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.
The contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel seized and excessive force on the steering wheel was required. The failure caused the vehicle to independently drive onto a curb and no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to resume driving the vehicle. However, the failure recurred multiple times intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic for diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.
The contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. While driving approximately 20 mph, the power steering failed without warning and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. The vehicle operated normally after it was restarted. The dealer stated that both the power steering pump and steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 91,972..updated 10/14/2014 the consumer stated his/her vehicle was fixed. Updated 10/21/14
I was driving the vehicle when I came to an intersection to turn. When I turned the steering wheel it was making a rubbing noise. I notified the dealer, and they said to bring it in. The vehicle was passed its warranty. I was told the issue was that the steering gear was going bad and needed replacing. I was told that if I did not replace it at that time, in the future there would be a catastrophic failure to the gear which would also damage the steering pump and I would not have power steering. The quote was $1,600 to replace the steering gear and bushings. I was told it would have been double that if I also had to replace the steering pump. The steering gear should not have failed at 63K miles!
I purchased this vehicle from a GMC dealership on March 1st 2014. The very next day I replaced a headlight (no big deal), a few days later it was veering to the left very hard so I took it back. They said the alignment was off 45 degrees, so they fixed it. 1 month later the steering started locking up when turning at slow speeds. I had it diagnosed by the GM dealership who said it was the rack and pinion, and struts and bearings. I took it to another auto shop who said it was the power steering pump and replaced it, the locking up stopped. They said the rack and pinion were bad but could last a bit longer. A month later the air conditioner was completely out(the very first time I turned it on), and a month later the entire car is whining very loudly which I am assuming is the rack and pinion finally giving out. I have spent 20K on this vehicle and had it for 6 months now. In that 6 months it has been in the shop at least once a month. That is on top of the 3 recalls it has been in for in the 6 month period also. Now it has to go back in to fix this rack and pinion. Thankfully I purchased an extended warranty, but this steering column is not all covered. I am beyond frustrated and tired of throwing in thousands of dollars when I have had the vehicle a short amount of time, and this replacing of the steering rack is a bit ridiculous since the vehicle does not even have 100K miles on it. I was told it is unsafe to drive, but when I dont have an extra few thousand dollars to throw into it after putting a huge downpayment on it, and having a brand new Ford vehicle for 9 years and never having to put a dime into it. I am sick of it. It is wrong that GM put faulty cheap parts into their vehicles.
Most common at slower rates of speed, the power steering goes out & the vehicle becomes extremely hard to steer. However, this has also happened to me on the highway while traveling at 65+ mph. That was extremely scary. More than once, I have been forced to turn into an oncoming lane B/C the steering is too stiff to turn properly. The issue was intermittent, but is now constant. Have flushed/replaced power steering fluid, replaced power steering pump & reservoir. The vehicle is at my local dealer now (as of 8/22/14) & they are telling me the new pump is bad & that the steering gear is leaking...although there is no evidence of it leaking externally on the ground & the dip stick consistently shows the reservoir as full. Approximate repair cost is $1500 as of now... this is a highly dangerous & apparently common situation that GMC should be rectifying with a recall of the Acadia.
- Independence, KY, USA
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Our 2009 GMC Acadia's power steering locks up at low speeds. This happens randomly and typically always when the wheel is turned. Once the wheel locks it remains 'stuck' for a little over 1 second. While the wheel is 'stuck' it cannot be turned. This is a very common complaint on this vehicle and creates an very dangerous driving condition. A mechanic has diagnosed this issue as a faulty rack and pinion. The mechanic also claimed that this is very common on these vehicles. I was shocked the first time the wheel became stuck while I was driving; it instantly sent me in to a panic. There needs to be a recall on this vehicle.
My wife drives this car. She and my son who had borrowed it claimed that "the steering isn't working properly". on 16 August I was driving the vehicle and attempted to make a right turn into a side street. As I was doing so the power steering failed and I was unable to negotiate the corner without crossing into the on coming lane. I was traveling at about 3-5mph. At that moment a car approached in the adjacent oncoming lane and to avoid hitting that vehicle I hit the breaks suddenly and stopped the vehicle. I was able to complete the turn after the other vehicle moved on from the stop line and (conjecture) I was accelerating. Since that incident I have driven the vehicle and have had numerous similar incidents - today's date is 8/17/2014..
Sudden loss of power steering assist, close call as I veering to avoid oncoming traffic thru an intersection. Dealer acknowledged the failure and repaired at the time. Car had 2 additional steering component failures requiring major repair. Most recently, August 4th, 2014 my 18 year old daughter was driving and lost power assist. She was able to coast to a stop without incident luckily. Dealer confirmed another pump failure. This isn't the radio, or tire noise or a normal wear and tear item. Power steering pump and system needs to last the lifetime of the car as it's a critical item central to safety and controllability of the vehicle. I am available for any additional information I can provide as needed. Thank you
We drove 5 hours to get our Acadia. Only to realize the very next day less than 24 hours the steering wasn't working right. If parked or at low speeds it is as if it has no power steering. This makes it pretty much impossible to get out of any right spots, parking spots & it literally impossible to parallel park. This issue has only gotten worse. I have researched online and have seen tons of complaints of this same issue and is stating the ones who did have the issue fixed it was the rack and pinion which cost $1400-$1700 to fix! therefore a recall needs to be made of this issue due to faulty assembly before someone gets injured!
My Acadia began having power steering issues. I checked the power steering fluid, but the level was fine. The problem got increasingly worse until it was to the point that I could hardly turn the car at times. This is a dangerous situation as I would have easily hit other cars going around corners, etc. This is a serious issue as all the people I know that own Acadias, have the same power steering issues. This is clearly a widespread and possible accident-causing problem. I believe this should be considered for a recall because of the danger involved in not being able to control this car when the power steering is out.
I have a 2009 Acadia slt2. I was entering the highway and accelerating when the car would not increase in speed as I was merging onto the highway. I was nearly hit by a semi-tractor trailer truck. The same problem has occurred multiple times after this. I have taken the car in for service and was told by a GM authorized dealer that they could not replicate the issue and they replace a coil. The car still does the same thing intermittently. This car has had other safety issues, like water leaking into the cabin and nearly shocking me while trying to drive.
As my wife pulled out of the driveway, she heard a "clunk" noise, and she had to apply a lot of effort to straighten out the vehicle. My wife has stated that this is almost a common issue with the steering and many times she has to use a lot of force to steer the vehicle in a straight line. We took the vehicle to the dealership who stated that this is a common occurrence and that it would cost $400 to repair this problem. We declined the repair and felt that this was as safety issue and that it should be repaired without any costs to us. We have filed a complaint with the General Motors company however we have only received a form type E-mail indicating that our complaint is in their files. We have also information from other web sites that this is a common issue, however nothing has been done at a federal level. We only have 35,000 miles on this vehicle and now we are really afraid to take any kind of long highway trips for fear that this would happen at highway speeds and that this may result in serious injury and or death of ourselves and our loved ones. Please advise as to what other actions we can take to resolve this safety issue. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I have had the car for 1.5 years, the power steering went out making it impossible to get the car out of parking spots or even turn at a light. The transmission went out, the ignition went bad, the steering column went out. The car has been recalled 6 times & in the shop countless more. Serious problems with Acadias.
The vehicle has slowly become harder and harder to steer at low speeds and low RPM. After some research, the power steering on the Acadia seems to be a very common problem that has not been recalled. I fear that if this issue gets worse and starts happening at higher speeds, an accident could occur. Currently, the problem is only obvious at speeds between 0-25 mph.
The power steering quits at slow speeds or slowing down to make a turn. Becomes like a manual steering that suddenly becomes hard to turn the wheel. Happens in both forward and reverse. Makes it difficult to get out of parking spaces. Also difficult to stay in proper lane when making a corner turn, have to fight the wheel.
Incident (first big symptom): Braking and slowing to yield sign from offramp/ steering felt as if ignition turned off and car became much less stable in steering with a stiffening and rattling/tapping noise somewhere just left to the center of the steering wheel. Once trying to turn realized there was no power, thought the engine had stopped running and then hitting the gas the steering suddenly pops back into assist. This is a very unsettling first occurrence that I see on multiple internet sites has been happening since at least 2011 in many different versions of this chassis. It would have been nice to have known this before two things: 1. before I had my four daughters and the neighbors kid in my car to put at risk of killing them ( GM shame on you as you this problem exists for 4 years) 2. before the warranty was one month out of contract. The dealer states this is "unusual to them', they have not heard of it happening and do not think it is unusual that a vehicle with only 58000 miles on it has the entire steering pump, gear, and rack assembly blow seals. Repair costs are quoted at $2000. Need to replace rack, pump and something else. Additionally, there are 56 posts relating to steering alone. Some of us driving these vehicles feel that being able to have a chance of piloting the car safely may be important. I used to think my dad was silly when he would say something is a poor design, but did the engineers actually do any testing on these vehicles" do you test the problem or just keep saying it's not happening" thank goodness this is all low speed and no one has died yet ( at least that we know of).
I was making a turn at a curve and the steering seemed to lock up. I braked hard to stop before running off road. Steering wheel kicked as I tried to straighten the wheels, then started working again. The steering has gotten worse over the last few weeks making turning difficult at almost any speed. It is intermittent and comes especially at slower speeds. I have not been able to get it to the dealer yet.
TL * the contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and when making a turn, the power steering malfunctioned making it extremely difficult for her to maneuver the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that there was a leak in the power steering gear. As a result, the pump and steering gear needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 72,178 and the current mileage was 80,000. Updated 08/11/14
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Novi, MI, USA