2011 GMC Terrain: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Mar 8, 2022 · Engine · 200,000 miles · VA · fire

The contact owns a 2011 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while idled, there was smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The contact turned off the vehicle and the smoke dissipated. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who stated that the the timing chain had come to the head without much heat. The timing chain needed to be repaired. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. The contact had not contacted the manufacturer. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

Filed Jan 16, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · NE · fire

I have owned this car for a little over year and have had nothing but issues. The car started on fire with an electrical issues once, the car has just stopped running on me multiple times while I was driving, almost causing a wreck. The engine goes through Oil like crazy. I've had it back to the dealership multiple times and never get a fix. I believe this vehicle is a true lemon.

Filed Aug 30, 2021 · Engine · TX

The original Engine blew a piston rod and cracked my engine in the middle of the freeway , had to have vehicle towed to a shop and whole engine replaced with a new one. This could have caused a huge accident or even caught fire. I had no previous issue or light on the engine prior to this happening. Oil had been changer regularly , Tune ups, and any additional required maintenance, The Manufacturer has not wanted to take any responsibility or assist in compensating any of the cost . I have been fighting this for well over 2 years

Filed Jun 10, 2020 · Engine · 136,000 miles · NY · fire

Driving on expressway car began to smoke from under hood. Pulled over and placed car in park. Briefly caught fire under hood due to oil coming out. After inspection of cause, rod went through cylinder block causing oil leakage and blown engine. Recall unknown however I was informed that this was a common issue and there is a service bulletin out for it.

Filed Nov 21, 2019 · Engine · 104,000 miles · TN · fire

Driving on the highway and engine stalled on me and wouldnt go. So I rolled over to the side of the highway to pull over. When I stop the car, I see smoke coming from under dash board and under hood. So I get out real fast and open hood. I look down in front of the engine and the engine is on fire. I poured some water on it but did not put it out. Called 911. And backed away. Fire put its self out before 911 got there. Had it towed to firestone. In examination. They said engine piston blew a hole on the side of the engine. I just bought the car used and had it for 4 months when this happened. Now I am stuck paying for a car that is sitting in my driveway because it is in operable. I cannot afford $10000.00 for another motor to be installed, which was what I was quoted.

Filed May 14, 2019 · Airbags, Body · 75,000 miles · PA · crash · fire · 3 injuries

Tl* the contact owned a 2011 gmc terrain. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, a second vehicle crashed into the front drivers side of the vehicle. Moments later flames were present coming from under the hood and the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The doors were locked and would not unlock. The rear driver side door was kick open and the front passenger door pulled opened which allowed the occupants to exit. Also during the incident the side air bags did not properly deflate after deployment. The driver sustained neck, back and shoulder injuries. The front passenger sustained injuries to the lumbar spine and hip and the rear seat passenger sustained a bruised sternum. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. A police report was taken at the scene. The manufacturer and local dealer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.

Filed Feb 5, 2019 · Transmission · 63,400 miles · MO

Rear main seal blew. I was told that my rear main seal had blown b/c moisture can get in and freeze and since it was so cold the pressure caused the seal to blow. I started the car ahead of time b/c it was in the single digits. When I went outside to leave I noticed some smoke coming from the engine area. I immediately drove to the dealership. As I was driving I noticed some hesitation upon acceleration. Thankfully I did not have to drive the highway to get to the dealership. As soon as I got it to the service department they told me that there was oil leaking under my car to the point that they had to add 3.5 quarts of oil before they could move it to a service bay. After a short examination of the car I was told that the rear main seal had blown. I also found out that 10 other cars had the same issue at the same dealership that same day and 4 the next day. I checked for recalls and found gm service bulletin 14882 but was told that b/c my car VIN number was not the on their list and was manufactured at a different plant that mine would not fall under the recall. It should not matter where the car was manufactured it is obviously a defective part or design. If it a defective part or design it should be fixed on all cars and not just some as I was informed the same parts were used at the different plants. I was fortunate that this did not cause a major accident when the car hesitated to accelerate.

Filed Mar 11, 2018 · Engine · 138,157 miles · MI · fire

Vehicle caught on fire after pulling off the highway onto a busy city road. The cause was oil spilling onto the hot exhaust after catastrophic engine failure when the piston rods went through the side of the block. A bystander had a fire extinguisher and was able to put the fire out in the engine bay, after I was able to safely get out of the vehicle. The vehicle was a total loss according to our insurance company, but we have a claim on our record with insurance going up since gm would not cover the claim because the mileage was over 100,000 miles even though this oil consumption issue was present well before 100,000 miles. Sometime prior to this the dealer performed a piston rebuild for excessive oil consumption. After the repair the vehicle made a knocking noise on start up. The dealer passed this off and we were told not to worry about it. We pressed the issue a couple of times and the answer was the same, don't worry about it, it will go away. This is just unacceptable and dangerous to the owners of this engine.

Filed Dec 14, 2016 · Engine, Seats · 39,000 miles · OH

Car rattles on start up and seems to be noisier than it should be. Drivers seat heater utilizes high heat no matter what settings it is on. If heater is left on I get a burning smell. Poor fuel economy, at best I get 22 MPH. Engine runs rough in eco mode especially at an idle. I have had an occasional issue with hard downshifts when I decelerate then accelerate. I do mostly city driving.

Filed Feb 18, 2014 · Driver assistance, Engine · 47,000 miles · OK

The same issue happened 3 times. November 2013, 28 january 2014, 16 february 2014. Each time the vehicle was in and idling situation red light, in a fast food drive thru, heavy traffic, or if I forgot something, left the car running, and went into the house to get what I was looking for, especially if it took me 4-5 minutes to find what I was looking for and return to the car. Additionally, I've experienced this moving at speeds of 8mph or less in thick traffic. (1) car would for no reason start rough idling. (2) the yellow check engine light would come on. (3) the engine reduced power message would appear. (4) the stabilitrak warning message light would then appear. (5) then I pressed the accelerator to cross an intersection and move out of the way of traffic, and the vehicle moves at a snail's pace (5-10 MPH). (6) I let it sit for 10-30 minutes (or overnight if I was fortunate enough to be at home), restart it, and it runs like it normally does as if nothing ever happened. (7) the "yellow check engine light" simply disappears after a few hours. (8) sometimes there's a faint burning smell like a plastic garbage bag on fire, burning rubber, or overheated electronics. I'm taking it to my local gmc dealership today before I end up stranded somewhere or worse be the cause of a major serious accident! It's like it has a malicious code in the engine's computer system, and it selects the time and place when idling to inject itself! It may go several weeks or even months before it happens, but you can be confident it's going to happen! Other than this annoying safety issue, the terrain in my opinion is a pretty good vehicle for its class. Makes me wish I had chosen the 6 cylinder instead of the 4 cylinder. I don't think the 6 cylinder is having this issue. Gm/gmc should address this, and make this right asap!

Filed Sep 3, 2013 · Engine · 25,000 miles · CA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. The contact stated that the tail pipe overheated while driving 50 MPH, causing the rear cargo carrier basket to catch on fire. The fire spread to the bumper and the contact was able to extinguish the fire but the fire department was also present. The vehicle was taken to a local body shop for repair. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 25,232.