Hard brake pedal, engine stall, recall 23V013? 2018-2022 Terrain brake and fuel pump issues may qualify for a California buyback. Free case review.
You bought a GMC Terrain because it promised a comfortable, reliable crossover for everyday life — commuting, errands, school runs, road trips. What thousands of owners have discovered instead is that stepping on the brake pedal in a 2018-2022 Terrain with the 1.5L engine can suddenly feel like pushing against a wall of concrete. The brake pedal goes hard without warning. Stopping distance balloons. And the vehicle keeps moving. Owners have filed more than 300 complaints with NHTSA describing sudden brake assist failure, near-miss collisions, and at least 23 reported crashes with 8 injuries. A proposed class action filed in February 2026 — Thieme et al. v. General Motors LLC, No. 2:26-cv-10570 — alleges GM knew its camshaft-driven brake vacuum pump was defective and stayed quiet. GM's own acknowledgment may be hiding in plain sight: when it redesigned the 2023-and-newer Terrain, it quietly eliminated the vacuum pump entirely, replacing it with an electro-hydraulic e-Boost system. On top of the brake concern, owners of certain 2022 Terrains built during a specific production window received a formal safety recall in 2023 (NHTSA 23V013) because an unauthorized supplier change left the fuel pump unable to deliver sufficient fuel — meaning the engine can stall without warning in traffic. California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act gives you rights when a defect cannot be fixed after a reasonable number of attempts. If your Terrain has been in for brake complaints, stalling, or any of the other issues documented here, your service records may already tell the story your attorney needs.
The issues owners report most, ranked by severity — each one verified against a cited NHTSA source.
Brake pedal suddenly becomes extremely hard ("hard as a rock"); greatly increased stopping distance; brake assist warning light; in severe cases pump shatters and sends metal debris into engine, causing engine damage
Check engine light on; engine hesitates while driving; engine stalls without warning; vehicle fails to start
Airbag warning light illuminated at startup; "Service Restraint System" message in driver information center; audible warning chimes on startup
Loss of power or engine hesitation in cold weather; check engine light on with codes P0299 (turbo underboost), P0300 (random misfire), or P2227 (barometric pressure sensor range); symptoms may clear when ambient temperature rises
Child safety seat cannot be installed using LATCH lower anchor bars in one or more rear seating positions; bar diameter exceeds specification due to excessive powder coating
Transmission fluid leak underneath vehicle; loss of drive / vehicle won't move; in rare cases fluid contacts ignition source creating fire risk
A settled Margarian Law case on this exact model, published with the actual settlement math.
Open any defect for the symptoms and why it matters for a California lemon-law claim. Each is tied to a cited NHTSA source.
Brake pedal suddenly becomes extremely hard ("hard as a rock"); greatly increased stopping distance; brake assist warning light; in severe cases pump shatters and sends metal debris into engine, causing engine damage
Safety-critical braking defect. 300+ NHTSA complaints, 23 reported crashes, 8 injuries. No recall = owner must pursue warranty or lemon-law remedies. Hard-pedal incidents during normal driving are strong substantial-impairment evidence.
Replace vacuum pump and, if drive lugs fractured, replace exhaust camshaft (per TSB 21-NA-268 / PIP5835). No recall issued as of Jun 28, 2026; repair at owner expense out-of-warranty. Class action (Thieme v. GM, 2:26-cv-10570) pending.
Check engine light on; engine hesitates while driving; engine stalls without warning; vehicle fails to start
Engine stall while driving is a safety hazard and a classic lemon-law substantial impairment. Units built in the affected window that have not yet been remedied remain at risk.
Dealer replaces fuel pump module at no charge under recall 23V013
Airbag warning light illuminated at startup; "Service Restraint System" message in driver information center; audible warning chimes on startup
Airbag non-deployment risk is a per-se safety impairment. 88,129 units affected. Warning light at startup triggers driver awareness of defect — supports nonconformity documentation.
Dealer reprograms SDM with updated software at no charge under recall 18V340
Loss of power or engine hesitation in cold weather; check engine light on with codes P0299 (turbo underboost), P0300 (random misfire), or P2227 (barometric pressure sensor range); symptoms may clear when ambient temperature rises
Recurring seasonal drivability impairment that may require multiple dealer visits before effective repair. Repeated return for same CAC icing symptom across cold seasons can satisfy lemon-law repair-attempt thresholds.
Per TSB 18-NA-020: ECM recalibration to alter transmission shift patterns in cold weather; install thermostatically controlled lower grille shutter (opens above 32°F); replace CAC on pre-March 2018 production vehicles not previously replaced
Child safety seat cannot be installed using LATCH lower anchor bars in one or more rear seating positions; bar diameter exceeds specification due to excessive powder coating
Federal safety-standard noncompliance (FMVSS 225). Families with children using LATCH face direct safety impairment. Noncompliance at delivery supports new-vehicle lemon claims regardless of mileage.
Dealer inspects and refinishes (or replaces) rear LATCH anchorage bars at no charge under recall 23V339
Transmission fluid leak underneath vehicle; loss of drive / vehicle won't move; in rare cases fluid contacts ignition source creating fire risk
Loss of propulsion and fire risk are categorical safety impairments. Multi-make recall; approximately 43 Terrain units specifically affected (out of 217,000+ total vehicles).
Dealer inspects start-stop transmission accumulator and replaces it if any bolts are missing, at no charge under recall 20V668
Sudden slipping, shuddering or juddering; hesitation and delayed acceleration; loss of forward gear; partial or complete loss of power during normal driving, including at highway speed
Class action alleges CVT slipping and loss of power without warning in MY2024+ Terrain. Repeated failed repairs within warranty support an individual Song-Beverly claim that may beat a class remedy.
No manufacturer remedy identified for the alleged defect; complaint alleges repeated dealer repairs and costly transmission replacement. No recall or NHTSA investigation identified as of September 2026.
closed
Door strikers may fracture, allowing doors to open unexpectedly while vehicle is in use
closed
Rear LATCH bars may have excessive powder coating causing bar diameter to exceed FMVSS 225 specification (6 mm ± 0.1 mm); child seat installation via LATCH may be blocked
closed
Unauthorized supplier manufacturing change reduced fuel pump section clearances; pump may deliver insufficient fuel to engine, causing stall or no-start
closed
Ventilated front passenger seat may be missing foam spacers in vent assembly, causing OCS to fail to disable front passenger airbag when small child or child restraint is present
closed
Start/stop transmission accumulator endcap may have missing or loose bolts, causing transmission fluid leak, loss of propulsion, and potential fire
closed
SDM software defect causes module to fail to power down when vehicle is shut off; SDM may be inoperative at restart and unable to detect a crash or deploy airbags
Every item below comes from this vehicle's documented defects. The more you recognize, the more a free case review is worth your time.
California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act — the lemon law — protects you when a manufacturer cannot fix a substantial defect after a reasonable number of attempts during the warranty period. For a safety-related defect like sudden brake failure or an engine stall, California presumes two repair attempts may be sufficient to trigger lemon-law protections. For non-safety defects, four attempts or 30 or more cumulative days out of service (not necessarily in a row) can create the same presumption. If your GMC Terrain qualifies, you may be entitled to: a full repurchase of the vehicle (what you paid, minus a mileage offset for use before the first repair), a comparable replacement vehicle, or a negotiated cash settlement. General Motors — not you — is responsible for your attorney fees if you prevail, which means many California lemon law cases cost the owner nothing out of pocket. The above is general information only and is not legal advice. Whether your specific vehicle qualifies depends on facts including your repair history, the dates repairs occurred, and the warranty coverage in effect at the time. A California lemon law attorney can review your repair orders and give you a straight answer — usually at no cost for the initial consultation.
“Could not duplicate” doesn't mean the defect isn't real. Here's exactly what to do to protect a potential California lemon-law claim.
Document the moment it happens. Photos, video, and screenshots of any warning lights — with the date and the mileage.
Get a repair order every visit — even “found nothing.” That paperwork is the foundation of a claim.
Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Note any recall that has no available remedy yet.
Track your out-of-service days. California law counts the cumulative days your vehicle spends in the shop.
Keep loaner & rental records. Alternate-transport paperwork during long repairs matters.
Save everything in one place. Symptoms, dates, repair orders, and every repeat visit — the intermittent ones especially.
If a dealer writes 'unable to duplicate' (UTD) or 'no trouble found' (NTF) on your Terrain's brake or fuel-system concern, do not let the file close there. Here is how to protect yourself: 1. Before the visit: write down the exact date, time, mileage, weather conditions, and your precise description of what happened — for brake events, note whether you had just started the car, were in traffic, or were at low speed. Take photos of any warning lights showing on the cluster. 2. Ask the service advisor specifically about PIP5835 and TSB 21-NA-268. These are GM's own diagnostic aid and repair procedure for brake pedal effort / vacuum pump failure on 2018-2022 Terrain with the 1.5L engine. If the dealer has not referenced these bulletins, they may not have checked for the documented defect. 3. For the fuel pump stall (23V013): ask the dealer to run a VIN check for open recalls before any other diagnosis. If your vehicle was built May 2 – June 1, 2021 and has not yet had the fuel pump module replaced, the recall remedy is free. 4. Request a printed copy of any Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), including stored and historical codes, every time you visit. A code that has cleared itself still appears in history and can corroborate your complaint. 5. Keep every repair order, including UTD visits. Under California law, a 'no trouble found' return still counts as a repair attempt. The cumulative paper trail — visit dates, mileage, complaints, and dealer responses — is the foundation of a lemon claim.
GM's own engineers knew the 1.5L vacuum pump was a problem: there is a technical service bulletin — PIP5835, referencing repair TSB 21-NA-268 — that documents the failure mode and the fix (replace the pump; replace the camshaft if the drive lugs shattered). GM also quietly redesigned the 2023 Terrain to eliminate the pump entirely. What GM has not done is issue a recall, which would require notifying owners and covering the repair regardless of warranty status. Owners who paid out of pocket for a vacuum pump and camshaft — or who were told by a dealer there was nothing wrong — may have a strong argument that GM failed them. If your 2018-2022 Terrain has ever given you a hard brake pedal, please pull out your service records and contact a California lemon law attorney before your warranty window closes.
— The Margarian Law team
Has your GMC Terrain ever given you a hard brake pedal, or has the engine stalled or refused to start? If you own a 2018-2022 Terrain with the 1.5L engine and have been in for a brake concern — even if the dealer found 'nothing wrong' — your service records could be the foundation of a California lemon law claim. For 2022 Terrain owners: recall 23V013 entitles you to a free fuel pump replacement; if the dealer has not completed that work, contact them today. Consultations are free.
If your 2018-2022 GMC Terrain has a 1.5L engine and the brake pedal suddenly required much more force than normal — or felt 'hard as a rock' — the likely cause, based on owner reports and a proposed class action, is failure of the camshaft-driven brake booster vacuum pump. When this pump wears or breaks, the power-brake assist disappears instantly, making the vehicle much harder to stop. In severe cases, the pump's internal drive lugs shatter and send metal fragments into the engine. GM issued a diagnostic bulletin (PIP5835) and a repair TSB covering this failure, but as of this writing has not issued a recall. More than 300 NHTSA complaints describe the same experience. Take your vehicle to a dealer and ask them to check PIP5835 and TSB 21-NA-268 specifically.
As of June 2026, no. GM has not issued an NHTSA safety recall for the brake booster vacuum pump defect on 2018-2022 Terrain models with the 1.5L engine. GM did file a diagnostic aid (PIP5835) and a repair procedure (TSB 21-NA-268) with NHTSA, which means the company acknowledged the failure mode internally — but owners whose vehicles are out of warranty must pay for the pump and any camshaft damage themselves. A proposed class action (Thieme et al. v. General Motors LLC, No. 2:26-cv-10570, filed February 2026) is seeking to make GM pay for repairs and other damages. If you paid out of pocket for this repair, or if a dealer told you the brakes checked out fine before the pump failed, speaking with a California lemon law attorney may be worthwhile.
Yes. NHTSA recall 23V013 (GM recall number N222372310) covers 2022 GMC Terrain vehicles built between May 2 and June 1, 2021. A tier-2 supplier made an unauthorized change to the fuel pump module that reduced internal clearances, meaning the pump may not deliver enough fuel to keep the engine running. Symptoms include engine stalls without warning and failure to start. Owner notification letters were mailed June 5, 2023. The remedy is free: dealers replace the fuel pump module at no charge. Check your vehicle's recall status by VIN at nhtsa.gov or call GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. If your vehicle has already stalled in traffic or left you stranded before the recall was repaired, document those incidents — they may support a lemon law claim.
It may. California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (the lemon law) covers defects that substantially impair the use, value, or safety of a vehicle during the warranty period. A brake system that loses power-assist without warning is a strong safety impairment argument. For safety-related defects, California presumes two or more repair attempts may be sufficient. For non-safety defects, four or more attempts — or 30 or more cumulative days out of service — can trigger the presumption. If your 2018-2022 Terrain has been to a dealer for a hard-pedal or brake-assist complaint even once, that visit is on record. Multiple visits, a UTD outcome, and then a recurrence are a common lemon-law pattern. Because GM redesigned the 2023 Terrain to eliminate the vacuum pump entirely, arguing the prior design was defective becomes easier. The analysis depends on your specific repair dates and warranty coverage — a California lemon law attorney can review your records at no charge.
A 'no trouble found' result is frustrating but common with the brake vacuum pump failure, because the pump may work normally when cold or fresh and only fail under sustained driving conditions. Here is what to do: first, ask the service advisor specifically to check GM diagnostic aid PIP5835 and TSB 21-NA-268, which describe the pump-failure failure mode for 2018-2022 Terrain 1.5L engines. Second, request a printed copy of all Diagnostic Trouble Codes — including historical and stored codes — from every visit. Third, keep the repair order from the UTD visit. Under California law, a visit where the dealer found nothing still counts as a repair attempt. If the problem recurs and you return a second time, you are building the pattern that the law looks for. If you have already had two or more visits for the same brake concern, contact a California lemon law attorney.
Owner reports, NHTSA complaint filings, and the proposed class action (Thieme v. GM) identify 2018 through 2022 GMC Terrain models with the 1.5L LYX turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the affected group. These vehicles use a camshaft-driven mechanical vacuum pump to provide brake booster assist. The 2023 and newer Terrain received a redesigned powertrain that replaced the vacuum pump with an electro-hydraulic e-Boost system — owners of 2023 and later models do not have this particular brake-assist concern. If you own a 2018-2022 Terrain and have not experienced a hard pedal yet, it is worth asking your dealer to inspect the vacuum pump at your next service visit.
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