2020 GMC Terrain · symptom sheet
Engine stalls or loses power while driving
- 31owner reports
- 71,000median miles
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Sep 2, 2026 · checked Sep 9, 2026
106 of the 194 complaints on this car are about the engine. 31 of those describe stalling. Only brake wear is reported more often on this car.
Tick what matches of 31 reports
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the fuel pump (9 reports) and the battery (7 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the engine covers the 2020 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 46,917 and 121,776 miles, from the 12 reports that gave a mileage.
What owners wrote
“I was driving 55 miles an hour on an Expressway. And suddenly my truck just shut off.The brake became very hard unable to break very scary situation for me and my children. Engine power was reduced and would not start, many errors came up. The vacuum pump failed, which also caused the cam shafts to fail.The vacuum pump exploded into pieces and sent metal into my engine.”
Filed Mar 7, 2026
“The vacuum pump locked up and sheered off the end of the cam shaft and made the cam skip timing and destroyed the motor. While driving no check engine likes till after i lost power. Luckly i was able to roll to a stop The pumps have been a problem the car is only 4yrs old and has 71000 miles.”
Filed Jul 31, 2024 · 71,000 miles
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 31 reports involved a crash. 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.
Other problems on this car
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 70 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 25 reports