The Highway Patrol said it happened on Highway 421 and McArthur Road just before 10 a.m. Saturday.
Glenda Sieglinda Taylor, 64, of Lillington, died at the scene.
Taylor's 16-year-old granddaughter was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.
Taylor was driving a 2007 Chevy Tahoe and failed to stop at a flashing red light, the Highway Patrol said. Her SUV struck a 2016 Dodge Ram driving by a 49-year-old man from Trinity and then crashed into a 2010 GMC Acadia driven by a 76-year-old Wilmington man.
Those two other drivers were treated at the scene for minor injuries.