10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,610 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2009 GMC Acadia steering problems

steering problem

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2009 GMC Acadia Owner Comments (Page 2 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #89

Jan 162016

Acadia

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have continued to have issues with the steering in my Acadia. We called the dealership and described the noise it was making and they said it was normal and it was just the 4 wheel drive kicking in. Now the steering is completely out. We were in a busy parking lot when it happened and almost hit a pedestrian as the steering went out as we were turning left. The car was moving slowly at the time. I am now seeing several forums where others are having the same issue. There is even a pending lawsuit. There is also an issue with the electric where the safety power locks do not work. My son has opened the door when the car was moving because of this. I have had 5 recalls on this vehicle, so it's hard to keep up with all the issues.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #88

Dec 012015

Acadia

  • 80,000 miles
Headlight out 1.5 mo ago, then other side went out. Mechanics have to remove bumper to get to bulb!!! $300-400 minimum labor and parts. Struts if shock absorbers stuck down after up on rack after 2 different tire changes repairs. Car road wobbly until it was fixed at my E pensr. Is this beautiful car a lemon or what?

- Slidell, LA, USA

problem #87

Oct 092015

Acadia

  • 118,000 miles
I took my 09 GMC Acadia to the GM auto to fix the transmission and they told me they can not fix unless I pay the $2043 to fix my power steering, but I believe its all related to that power steering failure that is cover under the GM policy. And its the same problem to all the Acadia that are out there so I suggest the GM to fix all GMC Acadia without any cost to all the owneri if they fix it right we wouldn't complaint at all

- Anchorage, AK, USA

problem #86

Aug 102015

Acadia

  • 67,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At low rates of speed, my 2009 GMC Acadia temporarily looses power assist steering. It occurs off and on (not predictable). When the power assist fails, I struggle to turn the wheel while in traffic. At a couple times, the power assist kicked back on suddenly, causing me to overcompensate and almost get into an accident.

- Janesville, WI, USA

problem #85

May 202015

Acadia

  • miles
I have a 2009 GMC Acadia. Was purchased in February 2015 from barker GMC dealership. First problem I had was in the first month of me having the vehicle it started to misfire so had to get the coils changed. Then my A/C is not working. In may it started making a clicking noise when I turn the steering wheel. Then end of June sometime and is still occuring it starts when I am going to turn after slowing down it's like my steering wheel gets stuck and is hard to turn. When I am driving at a slow rate or slowing down to turn somewhere that when my steering wheel wants to get stuck. Therefore most definitely poses a danger to family when they are in the vehicle to myself when driving and to others on the rode. This is my family vehicle! I have 3 daughters and 8 month old twin boys in there and I feel unsafe driving it. But I definitely do not have the funds to get these problems fixed and definitely don't feel it is my responsibility to pay for problems that GM knew about for what 3 years now! this vehicle should have never been on the GMC delearship car lot for sale with them knowing of these unsafe problems. I bought this Acadia 2-3 years after this lawsuit was put against them and the people at GMC didn't even bother to tell me about it's unsafe problems with the steering nor did it come up with me checking on this vehicle. If I knew I could go after them to get my 5,500 that I put down on this vehicle and my money back for my car notes I have been paying since March of this year, I would!!! if they cared about the well-being of human life they would not still be selling any of the vehicles that are having these problems til they resolve them!!! there most definitely needs to be a recall. This is causing a safety risk for children, women, and men. Actions definitely need to take place on this matter.

- Houma, LA, USA

problem #84

Sep 012015

Acadia

  • 88,000 miles
At low rates of speed when making a left or right turn the car loses power steering for a couple seconds then reengages. This causes you to over steer once the power steering reengages which on several occasions causes near accidents with other cars on the road. The problem is occurring much more frequently now and we are taking it to the dealer tomorrow. We have had the rack and pinion looked at and replaced by the dealer on several occasions because of low whining noises at low speeds and other problems.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #83

Aug 062015

Acadia

  • 77,311 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle was purchased from union park GMC dealership in wilmington delware on 7/24/15. I took it to my local mechanic on 7/27/15 after noticig a whinning noise when steering at low speeds. He recommended returning oit to the dealer for repair. The dealer made no repair and claimed "all these Acadias have this whining noise". I then took it to Maryland state inspection where it failed inspection due to "moisture on rack", indicating a leak and replacement of rack required to pass inspection. Dealer service department claims it viewed the boot and found a stain and referred me to tsb # 3352321. However, it was not made clear if they actually pulled the boot and inspected the rack and inside of boot to determine if fluid was accumulating inside the boot. They also claimed they do not guarantee vehicle will pass inspection. I did notice that when the delaer returned the vehicle it had added power sterring fluid, rasing the level from just below min to just above max level.

- Elkton, MD, USA

problem #82

Apr 222015

Acadia

  • 70,000 miles
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.

- Canandaigua, NY, USA

problem #81

Apr 232015

Acadia

  • 100,000 miles
I purchased this vehicle on April 20, 2015. A few days later when making a left hand turn at approximately 20mph, the steering wheel locked up and the vehicle was extremely hard to turn, almost causing a head on collision with an oncoming vehicle. We were told that this is a common problem with these vehicles as the steering rack is faulty. We continue to have difficulty turning the vehicle. I am truly surprised that this issue has not become a recall after reviewing all of the complaints regarding this very same issue.

- Goldsboro, NC, USA

problem #80

May 302015

Acadia

  • 120,800 miles
The contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the second row rear driver side seat belt failed to latch in place without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. In addition, while making a left at approximately 15 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering pump, steering gear, the front struts, and the driver and passenger side front axles needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10V375000 (seat belts). The failure mileage was 120,800.

- Westley Chapel, FL, USA

problem #79

Jun 252015

Acadia

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Having steering problems with my GMC Acadia. Vehicle has appox. 75K miles and I have had several incidents of where it was hard to steer my vehicle. I took to the GMC dealership service dept. And it's the same issues everyone else is having with this make & model vehile. Rack & pinion is leaking & I need a new power steerling pump. There is clearly a defect with this GMC make and model and the customers should have to bare the cost of these reparis. I also noticed this occurs after the warranty ends too. Cost of repairs & labor - around $2,200. Of course the repair guy also noticed 3 other things that needs to be repaired too. The cost of those recommended reparis cost $1,600.

- White Plains, MD, USA

problem #78

Apr 012015

Acadia

  • 115,000 miles
An intermittent steering issue developed whereby steering input would become restricted and prevent the driver from adding or subtracting steering. The issue presents during turning and cornering and resulted in numerous hazardous situations and one serious near miss. Upon inspection by a mechanic, I was advised that the entire rack and pinion assembly would need to be replaced. It is not clear whether the rack and pinion were inherently defective, or the consequential damage of other steering defects which is very concerning. Upon further review, I have found that this model year along with several others have been plagued with defective steering issues. Given the apparent incidence rate and the high risk nature of the issue, I am surprised and disappointed this has not culminated in a recall.

- Westerville, OH, USA

problem #77

May 132015

Acadia

  • 56,496 miles
Last June during a routine inspection the dealer told me I had a slight leak in the rack and pinion. I questioned him on why a vehicle with approx 48K miles could have a problem. I was told that GM allows some leakage. Shortly there after I noticed an occasional ratcheting feel in the steering wheel. I then would experience several occasions where I momentarily would lose power steering, the beginning of this year I received a letter from GM stating that there may be a problem with the power steering pump and to bring it to the dealer.I brought it to the dealer and was told there is a charge of $130 to determine if it is the pump and no charge if it was bad. I was told the pump was in fact bad and that the rack also needed to be replaced at a cost of $1400. I politely told them that the rack should not leak at 56K miles and the pump caused the problem and that GM should pay the entire bill after I was told that a certain amount of leakage was ok. They said GM would only cover the cost of pump. I also replaced 4 low beam head lights in the past year.

- North Babylon, NY, USA

problem #76

Apr 052015

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 46,450 miles
While exiting garden state parkway, vehicle was coasting going through the off ramp turn with brakes applied. Engine RPM was at low idle and the power steering suddenly and with out warning stop working. It was near impossible to turn the wheel and vehicle began to leave the roadway and drive onto the grass. It took an incredible amount of strength to turn the wheel and stay on the and avoid crashing into the trees. GMC and the NHTSA knows about this problem. This should be recall, not an advisory or a service bulletin. NHTSA id number: 10056459.

- South Amboy, NJ, USA

problem #75

Jan 222015

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
Rack and pinion seizes up while turning. GM knows about this issue. Happens on most of the Acadias.

- Lake Ozark, MO, USA

problem #74

Jan 052015

Acadia

  • 81,286 miles
The contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 10 mph, an abnormal loud sound emitted when turning the steering wheel. The problem recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,286.

- Portage , IN, USA

problem #73

Dec 292014

Acadia

  • 92,000 miles
Brought it to the GMC dealer to replace the power steering pump which was on recall notice only if there were problems. Loss of power steering at low speed so I took it to dealer. As a result, pump was replaced as well as rack and pinion. Pump covered, rack and pinion not, $1700. The day after I picked up the car, the transmission failed. As I got on the highway, motor revved but transmission did not engage. Was able to make it into the breakdown lane. Had to have a flatbed pick it up and bring it to the transmission shop recommended by the dealer. Transmission replaced...$3,140. I feel that I was lucky to have been in the lane closest to the breakdown lane when this happened. Dealer offered no assistance. Eight months past warranty.

- Woburn, MA, USA

problem #72

Oct 092014

Acadia

  • 61,919 miles
Power steering rack is leaking, power steering pump is whining. GMC dealer refused to replace eventhough GM has sent letters to owners regarding power steering problems. The problem could result in the loss of power steering thus causing unsafe driving conditions.

- Bechtelsville, PA, USA

problem #71

Jul 092013

Acadia

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. While driving approximately 25 mph, the steering wheel seized. The dealer stated that the steering rack and power steering pump failed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

- Morristown, NJ, USA

problem #70

Oct 092014

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 97,000 miles
My son was driving down a residential street which has a right turn/merge over a canal. Upon reaching the right turn the power steering failed and he was unable to navigate the turn. The Acadia drove forward into a large pipe which crosses over the canal. The front of the Acadia was crashed including the front bumper, radiator, head lamps, engine, driver side front panel, passenger side panel, and the frame. None of the air bags deployed during this crash. There is a recall on the side airbags at this time but not the front airbags. There is no recall on the power steering on this GM model. I have had experienced the power steering intermittently fail when turning both left and right. My daughter also experienced power steering failure one week prior to my son's accident. I was in the vehicle with her. This power steering failure is not exclusive to my GMC Acadia 2009. Consumer reports as well as the Acadia forum also has mentioned this power steering failure in other GMC Acadias. The airbags not deploying during this incident is also very concerning. This air bag failure could have caused major injury given another scenario.

- Meraux, LA, USA

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