2019 GMC Terrain: engine failure

Filed Sep 17, 2026 · Brakes, Engine · KY

On 9/15/2026, my wife drove her car, a 2019 GMC Terrain, to a doctor's appointment. She reported no known issues with the way the car operated during her drive nor had she or I experienced issues prior to this event. After she finished her appointment, she attempted to start her car and was unable to get the car to start. She also noticed that the brake pedal was stiff and hard to depress. When I arrived, I tried to assist her, thinking that an electrical issue was the fault. However, I was still unable to start the car and I had to have it towed after I couldn't start her car. I had it towed to a mechanic who initially thought the car had a bad starter, however, after attempting to manually turn the engine, he found that the engine was completely seized. He also confirmed that the oil in the car appeared to be without fragments in it and that the oil level was adequate for normal operation. This car is only seven years old, has had routine maintenance, and is about 60 miles over 100,000. No prior issues were noticed before this happened. I'm currently waiting on an engine for the car so we can start using it again.

Filed Aug 21, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · PA

On Saturday, August 15th we were driving on the freeway when with no warning the check engine light came on and the vehicle began to run poorly, and then the vehicle lost electrical power and it became difficult to steer and the brake pedal became stiff, making it difficult to stop and pull over. The vehicle would not start on command but kept running very poorly, it also became impossible to shut the vehicle off until it seized. It was later towed to a local repair shop, and today, Friday August 21st the shop confirmed that the vacuum pump on the brake assist failed and it would need a total engine replacement.

Filed Aug 18, 2026 · Brakes, Engine · NJ

The car’s brakes hardened on the highway, posing a life-threatening danger, right before the engine died. Following a tow to the dealership’s service center, an initial inspection revealed a broken vacuum pump and broken camshaft. The dealership stated that there was evidence that camshaft debris may be scattered throughout the engine. No further inspection has been done at this time due to the probability of major engine damage and/or potential repairs.

Filed Oct 20, 2025 · Engine · IA

I was driving home from vacation the vehicle went into limp mode and started to run very poorly with a brake pedal that was almost impossible to push. I limped the vehicle a couple of miles to the next exit. I had the car trailered home and taken to a service center the following Monday. They inspected the vehicle and found the vacuum pump had failed and caused what was described as “catastrophic engine failure.” They are now saying it needs a full motor replacement due to the widespread and severe damage. This is not the first time this pump has been an issue or supposed issue. About a year before this incident a month after we bought the vehicle in used condition from a GM dealership it started making a noise. We took it back to see if they could help us out being that it was recently purchased and they diagnosed it as the vacuum pump making the noise. They wanted almost $800.00 to replace it. I googled a video on how to fix it and found the cost of the part. The part itself is between $75-$90 from local and name brand parts stores. I paid the $250 diagnostic fee and took it somewhere else for a second opinion. The GM dealership pushed hard for the vacuum pump replacement and told me it was a well known issue for that part on that motor in many different makes and models. They said they recommend you change that mechanical part out every 80k miles or so and that you do not go by what the owners manual says for oil changes which is 5k miles and instead do that every 3k miles. That should not be “preventative maintenance.” That is a manufacturer issue. This should be a recall on the pump. I again did research and this vacuum pump is a known issue. You can find endless examples and discussions about it. It turned out not to be the pump originally that was making the noise saving me $800. The service center that has it now has all the pictures and pieces to show it’s failure and damage. It’s unsafe for something $85 dollars to cause that while driving at any time.

Filed Sep 7, 2025 · Brakes, Engine · MA

Two weeks ago I was driving on the highway. My car felt fine. No warning light the dashboard. Suddenly I receive a notification on my dash stating “engine speed reduced” and my check engine light went on. My car at this point still feels fine, not shaking, no smoke, etc. I’m on the highway and not in a safe position to pull over. 2 minutes later I receive another notification on my dash stating “service breaks”. I immediately tap my brakes to check and they are stiff. I let off the gas as I was approaching the exit and begin pumping my brakes. They continue to be stiff. Luckily there was no one I front of me as this exit led to a rotary. I was able to coast around the rotary and into a parking lot where I attempted to push the E- break which did not work. My steering tightened and then my car died. I have the car towed to GMC where I bought the vehicle. Am told I will be charged a diagnostic fee and they will let me know what they find before repairs are made. I receive a call back the following day stating “the vacuum pump exploded causing you to loose brakes”. I was told “the vacuum pump and repairs would be about $1,200. BUT they could not guarantee that once the vacuum pump was removed, there wouldn’t be more debris and destruction to the cam shaft and engine”. We asked they continue with the diagnostics and check the engine for debris. We receive a call back stating “the vacuum pump exploded and there are shards of medal debris in your engine”. Recommendations are that I need a new engine as "the vacuum pump explosion caused catastrophic damage to the engine". My safety and the safety of other innocent drivers on the highway were put in extreme danger! I lost all break control, power steering, and emergency break control. I had minutes from the time the first warning alerted to the time I lost complete control of the car. This is a known issue with GM Motors specifically made between 2016-2019.

Filed Jul 8, 2025 · Brakes, Transmission · PA

Accelerating from a stopped position into a busy intersection heard a loud clunk come from engine bay resulting in immediate "Reduced engine power" warning and stall condition. Was able to push vehicle onto the side of the road. Engine would not restart and a tow truck was called. Vehicle towed to local dealership who discovered that Vacuum Pump had failed resulting in sheering off of the exhaust camshaft. Dealers recommended fix was to replace vacuum pump and camshaft at around $4,000 but could not guarantee no debris had gotten into valve body resulting in engine failure so stated they could replace with used engine for 8500. Second vacuum pump to blow on this vehicle, first at 35k miles and replaced under warranty, this incident at just under 80k miles. Could not afford repairs and vehicle has sat for nearly 2.5 years. Contacted GM many times over that time period to get no assistance, only the offer of a small discount on a new vehicle. This incident could have proven fatal if happening at highway speeds since it stalls engine out and makes braking nearly impossible. Both GM and the NHSTA have really flunked on this one, should have been recalled during first complaints in 2020. I will continue to file complaints here on NHSTA and with GM until the cows come home.

Filed Mar 13, 2025 · Engine · MA

Faulty vaccuum pump blew leading to engine failure. On the highway randomly, with my child in the vehicle. This almost caused a huge accident. I’ve kept up on all maintence and oil changes. This has been a huge effect on my life as I’m a single parent and randomly had to spend thousands on a new engine for zero fault of my own. I’ve read many many people having this issue. Something needs to be done and action needs to be taken!!!!!!!!

Filed Oct 9, 2024 · Brakes, Engine · 72,000 miles · NJ

The contact called on behalf of her husband who owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 50 MPH, the brakes seized, and the contact veered off into a lot to park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake vacuum pump and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

Filed Apr 22, 2024 · Brakes, Engine · MA

Vaccumm pump failed and broke metal shavings off into engine resulting in “engine failure”. I was driving on the highway with my 6 year old child in back seat, car completely shut down and shot a “reduced engine power” message while on a busy on ramp heading onto highway. This created an extremely dangerous situation for myself and my child as many cars almost smashed into the vehicle. I’ve seen many other complaints of this happening, the same exact parts and issue happened to the Chevy Equinox which resulted in a recall but they have yet to recall the Terrain, which is having the exact same issue. I am a single mother, with 20k still on my loan. This mistake made by gmc has now costed me over 5,000$ out of pocket for something that is not my fault and completely out of my control. Even after all of the money poured into this repair, I still feel unsafe in my own vehicle as there is no guarantee this issue will not happen again. I’ve kept up on all oil changes and maintenance of my vehicle. The issue was confirmed by a GMC mechanic which cost 500$ out of pocket for diagnosis as well. I also had to spend 1000$ on a rental out of pocket because of this. I have seen many others complaints of the same issue happening to their GMC terrain and am appalled no recall has been discussed after the reaccuring issue. I should not be having to pay out of pocket for an issue GMC has yet to fix or issue a recall on. I had to miss days of work, and it really was a huge inconvenience. I do not feel safe in my own vehicle even after the repair, cause I have no guarantee this won’t just happen all over again.

Filed Nov 30, 2023 · Brakes, Engine · IN

For the third time, the brake booster has failed on our GMC Terrain. We had the first replaced with an OEM part. That booster failed after 2 weeks. A second OEM brake booster was installed. That one lasted about a year until it failed as well. This time we were traveling down the interstate and interstate speeds. There were no indications of an issue until trying to slow down when attempting to exit the interstate. Luckily it was a long ramp and there was not much traffic as I had to push extremely hard to slow down the vehicle. Knowing immediately what had happened, we noticed a GMC dealership was just down the road and safely made it. We left the vehicle at the dealership and rented a car to continue our vacation. We are now being told that not only did the brake booster fail, but the components entered the engine and caused major damage. The suggested repair is a full engine replacement. This is unacceptable for an issue that GMC has know about and has had recalls for on other years of their vehicles. Not only could my family have been severely injured, or worse, we are not financially able to repair the vehicle.

Filed Jul 18, 2023 · Brakes, Engine · PA

In July 2022 vacuum pump failed and created a hard brake situation going 55 mph downhill. Vehicle removed from roadway safely, transported and vacuum pump replaced. In May of 2023 vacuum pump again failed driving at around 25mph, vacuum pump failed catastrophically and blew up inside cam cover. Taken to garage via flatbed and reported car needed a new engine or alternatively we could try a new cam and vacuum pump with hopes pieces did not make it into engine. Now vehicle sits while I still owe money as I do not have 3-5000 to repair it. The fact that this is such a common issue and has happened frequently with other GM models is criminal. I feel as if GM should offer a buyback on affected models or reimburse customers for damages done. Vehicle is outside of warranty currently at 83k first vacuum pump failure occurred at around 70k.

Filed Nov 9, 2022 · Brakes, Engine · FL

Brakes failed on my car while driving and ran through 4 way stop. Took car to dealership and was told the vacuum pump seized up and sheared off. Asked the dealership what caused the problem and all they could say was normal wear and tear of the vehicle. Dealership called and said it was going to cost $900 dollars to fix the problem. I asked what that included and they said a new vacuum pump and to clean the motor out. Picked the car up on Monday and by Tuesday evening car would not run. Took it back to the dealership and am now told I need a new cam shaft which cost another $2400 to fix. This is a serious safety concern as I had no warning or received no notification that the brakes had failed just went to stop and could not. How long is GMC going to let this issue go before being addressed. How many people have to die first before they recall them as the have already recalled the bigger models of gmc, Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick for the same reason? I don’t know how people are suppose to afford to fix an almost brand new vehicle that they are still making payments on.. Something should be done ASAP...