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2011 Gmc Terrain Recalls & Complaints

4

open safety recalls on record

Serious

557 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.48 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious16V502000

Electrical System:Ignition

If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Serious14V447000

Seats:Front Assembly:Power Adjust

If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.

Serious10V623000

Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly

THE SAFETY BELT SYSTEM MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE OCCUPANT(S) AS DESIGNED AND COULD raises the risk of INJURY.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE PASSENGER AND/OR THE DRIVER SAFETY BELT BUCKLES AS NECESSARY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 18, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 CADILLAC SRX, CHEVROLET EQUINOX AND GMC TERRAIN VEHICLES. THE DRIVER AND /OR FRONT PASSENGER SAFETY BELT BUCKLE ANCHOR MAY FRACTURE AND SEPARATE NEAR THE SEAT ATTACHMENT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Serious22V137000

Exterior Lighting:Headlights

The bright reflection may cause a glare for other drivers, reducing their visibility and raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

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.

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."

Complaint volume

557 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

20Crashes
11Fires
49Injuries
0Deaths

Across 557 complaints. Severity Index 0.48.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine178 · 32%Power Train71 · 13%Unknown Or Other33 · 6%Fuel/Propulsion System31 · 6%Visibility/Wiper28 · 5%Electrical System27 · 5%Air Bags25 · 4%Electronic Stability Cont…21 · 4%
  1. Engine — 178 reports
  2. Power Train — 71 reports
  3. Unknown Or Other — 33 reports
  4. Fuel/Propulsion System — 31 reports
  5. Visibility/Wiper — 28 reports
  6. Electrical System — 27 reports
  7. Air Bags — 25 reports
  8. Electronic Stability Control (Esc) — 21 reports
  9. Vehicle Speed Control — 17 reports
  10. Engine And Engine Cooling — 16 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2010 (3) · 2011 · 2012 (4) · 2013 (3) · 2014 (2) · 2015 (3) · 2016 (2) · 2017 (1) · 2018 (5) · 2019 (3) · 2020 (2) · 2021 (2) · 2022 (2) · 2023 (2) · 2024 (1) · 2025 · 2026 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.