2020 GMC Terrain · symptom sheet
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early
- 72owner reports
- 86,000median miles
- $800median quote
- 5involved a crash
Newest report Sep 29, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
72 of the 197 complaints on this car describe brake wear, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2020 Terrain.
Narrower sheets: Brake pedal goes hard or the booster or vacuum pump fails (55 reports)
Tick what matches of 72 reports
Brake wear on other Terrain years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Brake reports cover a wide spread of symptoms. Grinding or squealing is common, and so is a pulsing pedal or a shake through the car when stopping. Others describe pads and rotors worn out long before they expected, a brake warning light, or a pedal that goes soft or sinks toward the floor. The most serious ones say the car didn't stop in time.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the booster (11 reports) and the ABS module (5 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the brakes covers the 2020 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
What owners paid
17 of the 72 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $350 to $1,441.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 53,000 and 110,501 miles, from the 25 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 4 service bulletins or notices for the 2020 GMC Terrain that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
This preliminary information discusses potential for a code C0010.5A to store in the brake controller which appears to be setting falsely or is induced by the customer.
This preliminary information discusses the possibility of brake module damage caused by performing the rear brake service incorrectly.
This service bulletin provides information for tire pressure monitoring (TPM) system concerns.
This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Service Calibration for Service ESC and/or Service Park Brake Messages.
What owners wrote
“The vacuum pump for the brake system failed catastrophically while driving causing damage to the brake booster and lodging metal debree into the engine components. This happened at less than 100k miles on a 2020 gmc terrain.”
Filed May 17, 2026 · 100,000 miles
“The brake system failed. No warning. When the brakes failed, driver ran the car into a tree to stop instead of hitting pedestrians or other vehicles”
Filed Dec 26, 2024
“As I was driving, brakes became very hard to press. I was barely able to slow down to bring the car to a complete stop. Brakes became very stiff and required a ton of force to come to a complete stop. This came with no warning signs or alerts from vehicle. It was only after this occurred that the Service Break Assist light came on.”
Filed Jul 11, 2024
“I was driving on the interstate when my brakes went out. I was able to get off at and exit and pull into a gas station but had to put on the emergency brake.”
Filed Sep 10, 2023
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 5 of 72 reports involved a crash and 2 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 31 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 25 reports