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2012 GMC Terrain: check engine light

48 of the 364 complaints about the 2012 GMC Terrain describe check engine light.

owner complaints
48
of this car's complaints
13%
typical repair cost reported
$1,200
typical mileage
75,000
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 291 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Check engine light by model year

What owners say

Filed Sep 4, 2024 · Fuel system · GA

Evap emission control leak detected As the check engine light comes on, when hooking a computer up to the car for a scan it pulls a code stating there is an evap leak. The gas cap has been replaced along with a sensor and no gas is seen leaking but you can smell gas vapors when the car is running and fuel mileage is terrible. Also the stabilitrak has been an underlying issue since owning the vehicle

Filed Apr 27, 2024 · Fuel system · IL

Took vehicle into dealer for a recall on October 17, 2023 with the recall being [Primary]: RECALL : C/S: N192268181 -TAILPIPE EMISSIONS - EXHAUST COMPONENTS: C/S: N192268181 -TAILPIPE EMISSIONS - EXHAUST COMPONENTS. The dealership did an excellent job on the work providing a video to show work being done. Now this month of April, I received another check engine light stating the P0013 code stands for “Exhaust “B” Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit/Open (Bank 1).” There is not a recall from the manufacturer but according to dealership they've received a bulletin in regards to this issue. According to the dealership it will cost in excess of $500 to repair. Absolutely not true. There are a thousand videos on what causes this and even how to repair it from the same mechanics that work within these dealerships. This issue is a safety issue because if not repaired it causes damage to your engine. This code lets you know that you will start experiencing loss of power, trouble starting your vehicle, the stalling/picking up speed all at the same time. Some of these issues have been caused from the issue of the oil consumption problem associated with the Terrain's.

Filed Mar 18, 2024 · Engine · MI

hello i'm writing you today in concern of my 2012 chevy terrian i have had all the recalls done on this car and still have problems with the motor this car has a new timing chain in it and still uses oil the recall for the o2 sensors i have had fixed now the light is back on and now the complete system is bad from my understanding this is a well known problem with these cars when you spend that kind of money on a vehicle you wouldn't think there would be the same problem that was just fixed i'm writing you now my engine light is on again and it's the o2 sensor that i had just replaced under the recall i don't feel i should have to pay to have this known problem fixed now.

Filed Sep 12, 2023 · Engine · 114,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2012 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 114,000.

Filed Jan 11, 2023 · Engine · 101,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2012 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle started hesitating and then stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic added 2-quarts of engine oil to the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that later that evening her son notified her of an oil leak nearby the rear of the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to another independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the rear main seal to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

Filed Nov 3, 2022 · Acceleration, Engine · WA · fire

First off before I got the car it had gone through a tune up. About a couple months after I got the car little things started to happen it would rock back and forth while idling I thought it was kind of an indicator that it needed oil but the percentage was still at a decent range and telling me it didn't need oil plus I hadent driven it 3000-5000 miles. Then engine light came on had it inspected codes ran came back telling me something about Throttle body So I purchased a whole new throttle body in Prosser at dealership costing me some booko buks and swapped it out when I got back home I then took it for test drive along with my 4 kids in the vehicle with me and then a little ways about 20 mins driving engine power reduced light came on along with stabilitrak and eventually lost power I was stranded in the middle of summer in the middle of nowhere with my kids windows rolled down ppl drove by and asked if I needed help and eventually came back with jumper cables tried to jump me but the car wouldn't budge I then left the car there overnight and took battery out to have it inspected the next day IT WAS FRIED (over 4 yrs old) so I had to purchase a new one costing me roughly 150 buks then took it back to where my car was stranded put it in and alarm went off and I clicked the button on key ring stuck it in ignition shit the door behind me locking keys in car while vehicle was still running and had to bust a window out to get to em. Got into car drove off made it back to my apt left it running outside while I went inside to get some stuff before I THOUGHT the problem was solved it shut off again.....I then had to replace the alternator costing me another pretty penny....about a couple weeks later I was starting a new job at a assisted living facility and arrived 10 mins early shit car off a noticed smoke coming from under hood I was confused because where the smoke was coming from couldn't have been it overheating I popped the hood and my car was on fire!!!!

Filed Jun 20, 2022 · Brakes, Electrical · KY

The check emissions light for the engine light came up on the dashboard. Without prior warning or other signs the vehicle lost engine power in the middle of the road. The entire electrical power and engine stopped working and the brakes jammed. This causes the vehicle to become unstoppable in the middle of the road causing a safety hazard to the vehicle, driver, passengers and fellow vehicles on the road. The only way to stop the vehicle is somehow use the gears to shift to parking position, turn the engine again on and try to remove the vehicle from the middle of the road.

Filed Apr 26, 2022 · Engine · NM

Vehicle stalling like the hundreds of other complaints I’ve seen that almost caused an accident when vehicle suddenly stops. Dealership only offered to do diagnostic at my cost with no guarantee they will find the problem. Nothing is registered on the vehicle computer and no check engine light.

Filed Mar 10, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · 75,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2012 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled at various speeds, and now was stalling while accelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who linked the failure to excessive oil consumption. The fuel pump was replaced and oil was added. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred the following morning. The check engine and oil service warning lights were illuminated. The oil level was low. The contact stated that the oil was changed almost every 3-months. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The vehicle had not yet been taken back to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 75,000.

Filed Dec 5, 2021 · Acceleration, Engine · OH

Once again, timing chain incident, this time while driving, wasn't expecting it, suddenly my Terrain steering when became stiff to turn, and happened to realize the car motor had shut off and rolling to the right, nearly hitting parked car. I tried to start vehicle, but made a whining sound, but did not start, yet check engine light was on. I had my OBD reader handy, and got p0011, p0017 codes, which tell me it was the timing chain again in this car. This very dangerous because we could of collided with a parked vehicle, if not for me struggling so hard to steer vehicle while steering wheel was stiff.

Filed Apr 1, 2021 · Engine · 150,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 gmc terrain. The contact stated while her husband was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started making an abnormal sound before stalling. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an extreme amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to nimnicht buick gmc (11503 philips hwy, jacksonville, fl 32256, (904) 733-1616) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Filed Mar 24, 2021 · Engine · 77,797 miles · WI

While backing out of driveway, the engine stopped without warning and vehicle would not restart. After being towed for service, we learned there was almost no oil left, causing the timing chains to fail and the engine was damaged beyond repair. We had driven the vehicle less than 12 hours prior and there were no warning lights such as low oil, check engine, etc. The vehicle has just under 78,000 miles on it and should have been 1,200 miles and 2 months from needing an oil change. This model year vehicle is known to be equipped with faulty piston ring assemblies which lead to excessive oil consumption. Additionally, there is no oil pressure sensor to alert the driver to the low oil; consequently, this misleads the owner into operating the vehicle with inadequate oil levels and causing engine damage. Complete engine failure can occur suddenly, creating an enormous safety hazard; we are lucky we were not driving at highway speeds or in heavy traffic at the time it occurred. Gm issued a special coverage adjustment, but it was not nearly adequate to cover the extent of damage that can and does occur as a result of this defect, leaving many drivers stuck with unreliable, unsafe vehicles or astronomically expensive repairs.

Questions about the 2012 GMC Terrain check engine light

Is check engine light a common problem on the 2012 GMC Terrain?

48 of 364 owner complaints about the 2012 GMC Terrain (13%) mention check engine light. The model year with the most reports is 2012.

How much does it cost to fix check engine light on the 2012 GMC Terrain?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,200 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 GMC Terrain?

There are 0 recalls and 291 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2012 GMC Terrain

Wipers 77Oil consumption 75Stalling 47Engine failure 24Loss of power 21No deployment 15Jerking 12Knocking 11Won't start 11Fire or smoke 8Headlights 8Misfire 7Seat belt 7Ball joint 6Screen failure 5Key fob 5

All model years of the GMC Terrain

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