2012 GMC Terrain: engine failure

Filed Mar 9, 2026 · Engine · MN

The engine blew. This was already the 2nd engine in the car. Oil consumption. Metal in the oil. No signs. Needs new engine

Filed Mar 19, 2025 · Engine · KS

I have excessive oil consumption. I noticed the issue after getting my 3000-mile oil change. The technician said I only had 1 quart of oil, which I thought was extremely low. Every 2000 miles, my oil dipstick reports abnormally low oil levels. I am concerned that when I go on an extended road trip, I will have engine issues that will leave me and my family stranded on the side of the road. The GM technician started tracking my oil consumption. He said he was doing that to prove to GM that they owe me a new engine. I didn't understand what he meant until I saw a lawsuit my vehicle was part of.

Filed Feb 14, 2024 · Engine · MI

After I purchased the vehicle in 2 months I was losing oil. I continued to add oil as needed even after oil changes. About 1 year after purchase while traveling the engine just blew. Causing me to swerve out of traffic until I could find a place to stop. The result a blown engine which cost 4000 to rebuild

Filed Jan 24, 2024 · Lights, Transmission · PA · fire

My 4 cyl. AWD GMC Terrain has had excessive oil use which caused premature failure of the timing chain, loss of power/compression, blown engine, damage to exhaust manifold, cellinoids, and melted the catalytic converter. Its was a road safety, poor emissions due to failed catalytic converter. Headlights are too bright for oncoming traffic at night. Another road & safety hazard. Auto warranty is refusing to cover parts listed above caused by the timing chain and excessive oil consumption problems.

Filed Nov 19, 2021 · Engine, Transmission · VA

Excessive oil consumption caused blown engine

Filed Jul 23, 2021 · Engine · 117,000 miles · WI

The contact owns a 2012 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact noticed that there was oil leaking onto the ground. The contact inspected under the hood and saw that there was no oil on the dipstick. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the engine was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The contact stated that after two oil changes, the oil was extremely black on the dipstick. The contact stated that the engine had consumed over 2 quarts of oil after 2,500 miles. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that an oil consumption test was necessary to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.

Filed Apr 18, 2021 · Engine · 95,472 miles · NH

Engine blew in vehicle due to excessive oil consumption from piston ring damage. Car had only 95k miles. Vehicle was being driven at 20 MPH, bucked and turned off completely. We notified gm dealership at every oil change of excessive consumption. We put in a quart of oil every 1000 miles .a consumption test was never recommended . We then could not do one as the engine blew. Also damaged exhaust manifold , o2 sensors and cat converter . We have also replaced the manifold and sensors and have the cat converter repair this week. All told over 5000$ in damages that we have paid out of pocket. There was no recall for the piston rings. Some vehicles have since been issued a letter indicating that emissions issues due to excessive oil consumption would be repaired at no cost. Our car apparently did not meet that criteria . A lawsuit against gm has been litigated and won for the excessive consumption . We are part of the class action however have already been denied once for unknown reason. We resubmitted 3 months ago and have heard nothing. It is criminal that these vehicles have not been completely recalled .

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.

Filed Mar 24, 2021 · Engine · 93,200 miles · WI

While driving to work on the freeway, engine began making a knocking/rattling sound; checked dipstick the next morning and there was no oil on it. Oil had just been changed 2,500 miles previously. Vehicle is consuming oil at an abnormally high, about one quart per 500 miles, and has no warning light to alert the driver when the oil level is too low. We are at risk of experiencing engine failure at any time while driving. We have discovered this to be a common issue after our other vehicle of the same year, make and model suffered catastrophic engine failure linked to low oil pressure. Vehicle has 93,400 miles and we have owned it since april 2020. 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.

Filed Mar 19, 2021 · Engine · 88,961 miles · CA

Gm used faulty piston rings resulting in excessive oil consumption. This resulted in blown engines. This vehicle also does not have a oil gauge or low oil light to warn the consumer of the know oil consumption issue. I was driving home and the engine started to ping as I got to the driveway. I turned off the engine, and it would not start again. I took it to gm and they said the engine was blown. See #16118-01: special coverage-excessive engine oil consumption- (jan 28,2020) gm was sued, but are denying most claims. See terrain-equinox oil consumption recall group on facebook. The engine blew due to the oil leaking out of the pistons.

Filed Mar 4, 2021 · Engine · LA

The oil in my car seems to disappear. I get my oil changed and after about 500 miles the oil is gone. There is no warning light. The menu says I had 50 percent life left on the oil. Check the oil and it is ike a rust color. Y engine had stopped. It will not crank. Now I have a car that's needs anew engine. I've looked online about this issue. Find out that people that have the same car has had the same problem. Something needs to b gone about this issue. I have no warrinity left on the car. It all has to b out of pocket.

Filed Dec 11, 2020 · Engine, Transmission · 55,000 miles · DE

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 gmc terrain. The contact stated that he was informed that there was no oil inside the vehicle upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for the first oil change. No warning lights appeared on the instrument panel prior to the discovery. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was given a voucher to have the vehicle inspected. The contact was informed that the failure was due to defective piston rings that were too expensive to be replaced. As a result, the engine became inoperable. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. Prior to the engine failure, the contact also stated that the vehicle revved and accelerated independently without warning, while driving at various speeds. The contact noted that prior to the engine failure, both windshield wipers were defective due to the windshield wiper transmission. Both windshield wipers were replaced on three separate occasions. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.