Other visibility problem on the 2011 GMC Terrain
When other visibility problem gets reported
Owners of the 2011 GMC Terrain report other visibility problem at a median of 95,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 10,000 miles and a quarter after 105,000 miles, from 10 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 75,000 miles. It is the 11th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 400 miles at the tenth percentile to 135,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 134,052 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.
40% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 447 miles | 10,226 miles | 94,000 miles | 107,000 miles | 134,499 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 $150–$1,400 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 8 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2020, at a median of 25,000 miles, and latest on the 2012 at 95,000 miles.
By volume the 2015 carries the most reports, with 61; the 2011 has 13. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. The contact stated the windshield was difficult to see out of when driving at night. The contact stated that there was dark tint at the top of the windshield that would obstruct his view and he would have to utilize the high beams to properly see the roadway. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 480.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. The contact stated that the night vision on the rear view mirror was difficult to see out of. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 150 and the current mileage was 793. Updated 10/14/11 *bf the consumer stated the windows are heavily tinted which makes it difficult to see at night. Updated 11/07/11
The driver side window freezes open at 25 deg f (-4 deg c). Unknown if passenger windows freeze open at same temperature. Window opening required for presentation of identification. Hazard involves risk to occupants below freezing temperatures. // climate information - outside temperature: 27 deg f (-4 deg c); area dewpoint: 25 deg f (-4 deg c); pressure: 30.26 inches hg (1024.8 mb); weather: mist (frost build-up present on vehicle); inside temperature: "high" setting defrost and floor, level 12; window open time: 30 seconds; window up method: continuous up/down to break-free frost/freeze build up, eventually returning to up/closed position after 2 minutes; // request oem review and investigate cause for defect. Window up/down motor seems too weak to overcome freezing temperatures. *tr
Also reported on the 2011 GMC Terrain
Other engine problem
Other powertrain problem
Excessive oil consumption
Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure
Other fuel system problem
Wiper or washer failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 13 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 visibility problem happen on the 2011 GMC Terrain?
Across 10 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 95,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 10,000 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 visibility problem on the 2011 GMC Terrain?
13 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.1 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