1.7

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
94,975 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 GMC Terrain accessories - exterior problems

accessories - exterior problem

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2012 GMC Terrain Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #54

Mar 312020

Terrain 6-cyl

  • 94,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph in inclement weather, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact pulled off of the roadway, turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure on April 1st, 2020 case number [xxx[. the approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

- Bonney Lake, WA, USA

problem #53

Mar 292020

Terrain

  • 955,877 miles
I was driving on I-95 on 3/29/2020 when it started raining I turn on my wipers and it started okay at first all of a sudden they stop working I almost had an accident I pulled over to the service road and waited until the rain stopped I could have been killed. What do I do now I don't have the money to get it fixed and I won't drive it in the rain.

- Bridgeport, CT, USA

problem #52

Oct 312019

Terrain

  • 88,000 miles
On October 31, 2019 my windshield wipers failed on my vehicle while driving in a downpour of rain doing 45 mph, there were vehicles around me but thankfully not behind me and I was able to stop without being hit. I was able to avoid an accident due to the fact that I am an experienced driver. Luckily I was only about 2 blocks from the dealership and parked my vehicle there while the owner gave me a ride home. I spent $318 on the windshield wiper motor transmission. Canada recalled this exact same vehicle so why hasn't the U. S. I also reported this to GMC.

- Johnstown, PA, USA

problem #51

Sep 272019

Terrain

  • 72,885 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 GMC Terrain. While driving approximately 60 mph in a rain storm, the front windshield wipers suddenly became inoperable. The failure caused a visibility hazard to the driver. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,885.

- Godfrey, IL, USA

problem #50

Apr 142019

Terrain

  • 135,000 miles
While driving in the rain in atlanta out of town our windshield wiper blades stopped working. I am referring to our front windshield wiper blades stopped working in a storm while we were out of town. We bought rainx and made it home safely, thank god. We took it to the dealership the next day and they charged me to replace the wiper motor.

- Cordova, TN, USA

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problem #49

Jul 032019

Terrain

  • 73,000 miles
Driving in a rain storm and the bushing came off to release the transmission arm could not see to drive, had to drive 3 hours from home without wipers in the rain

- Regina, KY, USA

problem #48

Jun 112019

Terrain

  • 109,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Winds shield wipers stop working.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #47

Jun 152019

Terrain

  • 90,000 miles
My windshield wipers quite working in the middle of a downpour while on the interstate. I took it to the dealership and there charging me a $200 deductible to repair this issue that has affected millions of vehicles. My husband almost crashed into another car while trying to pull over on the shoulder. We were left sitting in a storm for over 2 hours waiting for the weather to clear up. This is a huge safety risk.

- Dixon, IL, USA

problem #46

Jun 132019

Terrain

  • 64,848 miles
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Terrain. While driving 60 mph in the rain, the windshield wipers failed to function. The vehicle was taken to mcgovern Buick GMC (located at 2806, 150 turnpike rd, westborough, MA 01581, (508) 439-4362) where the windshield wiper motor was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 95301890184. The approximate failure mileage was 64,848.

- Norwalk, CT, USA

problem #45

Jun 092019

Terrain

  • 98,500 miles
My family and me were traveling in a down poor in a large city. Suddenly my windshield wipers went went past the window while in motion and stopped working. This was very unsafe and we were blinded from the rain and could not see the traffic in front of us. I slowed down and somehow found my way to the side of the interstate without hitting or being hit by anyone. This issue could have killed us. This is very dangerous. I found that this is a common issue in this model and the 2013 actually has a recall for the same issue.

- Lebanon, TN, USA

problem #44

May 292019

Terrain

  • 65,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I used my windshield wipers on the highest/fastest setting the other day for the 1st time ever. I usually only use the low or medium setting. The windshield wipers worked for about 1 minute and then they stopped working completely. They froze in place and my dealer is recommending a replacement of the wiper motor and connections. I am reading online and it looks like GM recalled the 2013 Terrains for this exact issue and that your company was looking into whether they should recall 2010-2012 Terrains as well. I would like any information you have about the possibility of that recall because I think its ridiculous that GMC has not recalled this item when it was clearly an issue for the 2013 model using the same parts. This is extremely dangerous when the wipers fail when they are going the fastest. That is when the wipers are needed the most because it means it is raining excessively. GM should have to pay for my repairs considering this is a known issue and I'm hoping your company can help get them to finish recalling all years models. Thanks.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #43

May 112019

Terrain

  • 52,000 miles
On Saturday, 5/11/19, at about 10 pm, while driving on I-264, at about 60 mph, in a bad thunderstorm, the wipers stopped working, stopping all the way up. The rain was so heavy I could not see out the front window and slowed down and gradually pulled off to the side with my passenger looking out for the guardrail. When the rain let up a little, I realized I was partially blocking an on ramp and pulled farther forward. This was a very dangerous situation as a car in the travel lane could have hit me (when slowing down) or I could have been hit while blocking the on ramp during this period of heavy rain. When the rain slowed more, we drove 2 miles to the next exit and pulled off in a store parking lot. I replaced the wiper fuse, but later discovered we could hear the motor clicking but the wipers wouldn't move. We had to dangerously drive 40+ miles home hoping the rain would stay at a drizzle and pulling to the side any time the rain came down hard enough to cause very limited visibility. It took us well over two hours to make the 40 mile trip home. It was very dangerous driving in the rain with no wipers, but we had little choice since we since there are no repair shops open at that hour. Upon getting home, we took the Terrain to our local auto repair shop to get it fixed. I was told this is very common in Terrains as there is a plastic gear in the wiper motor that routinely breaks when the motor is on high. The mechanic said the problem is so common that the dealers' keep the wiper motor in stock and he could get the motor (part) immediately without having to order it. If this is true, I'd recommend a recall of the wiper motor and that replacement motor contain a metal (or stronger) gear that is less likely to break when the motor is on high speed. Because you cannot just buy/replace the gear, the whole motor had to be replaced which cost us $278.

- Poquoson, VA, USA

problem #42

May 042019

Terrain

  • 99,100 miles
While driving down the highway at about 65 mph in a bad thunderstorm, the wipers stopped working, stopping about halfway up. After pulling over to the side of the road, we discovered we could hear the motor clicking but the wipers wouldn't move. We had to dangerously drive several miles with very little visibility until we could find a safe place to pull over to try to access the situation further. We were 4 hours from home going on a weekend trip, about an hour from our destination. We had to get rain-X (suggested from the auto zone we were able to find) and apply it to make it to our destination. We couldn't find any dealerships who could help us on the weekend, so we had to hope for the best driving back home. It was very dangerous driving in the rain with no wipers, but we had no choice since we were hours away from home and could not find any place to help us. Upon getting home, I took the Terrain to our dealership and had to get it fixed. I was told this is very common in Terrain's and my husband's 2013 was recalled for the exact same problem. I do not understand how only one year can be recalled when it is clearly a problem with all years. It set us back $302.74 for the repair and that was after the dealership gave us a small discount.

- Russell Springs, KY, USA

problem #41

Apr 232019

Terrain

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that the windshield wipers failed to operate without warning. The vehicle was taken to ed koehn Chevrolet (616-866-9511, located at 4650 14 mile rd ne # M-57, rockford, mi 49341) where it was diagnosed that the wiper motor and transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the contact would be called back by a representative. The contact was not called back. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

- Cedar Springs, MI, USA

problem #40

Feb 202019

Terrain

  • 75,775 miles
Front windshield wipers immediately stopped operation while in use on February 20, 2019. I took the car on February 21, 2019 to our local mechanic's shop which recommended total replacement of the wiper transmission assembly even though only a bushing was damaged. I agreed and had the wiper transmission replaced. I attach a copy of that invoice. Total paid was $376.75

- Garner, NC, USA

problem #39

Jan 172019

Terrain

  • 98,000 miles
The wipers stopped functioning while driving. Wipers swept to the left (drivers side) and broke free from the linkage allowing the driver wiper to hang off of the windshield. The wipers can be manually moved back to a resting position, but will not move on their own.

- Germantown, WI, USA

problem #38

Apr 082017

Terrain

  • miles
The linkage arms keeps disengaging from the motor. It happened while it was raining and I was driving on the highway. I was able to reattach it on a later day but it keeps happening when the wipers are on a higher speed

- Fishers, IN, USA

problem #37

Aug 222018

Terrain

  • 111,446 miles
While driving straight in the rain, the windshield wipers quit working. Diagnosis revealed that the windshield wiper transmission had come apart and needed to be replaced. This was the second occurrence of this issue on the same vehicle. The first occurrence was in June 2016

- Wadsworth, OH, USA

problem #36

Jun 062016

Terrain

  • 71,048 miles
While driving straight on a highway in the rain, the windshield wipers stopped working. Investigation revealed that the wiper transmission had come apart and needed to be replaced. This first occurred in June 2016 when my vehicle had 71048 miles on it. The same issue occurred a second time in August 2018 with 111446 miles on my vehicle.

- Wadsworth, OH, USA

problem #35

Nov 132018

Terrain

  • 88,915 miles
On 11/13/2018 on a highway in heavy rain the windshield wipers just stopped. Investigation revealed a failure of the windshield wiper transmission linkage which I discovered to be a common problem. This is being repaired at the dealership today 11/15/2018. Fortunately there were no injuries or collision as my trip was nearly complete and traffic was low. This is being repaired and all documents will be retained and available on request

- Lakehurst, NJ, USA

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