50° and my car’s internal temperature was set to 68°. I reported this to the GM dealership and they told me to just report it to insurance. I am making a claim with insurance now. There were no warning or signs of this happening, just a sudden extremely loud noise and glass falling. No inspections have been done.

At 86,000 miles information board on dashboard alerted “Service, Brake Assist” upon braking from coming off of interstate. Diagnosed to a failed cam shaft driven Vacuum pump for power brake booster, next to no braking power with little to no warning what so ever. Terrible design from GM. Near miss collision due to brake failure with no warning. This needs an immediate attention through the engineering department to create a redundancy within the system. Nearly caused a very bad accident with my [XXX] and [XXX] daughters in the vehicle while fiancé was coming to pick me up from being on the road as a OTR truck driver. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)