Other fuel system problem on the 2011 GMC Terrain
When other fuel system problem gets reported
Owners of the 2011 GMC Terrain report other fuel system problem at a median of 65,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 15,000 miles and a quarter after 105,000 miles, from 17 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 90,000 miles. It is the 5th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 1,300 miles at the tenth percentile to 160,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 157,300 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
29% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,300 miles | 17,000 miles | 65,000 miles | 107,300 miles | 158,600 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $300–$2,200 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 9 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2018, at a median of 10,000 miles, and latest on the 2013 at 80,000 miles.
By volume the 2011 is the worst of them, which makes this a problem of this specific year rather than of the model as a whole.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
We purchased the gmc terrain with the 4 cylinder engine for the gas mileage of 32 mpg, after getting only 26 mpg we called gmc and took the terrain in for service. Also filed complaint with gmc. Was told their was nothing they could do. The engine makes noises and runs rough and stalls at times mostly in the mornings. After service now we get only 25 mpg.
I bought my 2011 AWD 4 cyl. Terrain in july, 2011. I traded my gmc acadia in on this vehicle. I down sized to get better gas mileage. It stated that it should get 20 city & 30 hwy. I have never came close. I took it to the dealer and they said it is running fine. Mpg at 22. I don't know what we all have to do to get gm to do something about this but something needs to be done.they have pretty much lied to all of us and anyone that is thinking about buying one. We need to get the word out about this vehicle. Don't buy it for the gas mileage because it don't get what it states!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think gm should do something about this or reimburse us for the difference that we would get with the correct gas mileage. Maybe this will get a recall on these vehicles. *tr
Soon after buying my 2011 gmc terrain, 4 cyl, a rattle developed in engine on start up. After months of returning to dealer, they said a tech bulletin now existed and fixed problem. Problem was solved, a month or so later, problem returned. I returned to dealer and they said nothing they could do. At the same time I was complaining about gas mileage, 20 mpg on highway, 17 city. I called gm customer satisfaction detroit, and had many discussions with them. Finally told me don't bother us any more about two problems, and to this point no resolution to either problem. *js
Also reported on the 2011 GMC Terrain
Other engine problem
Other powertrain problem
Excessive oil consumption
Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure
Wiper or washer failure
Complete engine failure or seizure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 24 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other fuel system problem happen on the 2011 GMC Terrain?
Across 17 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 65,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 15,000 miles and a quarter after 105,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other fuel system problem on the 2011 GMC Terrain?
24 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.3 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed