The last of the old Terrain — one recall on the page, but the purest engine-complaint year in the run.

This deserves stating plainly, because owners get it wrong. GM did write Special Coverage programs for 2.4L oil consumption — a Special Coverage is the industry's quiet extended-warranty program for a known defect, done free at a dealer — but every one of them stops at the 2013 model year. One 2016 owner in the federal file argues their car is covered by two named Special Coverage bulletins; it is not, and neither is a 2017. If a seller tells you GM will take care of the oil consumption, they are describing a program that expired four model years before this car existed. Price the repair in or walk.

The same cold-weather failure that runs through the 2016. The PCV system — positive crankcase ventilation, the plumbing that vents pressure from the bottom of the engine — can ice up with water vapour during warm-up. With nowhere to vent, pressure pushes a main seal out. A mechanic who has owned two of these calls front and rear main seal leaks common and expensive on the engine, and traces them to exactly this. It is easy to check for: look for oil weeping at the joint between engine and transmission. GM's coverage for this mechanism was written for the 2010 to 2013 cars and does not reach a 2017.

GM issued two Service Updates specific to the 2017 build — a Service Update being a free dealer repair that stops short of a formal recall. Bulletin 16065 covers a suspect gear set in the rear differential, where the back face of the pinion gear may have been cracked during manufacturing; bulletin 60070 covers front control-arm mounting bolts made from the wrong material, which can let the lower control arm's front bushing separate from the cradle. The second one matters on a test drive: listen for clunks over bumps and watch for any wandering under braking. Both are free if the car qualifies and the work has not already been done, so ask the dealer to check the VIN against both.

The ball joints inside the front wiper module corrode and wear until one separates from its socket, and both wipers can stop mid-storm. GM covers the 2017 Terrain under Special Coverage 10232660 and 10219642, with dealers inspecting the assembly and replacing the linkage or module free of charge. Interestingly, far more 2016 owners filed on this than 2017 owners did, which means fewer 2017 cars have had the work claimed and more of them are still carrying the original parts. Cycle both wipers through every speed setting before you buy.

The 2017's only safety recall, and a GMC-only one that the twin Chevrolet Equinox does not carry. The headlight housings reflect light above the beam pattern and outside the driver's own view, brightly enough to fail the federal lighting standard and to dazzle oncoming traffic. Dealers fit headlamp appliques at no charge. Notification letters went out in September 2022, long after most of these cars had left their first owners, so a surprising number remain unrepaired. Free to check, free to fix.