Selling a junk GMC Terrain
Any Terrain sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the GMC Terrain
NHTSA has 4,196 owner complaints on file for the GMC Terrain, model years 2010 to 2022, the 107th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are engine (1,180, 28%), visibility and wipers (502, 12%), transmission and drivetrain (433, 10%). 181 complaints involved a crash, 43 a fire, and 240 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 71,760 miles. The 2011 model year has the most complaints (557). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is engine, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a blown engine: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
GMC Terrain by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 426 | Engine | 17 | 0 | 3 | 74,100 |
| 2011 | 557 | Engine | 20 | 11 | 4 | 80,000 |
| 2012 | 500 | Engine | 30 | 12 | 4 | 81,767 |
| 2013 | 485 | Engine | 18 | 2 | 3 | 79,560 |
| 2014 | 386 | Engine | 7 | 3 | 2 | 80,000 |
| 2015 | 385 | Visibility and wipers | 13 | 1 | 3 | 64,000 |
| 2016 | 183 | Visibility and wipers | 12 | 0 | 2 | 51,900 |
| 2017 | 184 | Engine | 20 | 5 | 1 | 46,580 |
| 2018 | 337 | Brakes | 22 | 2 | 5 | 23,500 |
| 2019 | 307 | Brakes | 7 | 3 | 3 | 24,650 |
| 2020 | 308 | Brakes | 9 | 4 | 2 | 48,552 |
| 2021 | 55 | Engine | 6 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2022 | 83 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 2 | 49,000 |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
GMC Terrain recalls
NHTSA lists 19 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for seats (3), visibility and wipers (3), tires (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2020 model year, other (campaign 23V339000, May 2023): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The four rear-seat lower child seat LATCH anchorage bars may have excessive powder coating, which could prevent a child …
- 2022 model year, seats (campaign 22V724000, Sep 2022): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Chevrolet Equinox and 2022 GMC Terrain vehicles. The driver's seat may have a stripped or loose bolt at the seat frame height-adjust pivot.
- 2014 model year, visibility and wipers (campaign 22V165000, Mar 2022): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The ball joints in the windshield wiper module may corrode, causing one or both windshield wipers to fail.
- 2010 model year, lights (campaign 22V137000, Mar 2022): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2017 GMC Terrain vehicles. A reflection caused by the headlight housings may illuminate areas above the vehicle and outside of the driver's view with excessively bright …
- 2021 model year, tires (campaign 21V612000, Aug 2021): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles equipped with certain Hankook tires. The tires may have been manufactured with an insufficient amount of curative agent, …
What a GMC Terrain is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Terrain on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car with a blown engine 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other GMC models
- GMC Sierra 1500 10,269
- GMC Acadia 7,538
- GMC Yukon 5,868
- GMC Sierra 4,449
- GMC Envoy 3,284
- GMC Jimmy 2,748
- GMC Yukon XL 2,721
- GMC Sierra 2500 2,066
Questions people ask
- What is a junk GMC Terrain worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Terrain gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a GMC Terrain that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a GMC Terrain?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these GMC Terrain numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.