2025 GMC Terrain: What to check before buying

Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the transmission and electrical. The 7 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.

2025

Owner complaints: 8
Recalls: 0
Crashes reported: 1
Reliability: Good; 78/100 on Auto Reliability Index

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/7 checked

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1

01Ask a GMC dealer whether bulletin 08-07-30-026I applies to this vehicle and whether the work was done.

Cold start, engine bay, and underside

Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/3

02Check the transmission fluid level and look under the car for leaks around the transmission hoses.
03Have the car scanned for stored trouble codes and confirm the check engine light is off.
04Lock, unlock, and start the car with every key fob, and try opening the doors by hand.

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/3

05On a gentle slope, shift to park, turn the engine off, and confirm the car holds without rolling.
06Pull away from a full stop several times and listen for noises, slipping, or a warning that it cannot shift.
07Leave the infotainment screen on for the whole test drive and watch for a blank screen or an update error.

These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.

Which Terrain is it?

EPA figures for each version of the 2025 GMC Terrain. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.

Version	Drive	EPA rating
1.5L 4-cyl	AWD, FWD	25–27 mpg

Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A Terrain that averages well under the EPA 25 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2025 GMC Terrain, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

Transmission21 crash
The transmission fails to engage park when the engine is shut off, so the vehicle can roll while people are getting out. One of the 2 complaints is crash-related. The other pattern starts with noises when pulling away from a stop. A warning then says the car cannot shift into drive, the check engine light comes on, and the car will not move. Low transmission fluid from a small hole in a hose is the reported cause, with failures at about 3,500 and 6,300 miles. Dealers often find nothing wrong on the first visit.
Electrical2No crashes
Both key fobs stop working, so the vehicle will not unlock or start, and entering by hand with the fobs also fails. In a separate problem, the infotainment screen goes blank while driving. After a restart it shows an "Update Failed - See Dealer to Restore System" message. Neither report describes a crash, fire, or loss of control, and neither gives a failure mileage. With only 2 complaints on file, no repeat pattern shows up yet.

How the 2025 compares with other Terrain years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2025 has the fewest owner complaints of the 8 Terrain years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2025 Average of other years

Transmission219
Electrical213

Where the 2025 fits in the Terrain's history

Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.

The 2025 is the first model year of the Terrain's third generation (2025 on). First years of a redesign often carry teething problems that GMC fixes in later years, so the checks above matter more than usual.

Should you avoid the first year of a redesign? See the 45-car study.

Also looking at these instead of a Terrain?

Cars shoppers compare with the GMC Terrain, with their own 2025 checklists.

2025 owner complaints, side by side