10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,058 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.

2012 GMC Acadia engine problems

engine problem

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2012 GMC Acadia Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #27

May 242024

Acadia

  • miles

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

142,000 miles and timing chain is bad. A very known issue and a very common issue in the GMC Acadia Denali which I think should be repaired by GM! I only owe $4,000 on the car and it's going to cost me 3,000 to get it fixed that is ridiculous so I think you should stand behind your workmanship and your quality of vehicles that you build GM and fix it take care of your customers as we keep buying this type of junk

- Dallastown, PA, USA

problem #26

Sep 172023

Acadia

  • 158,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the RPM would rise to 4,000 however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle and became aware of smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine block, camshaft, reverse gear, and transmission housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 158,000.

- Genoa City, WI, USA

problem #25

Jun 012022

Acadia

  • miles
The automatic passenger side window does not work anymore, it went out a couple months after I bought it. I have always done maintenance on my vehicle, oil changes, tires, etc. and the timing chain went out on it for some unknown reason. Very pricey to fix. I would hate to be stranded with my 6 grandchildren with. With all the complaints on the timing chain, this should be a recall.

- Embarrass, MN, USA

problem #24

Apr 122023

Acadia

  • miles

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

I was driving 40 mph, when warnings appeared on my dash. "Service Stabalizor control", "Traction control turned off", "power is reduced", and the check engine light came on. I lost power as if engine quit, no acceration, but then came back intermittent. If I had been on a highway going 65 mph, in heavy traffic, there may have been an accident. Power steering remained on. I took to an auto service business, and they were unable to find the problem. Code indicated a fuel pressure problem.

- Springboro, OH, USA

problem #23

Aug 082021

Acadia

  • miles
Was waiting on dealership to catch up to bring in for a transmission problem. I know it is transmission related due to not wanting to shift properly and the fact my friend has same make and model only about 100000 more miles than mine does was doing same symptoms and she took to 3 or 4 mechanics and all said nothing wrong..no codes show up...needless to say after about 2 months it stalled out on her on interstate with speed limit 75 and she barely moving. I myself was at a sharp curve in turn lane waiting on traffic and when I braked to stop it made horrible sound and felt like brake was pushed through floorboard. When I was clear to go i push accelerator down to the floor and am barely inching along and am now stuck in the road in a 90 curve where its hard to see traffic coming. This was very scary and traumatic having this happen. I'm just glad it was only myself and the other drivers were being observant and paying attention to the road. This has happened a lot compared to research on blogs car complaints websites. The common problem is it doesn't give a code when diagnostic checked. 99% of cases show they best guess or find something else wrong and you pay 3 or 4 charges until you finally convince them its the transmission and then you're out 5000. Not counting the average 4500 you've already pd due to not listening to the driver of their vehicle and causing unnecessary charges and leaving you without a vehicle too long that isn't necessary.

- Mineral Springs, AR, USA

problem #22

Aug 252021

Acadia

  • miles
Driving at 55mph, suddenly the Traction Control blinks on & off, the vehicle starts skipping. Next, Service Stabilitrack System appears and I almost come to a complete stop, Engine Running at Reduced Power appears. I barely made it to the side of the road, traffic was heavy at the time. This is apparently a common issue with other Owners and could be a number of different sensors, parts malfunctioning.

- Cornelia, GA, USA

problem #21

Jul 182020

Acadia

  • 70,000 miles

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

A P0306 code appeared. I took it to my mechanic and he expressed that my engine was 'porous'. when I start my engine there's a rough start. When it's idle the car shakes.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #20

Feb 092021

Acadia

  • 105,000 miles
I have 2 ongoing issues, 1st is the car will be driving fine then get a check engine light and have a code for cylinder misfire. Car was at dealer multiple times with issue and could not duplicate while under extended warranty. Mysteriously the intake has to come apart and be reworked since the warranty expired, and still has same issues. The 2nd and more concerning issue is the power steering. Initially took in and told the rack and pinion needs changed. Still had same issue and told power steering now needs to be changed, so we did. Sound and still stiff after 2 racks and 2 pumps. Mechanic refused to work it again. Took to dealer yesterday. Says needs new power steering pump. So dealer took for a test drive and said it's still doing it and needs another rack and pinion. At what point is GMC that has a known safety issue with steering going to fix this issue. I can't keep throwing money at this thing and I can't feel unsafe in it. What can I do?

- Hoschton, GA, USA

problem #19

Feb 052021

Acadia

  • 112,000 miles
Engine light came on. Turns out to be Cadillac converter.

- Carlyle, IL, USA

problem #18

Sep 172019

Acadia

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that at start-up, the engine misfire with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic stated that the timing chain needed to be replaced. A secondary independent mechanic confirmed the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

- Gary, IN, USA

problem #17

Sep 182017

Acadia

  • 91,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that three days after the vehicle was purchased, the contact was unable to start the vehicle. The contact also stated that the check engine warning light later illuminated. The vehicle was taken to kindle auto plaza Ford (523 stone harbor blvd, cape may court, (609) 465-5000), where the starter, the timing chain and the transmission were replaced. Additionally, the air bag sensor light illuminated while driving at an unknown speed. The vehicle was taking to the same dealer, where the front passenger's air bag sensor was replaced. The sensor failure recurred several times and the dealer referred the contact to the NHTSA. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

- Wildwood, NJ, USA

problem #16

Mar 182020

Acadia

  • 102,500 miles
Bought this GMC used with 32000 miles. Performed regular scheduled maintenance. The car just hit 102,000 miles and the engine seized up. I was driving it home and stopped at a light and the car just died. I thought it was the battery. There was no warning as I heard no noise, did not see any build-up or smoke coming from the car. The dealership and a 2nd mechanic both verified the engine issue. It just blows my mind that a vehicle that just hit 100,000 miles would have an engine do this. The cost to replace the engine is about $8,000-$9,000.

- Midlothian, VA, USA

problem #15

Sep 082019

Acadia

  • 140,000 miles
Driving down the road made my vehicle made a weird noise and lost all power. Took it to a dealership they said it was the timing chain. I spent 10K on a newer vehicle and this happens. Dealership it gonna be anywhere from $5,500-7,000 to fix it. I cam't afford to fix that. How is GM still making this motor with a timing chain issue and how is this year not on recall for this the years before were on recall for it. My vehicle justs sits on trailer. Jas been there for 2 monthes. Nothing like payin on a dead horse

- Six Lakes, MI, USA

problem #14

Aug 242019

Acadia

  • 111,900 miles
Car started running roughly. It was loud upon starting. The car would make especially loud noises when on curves. Then the check engine light came on. Had it checked by a mechanic. Was told the timing chain is bad and needs replaced. This mechanic told me he sees this problem a lot & it has to be repaired by a dealership. The dealership's cost for this repair is $4400. I can't afford that. Upon calling mechanics all over town, they all say it's a common problem with GM's timing chains.

- Dublin, OH, USA

problem #13

Aug 242019

Acadia

  • 88,674 miles
Tamara recall I have replaced two hard fuel lines in the last month from them cracking or the weld failure and now I have to replace one of them again. When these lines fail they spray fuel on the hot engine and transmission that could cause the vehicle to start on fire

- Jopiln, MO, USA

problem #12

Jun 172019

Acadia

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. While driving approximately 25 mph, the steering shook and made noises. In addition, the service traction control and check engine indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but they could not diagnose the failures. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

- Tracy, CA, USA

problem #11

Mar 022019

Acadia

  • 100,000 miles
The engine misses and has severe carbon buildup on the valves. The intake boot and intake manifold are covered in oil residue from the breather tube for the motor. The transmission started having issues at 100K. It hesitates, shutters, and fails to change gears while driving at highway speeds. The transmissions are a known issue and I dont understand how this is not a recall.

- Zanesville, OH, USA

problem #10

Mar 082019

Acadia

  • 80,000 miles
Took my car into garage because engine light came on and I almost stalled out multiple times before I made it to the garage. My car was trailing smoke. The code said the timing belt was affected. He said that usually means the whole engine needs replaced. My car just turned 80,000 miles. He said car engines last much longer than that, it should not have anything wrong with it. He told me that many GM motors are recalled, this model and age should've been recalled with as many customers he's seen in his shop with the same problem. I bought my car brand new in 2012, I know how it was taken care of. The engine should not be breaking down just as the payments came to an end. Do the right thing and recall the engines.

- Rimersburg, PA, USA

problem #9

Feb 022019

Acadia

  • 84,000 miles
We bought this used car from a dealer drove it about 4 to 5 months and the left signal light failed, so we changed it worked for one day and then went dead again. Turning left from my street the steering was really hard and had problems turning left but I did finally on another occasion the same thing happened. Finally driving suddenly we saw a turn engine off and the engine started making loud noises and went dead in the middle of the street. So we kept gliding with no engine running and went into a parking lot. Lucky for us the car stopped right in the parking lot. Had to be towed few miles to a mechanic that told us the timing chain is broken and in need for new engine. We towed it to another mechanic and the same thing was told. So now it is been sitting at the mechanic's shop for two week waiting for new engine to come in. I can not believe that around 84000 miles this car needs a new engine and it is not cheap at all. The car has a salvage tilte but this does not have anything to do with the problems since too many people have been documenting this problem, steering, electrical and failed engine. Why GM did not recall these cars for these failure. They are putting people and families at risk and we are stuck with the repairs and the bills piling up.

- Dearborn Heights, MI, USA

problem #8

Oct 102018

Acadia

  • 70,302 miles
At 70,000 miles, the valve spring broke, and allowed the keepers of the valve to come out and then the valve dropped into the cylinder. The mechanic had never seen anything like this before, and called it a catastrophic failure. The cost to put in a new engine was $8922.38, and then a couple days later, we had to replace the alternator, which was most likely caused by the engine failure. The engine failed while pulling out of a store parking lot - it just stopped. When we tried restarting the engine, there was a terrible noise (metal parts were grinding inside the engine)

- Renton, WA, USA

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