This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I just entered the highway with an increased speed of 50 mph when the dashboard flashed..."engine power reduced." My car was about to shut down in the middle of a very busy highway. I made it to the side of the stretch with cars almost hitting me to call a tow truck. The car was towed to gateway Buick GMC in St. Louis, Missouri where the service worker informed me that I needed the following: Valve element heater hose camshaft actuator thermostat mode door activator I then received a call back the next day stating that I needed a new engine. My car is under ten years old.
Car stalls as I am turning into parking spots, turning or going around significant curves in the road, while im in a round about etc. Luckily I have been able to put the car in neutral and it starts back up and off I go. I am the second owner of this car and I bought it from a non GM dealer. My mechanic is at a loss as to what is wrong because a) there are no codes that are coming up and B) the stalling is very sporadic, it will do it twice in one week and then not do it again for 3 weeks. I have had this car about 5 months and it has happened about a dozen times. I pulled the carfax and called the dealership that did all the work on it with the previous owner. After speaking with the service department, I was told that the previous owner had the same problems and the dealer could not get the car to malfunction while they had it in for servicing. Although she didn't tell me everything that they did to try and resolve the issue, I do know that they went as far as to replace the cylinder head hoping that would solve the issue, but clearly it did not. This is a very dangerous safety issue, I have almost hit several cars due to the fact that when the car stalls, everything locks up and you have no control over anything.
While driving the vehicle the check engine light comes on and the vehicle monitor text says to pull over and turn car off. This is done and after 30 minutes we are able to take car to local shop, since dealership is 30 minutes away in snow conditions. After diagnostics malfunction indicator lamp is on due to poor acceleration, ice deposits and oil deposits in air inlet duct. Due to all the oil and ice deposits all spark plugs are replaced, but I was told if I don't replace the valve cover which are the original to the car, I will have to replace the plugs about every 15K to 20K miles. When I talked to GMC cs they told me to call local dealer which in turn said they could do nothing for me. I would have to replace the valve covers at my expense.
The contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 mph, the vehicle stalled as the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the coil and the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure occurred after the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V266000 (seat belts) and 14V118000 (air bags). In addition, the contact stated that the all the doors locked and unlocked sporadically and the battery failed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,000.... updated 03/19/15 updated 9/20/2017
I had purchased the vehicle used from what I had thought was a reputable dealer, boy was I wrong. I was on my way home with it from the dealer an hour and a half drive 1 way, going down the interstate at about 65 mph, when the vehicle started to shake something severe, and the RPM, S went wild. I slowed down, but the shake, vibration continued. Finally it did straighten out, and I got home. A couple days later on my way to work the engine light came on, and than the service all wheel drive system light came on. The next day my dad who is a mechanic, drove it and it shook and vibrated so bad, he thought the wheels were falling off. Came back and put it in the workshop and checked the wheels for tightness, they were ok. Noticed a rather large coolant leak above the water pump, , seemed to be coming from under intake area. Called the dealer and said we were bringing it back on a trailer. On 1 / 1 / 15 at about 9:45 am dropped off at the dealer, told them again what the problems were and left it there. On 1 / 5 / 15 the dealer called us and indicated there was a upper radiator hose that the clamp was loose. I told them it was not and my dad knows where it was from. They also stated that they drove it and could not find any problems with it. After telling me that they said that they are a Ford dealer and do not have the tools to diagnose the vehicle. Right after that the general manager says that he did notice a problem with shifting, but its nothing to worry about. I said than you put your family in the vehicle and take them for a drive, because I will not put myself with my 3, and 5 year old kids in it. He said he will look at it again tomorrow. I will never buy another GM product ever again.
- Marshfield, WI, USA
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The car felt as though the gears weren't catching and RPM would drop but if you took your foot off the accelerator it would go away for a second but then it would happen again. No one seems to know what's wrong, but it seems as though the transmission is slipping. It seems to happen at speeds of 50 miles and higher which is very dangerous especially when traveling on the expressways.
We purchased a 2009 Acadia from a reputable dealer that claims quality in regards to their used vehicles. We have had the vehicle for 6 months and the vehicle has left me stranded on different occasions and compromised others individuals and my own well being. First incident the car was in gear but would not start. We never found the reason the vehicle would not start. The battery fully charged. No other issues noted. Second incident the vehicle the vehicle again did not start after several attempts to start. Eventually car just started, no issue was uncovered as the culprit. The vehicle overheated out of the blue while in route to respond to an emergency call and had the water pump replaced. While on the interstate with my 4 month old grandson the vehicle jerked after reaching the speed of approximately 65 mph and then the RPM registered about 3800 to 4500 and the vehicle came to a crawl on the interstate. The check engine light came on and I took it had diagnostics ran and it indicated transmission concerns. I took the vehicle to the dealer and the light had gone off and the dealer stated that there was nothing found. My husband and I left and while in route to another city the vehicle again jerked at approximately 65 mph and the RPM once again registered between 3500 and 4500. We were able to crawl along at about 25 mph and barely made it safely to a certified GMC dealer which stated that the transmission was completely gone and we needed another and the cost would be approximately $3900. The dealer refuses to honor or stand behind their product. We recently had the vehicle at the dealer to ensure safety recalls were taken care of, the dealer indicating no concerns after a "proposed" inspection. There is clearly documented concerns with this issue. We were lucky as there were no injuries, but the situations that we were left in were extremely dangerous.
2009 GMC Acadia coil pack failures. The coil packs fail without warning causing a loss of power from the engine. It can occur at any time. We had 2 failures since June of 2014. Both times we were in traffic and this loss of power created unsafe driving situations.
I took my car to be service on many occasion and the car was making a sound when you put it in gear. I inquired about what was going on before my power train warranty ran out. The guy that was servicing my car stated that the mount needed fixing and I was giving a card with the price on it that it would cost to fix the problem which was $335.well not long after that my transmission went out right after my warranty had expired. Although the deal paid 60%, if the car dealer ship had been honest, they had to know the transmission was going but I was told to continue to drive the car because it would be all right. This was not true because not long after the power train warranty had expired, the transmission went and I had to come up with the different. I am on a fixed income and I really needed my car because it was the only transportation that was working. I had to charge the amount on my credit card which has really created a financial burden. I have come to realize that car dealership does not care about the customer, only the money. Since they fixed the transmission I do not have that problem with the car jumping when you pull off. This was and still is my dream, but I never would have thought this would have happened with a new car. I have a 2003 montero sport and I have never had this problem. I do not feel that I should have had to pay anything. This just shows that their product is not as good as I hoped for. I wanted to up grade to another Acadia but the dealership did stop me from looking into it because he told me it would be more money out of my pocket. This is very sad for the people that trusted in GMC product.
Transmission had a hard shift into reverse. Diagnosis was the 3-5-R wave plate and upon reading other complaints seems to be common. Transmission shop theory is that the wave plate was hardened too much and became brittle with the flexing causing it to break. Dealership fixed problem with warranty help from GM but still cost $750. I believe that GM should have paid the entire amount since it was well under the 100,000 mile but we owned it for 6 years. Seems that this failure is a function of mileage and not time and thus should be totally covered.
Vehicle was exhibiting a miss under load at low RPM. Diagnosis was a bad coil on number 1 cylinder which was replaced along with the associated spark plug for approximately $300.
I was driving the vehicle on the highway with a steady acceleration. I noticed the car start to shake a little and the tachometer fluttering until it appeared the car down shifted. I took the vehicle to the dealer where they test drove the vehicle and found no problems. The next weekend a long trip the vehicle was doing the same thing. I noticed it more on slight inclines with the cruise control on. At one point my brother driving behind me said he said a puff of black smoke come out of the exhaust pipe. I noticed the service engine light was flashing at times. Took the vehicle back to the dealer where they said the vehicle had codes P0300 and P0303. They replaced the #3 ignition coil. Since the vehicle was out of warranty, my total bills were $623. I should not have had to replace an ignition coil at 60K miles!
The contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle began to shake and failed to accelerate. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated and there was a burning odor present. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that all the ignition coils, engine computer, spark plugs and gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 124,816.
My 2009 GMC Acadia was purchased in Aug 2009. Aside from routine maintenance, I have already had to replace the water pump, the radiator, & the timing belt (none of which were covered under my warranty) but on September 9, 2013, my transmission let go. The dealership kept my vehicle for 20 days. Claim they couldn't rebuild it and had to get a new one. (which I have since been told that was a lie, that they have to use factory rebuilt transmissions). Got my vehicle back on Sept. 28. on March 22, 2014, I brought it back to dealership because it was showing signs of slipping transmission again. Dealer told me it was fine sent me home. Less than 2 weeks later on April 8, the transmission let go again. No reverse & truck would not move in drive just rev the engine. Back to dealership for "another transmission" this time they had my vehicle for 18 days. I just picked it up 2 days ago. This morning while driving my kids to school, transmission went again! this is unsafe! I am scared to death to drive my kids around in this vehicle! I almost got into an accident this morning because of it! 3 transmissions in 6 months"! this is a red flag don't you think.. how much longer will GMC not value my life or my families?" something needs to be done about this!
Driving down the road and notice a deer. Speed limit was 55, so we had slowed down to about 45. Deer crossing in front of us, and we almost come to a complete stop (about 10-15mph). We hit the deer on the passenger front. Get out of the car to assess the damage, and notice a fire under the grill and headlights. Air bags had deployed. Everyone evacuated the vehicle, and it was a total loss.
While driving on the highway my service engine soon light started to flash. It stopped so I continued driving until I arrived home. It was diagnosed as premature timing chain wear due to a faulty oil monitor sensor and it was "repaired". the issue has continued to happen since and the vehicle has been returned to the dealership 3 times to attempt repairs. It was at this point that I started to research this vehicle and found out that GM knows of a random misfire issue after engine removal (mind you this was to repair damage due their faulty part to begin with). They don't know how to fix the issue--it can be electrical or you could replace just about every part under the hood and see if that works. But no guarantee that this will fix it as I stated earlier, they don't know what will fix it. I do not feel safe driving my family around in this vehicle any longer. We live in the North--hence the reason for an AWD vehicle--and I don't want to get stuck somewhere, in below 0 weather with my children in the vehicle. I now own a very expensive vehicle that I don't drive far as I don't know what it is going to do. To me this is a safety issue and liability that they have tried to sweep under the rug like the rest of their issues of late.
At approximately 90,000 my engine began misfiring. I took it to a local shop where they performed a full tune-up and replaced all of the plugs. However, there were also coils that were bad and had to be replaced. A week later, my check engine light came back on and the Acadia was missing again. I took it to another shop where they showed me that the plugs were already charred and needed replaced again, and there was another coil pack that needed replaced. A few days later the check engine light came back on and a CO2 sensor was going bad so I replaced it. A few days later the check engine light came back on and the GMC dealer told me 2 of the 3 catalytic converters were bad and needed replaced. My check engine light is still on and I'm just waiting for the thing to explode while I'm driving it. After reading other similar complaints about power steering and engine problems with Acadia's, I'm convinced a major investigation into these vehicles and their safety needs to be launched by the gov. Now there is an air bag recall and in the past have had headlight recalls, water pump recalls, and who knows what else. The whole fleet should be declared lemons!
I took my 2009 Acadia into the GMC dealer with around 65,000 miles on it after buying it used (1 previous owner) with around 42,000 miles. They told me I had a power steering leak in the rack and pinion and it would cost around $2000 to replace a seal because they have to pull the whole rack off. He told me it would be okay for a while, but eventually it would cause the power steering to go out. After researching, I've seen multiple other Acadia owners who have had the exact same problem. I have refused to pay for the repairs because I think this is a safety issue that has effected enough of this model vehicle to warrant a general safety recall. I know of 3 other people in my hometown who have experienced power steering problems with their Acadia's, and the GMC dealership acknowledged to me that it is a significant problem with GMC Acadia model years 2008-2012. If that's not enough, then I'm not sure what is, but if my power steering goes out while I'm driving, well, let this serve as notice to GMC.
Current issue is a transmission failure, apparently the "3-5-R waveplate." Five months prior, my wife and children were traveling out of state. They experienced a sudden loss of power and were stranded on a rural highway not once, but twice. The vehicle was towed in to a GM dealership, "repairs" were performed under warranty, and we were told we could pick up our car. My wife (again with children in the car) made it less than 10 miles from the dealership before the engine failed again. This time on the bridge of a major highway....no where to even exit the vehicle. After the second incident the engine was replaced (after 3+ weeks of diagnostic work). We were told the dealership was not able to identify the problem that caused the engine failure. Engine was replaced under warranty. Transmission had been shifting erratically for several months. At time of engine failure/replacement, GM dealership that performed the engine replacement advised us that the transmission shifts/slips were "normal" for this particular transmission. They advised a transmission fluid flush, which we authorized. Shifting remained abrupt, slipping continued, but as we were advised this was "normal", we continued driving the vehicle and did not seek further repair. Two weeks ago, (now six weeks out of warranty), the slippage became distinctly more evident, vehicle at one point wound not continue forward motion through an intersection and had to be idled to roadside. After multiple calls, we were advised to take the vehicle to a local GM dealership. Diagnosis of 3-5-R waveplate failure was given. This transmission waveplate failure is a well documented issue that can cause driver and/or passengers to be put at serious risk for injury. Our hope is that an investigation will take place to require GM to recall/repair this issue before someone is needlessly harmed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Kirkwood, MO, USA