2014 terrain slt my battery randomly dies on me also. the dealership told me it was the cell phone charger drawing to much amp. 7map. they charged it for me and told me it wasnt a warrenty issue and

There must be some short somewhere or some other electrical issue. It is possible that battery is faulty however.

thanks i will try another dealer about the battery.

I have a 2014 Terrain, and three times I went to start it and the battery was fully drained. I had it jump started by AAA and they gave a quick test. the charging system was good, the battery, although low was good, and they said it appears a light was left on to drain the battery that quick over night. Three times the dealer rand a full diagnostic check and could not find any issues. The first time, I had driven it 40+ miles away and then back so the battery was charged. the battery was tested and it was good, all the cells were holding charge. There has been other terrain owners with the same issue on this posting. We used to have kids taking gas from our cars, now maybe they are taking electrons from our batteries? I really have no answer. If your phone charger is not connected to a phone, it does not draw any charge. It is a minimal draw anyway. I think it is a design flaw in the computer system. All my lights are set on auto turn off after a few minutes so it is not that. The radio turns off when the door is opened.

We had the same thing happening to our 2014 GMC Terrain. It happened about 11 times. We jumped it about 1/2 the time so we could get to where we needed to go. The other times we had it towed. We decided to trade it in...the CARFAX shows every time that it was in for service. Not good for trade-in value. They didn't want to give us anything for it. It was in excellent condition and had 43,000 miles on it. Very sad. Definitely a lemon. We were going to work with GM to let us know what they'd do for us but hubby was impatient to get out of this.

I have a 2014 Terrain SLT that was purchased in March 2014. Love the car but it's battery died unexpectedly on December 26th, 2014. This was just the beginning of many times that this has happened since then including yesterday, February 21, 2017. I have been taking my car into the dealership for this problem since 2014 and they have yet to find the cause. They have replaced the battery 3 times in addition to the original battery. So far my car has only died while parked at home which has been a blessing. The dealership has tested the car each time to test for a draw on the battery but could not find anything. They have suspected that something in our garage was waking the computer in the car that was causing the drain. I started parking my car under the deck instead of in the garage yet it still dies. They have suggested that I ad a trickle battery charger to my car which I didn't do because I think there is a problem with the car that needs addressing. I can't believe that my car is sensitive to it's surroundings and if it is...is that my fault or the car manufacturer? Do I have to be careful where I park my car each time I go somewhere? I think not. I have documented all these occurrences with GM and am hoping for some kind of help in either fixing my car or having it declared a lemon. From what I understand I have to complain to the state representative in order to have it declared a lemon however I purchased my car in another state other than where I live and I have not pursued that avenue as of yet. My warranty runs out in mid March so I fell the urgency to get some answers. I am so glad I found this site. Glad I am not the only one to have had this problem. I sure hope we can all find out what is wrong with our cars. Love my Terrain when it runs!!

twnzx24me, This is not the first posting of the Terrain and it's battery issues. As you have seen from my post above, it happened to me three times. Each time a full day of testing was done, so I was told, and nothing was found. Others have done the same thing, but nothing was found or replaced. I have gone a year now with no repeats, but am weary all the time. I have to park the GMC outside because I want my 69 Vette to be housed. Something in the garage causing a drain because activating the Terrain's computer? They smoking dope or blowing it up your ....? The battery check out fine, one guy replaced the battery only to have it drain again. I think there is something in the4 computer that causes a slow drain. the battery is fully discharged. not just a little, but dead. I agree, I love the car, wish it had a turbo on it like the MBZ does for more guts and better economy, but it's not in the works. You can contact the state department of consumer affairs and ask about the lemon law in your state. It is a car sold nation wide, no matter where you bought it. I'm sure GM corporate may contact you. If I could keep the same payments, I'd trade mine in for a new one that does not have the problems.

John, thank you for your response. My car died the first time in Dec of 2014. I called GM roadside assistance and they sent a guy to jump start the car which worked. The next time it died my husband charged it at home after seeing how to hook it up from the GM guy. We didn't know where to attach the cables when we first looked at it. These new cars make simple things more difficult by hiding the battery under the computer as I'm sure you have discovered with your experiences with your Terrain. On Feb, 10, 2015 I took my car to the dealership to find out what was causing the battery to die and after testing they installed a new battery. The old battery failed testing. On Feb 24, 2015 the battery failed again. Dealership kept it till Mar 4, 2015 trying to duplicate the draw on the battery but still couldn't.On Nov 20, 2015 I was leaving on a trip only to find my car battery was dead once again. My husband charged it and I drove for the entire weekend and driving around 300 miles. No problems. Again on Dec 9, 2015 battery died again...dealership could not duplicate the issue but I also had to have the auto breaking module replaced due to it failing. They suggested that I add a trickle charger to my car which I didn't do. Battery lasted till Sept.6, 2016...died again. Dealership replaced battery for the second time. Between Sept 6 and Sept 20th, my two main headlights blew out at the same time. I found it strange that both headlights blew out at the same time. Dealership replaced lights. On Dec 6th, 2016 the battery failed and again the dealership replaced the battery. This is battery 3 not including the original factory battery. I have parked my car outside and under our deck since Sept 6, 2016 to see if indeed they was something causing the modules to wake up and drain the battery when housed in the garage like they had suggested but it once again died yesterday, Feb 21, 2017. I am waiting to hear back from GMC regarding this issue once again. I have been very patient during this journey but am increasingly frustrated. I feel like the dealership is just putting a band-aid on the problem by replacing the battery the battery all these times and telling me my car has been fixed when it clearly has not. My warranty runs out in about three weeks. Don't know what my options will be then.

twnzx24me Call GM customer service and state your problem and history as stated above. Not the customer service at the dealership, but corporate. They have in the past been extremely helpful. If that does not help, try your state's Department of Automotive Repair and talk to them. You are not alone. This site has a lot of people sounding off about the exact same issue.

John, I have a question for you. Today after I removed my key from the ignition and had opened the door the radio turned off like it always has but the thought came to my mind...maybe I should start turning the radio off each time before I get out of my car in the future just to see if the radio could possibly be the cause of my car battery dying so many times. Well, not thinking I like I said had turned off the car, had the keys in my hand and the driver's door opened when I reached over and hit the button to turn off the radio. Of course as I was doing this I realized that the button would not turn off since the car was not running. Right? Much to my surprise ...the radio came back on!!! No keys, door open and radio came back on! Have you ever seen this happen before? Is this a new thing in these newer cars as a feature or COULD this be the cause of my battery dying? Any ideas you may have regarding this issue will be greatly appreciated. I'm at my wits end and since my warranty ran out in late March of 2017 I am trying to figure out what my causes are. I even tried deprogramming my garage door remote in my Terrain in case there was something with the signal was causing a cell in my car's computer to WAKE Up like the dealership suggested.

Happy summer to all....have any of you been able to get this figured out? My terrain just started doing the same thing...I bought a 2014 with 44k miles on it. Now it's dying all the time and the battery has been tested as good. Has anyone had them look at the apparent "bluetooth issue" that was in other GM vehicles and drained battery? Hoping to not have to have a mechanic spend HOURS looking for a draw....

Ok, let me junks myself. I got the 30K service done today and oil changed. I asked the long time service written if he has had many Terrains come in with dead or drained batteries lately. He said it was a problem for a while, but it has not bee an issue as of lately as far as he knows. Perhaps there is a part change that is done if it comes in and the consumer is not told? Watch, tomorrow my car will not start. So far so good. I hear the 2018 Terrains will have three new engines, two gas and one diesel, all turbo. Nothing about milage as of yet. I think if I can, I'll give it one year, then get a 2019 diesel turbo if they work out without issues. Wonder if they bought the VW supply of turbo diesels? They should improve the milage of the Terrain a lot with the Turbo chargers, and the passing speed.

Same issue. On my third battery. 2014 GMC Terrain. 41,000 miles.

On my 2nd battery with my 2014 Terrain. Current battery is 1 month old and today, i had dead battery. Car was in garage for 1 week after being out of town. There is a definite issue, but dealer not willing to admit. Have 40k miles and love the vehicle, but this may be my last GMC product.

Roberjacc109 I had a 2014 Terrain too. I said HAD! I recently traded it for a 2017 Honda CRV and so far I am pleased with the change. I loved my Terrain too but I had four batteries during the three years I had mine. I took it in more times than I like to remember. My warranty ran out in March and once I was no longer under warranty I decided to try something to see if it would make a difference. I had programmed my garage door remote in my Terrain when I first got it and wondered if it was something related to the remote could be affecting my car and causing it to drain the battery. From March till July when I traded my Terrain I did not have my battery die. I don't know whether it made the difference or not. Just something you might want to try. Couldn't hurt! I really hope that was the cause of the battery issue but feel so much better with my new car and 3 more years of warranty! Good luck with your Terrain.

I just came back from a 3 week vacation and have not driving my GMC Terrain for 3 1/2 weeks. I got in it and it started up with no hesitation. The battery indicated it was fully charged. Whoo, what happened? No dad battery even sitting in 110 degree weather for a week and then normal 90 degree weather for two 1/2 weeks. Go figure.

it’s not just the Terrain’s having this problem: The 2015 Yukon Denali i drive is doing the exact same thing. It’s had to be jumped 7 times. First 3 times the dealership said battery was fine, no explanation on why it keeps dying. After 4th time, AAA said battery cell was bad when they tested it... , dealership replaced the battery. It hasn’t stopped the problem. Battery jumped 3 more times and now a 3rd battery installed. The Vehicle is driven once or twice a week for a little over an hour. It should be able to hold a charge. No explanation. Finally dealer said they still can’t find anything wrong with the vehicle... suggested it’s a problem with the phones that are paired with the car.. i’m going to unpair every phone... but i’m not joking when i say I’m 100% sure the vehicle will need to be jumped again. Car only has 11,000 miles on it. beyond frustrating. We are parking it outside of the garage but it has had ZERO help in stopping the car from being dead. So unreliable, and i’m really starting to not just dislike the dealership, but distrust them too. I loved the car but with this exact problem happening constantly with these GMC cars, and no fix from the dealership, i have no faith in this vehicle anymore.

Hey everyone that following this tread. On another one talking about the identical problem of dead batteries, a possible solution was found. The person on his third trip to the dealer with a dead battery and no issues found was told, if you are using bluetooth and do not turn off the bluetooth before turning off the vehicle, the bluetooth will remain on and drain the battery. Thinking back to my two issues, I was using the bluetooth and when getting home turned off the car and my phone was not turned off util later. Dead battery. the person who submitted the possible solution has not had any issues since either not using his bluetooth or turning it off before turning off the vehicle. They that. It's not the phones around the vehicle, but the ones hooked into your car. That's the only problem I have had with the Terrain so far, and most people echo that. GM should know that, and tell customers to turn off the phone's bluetooth they mate to the vehicle. Hope this helps. JC

thanks so much John. Why in 2018 have i taken it into the dealership 5 times and each of those times they keep sending me home saying they see no problem with the vehicle? You’d think they’d be the ones to know this and have told me from day one(?)

Think as a corporation. If they admit the 2.5+ million vehicles on the road have a mechanical problem, and to fix it costs $1,000, multiply that by the number of vehicles with that electronic radio system, maybe in the 10s of millions, and what is the cost of fix or repair? Since it is not a hazard or safety issue, the fed regulators don't get involved. Not saying it's true, but food for thought. Also how many people don't report this?

well, the battery was replaced (for the 3rd time on Monday, all phones were unpaired from the vehicle on Monday, and it’s Thursday and the car won’t start... again. I’m so tired of doing all of this, just to have the same problem time and again. Aim so frustrated. so no cell phones paired with the vehicle, so cell phone chargers plugged into the vehicle and after a new battery on Monday, three days later, the car is completely dead. i feel confident it’s not the bluetooth.. it’s something to do with the computer, and they either have no idea.. or know and won’t fix it.

It has to be in the radio system or the ignition switch. GM did have a massive recall on ignition switches a year or so back. At this point, with the dealerships not knowing what is wrong, and no being able to fix it, it is a computer, radios system or switch. something is not turning off and draining the battery. When the dealer did a complete test on my Terrain, I was told the testing machine cost over $100,000. that much money and they can't find the problem?

John, i understand how expensive it is to do a recall, but i also really hate a company purposefully being negligent just because of cost. Doing the right thing should be more important than cost, whether it’s replscing the computer or the ignition. Do you think this is something i should look into with legal counsel? This seems to be a massive known problem that they are just attempting to fix with a bandaid (time and again). i don't think im asking much to have the expectation that the vehicle actually start. My biggest complaint is constant getting the car jumped, taking it in, spending days at the dealership just to be told over and over and over and over again they can find nothing wrong. I’ve done all recommendations, unpaired all phones, i do r have any phone charges or usb plugged in, i park the car outside and not in a garage and the keys are kept far away from the vehicle. i’m just at a loss at this point... and the desperation i feel from finding the vehicle not turn on (again) is beyond upsetting.

GuruYQC1N, First I do not work , nor ever worked for ant car company and only in a car repair garage in the early 70 for a short time. I like the GM products, and if you can find an attorney that will listen and take your cause, more power to you. On this blog you will find several people that has experienced the same issues, and those are only the ones that have logged on here. A good attorney can force GM to furnish any and all complaints of the similar matter of drained/dead batteries. I hate having a new car and yet always wonder in the back of my mind, "Will it start?". I proposed a class action law suit a few years ago, but was told by followers, it is not a safety issue, so it may not fly in Federal court. You need to talk to an attorney that specializes in this type of issue, they will know if you could win or not, or even fit the criteria for a class action law suit. In California we have a lemon law, that protects consumers that have the same issue over three times, and not get it resolved, can demand full refund for the car and the company has to take it back. go for it my friend.

John, thank you for all the input, it’s really appreciate it. I really love the car, and (besides this issue ) it runs great. I just can’t expect it to start, and more often than not: it doesn’t start.

I have a 2014 Terrain... same problem... 4 batteries in 4 years... Dealership wanting to put a battery tender on it as a solution... Any input on a battery tender? They are saying it is because I do not drive it often enough...?

we finally took the vehicle back to the dealership and told them, “you aren’t fixing the problem, and you keep stating you don’t know why the battery keeps dying. Told them they are keeping the car all month if it takes for them to figure it out: guess what... finally figured it out. a fan in the back of the vehicle was turning on when the car was turned off and parked... slowly draining the battery. They replaced the stupid thing... and it’s been fine. But literally, this was after hooking it up to GMC computers and they still had no idea what was draining the battery. it wasn’t blue tooth and it wasn’t the key fob... it was a fan in the back of the vehicle.... completely maddening, but glad it finally was figured out.

A fan in the back of the vehicle ??? Where ? What fan ?

Service people, say... there is no fan in the back of terrain... Explain please... 4 batteries in 4 years, ridiculous! Help???

Has anyone figured out the problem? I've been reading multiple threads discussing 2014 GMC Terrain electrical problems! I've Had to change my battery twice and replaced the alternator. I bought my terrain with 58,000 miles used so I'm not covered by a warranty.

Have them check the Intake A Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit Open Bank 1 my check engine kept coming on and I have 2014 brought new with only 39,000 miles on it they had to replace both sides of the camshaft it kept dying.

Did replacing the camshaft work. Reading these comments makes me feel like my only solution is buying a jumper to keep in my trunk

Lock through car in dashboard probably bad key fob!! Downtown Brown

Our 2014 GMC DENALI terrain is doing the same thing. I heard that it could be that ON- STAR is staying on - even though I don't even pay for the service. I had the car serviced on 12/18/19 and a week or so later I received a letter for Sirius XM talking about my recent service on that specific date and giving me some offer on the radio. Clearly, ON-STAR and Sirius are connected and could be causing the problem. I had 2 alternators installed as I was told that was the problem. The car stalled on us a few times while driving. We were told the wrong alternator had been installed and $1300 later, the car cannot keep a charge. PARASITIC DRAW is the diagnosis with no solution, other than keep paying for testing of some modules to see where it is coming from. Since this is a known issue, the dealers should be aware and GM should be covering these expenses. Has anyone had this PARASITIC DRAW syndrome? How was it detected? Was it fixed? and at what cost? I am thinking of calling GM corporate and or the State??? UGH thank you.

2014 GMC DRAIN! 2 batteries, more jumps and chargings then one should have to do in a lifetime. In my experience, if it's not started every single day, maybe every other day, DEAD! When you dread hitting unlock on your fob or you have a little celebration inside every time it actually unlocks your car, you know struggle. Absolutely ridiculous! GM "should" be asham.. pfff couldn't even finish the sentence with a straight face! Why would they give a rat's when they are in the circle of companies, "Too Big To Fail". Imagine that, being unfortunate enough that you can't even fail. Meanwhile in the real world, 2014 GMC TERRAIN aka ?‍♂️DRAIN‍♂️? is yet again DEAD! I'd sell it if I could sleep at night.

Same problem with my 2014 GMC Terrain..., batteries going dead! On my 4 th battery... found a shop that put in last battery... guaranteed It for 2 years... no trouble, for awhile... guit letting GMC put batteries in... I turn off radio before getting out of car... I do not leave phone battery Charger plugged in when car is off! There is definitely a problem GMC Has with this model car, but, they will not admit it!

The fan that was on in the back of the Yukon was a passenger vent fan... apparently it would be on in a low fan speed, even with every a/c button turned off. It was low enough for no one to notice, until we demanded GMC keep the vehicle until they figured it out. They replaced something (computer piece??) for the fan and the car has FINALLY after 3 years of this problem, been fine. No idea if this is the same issue with the Terrain, but I’d exhausted all other problems. They could only find ‘something’ was draining the battery but couldn’t figure out where until then. 4 replaced batteries, maybe 18 times having AAA to come jump the car and 4 trips back to the dealership to figure this out. Ugh...

Has anyone fixed the problem? 2011 terrain.

My 2011 just started this at 96000 miles... I know I have a cam code that I’m fixing this weekend.. We’ll see how it goes..

I have a 2011 terrain for the past year I have put 4 batteries in it and had it checked out twice at the dealership. No one can tell us what is killing these batteries. There has to be a defect in these vehicles that GMC want acknowledge! We had a new radio put in and now it seems as if the radio is turning off when the car is killed...

I just purchased a 2013 Terrain at a auction and had no problems with it starting up. Until I used the cigarette lighter port to charge my phone. I left it plugged in and after 5 days the car wouldn't say a word. Held my key hostage and everything. So jumped it off and waiting to see what happens tonight.

My 2015 GMC Terrain just died. I had the radio on for about 10 minutes without the car being on. Dead. I jumped it and off I went. The battery is brand new. This also happened to me this summer, after which I replaced the battery. I also bought a portable jump starter in case it happened again. Apparently I cannot run the radio without the car being turned on in this vehicle.

Now 2015 GMC Terrain will not start after being parked in the driveway. I have jumped it 5 times in one week. The battery simply will not hold charge. The vehicle is now in the shop. I hope to just get it started enough to trade it in.

I have a 2013 GMC Terrain SLT and have had this car for almost 2 years in February. Five months after purchasing it, the battery was completely dead. Couldn’t even be jump started. So we got a new battery. About 4-5 later, started having battery issues again! Dying every single day! Once the weather warmed up, the battery did fine for about 1-2 months. Then it would randomly not start up in the mornings. Now we have to jump start it every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. We have never connected the Bluetooth setting up since getting the car. It’s crazy to me that the radio can play even when the car is turned off!! How?! We keep taking it in and apparently nothing can be found wrong with it. I call BS. I just want to get rid of it at this point, but the trade in value is less than what I owe on it now that it’s at 103k miles. I bought the car at 63k miles.

I have a 2011 GMC Terrian SLE 4 cylinder. I first noticed that this car drinks oil like crazy...ok but then the other day I warmed my car up got in and the battery light was on...shortly after I drove down it went dead on me and would not start with a jump. I paid 160 for a new battery today had it put it. Soon as I turned it on the battery light was still on. By the time I made it to work the heat stopped blowing. I have a feeling when I get off its not going to start. Pisses me off reading this page that so many people have issues . Someone needs to take GMC down. I just started a new job and now it looks like this car wont be dependable and I owe so much on this car. Im in a lose lose situation. GMC Sucks. I dont need to find a lawyer I have LegalShield and Im going to have them look into this today. A darn shame.

I have had my 2014 Terrain for 5 years and it has just started doing the dead battery thing. The first time was in October 2020. I thought I had accidentally left a dome light turned on. Had battery tested after jump starting and driving some...battery was fine. Happened again in February 2021. Third time was two days ago. Turned key.....nothing....no sound at all. Interior lights barely flickered and went out. Removed key, got out of car, raised hood to jump start....and the battery was clicking under the hood. Then the windshield wipers, which had not been on in a couple of weeks, started slowly moving. Took three tries with the portable charger to get it going. Had battery checked today by mechanic who says it is fine. So......looks like the saga continues without any answer. I am reluctant to take to a dealer given everyone here's experiences. ?????

I have had my 2014 Terrain since 2015 and the battery has completely died on me as well , about 3 times. As someone mentioned here ,he noticed it happens mostly while parked at home. I have to say that when I thought about that, mine also died while I am parked at home. That can't be a coincidence can it ? I am calling the dealership tomorrow to see what they have to say.

Same problem with my GMC Terrain 2012. Something was draining the battery when it was off and I changed the battery several times for nothing. I went to my mechanic and they told me it was the radio and that I need to change it. Then, I went to the local GMC dealer and they told me it was the Telematics Module that controls the OnStar system. Part number: 22897083, which is discontinued. However you can still get it from eBay. Anyway, the guy just removed the fuse so I don't have OnStar anymore which I don't care at all. Car is working great since.