2018 GMC Terrain Review: Well-Made Compact SUV With Improved Reliability Ratings

Carguru852 on July 17, 2024

Bought the car CPO in summer 2021 with 38k miles. Now being summer 2024 with 90k miles and I’ve mostly had good luck with the car and its components. I have the extended warranty through 100k miles but I feel like all American cars are built to fail after the warranty runs out. Overall great car: I have the 2.0L turbo engine with 9 speed auto and AWD. AWD is great when turned on, grips the road well, and to be honest the 2.0L has a TON of power; way more than you need for a compact SUV! I had a quick issue around 65k miles where the service traction control and stability light came on for 15 minutes. Dismissed itself and haven’t had an issue since. At 75k miles, it was during the winter time, the car would display “park break realized” and “service traction control” when the auto start stop would kick back on (there’s no way to shut off the auto start/stop system). No issues and lights but the messages would pop up and dismiss themselves. Little did I know it was my battery dying and my mechanic said “some wires were loose” and he tightened them up. Haven't had an issue since I got a new battery. Last thing that happens is sometimes when you have Apple CarPlay going and you unplug the phone, the infotainment system will freeze and no Bluetooth, usb, or CarPlay will work for the reming duration of the ride unless you stop the car and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Simply shutting it off and turning it back on never worked. Overall I give this car a good rating for 0-100k miles. I am pleased with the car but looking for something bigger soon. I think I did overpay a bit for it ($30k for 38k miles) since I got it summer of 2021 when new cars were nonexistent!

Travis on October 1, 2023

I have owned 5 of the 2018-19 terrains. I have had the 1.5 gas, 2.0 gas and the 1.6 diesel. The power on the 2.0 is awesome. Mileage on the 1.5 is good. Mileage on the 1.6 diesel is great. I have 336,000 miles on my diesel. It has had lots of issues due to emissions and transmissions. Last week it got a new engine as well. The car is a great car but I would recommend the 1.5 gas for most people. The terrain is comfortable and makes a great work or travel vehicle. Size is easy to park with plenty of leg room.

Robin Houser on April 26, 2023

This car has not had a proper working radio from the day of purchase. They have replicated the issue. Changed out radio and other things to still not work properly. Issues with screen freez and not everything on screen working properly. When I take it in they always say the problem is not a warranty issue when I only had about 28k miles on car.

A. Duke on February 12, 2023

My 2018 Terrain has been having radio issues before I even had 30,000 miles on it. It would start when it wanted, go days without working then start up while driving. Was told that I needed a new one, but it started that day, the navigation went before then, now at near 40,000 miles it hasn’t worked in about 2 months. What’s the deal GMC?

Kerbear on December 28, 2022

Replaced engine control module. Air intake cracked. get a car wash lol radio goes black and all the dingers go on like it lmost seems like the engine going to blow it spits and sputters. Love the way it looks inside and out but its a lemon. Buy the extra warranty better yet dont buy the 2018

Michael Hernandez on June 29, 2022

Great savings on gas and mileage, very reliable and comfortable. Saved my life when I was in a big rig truck accident as driver side and front side bags deployed. I've become a GMC customer for life as I will be looking forward to buying another GMC SUV.

Kevin on March 22, 2022

Issues with the brakes main internal vacuum pump. 2nd time this has happened to me. Don't have no brakes, have to press very hard to even stop. Undrivable!Unrivaled!! Dangerous

Uncle Freddie on April 28, 2021

This is a higher trim model with the bigger 4 cylinder engine (2.0 vs. 1.5) most of the options including Bose sound system. We love our pick and the only reason I gave 4 stars to comfort is the ride. Granted it rides nice, but you only get 5 stars from heavier sedans. Trucks and SUV's just aren't designed for that really smooth ride. Definitely would recommend the 2.0L engine if you tend to pass on a 2 lane road or need to pull out quick in traffic.

Go for it on April 1, 2021

Has a bad odor between hot and cold on the heater air leak front passenger and driver side window stiff ride start-stop does not work

ctkartick on March 25, 2021

I bought a 2018 terrain 1.5 Turbo, experiencing reduced engine power issues at cold temperature 3 winters in a row. Lots of parts have been changed under warranty each time it was diagnosed. The vehicle has clocked only 30 k, already 5 times to dealer for repair(estimating $5000 total parts/labor- got this total from the dealer). my warranty is almost done. scared to drive the next winter with no warranty. GM is saying they are working on the issue. I know I would get zero support after my warranty as no one will care about it(dealer/gm). the dealer is suggesting me to buy extended warranty for $3300 with $100 deductible for 3 more years or they are encouraging for trade in to get away from that car where I would have paid $12000 more at the end of new mortgage for similar vehicle. By both means I am the one who is going to loose . This has been very stressful and no piece of mind even after owning a new car.