GMC TruckTerrain2015Overview/gmc-truck/terrain/2015/base/

2015 GMC Truck Terrain

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2015 Terrain.

Body SUV

The 2015 GMC Terrain SUV takes 5.0 quarts of 5W-30 oil and has accumulated 315 owner complaints, topped by visibility and wiper concerns, along with three recalls. In the broader 2010–2026 model history, its complaint count sits well below the 2011 high of 397 but far above the 2025 low of 12, positioning this year in the middle of the reliability spectrum. That spread suggests the 2015 Terrain avoids the worst of the model's early issues while still reflecting a meaningful volume of reported problems.

Model year20162015201420132012

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity5.0 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type5W-30OEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 48 · 660 CCA battery, OE oil filter 12731742. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 48 · 660 CCAOEM · verified
Tail / brake / turnLAMPOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter12731742 alt 12580255
Engine air filter23335811
Spark plug12681658 alt 12681660
Battery88865276 alt 88866115
Front wiper blades19432579 alt 19432580
Serpentine belt12634319 alt 12636138
Thermostat03522676 alt 12622410
Cabin air filter20901295

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 5.0 qt of 5W-30 engine oil, Synthetic · 75W-90 · GL-5 in the differential, DOT 3 brake fluid. Torque the oil drain plug to 18.0 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission FluidDEXRON(R)-VI GM P/N 89020661
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity4.2-6.3
Brake FluidDOT 3
Differential Gear OilSynthetic
Differential Gear Oil Capacity1.2 qt
Differential Gear OilSynthetic · 75W-90 · GL-5
Differential Gear Oil Capacity1.0 qt
Engine Coolant50

Engine torques

Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs89 inch lbs. ft-lbs
Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs89 inch lbs. ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts10
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts11.0 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts15.0 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug18.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Driveshaft Flange to Transmission37.0 ft-lbs
Steering Track (Rod End) BoltsInner: 77.0; Outer: 44.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Fill PlugNVG900: 11.0, Gertag 760: 29.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Drain PlugNVG900: 18.0, Gertag 760: 29.0 ft-lbs
Front Wheel HubInstall a new nut and torque to 151.0 ft-lbs
Rear Wheel HubInstall a new nut and torque to 151.0 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub Bearing Housing BoltsInstall a new retaining nut. ft-lbs
Rear Wheel Hub Bearing Housing BoltsInstall a new retaining nut. ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-3-4-2
Cylinder Firing Order1-2-3-4-5-6
Cylinder Firing Order1-6-5-4-3-2
Cylinder Firing Order1-3-4-2
Cylinder Firing Order1-2-3-4-5-6
Spark Plug ManufacturerAc Delco
Spark Plug Gap.037 - .043 in
Spark Plug Torque15 ft-lbs

Battery & A/C

RefrigerantR134a
Refrigerant Capacity1.43 lbs
Oil GroupPAG
Oil Type46
Oil Capacity5.00 oz
Standard BCI Group Number48
Standard BCI Cranking Performance660 cca
Standard BCI Group Number47

Service checks

Pressure Test15 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief15 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature188-206 °F
Regulated Fuel System Pressure (With Vacuum)43-58 @ idle psi
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)50-94
Regulated Fuel System Pressure (With Vacuum)43-58 psi at idle psi
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)50-100

Brakes

Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier TorqueFront: 20; Rear: 20 /
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt TorqueFront: 140; Rear: 92 Use; Front: 140; Rear: 92
ABS Sensor Torque6.6 / NS
Minimum Pad ThicknessFront: 0.030; Rear: 0.030 specification
Vented Rotor Minimum Thickness for ReplacementFront: 1.060; Rear: .720 /; Front: 1.060; Rear: 0.720
Variation from Parallelism Thickness Variation.001 / 0.001
Maximum Rotor Runout.002 / 0.002

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
118.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 10018 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
122.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: loosen all bolts completely, Step 3: 18.0 ft. lbs., Step 4: 11022 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Use new bolts coated with clean engine oil.

122.0 ft. lbs.22 ft. lbs
2155 degrees155 degrees
3Front bolts 26.0 ft. lbs.26 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 2 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Use new bolts coated with clean engine oil. · M11 Bolts

122.0 ft. lbs.22 ft. lbs
2150 degrees; M8 Bolts150 degrees
111.0 ft. lbs.11 ft. lbs
275 degrees75 degrees
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
118.0
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
134.0
Main Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
115.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 7015 ft. lbs

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 7,500 mi; spark plugs every 97,500 mi; coolant at 150,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 150,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 miAccelerator Pedal (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake Shift Interlock Solenoid (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (inspect) · Engine Oil (inspect fluid level)
Every 22,500 miCabin Air Filter (replace)
Every 45,000 miBrake Hydraulic System (drain, refill & bleed) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System (inspect)
Every 97,500 miSpark Plug Wires (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace) · Transfer Case Assembly (drain & refill)
At 150,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 2015 GMC Truck Terrain dominate in one area — the visibility/wiper, 93 of 315 reports (30%), well ahead of the next concern. None of this vehicle's 3 recall campaigns target the visibility/wiper, so those reports read as owner-reported wear-and-tear rather than an acknowledged defect. 10 of the reports describe a crash and 1 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the visibility/wiper pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

3
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
1571
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
2
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
315
Owner complaints
10 involved a crash · 1 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★
Frontal★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 315 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Visibility/Wiper93
Engine53
Air Bags14
Electrical System13
Unknown Or Other12
Exterior Lighting12
Power Train10
Exterior Lighting,Visibility9

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 3 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

15V666000Air Bags:Side/WindowReported 16/10/2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox, Malibu, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The affected vehicles have front seat-mounted side impact air bags… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side impact air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at…

22V137000Exterior Lighting:HeadlightsReported 08/03/2022

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2017 GMC Terrain vehicles. A reflection caused by the headlight housings may illuminate areas above the vehicle and outside of the driver's view with excessively bright… Remedy: Dealers will install headlamp appliques, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 8, 2022. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1571 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
PIP61132026-05-18Unknown Or OtherThis document provides the technician with a diagnostic tip if the vehicle stalls and set…
PIT3271Q2026-04-01Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel…
PIP61042026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and…
PIP4902V2026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIP4902U2026-01-08Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Terrain. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2015 Terrain take?

5.0 qt of SAE 5W-30 engine oil approved to the dexos specification. Synthetic Blend is recommended., per the factory manual.

Does the 2015 Terrain have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.