What breaks most · 2007 to 2019 model years
GMC Acadia problems by year
Owners have filed 2,564 safety complaints with NHTSA about the GMC Acadia across model years 2007 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2008 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2007 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2010 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 2016, 2015 and 2013.
- Years to check closely: 2008, 2007, 2010
- Fewest complaints: 2016, 2015, 2013
- Complaints on file
- 25642007 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2008763 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 8042 fires · 129 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 69kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 56Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 406 | 13 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (178) | |
| 763 | 19 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (269) | |
| 286 | 7 | 7 | Steering (107) | |
| 296 | 5 | 4 | Steering (135) | |
| 206 | 7 | 5 | Steering (53) | |
| 188 | 5 | 5 | Steering (37) | |
| 59 | 2 | 3 | Electrical system (15) | |
| 140 | 9 | 6 | Electrical system (34) | |
| 54 | 1 | 4 | Steering (12) | |
| 24 | 5 | 4 | Unknown or other (6) | |
| 121 | 5 | 4 | Unknown or other (37) | |
| 17 | 2 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (1) |
What fails on the 2008 GMC Acadia
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 35% |
269 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 17% |
129 | 6 | Shop steering parts for the 2008 GMC Acadia |
| Air bags | 16% |
122 | 10 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 15% |
118 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2008 GMC Acadia |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 13% |
98 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2008 GMC Acadia |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 11% |
83 | 3 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2008 GMC Acadia |
| Unknown or other | 6% |
46 | 1 | — |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 6% |
45 | 0 | Shop stability control parts for the 2008 GMC Acadia |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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I needed to add this information to complaint 11113379. Sometimes the care would be shifting okay and going 55 miles per hour and then it would downshift to 1st gear and stay in first gear
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While driving on the interstate going 60 mph the suv jerked and then the rpm accelerated and then slowed down. I had to take my foot off the accelerator. I was almost hit by a 18 wheeler. It really happens when i have the air conditioner on.
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Truck wont crank! New battery, starter & alternater passed. Boosted it off cranked straight up, parked for a hour, wouldn't crank again. Vehicle was stationary in a parking lot.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which GMC Acadia years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2008, 2007, 2010 carry the most filings on the GMC Acadia. The 2008 alone has 763 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common GMC Acadia problem?
On the 2008 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 269 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do GMC Acadia problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all GMC Acadia complaints that include mileage is about 69,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.