2017 Gmc TERRAIN - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2017 GMC Terrain SUV FWD received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5. It scored well in various crash tests, with a 5-star rating for overall side crash and side pole crash ratings, indicating strong protection in these scenarios. The vehicle also received high scores in front crash tests, with the driver side rating at 5 and the passenger side rating at 4. This suggests good protection for occupants in the event of a frontal collision.

In terms of advanced safety features, the GMC Terrain comes equipped with standard electronic stability control, which helps maintain vehicle control in challenging driving conditions. Additionally, it offers optional forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems, which can further enhance safety by alerting the driver to potential hazards on the road.

Despite its strong safety performance, it's important to note that the vehicle has a total of 79 complaints and 1 recall reported. While these numbers should be taken into consideration, they do not necessarily indicate a significant safety concern. Overall, the 2017 GMC Terrain demonstrates good safety features and performance, making it a relatively safe choice in its class.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

79

Recall Count

1

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2017 GMC Terrain SUV FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2017 GMC Terrain SUV FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

Optional
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

Optional

2017 GMC Terrain SUV FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2017 GMC Terrain SUV FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2010 Score 2017 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2010 Score 2017 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 4 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 4 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2010 Score 2017 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2017 Gmc TERRAIN

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"main seal blew is in dealership now. it was not running right as i drove it was afraid it would die in the middle of the road. just inspected at the dealership. i got the engine light about a mile from my home where it sat till it went to the dealership.was over 4 quarts low with oil but never had oil light or anything else before it showed engine light."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2025-09-01
Complaint:
"i was driving our 2017 gmc terrain in subzero temperatures when my vehicle started making sounds and loosing power. with in seconds i heard a pop, and then my dash went crazy with alarms. i had it towed to my local mechanic who determined that the vehicle's engine was seized do to a frozen pcv valve that caused the engines real seal to give away. if need be, the the vehicle is currently available to be examined. my family's safety was in danger because of the location and frigid temperatures that were present at the time of the breakage. the vehicle has not been examine by a gmc dealer, just an independent mechanic. there was no warning what so ever of a possible problem. the vehicle started making sounds and loosing power. with in seconds, i heard a pop and all the lights on the dash light up. we had no other issues with this vehicle leading up to the breakage."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2025-02-01
Complaint:
"rear oil seal failed resulting in engine oil pressure loss and vehicle was stopped in middle of roadway"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2025-09-01
Complaint:
"i just had an oil change in late december of 2023. as i was driving to work on [xxx]. my engine locked up. there were no warning lights. by the time i was able to pull over, a rod had gone thru the engine. apparently there was an oil leak but no warning lights. this has not only caused me to have to purchase a new engine but could have resulted in a collision while driving. after doing some research this is a known defect by gm and a class action lawsuit. gm has failed to recall these vehicles for a known defect. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2025-05-01
Complaint:
"i purchased this vehicle in february of 2023, i had a problem shortly after with the oil always being low. i was adding oil to it all the time. 7 months later the engine blew. this is a very faulty problem with this engine that i am now finding out. this problem needs to be addressed and fixed. now i am stuck with a vehicle that i still owe money on that will cost me 6 to 9 thousand to replace the engine."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-08-08
Complaint:
"2017 gmc terrain motors consume oil at an excessive rate (1 quart per 1,000 miles). getting an oil change every 5,000 miles, even consistently, puts the engine at risk for major internal failure and safety risks to the passengers. my engine in my 2017 gmc terrain has a broken timing chain and internal damage due to the excessive oil consumption issue. the engine will have to be replaced. gm has known about this issue for years. gm is in several lawsuits for this issue, but gm has failed to recall the parts of the motor that are excessively consuming oil. they refuse to help cover repair costs even though the costs are due to their poorly designed motor."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2025-05-08
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2017 gmc terrain. the contact stated while driving at approximately 40 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to remain idling. the vehicle was driven to the residence and parked. the vehicle was not able to be restarted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. the failure mileage was 79,500."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2025-07-07
Complaint:
"the engine burns oils twice as fast as it should and gives no warning of a problem. i am 3 years into payments on this vehicle and the engine is shot due to this issue. i have under 80,000 miles but this is a major problem that gmc is not addressing its very frustrating i will have to pay off a damage car they sold and now buy a new for an obvious problem they won’t acknowledge"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-06-05
Complaint:
"engine seizing at highway speeds cause oil to blow out the rear main seal…"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-01-12
Complaint:
"in 10 degree weather after warming the car up and driving 15 miles began noticing exhaust smell but wasn't sure it was my car. no warning lights. arrived at destination parking lot and car began to run rough and stall out and only then did engine light and oil pressure light come on. strong exhaust/gas smell. stranded in frigid weather with passenger in a wheelchair. had car towed to dealer- pvc port plugged causing oil pressure to blow out rear main seal losing all oil causing damage to the engine and components. warning lights did not come on until damage was done. discovered it was a known issue with this engine and class action lawsuit has been filed. was fortunate we were not on the road when this happened."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2025-07-01

Recalls for the 2017 Gmc TERRAIN

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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 outside of the driver's view with excessively bright light. as such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.""
Consequence:
The bright reflection may cause a glare for other drivers, reducing their visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

Dealers will install headlamp appliques, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 8, 2022. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N222363740.

Component(s) Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING > HEADLIGHTS
Date of incident: 2022-03-08

GMC Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

GMC ranks 8 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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