gmc acadia 2009 Complaints

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER

my client was driving a 2009 gmc acadia (acquired 09-03-2008) on interstate 10 near marriana florida on 08-08-09 when the car caught on fire and burned completely. my client, her daughter, ann and ann's 2 young boys were traveling to a destination in florida. fortunately one of the boys needed to go to the bathroom so they stopped along side the interstate. the car burned up in front of their eyes. . we have received no reports of the cause yet. i have a lot of photographs. fortunately ,no one was burned - but the car and all of its contents were burned completely.

Reported in: METAIRIE LA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D89J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

purchased a new 2009 gmc acadia, the navigation, radio and dvd system failed. vehicle only had 405 miles on it. i noted that there were 4 electrical failures documented in nhtsa report on the acadia. the nav. radio and dvd are powered by the electrical system as is the computer system and for this reason i have concern that a computer failure might occur while driving the vehicle which could be a serious safety concern. the vehicle was taken to dealer for repair, they could not repair the failed system nor did they even know what was wrong with the system. dealer had to replace the system. no reason by the dealer was given as to why the navigation, radio and dvd system failed. they said they may never know why it failed. the failed equipment was to be sent into gmc for a failure analysis.

Reported in: ALPINE UT || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D19J

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

i opened my tailgage today, 12/13/09, to put some items into my trunk. i leaned in to get them situated & secure when suddenly the liftgate slammed down on my lower back, trapping me against the inside of my trunk. i was unable to lift the gate and had to slither out onto the ground, at which point the liftgate completely closed. i reopened the liftgate, unsure of what had happened, and woosh! it slammed shut again. the liftgate will not stay up, and clearly the sensors that are supposed to detect objects impeding it's closure are not working. i have two small children who often get items out of the trunk - such as jackets or umbrellas - and if this had happened to them, it would have been their head or neck that got caught. i brought the car into lehmer's gmc in concord ca this morning after visiting the doctor who looked at my swollen lower back. they told me since i wished to file a claim with gmc -- not for compensation, simply to have official written notice that this is a dangerous occurrence -- that they would not repair the liftgate and would have to give it back to me still damaged and dangerous. i'm quite surprised that they would return a potentially dangerous vehicle to a customer. my lower back is currently swollen and sore. i've called my doctor's office to request an appointment for tomorrow morning when they open and i will be taking the car into concord gmc for service.

Reported in: LAFAYETTE CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D99J

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

our 2009 gmc acadia, with front wheel drive, rolls backward when parked on a slight incline even when the transmission is in drive. this past weekend it rolled backward hitting my husband who was walking behind the vehicle. he wasn't injured but we believe this is a serious safety issue especially if children are involved. also, the vehicle rolls backward, approximately one foot in distance, after the vehicle was placed in park and is parked on an incline. this also happened when the vehicle is stopped at an intersection, in drive, and when on an incline. this could cause an accident.

Reported in: BRIDGEWATER NJ || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D19J

STRUCTURE

the hydraulics on my tailgate failed suddenly. i always use the power liftgate to open my tailgate, but this time when it reached the top, the tailgate suddenly dropped several inches, when the gas struts should have taken over the weight of the tailgate. i was standing under the tailgate at the time when it happened, and it hit me on the head, before the power liftgate took over again to close the liftgate . in manual mode, the gas struts don't function at all now. my vehicle is 21 months old. it is booked into a dealership to investigate the failure.

Reported in: BLOOMFIELD MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23DX9J

STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS

the hydraulics on my tailgate failed suddenly. i always use the power liftgate to open my tailgate, but this time when it reached the top, the tailgate suddenly dropped several inches, when the gas struts should have taken over the weight of the tailgate. i was standing under the tailgate at the time when it happened, and it hit me on the head, before the power liftgate took over again to close the liftgate . in manual mode, the gas struts don't function at all now. my vehicle is 21 months old. it is booked into a dealership to investigate the failure.

Reported in: BLOOMFIELD MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23DX9J

STRUCTURE:BODY

vehicle has automatic, power assisted rear hatch back door opener. when it operates properly, the door closes slowly, using the struts for downward resistance. now however, the hatch will open, but then abruptly shut, often with great force due to the weight of the door. the force is great enough to cause harm, and possible death to a small person. this is a full sized suv, and the rear hatch includes the door and glass, and is very heavy by itself. 2nd. item - this vehicle has remote tire pressure readings and displays a warning on the dash if a tire pressure gets too low. the problem is the device does not reflect the proper tire, it will indicate the front left tire is too low, when in actuality, it is the rear left. thus, the device does not work, which would lead someone to drive around with a very low rear tire, thinking all tires were fine, because when they checked the front tire that was shown to be low, it was actually ok. this needs to be correctly reporting the right tire.

Reported in: DES MOINES IA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D69J

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact was reversing from a residential driveway on a steep incline with the accelerator pedal lightly depressed when the vehicle abnormally began to roll backward. the vehicle independently rolled approximately ten feet. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the failure recurred. the dealer was able to duplicate the failure but was unable to provide a remedy. the dealer advised the contact that the vehicle was safe to drive back to his residence which was 1,000 miles away. the vehicle was taken to a second dealer closer to his residence but they were unable to duplicate the failure. the dealer advised that the vehicle was operating as normal. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 25,144 and the current mileage was 26,244.

Reported in: RIDGEFIELD PARK NJ || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV13D09J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

power door locks inoperative after shifting into park intermittently. locking occupants inside of vehicle. vehicle has been repaired three times where it was purchased for this safety issue. after shutting vehicle off, issue resets itself with proper power door locks operation.

Reported in: WESTFIELD IN || Crash: N || VIN #:

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

power door locks inoperative after shifting into park intermittently. locking occupants inside of vehicle. vehicle has been repaired three times where it was purchased for this safety issue. after shutting vehicle off, issue resets itself with proper power door locks operation.

Reported in: WESTFIELD IN || Crash: N || VIN #:

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

the battery has died three different times after being driven the night prior. i have taken it into the shop once where they said nothing was wrong, but the battery was low, they charged it. the second time (a week later) i was told the battery could not keep a charge so they gave me a new one. now three months later, it dies again. waiting to hear what they are going to do now. i can't imagine a car that is a year old can go through two batteries, needing a third.

Reported in: PORTER RANCH CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D59J

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

i believe i have some type of electrical issue. i started testing different parts of the dashboard lights such as the driver seatbelt. i purposely drove several miles in my neighborhood with the seatbelt over me, but not engaged and the light did not come on. my airbag service light came one for service, they serviced it, it came back on, they replaced a seatbelt component, the light was off, but came back on, they did another replacement and the light is now off. my frontend was making funny noise when making turns, they replaced my rack and pinion. my service stabilitrak light, service traction control light came one, they fixed it, they came on again, they kept my vehicle for a day and fixed it. they are back on again along with the abs light and now i'm told that i probably need a break job. breaks were not mentioned the other times. my electronic key pad deteriorated and no longer works, they said it was user handling, my other key pad is not malfunctioning, you can see were the pad is begining to sink in, but they said it's my handling. the case is chipped and the chipping has occurred in the same place on both key pads. my middle seat passenger side case came apart twice, each time they fixed it, it's now broken, and i was told they don't repair broken parts. i am still under the bumper to bumper warranty, but gmc will not replace my key pads, and the service tech says he will try really hard to get my seat covered. the tint on my windows have been replaced three times and still is not correct. my dvd player does not play correctly and has not been fixed since it's been in my vehicle. my vehicle is a 2009 acadia. i had a leak in the trunk, they fixed that. air pressure will not stay consistent, was told by service advisor to over inflate to compensate, which is different from what the owners manual states. tire pressure issues needed sensor replaced after several trips to service department. the vehicle is an expensive piece of junk.

Reported in: JACKSONVILLE FL || Crash: N || VIN #: 5N1AA08A35N

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

i believe i have some type of electrical issue. i started testing different parts of the dashboard lights such as the driver seatbelt. i purposely drove several miles in my neighborhood with the seatbelt over me, but not engaged and the light did not come on. my airbag service light came one for service, they serviced it, it came back on, they replaced a seatbelt component, the light was off, but came back on, they did another replacement and the light is now off. my frontend was making funny noise when making turns, they replaced my rack and pinion. my service stabilitrak light, service traction control light came one, they fixed it, they came on again, they kept my vehicle for a day and fixed it. they are back on again along with the abs light and now i'm told that i probably need a break job. breaks were not mentioned the other times. my electronic key pad deteriorated and no longer works, they said it was user handling, my other key pad is not malfunctioning, you can see were the pad is begining to sink in, but they said it's my handling. the case is chipped and the chipping has occurred in the same place on both key pads. my middle seat passenger side case came apart twice, each time they fixed it, it's now broken, and i was told they don't repair broken parts. i am still under the bumper to bumper warranty, but gmc will not replace my key pads, and the service tech says he will try really hard to get my seat covered. the tint on my windows have been replaced three times and still is not correct. my dvd player does not play correctly and has not been fixed since it's been in my vehicle. my vehicle is a 2009 acadia. i had a leak in the trunk, they fixed that. air pressure will not stay consistent, was told by service advisor to over inflate to compensate, which is different from what the owners manual states. tire pressure issues needed sensor replaced after several trips to service department. the vehicle is an expensive piece of junk.

Reported in: JACKSONVILLE FL || Crash: N || VIN #: 5N1AA08A35N

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL

i believe i have some type of electrical issue. i started testing different parts of the dashboard lights such as the driver seatbelt. i purposely drove several miles in my neighborhood with the seatbelt over me, but not engaged and the light did not come on. my airbag service light came one for service, they serviced it, it came back on, they replaced a seatbelt component, the light was off, but came back on, they did another replacement and the light is now off. my frontend was making funny noise when making turns, they replaced my rack and pinion. my service stabilitrak light, service traction control light came one, they fixed it, they came on again, they kept my vehicle for a day and fixed it. they are back on again along with the abs light and now i'm told that i probably need a break job. breaks were not mentioned the other times. my electronic key pad deteriorated and no longer works, they said it was user handling, my other key pad is not malfunctioning, you can see were the pad is begining to sink in, but they said it's my handling. the case is chipped and the chipping has occurred in the same place on both key pads. my middle seat passenger side case came apart twice, each time they fixed it, it's now broken, and i was told they don't repair broken parts. i am still under the bumper to bumper warranty, but gmc will not replace my key pads, and the service tech says he will try really hard to get my seat covered. the tint on my windows have been replaced three times and still is not correct. my dvd player does not play correctly and has not been fixed since it's been in my vehicle. my vehicle is a 2009 acadia. i had a leak in the trunk, they fixed that. air pressure will not stay consistent, was told by service advisor to over inflate to compensate, which is different from what the owners manual states. tire pressure issues needed sensor replaced after several trips to service department. the vehicle is an expensive piece of junk.

Reported in: JACKSONVILLE FL || Crash: N || VIN #: 5N1AA08A35N

TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM

i believe i have some type of electrical issue. i started testing different parts of the dashboard lights such as the driver seatbelt. i purposely drove several miles in my neighborhood with the seatbelt over me, but not engaged and the light did not come on. my airbag service light came one for service, they serviced it, it came back on, they replaced a seatbelt component, the light was off, but came back on, they did another replacement and the light is now off. my frontend was making funny noise when making turns, they replaced my rack and pinion. my service stabilitrak light, service traction control light came one, they fixed it, they came on again, they kept my vehicle for a day and fixed it. they are back on again along with the abs light and now i'm told that i probably need a break job. breaks were not mentioned the other times. my electronic key pad deteriorated and no longer works, they said it was user handling, my other key pad is not malfunctioning, you can see were the pad is begining to sink in, but they said it's my handling. the case is chipped and the chipping has occurred in the same place on both key pads. my middle seat passenger side case came apart twice, each time they fixed it, it's now broken, and i was told they don't repair broken parts. i am still under the bumper to bumper warranty, but gmc will not replace my key pads, and the service tech says he will try really hard to get my seat covered. the tint on my windows have been replaced three times and still is not correct. my dvd player does not play correctly and has not been fixed since it's been in my vehicle. my vehicle is a 2009 acadia. i had a leak in the trunk, they fixed that. air pressure will not stay consistent, was told by service advisor to over inflate to compensate, which is different from what the owners manual states. tire pressure issues needed sensor replaced after several trips to service department. the vehicle is an expensive piece of junk.

Reported in: JACKSONVILLE FL || Crash: N || VIN #: 5N1AA08A35N

TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

i believe i have some type of electrical issue. i started testing different parts of the dashboard lights such as the driver seatbelt. i purposely drove several miles in my neighborhood with the seatbelt over me, but not engaged and the light did not come on. my airbag service light came one for service, they serviced it, it came back on, they replaced a seatbelt component, the light was off, but came back on, they did another replacement and the light is now off. my frontend was making funny noise when making turns, they replaced my rack and pinion. my service stabilitrak light, service traction control light came one, they fixed it, they came on again, they kept my vehicle for a day and fixed it. they are back on again along with the abs light and now i'm told that i probably need a break job. breaks were not mentioned the other times. my electronic key pad deteriorated and no longer works, they said it was user handling, my other key pad is not malfunctioning, you can see were the pad is begining to sink in, but they said it's my handling. the case is chipped and the chipping has occurred in the same place on both key pads. my middle seat passenger side case came apart twice, each time they fixed it, it's now broken, and i was told they don't repair broken parts. i am still under the bumper to bumper warranty, but gmc will not replace my key pads, and the service tech says he will try really hard to get my seat covered. the tint on my windows have been replaced three times and still is not correct. my dvd player does not play correctly and has not been fixed since it's been in my vehicle. my vehicle is a 2009 acadia. i had a leak in the trunk, they fixed that. air pressure will not stay consistent, was told by service advisor to over inflate to compensate, which is different from what the owners manual states. tire pressure issues needed sensor replaced after several trips to service department. the vehicle is an expensive piece of junk.

Reported in: JACKSONVILLE FL || Crash: N || VIN #: 5N1AA08A35N

STEERING

i own a 2009 gmc acadia fwd slt-1, the vehicle was purchased new. we had minor issues with the vehicle and until recently, were very satisfied with the build quality, performance, and the vehicle overall. while en-route to pick up our kids, the power steering appeared stiff. there was no power assist of the steering at low / idle engine speeds, which made slow maneuvering extremely difficult, if not impossible. the performance of the power steering became worse and worse, to the point where my wife felt unsafe driving the vehicle. she was uncomfortable turning at intersections, and maneuvering in slow-speed conditions such as parking lots. we immediately scheduled a service appointment with our local dealership. the service team advised us that the steering pump needed to be replaced. the dealership declined to repair the vehicle at their cost because it was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was purchased on 9/30/2008; it is only two and half years new with 46,491 miles. it is disappointing that the vehicle would require such a repair. you may or may not be aware that this defect with the power steering pump is being reported by many acadia owners. in addition, there is an issue with the steering rack that was documented in a service bulletin. we informed the service area of the unusual noises but they stated that there is no clear connection with this repair. at this time, they recommended replacing the steering pump at a cost of $522.16. this is clearly a design/manufacturing part issue; gm should publish a service alert to warn owners of this known issue that can lead to serious injury if failure occurs.

Reported in: FLORHAM PARK NJ || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D59J

STEERING

power steering stopped working while turning at red light if you rev up engine you can turn at idle no power steering pump jerks and spits fluid out ordered new pump call gm they say they know but its not there problem when are going to fix there problem when some one gets killed this vehicle only has 43,000 on it.

Reported in: CALDWELL OH || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV13D79J

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

tl*the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while the vehicle was parked an occupant was standing underneath the lift gate and the door suddenly began to close on its own. the occupant sustained scratches to her hand and was able to avoid being struck. the contact stated there was a safety feature for the lift gate to open automatically if something was underneath it while it was closing but it did not function. the contact also stated when the lift gate opened halfway it automatically began to close. the failure occurred constantly. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the approximate failure mileage was 30,894.

Reported in: DEMASCUS MD || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23758J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

drivers side headlight not functioning. found burnt wiring harness and connector.

Reported in: FORT WORTH TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D49J

STRUCTURE:BODY

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact was operating the automatic liftgate when it suddenly slammed down onto the contact and would not lift back up. she received minor injuries to her arm. the dealer was contacted and an appointment was scheduled for inspection and possible repairs. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was approximately 28,500. the vin was unavailable.

Reported in: CYPRESS TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D09J

STEERING

2009 gmc acadia; steering rack failure. this is the third failure since taking delivery of the vehicle in january 2009. dealer will repair under warranty however, the replacement parts are clearly not fixing the problem. possible loss of vehicle control when the rack fails completely and suddenly. more often, the rack will leak internally giving owner "time" to repair. nhtsa needs to investigate as the cars affected are numerous. they include the acadia, the saturn outlook, buick enclave and a similar chevrolet model (lambda chassis) that utilizes the same component. additionally, what happens to consumers once the warranty expires and the repeated failure occurs once again? this is my third failure in only 32,500 miles.

Reported in: OLD BETHPAGE NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D49J

STEERING

power steering went in vehicle going around a turn. almost hit a tree. complained to gmc about the danger and they did nothing. i have two small children and bought this for safety. i do not feel safe in this vehicle anymore! this has happened to several other 2009 acadia owners as well. gmc knows about it, but has not recalled the vehicle or let people know the dangers of this.

Reported in: BLOOMINGBURG NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV13D59J

SUSPENSION

i bought the acadia new in 2009 . at 15k miles cd player turns on at night by itself and runs battery completely down had to go buy a battery charger to get the car started you can't move the car when the battery is dead, a re program fixed the cd player. 35-40k miles dvd player will not work, re program did not work, dealer replaced dvd player. 40k miles water pump went out, 40 k miles wheel alignment went out and wore the front tires to the cord, no mention of compensation for two new tires at a cost of $500.00. 10k miles further another set of tires had to be replaced at the same cost, this is after dealer wheel alignment,5 k miles more and the alignment had to performed again. just checked again at 5 k miles more and tires are starting to feather again. at 60k miles one of the driving lights went out. the dealer wants over $100.00 to replace the bulb, seems as though the front end needs to come off to replace a lightbulb that used to cost a few dollars. the paint has started to peel off the buttons that control the air conditioner fan. the gas mileage is not as advertised. i was told that after 10k miles it would get better, that was 50 k miles a go. over all this car is a real expensive pile of crap. i would not recommend the acadia to any one.

Reported in: LOS LUNAS NM || Crash: N || VIN #:

EQUIPMENT

i bought the acadia new in 2009 . at 15k miles cd player turns on at night by itself and runs battery completely down had to go buy a battery charger to get the car started you can't move the car when the battery is dead, a re program fixed the cd player. 35-40k miles dvd player will not work, re program did not work, dealer replaced dvd player. 40k miles water pump went out, 40 k miles wheel alignment went out and wore the front tires to the cord, no mention of compensation for two new tires at a cost of $500.00. 10k miles further another set of tires had to be replaced at the same cost, this is after dealer wheel alignment,5 k miles more and the alignment had to performed again. just checked again at 5 k miles more and tires are starting to feather again. at 60k miles one of the driving lights went out. the dealer wants over $100.00 to replace the bulb, seems as though the front end needs to come off to replace a lightbulb that used to cost a few dollars. the paint has started to peel off the buttons that control the air conditioner fan. the gas mileage is not as advertised. i was told that after 10k miles it would get better, that was 50 k miles a go. over all this car is a real expensive pile of crap. i would not recommend the acadia to any one.

Reported in: LOS LUNAS NM || Crash: N || VIN #:

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

i bought the acadia new in 2009 . at 15k miles cd player turns on at night by itself and runs battery completely down had to go buy a battery charger to get the car started you can't move the car when the battery is dead, a re program fixed the cd player. 35-40k miles dvd player will not work, re program did not work, dealer replaced dvd player. 40k miles water pump went out, 40 k miles wheel alignment went out and wore the front tires to the cord, no mention of compensation for two new tires at a cost of $500.00. 10k miles further another set of tires had to be replaced at the same cost, this is after dealer wheel alignment,5 k miles more and the alignment had to performed again. just checked again at 5 k miles more and tires are starting to feather again. at 60k miles one of the driving lights went out. the dealer wants over $100.00 to replace the bulb, seems as though the front end needs to come off to replace a lightbulb that used to cost a few dollars. the paint has started to peel off the buttons that control the air conditioner fan. the gas mileage is not as advertised. i was told that after 10k miles it would get better, that was 50 k miles a go. over all this car is a real expensive pile of crap. i would not recommend the acadia to any one.

Reported in: LOS LUNAS NM || Crash: N || VIN #:

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

exterior lighting- drivers side headlight not functioning. found burnt wiring harness and connector.

Reported in: SPRING GROVE IL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D29J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc arcadia. the contact stated that the wiring for the exterior light melted and would no longer activate, making it difficult to see at night. the dealer was in the process of repairing the failure. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 48,000 and the current mileage was 53,000. the vin was unavailable.

Reported in: INDIANAPOLIS IN || Crash: N || VIN #:

POWER TRAIN

first problem was the timing chains needing to be replaced at 18000 miles. after that repair was made the gas mileage was averaging 11 mpg. it was a one year old car! after that, it was a multitude of problems. steering rack/power steering replaced and 'fixed', electric stabilitrak lights going on and off, dvd player not playing properly. all things the dealer had said they fixed (after they whispered that i should not have bought an american car.) now the transmission is acting up. rolling down an incline when i was trying to back out of a parking spot. the dealer told me it was fine and they could not duplicate the issues i was having. i've written two letters to gm corporate to complain about the sub-standard vehicle. they were helpless and will not assist in any replacement of the car. they even told me that this would be a difficult car to trade in considering the problems i have had with it. who is kidding who? i would never recommend this car and hate to continually put my family in it .it is unsafe. period.

Reported in: BRIGHTWATERS NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

STEERING

first problem was the timing chains needing to be replaced at 18000 miles. after that repair was made the gas mileage was averaging 11 mpg. it was a one year old car! after that, it was a multitude of problems. steering rack/power steering replaced and 'fixed', electric stabilitrak lights going on and off, dvd player not playing properly. all things the dealer had said they fixed (after they whispered that i should not have bought an american car.) now the transmission is acting up. rolling down an incline when i was trying to back out of a parking spot. the dealer told me it was fine and they could not duplicate the issues i was having. i've written two letters to gm corporate to complain about the sub-standard vehicle. they were helpless and will not assist in any replacement of the car. they even told me that this would be a difficult car to trade in considering the problems i have had with it. who is kidding who? i would never recommend this car and hate to continually put my family in it .it is unsafe. period.

Reported in: BRIGHTWATERS NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL

first problem was the timing chains needing to be replaced at 18000 miles. after that repair was made the gas mileage was averaging 11 mpg. it was a one year old car! after that, it was a multitude of problems. steering rack/power steering replaced and 'fixed', electric stabilitrak lights going on and off, dvd player not playing properly. all things the dealer had said they fixed (after they whispered that i should not have bought an american car.) now the transmission is acting up. rolling down an incline when i was trying to back out of a parking spot. the dealer told me it was fine and they could not duplicate the issues i was having. i've written two letters to gm corporate to complain about the sub-standard vehicle. they were helpless and will not assist in any replacement of the car. they even told me that this would be a difficult car to trade in considering the problems i have had with it. who is kidding who? i would never recommend this car and hate to continually put my family in it .it is unsafe. period.

Reported in: BRIGHTWATERS NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

AIR BAGS

as per dealer suv needs a new steering rack and a new steering pump, seatbelt retractor not functioning so airbag not working-to fix items approx $2000 this is a 2009 with 75000 miles and should not need this type of repair.

Reported in: MANORVILLE NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33DX9J

STEERING

as per dealer suv needs a new steering rack and a new steering pump, seatbelt retractor not functioning so airbag not working-to fix items approx $2000 this is a 2009 with 75000 miles and should not need this type of repair.

Reported in: MANORVILLE NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33DX9J

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the engine power reduced message illuminated on the instrument panel as smoke and fire emitted from the exhaust pipe. the fire department was not contacted and no injuries were reported. the vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed that two fuel injectors were stuck, which resulted in the fuel lines and engine to become flooded. the dealer stated that in order to repair the problem the fuel lines, catalytic converter, oil and oil filter needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who covered all costs of repairs to the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 23,500 and the current mileage was 24,500.

Reported in: WHITE HOUSE OH || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the engine power reduced message illuminated on the instrument panel as smoke and fire emitted from the exhaust pipe. the fire department was not contacted and no injuries were reported. the vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed that two fuel injectors were stuck, which resulted in the fuel lines and engine to become flooded. the dealer stated that in order to repair the problem the fuel lines, catalytic converter, oil and oil filter needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who covered all costs of repairs to the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 23,500 and the current mileage was 24,500.

Reported in: WHITE HOUSE OH || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

at approximately 38,000 miles on our acadia, the passenger headlight appeared to fail. upon reconnecting the headlight, i found it would work intermittently. upon further inspection, i found the wiring connector to the low beam bulb to be melted and cracked. this appears to be a very common problem as i am a member of an online community at www.acadiaforum.net. many owners have reported this same issue and it is also a common issue with sister vehicle saturn outlook. as these bulbs can fail at any time i think it would be in the best interests of the consumer to have these wiring harnesses replaced either in a recall, or a tsb. what would happen if the bulbs failed at night while negotiating a curve? replacing the harness is a huge expense to the owner if their vehicle is no longer covered under warranty. this is a substandard part and a huge safety hazard. please help.

Reported in: LAKEVILLE MN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D19J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

at approximately 38,000 miles on our acadia, the passenger headlight appeared to fail. upon reconnecting the headlight, i found it would work intermittently. upon further inspection, i found the wiring connector to the low beam bulb to be melted and cracked. this appears to be a very common problem as i am a member of an online community at www.acadiaforum.net. many owners have reported this same issue and it is also a common issue with sister vehicle saturn outlook. as these bulbs can fail at any time i think it would be in the best interests of the consumer to have these wiring harnesses replaced either in a recall, or a tsb. what would happen if the bulbs failed at night while negotiating a curve? replacing the harness is a huge expense to the owner if their vehicle is no longer covered under warranty. this is a substandard part and a huge safety hazard. please help.

Reported in: LAKEVILLE MN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D19J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

wiring harness to passenger side low beam headlight is defective. thought bulb was out but after inspection found the wiring harness plug had completely melted where plugged into bulb. one wire was just hanging and could see burn marks where it had been arcing as it bounced around. could definitely have caused much bigger problems than driving with one headlight i.e. fire, shorting whole electrical system, and on and on. this is a very big safety concern. these were the oem headlights not aftermarket bulbs that pull more current so should not have melted the harness plug. *tt

Reported in: WALL TX || Crash: N || VIN #:

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

wiring harness to passenger side low beam headlight is defective. thought bulb was out but after inspection found the wiring harness plug had completely melted where plugged into bulb. one wire was just hanging and could see burn marks where it had been arcing as it bounced around. could definitely have caused much bigger problems than driving with one headlight i.e. fire, shorting whole electrical system, and on and on. this is a very big safety concern. these were the oem headlights not aftermarket bulbs that pull more current so should not have melted the harness plug. *tt

Reported in: WALL TX || Crash: N || VIN #:

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

driver side low beam headlight bulb went out. purchased bulb to replace myself, but discovered harness was burnt. i then took to shop to have harness replaced. they told me it looked like something that should be a recall and told me to report and keep receipt of cost to replace. now i am concerned about the left bulb and wonder if i should go ahead and pay again to get that replaced for safety precaution.

Reported in: LEANDER TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D79J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

driver side low beam headlight bulb went out. purchased bulb to replace myself, but discovered harness was burnt. i then took to shop to have harness replaced. they told me it looked like something that should be a recall and told me to report and keep receipt of cost to replace. now i am concerned about the left bulb and wonder if i should go ahead and pay again to get that replaced for safety precaution.

Reported in: LEANDER TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D79J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

the driver side low beam headlight went out. when replacing the light bulb found that the wiring connector was partially melted and one of the wires was hanging out. the insulation on that wire was also melted off so bare wire was exposed. the original bulb also had a burnt spot where the connector attaches.

Reported in: PLAINVIEW NE || Crash: N || VIN #:

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

the driver side low beam headlight went out. when replacing the light bulb found that the wiring connector was partially melted and one of the wires was hanging out. the insulation on that wire was also melted off so bare wire was exposed. the original bulb also had a burnt spot where the connector attaches.

Reported in: PLAINVIEW NE || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while driving approximately 5 mph, the contact heard a squeaking sound coming from the steering. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the technician stated to the contact that the rack and pinion would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 43,000. updated 02/01/12 *bf the consumer stated the problem has become more intense and the rubbing noise is more pronounced, the steering wheel made a noticeable click when returning to neutral from both the left and the right at slow speeds. the consumer stated the power steering pump has been replaced three times. the consumer also stated he would be having the steering rack and pinion gear box replaced. updated 02/08/12

Reported in: PICKERINGTON OH || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D79J

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while driving approximately 5 mph, the contact heard a squeaking sound coming from the steering. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the technician stated to the contact that the rack and pinion would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 43,000. updated 02/01/12 *bf the consumer stated the problem has become more intense and the rubbing noise is more pronounced, the steering wheel made a noticeable click when returning to neutral from both the left and the right at slow speeds. the consumer stated the power steering pump has been replaced three times. the consumer also stated he would be having the steering rack and pinion gear box replaced. updated 02/08/12

Reported in: PICKERINGTON OH || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D79J

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

the headlight went out and gmc quoted me at approximately $120 to replace. husband attempted to replace it but you had to take off the wheel in order to get to the actual light. i gave gmc the go ahead to replace and they called me back and told me that the wiring had melted and that it would now be over $300 to do it. i told them no and made a complaint. they called me a few days later telling me they would do it but i had to pay $50 deductible (assuming they went through some type of warranty). it eventually became a recall and i am now looking into getting reimbursed for my $50. noticed my car started over heating and took it into a mechanic friend, let us know that the water pump needed to be replaced this was at approx 45,000 miles. i did my research and the gmc warranty covered the cost. at approximately 56-57,000 miles the car started making a whining noise when driven slow or first thing in the morning when it was cold. took it in to gmc to get it checked out and it turns out that the steering rack had a leak on each side of the wheels and pinions, and power steering pump needed to be replaced. quote almost $1500 dollars. i could not afford that price so took it back to my mechanic to see if it would be cheaper. he ended up replacing the pinions and rack but said the pump did not need to be replaced and ended paying $600 out of pocket. i'm hoping that gmc will see that many of us are having the same problem and will make it a recall. i will not be buying anymore gmc vehicles. all i want is a reliable car that won't break the bank. *kb

Reported in: MORENO VALLEY CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D19J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

the headlight went out and gmc quoted me at approximately $120 to replace. husband attempted to replace it but you had to take off the wheel in order to get to the actual light. i gave gmc the go ahead to replace and they called me back and told me that the wiring had melted and that it would now be over $300 to do it. i told them no and made a complaint. they called me a few days later telling me they would do it but i had to pay $50 deductible (assuming they went through some type of warranty). it eventually became a recall and i am now looking into getting reimbursed for my $50. noticed my car started over heating and took it into a mechanic friend, let us know that the water pump needed to be replaced this was at approx 45,000 miles. i did my research and the gmc warranty covered the cost. at approximately 56-57,000 miles the car started making a whining noise when driven slow or first thing in the morning when it was cold. took it in to gmc to get it checked out and it turns out that the steering rack had a leak on each side of the wheels and pinions, and power steering pump needed to be replaced. quote almost $1500 dollars. i could not afford that price so took it back to my mechanic to see if it would be cheaper. he ended up replacing the pinions and rack but said the pump did not need to be replaced and ended paying $600 out of pocket. i'm hoping that gmc will see that many of us are having the same problem and will make it a recall. i will not be buying anymore gmc vehicles. all i want is a reliable car that won't break the bank. *kb

Reported in: MORENO VALLEY CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D19J

STEERING

the headlight went out and gmc quoted me at approximately $120 to replace. husband attempted to replace it but you had to take off the wheel in order to get to the actual light. i gave gmc the go ahead to replace and they called me back and told me that the wiring had melted and that it would now be over $300 to do it. i told them no and made a complaint. they called me a few days later telling me they would do it but i had to pay $50 deductible (assuming they went through some type of warranty). it eventually became a recall and i am now looking into getting reimbursed for my $50. noticed my car started over heating and took it into a mechanic friend, let us know that the water pump needed to be replaced this was at approx 45,000 miles. i did my research and the gmc warranty covered the cost. at approximately 56-57,000 miles the car started making a whining noise when driven slow or first thing in the morning when it was cold. took it in to gmc to get it checked out and it turns out that the steering rack had a leak on each side of the wheels and pinions, and power steering pump needed to be replaced. quote almost $1500 dollars. i could not afford that price so took it back to my mechanic to see if it would be cheaper. he ended up replacing the pinions and rack but said the pump did not need to be replaced and ended paying $600 out of pocket. i'm hoping that gmc will see that many of us are having the same problem and will make it a recall. i will not be buying anymore gmc vehicles. all i want is a reliable car that won't break the bank. *kb

Reported in: MORENO VALLEY CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D19J

STEERING

power steering fails at low rpm. engages above 1500 rpm.

Reported in: PARK CITY MT || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33DX9J

SEATS

rust on seat hinges on front driver side, front passenger side. will the surface rust eats into the metal hinges and fail to hold passenger in case there is a collision?

Reported in: ROWLAND HEIGHTS CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D09J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the driver's side headlight exhibited a large accumulation of water which resulted to condensation inside of the headlight lens. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated to the contact that the driver's side headlight would need to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the failure mileage was 94,000.

Reported in: LAWRENCEBURG TN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D29J

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

while at wyatt johnson dealership to buy car, salesperson, [xxx], states there is a problem with the plastic pieces attached to floor mats. states he needs to order them and bring car back in. less than week later, check engine light comes on. they kept car for a few weeks because they state they needed to order a part that they did not have in. finally picked up car to realize there was so many miles on it that i thought it was not the acadia we bought, or they set it up on a dolly to let tires rotate to hike the miles. they knew we were moving soon, military, and did not have time to do something about it. within a 100 miles the check engine light came on again. long story short, this happened time and time again where dealership would have car for weeks with us to drive around a $5000 loaner vehicle while making payments on a $40,000 vehicle. because we were not stationed as same state as where we bought it, no gmc dealership would take the vehicle back as a lemon. twice we ran from the vehicle fearing for our life because it stalled, smoked, and had the smell of gas in the cabin area. no dealership at new duty station would take the car back without sever penalties, and said we would need to return it to the state we bought it in order to turn it in as a lemon, however, the vehicle was not safe to drive from florida to tennessee. keep in mind the car went in and out of shop 8-10 times with them keeping the vehicle weeks at a time. we paid $680 with 0% interest rate a month for the car to sit at the dealerships. frustrated, we told the dealerships in melbourne fl and ally financial we were too scared to drive it, nothing the repairmen did helped the gas smell or check engine light, and they could tow it off our driveway. on a car fax report, it shows a title change occurred during the time they kept it. i feel sorry for whoever bought this vehicle. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Reported in: CLARKSVILLE TN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D99J

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

while at wyatt johnson dealership to buy car, salesperson, [xxx], states there is a problem with the plastic pieces attached to floor mats. states he needs to order them and bring car back in. less than week later, check engine light comes on. they kept car for a few weeks because they state they needed to order a part that they did not have in. finally picked up car to realize there was so many miles on it that i thought it was not the acadia we bought, or they set it up on a dolly to let tires rotate to hike the miles. they knew we were moving soon, military, and did not have time to do something about it. within a 100 miles the check engine light came on again. long story short, this happened time and time again where dealership would have car for weeks with us to drive around a $5000 loaner vehicle while making payments on a $40,000 vehicle. because we were not stationed as same state as where we bought it, no gmc dealership would take the vehicle back as a lemon. twice we ran from the vehicle fearing for our life because it stalled, smoked, and had the smell of gas in the cabin area. no dealership at new duty station would take the car back without sever penalties, and said we would need to return it to the state we bought it in order to turn it in as a lemon, however, the vehicle was not safe to drive from florida to tennessee. keep in mind the car went in and out of shop 8-10 times with them keeping the vehicle weeks at a time. we paid $680 with 0% interest rate a month for the car to sit at the dealerships. frustrated, we told the dealerships in melbourne fl and ally financial we were too scared to drive it, nothing the repairmen did helped the gas smell or check engine light, and they could tow it off our driveway. on a car fax report, it shows a title change occurred during the time they kept it. i feel sorry for whoever bought this vehicle. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Reported in: CLARKSVILLE TN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D99J

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while driving approximately 80 mph, the contact depressed the break pedal but the brakes would not respond and the rpms abnormally increased to approximately 6,000. the contact was able to stop the vehicle after continually depressing the brakes. the contact heard a loud popping sound once the vehicle came to a stop and noticed smoke emitting from the front passenger side of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the technician replaced the front and rear brake pads and rotors, and stated that the floor mat had become entangled with the accelerator pedal. he failure caused the vehicle to accelerate suddenly. the contact did not agree with the technician's diagnosis. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 60,830. updated 05/24/12*lj

Reported in: BELOIT KS || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D79J

STEERING

the power steering randomly fails at low speeds. this has created several hazardous situations while making left hand turns with oncoming traffic and right hand turns at intersections with waiting traffic on the adjacent street. the car was repaired at a local shop by replacing the power steering pump. i was told this is a common problem and the new pump is a more robust design. the cost for the out-of-warranty repair was about $850.

Reported in: RAPID CITY SD || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

i was in the middle of a turn when vehicle got very hard to control as i was finishing my turn power steering pump started working again and i almost side swiped another vehicle due to the force i had to apply to the steering wheel when pump quit working. took vehicle to dealer and they said power steering pump was leaking and that there has been multiple accounts of this happening in gmc. they did state it was a mechanical failure in the power steering issue of the vehicle but no recall has been issued as if yet. any help with this problem would be greatly appreciated. i see this as a very unsafe condition of the vehicle that should be looked at closely upon gmc's behalf.

Reported in: HOT SPRINGS AR || Crash: N || VIN #:

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

power liftgate strut broke or malfunctioned while i was removing items from the trunk. the heavy trunk lid dropped about 18 inches, hit my back and then started to automatically close on my back and head. when the trunk lid hit my body, it still tried close with the power function even though there as an obstruction. i was able to squeeze under the closing lid and escaped injury. i am very concerned that if a child or elderly person were removing items from the trunk that they would have been injured. there are numerous posts on the internet about acadia liftgate problems. *js

Reported in: ST. SIMONS ISLAND GA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D59J

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

i had just picked up my car from having the a/c compressor and condensor replaced and i was doing a u turn into a gas station when the power steering went out. i had to manually turn the wheel. with my two children in the back i almost went into a ditch. i immediately called the dealership and took it in for them to look at. they told me that the power steering gear assembly was leaking and needed to be replaced. they found that when the ves valve was commanded shut, the valve would not re-open. the rack was also leaking on the left side. they replaced the gear assembly, set toe and flushed the system. this is a serious safety concern and should be looked into for a recall.

Reported in: ORLANDO FL || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

i had just picked up my car from having the a/c compressor and condensor replaced and i was doing a u turn into a gas station when the power steering went out. i had to manually turn the wheel. with my two children in the back i almost went into a ditch. i immediately called the dealership and took it in for them to look at. they told me that the power steering gear assembly was leaking and needed to be replaced. they found that when the ves valve was commanded shut, the valve would not re-open. the rack was also leaking on the left side. they replaced the gear assembly, set toe and flushed the system. this is a serious safety concern and should be looked into for a recall.

Reported in: ORLANDO FL || Crash: N || VIN #:

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM

my air conditioning has never been cool on my vehicle, especially in extremely hot weather. i took it in to the dealership several times with the result being there is nothing wrong with it. finally on the 4th of july it stopped working completely. it was blowing hot air. we took it to the dealership again and they said that the compressor had been failing for some time. metal shavings had come off and clogged the condenser and filter. the dealership replaced the compressor and the condenser. the air conditioning still is not really cold, but at least it isn't hot.

Reported in: ORLANDO FL || Crash: N || VIN #:

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

my air conditioning has never been cool on my vehicle, especially in extremely hot weather. i took it in to the dealership several times with the result being there is nothing wrong with it. finally on the 4th of july it stopped working completely. it was blowing hot air. we took it to the dealership again and they said that the compressor had been failing for some time. metal shavings had come off and clogged the condenser and filter. the dealership replaced the compressor and the condenser. the air conditioning still is not really cold, but at least it isn't hot.

Reported in: ORLANDO FL || Crash: N || VIN #:

SUSPENSION

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while driving 5 mph, she heard a clicking noise coming from the front of the vehicle. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and was informed that the cv joints needed to be replaced. the vehicle was then taken to another dealer and they stated that the axle was damaged. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 76,000. the vin was unavailable.

Reported in: EDGARD LA || Crash: N || VIN #:

VISIBILITY

i entered approximate date that i first reported to the dealership the condition of the leather seats. the leather seats are pealing. the sun visor broke off from the mirror. the console was pealing. i reported these before that time, but had to wait until the gentleman at the dealership was available. i was not pleased with the way he treated me. he acted as if i was not smart in reference to my problems and was blaming it on wear and tear. also i now have a headlight that has moisture in it. the dealership checked it for leaks and none were found, so how does that happen. i just had recall on light, but was inside the light. now this is how i feel about that. it is me and my granddaughter and she was 12 when i purchased the vehicle. we used it for day to day travels and traveling. i have been and continue to be very careful and so does my granddaughter, with the way we take care of this vehicle. i am so disappointed in the fact that it was not taken care of properly. i never heard from the district representative regarding these problems and he told me she/he would get with me. gmc contacted me and the dealer several times and now it is still the same. gmc has really failed in their job in working with customers with problems.

Reported in: MER ROUGE, LA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D39J

STRUCTURE

i entered approximate date that i first reported to the dealership the condition of the leather seats. the leather seats are pealing. the sun visor broke off from the mirror. the console was pealing. i reported these before that time, but had to wait until the gentleman at the dealership was available. i was not pleased with the way he treated me. he acted as if i was not smart in reference to my problems and was blaming it on wear and tear. also i now have a headlight that has moisture in it. the dealership checked it for leaks and none were found, so how does that happen. i just had recall on light, but was inside the light. now this is how i feel about that. it is me and my granddaughter and she was 12 when i purchased the vehicle. we used it for day to day travels and traveling. i have been and continue to be very careful and so does my granddaughter, with the way we take care of this vehicle. i am so disappointed in the fact that it was not taken care of properly. i never heard from the district representative regarding these problems and he told me she/he would get with me. gmc contacted me and the dealer several times and now it is still the same. gmc has really failed in their job in working with customers with problems.

Reported in: MER ROUGE, LA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D39J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

i entered approximate date that i first reported to the dealership the condition of the leather seats. the leather seats are pealing. the sun visor broke off from the mirror. the console was pealing. i reported these before that time, but had to wait until the gentleman at the dealership was available. i was not pleased with the way he treated me. he acted as if i was not smart in reference to my problems and was blaming it on wear and tear. also i now have a headlight that has moisture in it. the dealership checked it for leaks and none were found, so how does that happen. i just had recall on light, but was inside the light. now this is how i feel about that. it is me and my granddaughter and she was 12 when i purchased the vehicle. we used it for day to day travels and traveling. i have been and continue to be very careful and so does my granddaughter, with the way we take care of this vehicle. i am so disappointed in the fact that it was not taken care of properly. i never heard from the district representative regarding these problems and he told me she/he would get with me. gmc contacted me and the dealer several times and now it is still the same. gmc has really failed in their job in working with customers with problems.

Reported in: MER ROUGE, LA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D39J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the traction control light remained illuminated and caused the traction control system to become disabled. in addition, the instrument panel information center failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the instrument panel control module however the failure was not corrected. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not further repaired. the failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 70,000.

Reported in: WATERFORD WI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D99J

STEERING

i was driving slow and when i went to turn the steering was extremely tight. i had told the dealership where i bought it from, from the date of purchase that something was wrong. finally took it in on 10/19/2012 and was told it was the powersteering pump. it's over $400 to get fixed and i don't have it right now.

Reported in: BAY CITY MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D99J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

the vehicle is equipped with a gear driven power liftgate that opens and closes the rear hatch at the touch of a button. i approached the rear hatch of the acadia to load groceries, and signaled it to open. the hatch powered open normally to its full height. i walked underneath it. with no warning, the hatch suddenly fell and struck me in the head / back of neck / shoulder area. it hit hard enough to cause serious injury.

Reported in: OOLTEWAH TN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D99J

STRUCTURE:BODY

the vehicle is equipped with a gear driven power liftgate that opens and closes the rear hatch at the touch of a button. i approached the rear hatch of the acadia to load groceries, and signaled it to open. the hatch powered open normally to its full height. i walked underneath it. with no warning, the hatch suddenly fell and struck me in the head / back of neck / shoulder area. it hit hard enough to cause serious injury.

Reported in: OOLTEWAH TN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D99J

SERVICE BRAKES

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that when driving approximately 60 mph and under while coming to a stop, she recieved a warning from her onstar system advising her that the abs system failed and to service the vehicle immediately. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis. after diagnosis they advised her that front brake pedals and brake pedal position sensor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. after having the repairs done the contact stated that the on star system in her vehicle advised her that she needed to have the vehicle serviced immediately. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated that the failure recurred. the vehicle was repaired again. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 12,830 and the current mileage was approximately 58,000.

Reported in: JACKSONVILLE FL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D89J

STEERING

when trying to steer the vehicle below 5 mph's (engine below 1200 rpm), the steering wheel will lock up and is very hard to steer. my wife had this happen to her the first when she was pulling into our driveway (thankfully it did not happen in the city). she told me about it, so i then took it to town shopping. it took a while before it happened to me, but finally it did when i was making a tight right hand turn into a menards parking lot. i started the turn and notice instantly that i had no steering. i almost hit another car because i was not able to steer sharp enough or fast enough for the right hand turn. after that, i got in the parking lot and did a little testing. i figured out that the steering was locked, and if the engine was revved over 1200 engine rpm, the steering would come back slightly. after several tries, it did come back. don't know if i can trust it to work all the time??? it appears the problem is worse after the car has been run for a while. with cold temps it works until the steering system warms., then problem is random. scary!!! feels like there is a flow control valve maybe that is in pump, and when it sticks open, the steering is lost at idle speeds. not a good deal...

Reported in: AVON MN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV13D39J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

the daytime running bulbs next to the headlights overheated and melted the back of the housing that the bulb socket mounts in the back of the headlight housing. obviously there is a design defect in the socket/harness that is causing overheating. there is a technical service bulletin on this for 2009 acadia and other makes with the same design but this is a safety issue as it can cause a fire and also the lights can short out. the bulletin is #10-08-42-001: low beam headlamp bulb diagnosis/replacement (inspect bulb and connector) - (may 14, 2010) . this needs to be recalled.

Reported in: CYPRESS TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D39J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

the daytime running bulbs next to the headlights overheated and melted the back of the housing that the bulb socket mounts in the back of the headlight housing. obviously there is a design defect in the socket/harness that is causing overheating. there is a technical service bulletin on this for 2009 acadia and other makes with the same design but this is a safety issue as it can cause a fire and also the lights can short out. the bulletin is #10-08-42-001: low beam headlamp bulb diagnosis/replacement (inspect bulb and connector) - (may 14, 2010) . this needs to be recalled.

Reported in: CYPRESS TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D39J

POWER TRAIN

my vehicle began to "jump" when you press on the gas petal. then it had trouble finding a gear. i took it in to the dealership and they said that they could not replicate the problem. i was then coming home from work at 5pm in traffic, going 65 miles an hour in the fast lane and the transmission failed. the car would not move forward or backwards. i was left in the middle of the road in heavy traffic where people could easily hit my car. i was able to guide the car to the side and a tow truck came and towed me into the dealership. they returned the car a week later saying that it was working as designed. i was then driving up to eureka ca and the transmission began to slip. the car would not go past 35 miles per hour. i was on a busy freeway at the time. i took it to repair and they tested it and said that transmission sensors where faulty. there was no dealership there so i drove it back to the san francisco bay area with my hazard lights on at 35 miles per hour with the transmission wining the whole time. the car was returned to me a week later saying that the transmission had been repaired. a couple of weeks later i was driving and felt the transmission slip again. i took it in to the dealership and they said that they could not replicate the problem. i told them that i was sure i was going to be back as this was the pattern of the car. the car is now in the shop after the transmission failed again on a busy street while i was driving. this issue is well documented for this car at around 60,000 but there has been no recall. does someone need to get hurt for a recall to happen?

Reported in: LAFAYETTE CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D39J

STEERING

driving on sr at approx. 65mph when check engine light comes on and "engine power reduced" is displayed. car slows dramatically and eventually comes to a stop. power steering is also lost concurrently. after swerving into opposite lane, i managed to get car off to the side of road. car was towed to dealership (courtesy gm roadside assistance). fuel pressure sensor was replaced after finding the sensor intermittently shorting and causing the low pressure condition. the power steering assembly was also leaking. the steering gear was replaced and flushed. exactly one week later while driving on the same sr at approx. 55mph, the check engine light came on and "engine power reduced" is displayed. car slows dramatically and comes to a stop. however, this time i was able to steer car off the side of the road with no problem. heavy smoke was also coming from the exhaust and the car smelled unusual on the interior. after waiting 3 hours for a tow (gm roadside assistance), the car was towed to the dealership. two fuel injectors were found leaking (# 1 and 3) and were replaced. fuel injectors 2, 4, 5, and 6 were rebuilt. this same vehicle had two fuel injectors (#3 and 5) replaced in august 2011 when this same chain of events occurred (previously reported). i am concerned as to why fuel injectors in this vehicle continue to fail causing the engine to flood with fuel. the safety concern is the vehicle will decelerate and stop with no warning which could cause a fatality if i were on a interstate with little to no shoulder.

Reported in: WHITEHOUSE OH || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

driving on sr at approx. 65mph when check engine light comes on and "engine power reduced" is displayed. car slows dramatically and eventually comes to a stop. power steering is also lost concurrently. after swerving into opposite lane, i managed to get car off to the side of road. car was towed to dealership (courtesy gm roadside assistance). fuel pressure sensor was replaced after finding the sensor intermittently shorting and causing the low pressure condition. the power steering assembly was also leaking. the steering gear was replaced and flushed. exactly one week later while driving on the same sr at approx. 55mph, the check engine light came on and "engine power reduced" is displayed. car slows dramatically and comes to a stop. however, this time i was able to steer car off the side of the road with no problem. heavy smoke was also coming from the exhaust and the car smelled unusual on the interior. after waiting 3 hours for a tow (gm roadside assistance), the car was towed to the dealership. two fuel injectors were found leaking (# 1 and 3) and were replaced. fuel injectors 2, 4, 5, and 6 were rebuilt. this same vehicle had two fuel injectors (#3 and 5) replaced in august 2011 when this same chain of events occurred (previously reported). i am concerned as to why fuel injectors in this vehicle continue to fail causing the engine to flood with fuel. the safety concern is the vehicle will decelerate and stop with no warning which could cause a fatality if i were on a interstate with little to no shoulder.

Reported in: WHITEHOUSE OH || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

passenger side low-beam headlight failed. upon inspection, it appears the light socket itself has melted and caused the wiring shielding to melt as well. attempted replacement of the bulb resulted in the socket housing crumbling in my hands. the dealer claims it will cost upward of $500 to change my lightbulb. this is outrageous and clearly the fault of gmc, who seem to have purposely designed these bulbs to overhead their housings, melt, and be almost impossible to change without taking the vehicle to the dealer. i want gmc to pay for new wiring and illumination.

Reported in: DUMFRIES VA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D69J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

passenger side low-beam headlight failed. upon inspection, it appears the light socket itself has melted and caused the wiring shielding to melt as well. attempted replacement of the bulb resulted in the socket housing crumbling in my hands. the dealer claims it will cost upward of $500 to change my lightbulb. this is outrageous and clearly the fault of gmc, who seem to have purposely designed these bulbs to overhead their housings, melt, and be almost impossible to change without taking the vehicle to the dealer. i want gmc to pay for new wiring and illumination.

Reported in: DUMFRIES VA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D69J

STEERING

i have been having trouble with the power steering in my 2009 acadia. it looses power for a few seconds almost every time i make a turn now. it is extremely scary if i am in busy traffic. i took it to the dealership and they said that i need to have the whole power steering parts replaced. $1700!!... which is not covered under warranty. i have a friend who is a mechanic and he said that there are more than one component for the power steering and that the dealership wants to replace it all because it is easier than actually figuring out which part is really causing the problem and just replacing that part. this is very frustrating and it is ridiculous that i can't trust the dealership to take care of the problem correctly. we have been researching and finding out that many 2009 acadia owners are having this same issue. obviously gmc needs to cover the costs of issues like these that are happening to not just 1 owner but several!!

Reported in: ARLINGTON TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13DX9J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that upon activation, the passenger rear turn signal failed to operate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be replicated. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 21,000.

Reported in: MILTON WI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13DX9J

STEERING

on multiple occasions, the power steering has failed when turning the wheel of the vehicle. this specific instance, as i was trying to cross on coming traffic on a major roadway (posted speed limit 45 mph) to get into a common turn lane to merge with traffic, the steering went out as i barely made it into the common turn lane leaving me with concerns about the safety of driving my vehicle. i have concerns that the steering should be failing so quickly after 3 plus years of the life of the vehicle (bought brand new).

Reported in: LAS VEGAS NV || Crash: N || VIN #:

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

bought used 2009 acadia in 2011 with 55000 miles and nothing but headache 1) 60k miles: liftgate came crashing down my wife's back while getting the groceries. they should have some safety measures to stop the gate from crashing. 2) 70k miles: truck wont start in drive way. towed truck to dealer and they changed fuel pump. 3) 70k miles: engine misfire code. replaced one coil. 4) 76k miles: coolant always low. dealer changed water pump. 5) 76k miles: truck hesitate and feel a misfire between 45 and 55 mph. took truck to dealer and they quoted me over $3300 to replace all coils, spark plugs, steering wheel column and steering rack busing. 6) since we bought the car we cant even drive it with the windows down or the roof open. the truck shakes roughly with both roof and windows open.

Reported in: KINGSTON NY || Crash: N || VIN #:

ENGINE

bought used 2009 acadia in 2011 with 55000 miles and nothing but headache 1) 60k miles: liftgate came crashing down my wife's back while getting the groceries. they should have some safety measures to stop the gate from crashing. 2) 70k miles: truck wont start in drive way. towed truck to dealer and they changed fuel pump. 3) 70k miles: engine misfire code. replaced one coil. 4) 76k miles: coolant always low. dealer changed water pump. 5) 76k miles: truck hesitate and feel a misfire between 45 and 55 mph. took truck to dealer and they quoted me over $3300 to replace all coils, spark plugs, steering wheel column and steering rack busing. 6) since we bought the car we cant even drive it with the windows down or the roof open. the truck shakes roughly with both roof and windows open.

Reported in: KINGSTON NY || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

bought used 2009 acadia in 2011 with 55000 miles and nothing but headache 1) 60k miles: liftgate came crashing down my wife's back while getting the groceries. they should have some safety measures to stop the gate from crashing. 2) 70k miles: truck wont start in drive way. towed truck to dealer and they changed fuel pump. 3) 70k miles: engine misfire code. replaced one coil. 4) 76k miles: coolant always low. dealer changed water pump. 5) 76k miles: truck hesitate and feel a misfire between 45 and 55 mph. took truck to dealer and they quoted me over $3300 to replace all coils, spark plugs, steering wheel column and steering rack busing. 6) since we bought the car we cant even drive it with the windows down or the roof open. the truck shakes roughly with both roof and windows open.

Reported in: KINGSTON NY || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

i bought this car in feb 2012 and from the first time i drove it the steering was very tight and makes a clunking nose in the the front end. took the car in to the dealer and the power steering pump was changed and this fixed the steering when it was hard to turn. now it's may 2013 and the clunk is still there and was told its the power steering gear and its about 950 dollars to fix. this is crazy there is only about 83,000 miles on my car. i am ready to let the bank have it.

Reported in: BAY CITY MI || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

was driving our 2009 gmc acadia and as i was slowing and turning the car became very hard to steer, if i was applying the brake i could barely turn the steering wheel. i then asked my father to test it out and even he could barely turn it when applying the brakes and was tight to steer in general. i am 500 mikes from home, but not sure it is safe to drive back home. will call dealer but from all the other complaints it sounds like the power steering pump is or has gone out. this is very unsafe and although i was cautious while driving, it is definitely a safety hazard!!!!

Reported in: FORT WAYNE IN || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

steering is difficult at low speeds. while driving at low speeds the steering wheel seems to almost lock up and needs considerable force to be turned. the problem is consistently happening every time the acadia is driven. this problem makes it extremely difficult to maneuver in parking lots and at any intersection. this problem has been going on for a little while and seems only to be getting worse.

Reported in: SALEM NH || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D99J

STEERING

the vehicle's steering stops working at low speeds while trying to park or back out of a parking place. the power steering fails and you must turn the vehicle manually. the issue continues to get worse the longer you wait to get it fixed.

Reported in: MUSTANG OK || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D19J

STEERING

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated while driving approximately 5 mph the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated the power steering pump assembly and the water pump shaft seal had to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

Reported in: WANTAGH NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D79J

STEERING

vehicle is hard to turn at low speeds, particularly when parking. seems as though power steering is not working. took to dealer and was told that power steering pump went out and that steering gear/rack should also be replaced for $1800+. this is ridiculous on a vehicle that was purchased new and serviced every 3000, primarily at the dealership from which it was purchased. given the other 23 complaints that have been filed for the same issue, it appears to be a common defect and i am extremely concerned about the safety of the vehicle that my wife drives every day with our 2 young children.

Reported in: KANSAS CITY MO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D69J

STEERING

my acadia has some problems with the power steering being "stiff" - or hard to turn in tight spots. (i.e., parking or close turns). i took it to my repairman today and asked him to check it out. he says that he has seen issues with other vehicles, including the acadia and the enclave - this same issue. he started taking it apart and called me and said the entire power steering system, pump, rack n pinion steering, etc. have to be replaced. he said he has had to do this in several other vehicles like this. he said that there were already metal shavings showing up. he told me that parts and labor would be around $1,100 to get this taken care of. he said it will just gradually get worse - it shouldn't go out all together all at once, but it would get worse. i have seen 25+ other complaints on this same problem with the same vehicles. when is gm going to do something about this. i have done regular maintenance on this vehicle all along. it has approx. 80,000 miles on it right now. has been doing this for about a year - not bad - but he is right - getting a little worse all the time.

Reported in: HENDERSON WV || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D79J

STEERING

my 2009 gmc acadia started to lock up while steering/turning. i took to dealership and was told i needed to replace my rack. they quoted me $1500! i could not afford this, so they told me it's drivable but will eventually get worse. i cannot park easy in parking lots, i can't make easy turns and it's terrifying when i take my kids in the car. i took it other places - some said it's the rack and others it's the pump. so far i had to replace coils every month, my engine had to be remodeled after a rod snapped off into it and now this! please recall this!!!!!!!!! it's a safety issue and way too costly!

Reported in: PECKVILLE PA || Crash: N || VIN #:

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

2009 gmc acadia slt1 - 67,000 miles currently. power steering failing at lower speeds. when purchasing the vehicle used with only 25,000m+- approx. 2 years ago, i questioned the dealership about the whining noise coming from the steering components and was told that this is normal for all acaidias and not a concern. now the steering is failing at low speed turns. gmc service dept recommending: steering gear housing $42.14 - 2 bolts $11.00 - 2 - bolts $7.59 - 6 - p/s fluid $23.10 and flush and bleed system, labor to replace steering gear housing $640.50 power steering pump $155.69 realign after steering gear repair $69.95 labor for pump $315.00 injectors and coils failing. in dec 2011, i had to replace coils #2 & #3. i just replaced #6 injector on july 17, 2013 (= $685) and on july 24, 2013 (one week later) check engine light reappeared. gmc service dept recommending: 4 - ignition coils $373.30, 6 - spark plugs $42.25, labor for coils, and plugs $241.50. ........................................................... total parts $655.07 total labor $1197.00 tax $54.04 align $69.95 total: $1976.06 offering 40% customer portion pay $790.42 why is there no recall on defective steering components & coils/injectors? in the later 2012 models gm did change the power steering & fluid, so gm is aware that there is a problem with the design. the fuel delivery system is also defective and faulty coils/injectors could and have caused fires. gmc acadia, buick enclave & chevrolet traverse vehicles up to early 2012 models share these above mentioned components are plagued by these two problems along with transmission (wave plate) problems. gm needs to take full responsibility for defective components and not offer discounted repairs.

Reported in: WEATHERFORD TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D19J

POWER TRAIN

2009 gmc acadia slt1 - 67,000 miles currently. power steering failing at lower speeds. when purchasing the vehicle used with only 25,000m+- approx. 2 years ago, i questioned the dealership about the whining noise coming from the steering components and was told that this is normal for all acaidias and not a concern. now the steering is failing at low speed turns. gmc service dept recommending: steering gear housing $42.14 - 2 bolts $11.00 - 2 - bolts $7.59 - 6 - p/s fluid $23.10 and flush and bleed system, labor to replace steering gear housing $640.50 power steering pump $155.69 realign after steering gear repair $69.95 labor for pump $315.00 injectors and coils failing. in dec 2011, i had to replace coils #2 & #3. i just replaced #6 injector on july 17, 2013 (= $685) and on july 24, 2013 (one week later) check engine light reappeared. gmc service dept recommending: 4 - ignition coils $373.30, 6 - spark plugs $42.25, labor for coils, and plugs $241.50. ........................................................... total parts $655.07 total labor $1197.00 tax $54.04 align $69.95 total: $1976.06 offering 40% customer portion pay $790.42 why is there no recall on defective steering components & coils/injectors? in the later 2012 models gm did change the power steering & fluid, so gm is aware that there is a problem with the design. the fuel delivery system is also defective and faulty coils/injectors could and have caused fires. gmc acadia, buick enclave & chevrolet traverse vehicles up to early 2012 models share these above mentioned components are plagued by these two problems along with transmission (wave plate) problems. gm needs to take full responsibility for defective components and not offer discounted repairs.

Reported in: WEATHERFORD TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D19J

STEERING

2009 gmc acadia slt1 - 67,000 miles currently. power steering failing at lower speeds. when purchasing the vehicle used with only 25,000m+- approx. 2 years ago, i questioned the dealership about the whining noise coming from the steering components and was told that this is normal for all acaidias and not a concern. now the steering is failing at low speed turns. gmc service dept recommending: steering gear housing $42.14 - 2 bolts $11.00 - 2 - bolts $7.59 - 6 - p/s fluid $23.10 and flush and bleed system, labor to replace steering gear housing $640.50 power steering pump $155.69 realign after steering gear repair $69.95 labor for pump $315.00 injectors and coils failing. in dec 2011, i had to replace coils #2 & #3. i just replaced #6 injector on july 17, 2013 (= $685) and on july 24, 2013 (one week later) check engine light reappeared. gmc service dept recommending: 4 - ignition coils $373.30, 6 - spark plugs $42.25, labor for coils, and plugs $241.50. ........................................................... total parts $655.07 total labor $1197.00 tax $54.04 align $69.95 total: $1976.06 offering 40% customer portion pay $790.42 why is there no recall on defective steering components & coils/injectors? in the later 2012 models gm did change the power steering & fluid, so gm is aware that there is a problem with the design. the fuel delivery system is also defective and faulty coils/injectors could and have caused fires. gmc acadia, buick enclave & chevrolet traverse vehicles up to early 2012 models share these above mentioned components are plagued by these two problems along with transmission (wave plate) problems. gm needs to take full responsibility for defective components and not offer discounted repairs.

Reported in: WEATHERFORD TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D19J

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

tl-the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia slt. the contact stated that while in reverse or stopping on a hill and taking her foot off the brake, the vehicle slightly rolled back. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis but they were unable to duplicate the problem. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 68,000. st

Reported in: RISING SUN MD || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D29J

POWER TRAIN

* transmission was slipping and revving up between gears. delayed response and clunking sound when it is in reverse. "check engine light" also came on. barely drove the car to the dealership for repairs. dealership service advisor scheduled a transmission rebuild. after doing internet search, i saw countless complaints in blogs, sns, etc. there are so many people having this transmission problem. not acceptable. gmc has powertrain warranty 5 year /100k miles. my warranty expires in four months and gm should provide extended powertrain warranty beyond 5 years based unreliable transmission design/quality. * power steering problem. power steering is making moaning under low speed driving (in the parking lot, driving around subdivision, etc.). noise is coming from the inside steering column area. also steering is very tight and hard. complained to dealership multiple times. dealership replaced the seal twice, but the problem is still there. dealership told me that gm does not have a fix for this problem.

Reported in: ALPHARETTA GA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D89J

STEERING

* transmission was slipping and revving up between gears. delayed response and clunking sound when it is in reverse. "check engine light" also came on. barely drove the car to the dealership for repairs. dealership service advisor scheduled a transmission rebuild. after doing internet search, i saw countless complaints in blogs, sns, etc. there are so many people having this transmission problem. not acceptable. gmc has powertrain warranty 5 year /100k miles. my warranty expires in four months and gm should provide extended powertrain warranty beyond 5 years based unreliable transmission design/quality. * power steering problem. power steering is making moaning under low speed driving (in the parking lot, driving around subdivision, etc.). noise is coming from the inside steering column area. also steering is very tight and hard. complained to dealership multiple times. dealership replaced the seal twice, but the problem is still there. dealership told me that gm does not have a fix for this problem.

Reported in: ALPHARETTA GA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D89J

STEERING

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated while traveling approximately 5 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Reported in: WINSTON SALEM NC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D69J

STEERING

during the last few months i have noticed a problem with my 2009 gmc acadia. the problem occurs with the power steering failing when i am trying to steer or turn. it is as if the power steering stops working completely and i am forced to use manual steering which can be extremely difficult and is a serious safety issue. *js

Reported in: WINCHESTER CA || Crash: N || VIN #:

POWER TRAIN

transmission began slipping when i was accelerating out of turns. dealer replaced broken motor mount and reprogrammed computer and said transmission was fine. 17 days later, 3-5 reverse clutch went out and dealer had to rebuild 3-5 reverse and 4,5,6 clutch and replace torque converter because of contamination. the car still isn't driving right but dealer states they can't find anything wrong with the vehicle. this is a very common problem with '08 and '09 acadia's and gmc is aware of the problem but isn't don't anything to prevent failure with other owners.

Reported in: SAN DIEGO CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D79J

STEERING

at low speeds power steering failed. need to be accellerating in order for power sterring to work. seems like a default that should have a recall given that this isn't an uncommon experience. my mileage is really low and i am frankly surprised to have the issue. gmc should probably do a recall before someone gets hurt or killed. hopefully this isn't a recurring issue after i get it fixed.

Reported in: CORTLANDT MANOR NY || Crash: N || VIN #:

POWER TRAIN

my wife was driving her 09 acadia and all of a sudden it quit shifting and the engine revved up if she went over 25 mph. she limped it to a local service station where they informed us that the reverse clutch pressure plate was broken and needed a new transmission. even though it was within gm's 5yr 100k "powertrain warranty", they "conveniently" excluded that problem from being covered. i have seen many, many complaints regarding this issue and it is[xxx] that gm isn't owning up to it and correcting the problem on current vehicles. so, now we are out $3500 for a new transmission on a car with only 75k miles! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *updated 1/15/2014 *js

Reported in: BALLWIN MO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D99J

ENGINE

when accelerating, my car seems to 'slip' or 'stutter' before clicking into gear. this happened in the first year of ownership. the dealership never acknowledged it when i would bring it in to get checked. after a few years of owning it i now know that it is a transmission issue very common with the gmc acadia. i have read that it is a faulty wave plate. not sure what that is but now with only 50,000 on my car it is really bad. it barely made it home last night. transmission is totally slipping and even when just driving along at the same speed it went into limp mode. the gas revved like i was in neutral. this is extremely dangerous as i had a carload of girls on a trip to the mountains. what is it going to take until this causes an accident and casualties! gmc needs to step up and get this part recalled. it is a faulty part and they need to pay for the replacement!!!

Reported in: DANVILLE CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D59J

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

when accelerating, my car seems to 'slip' or 'stutter' before clicking into gear. this happened in the first year of ownership. the dealership never acknowledged it when i would bring it in to get checked. after a few years of owning it i now know that it is a transmission issue very common with the gmc acadia. i have read that it is a faulty wave plate. not sure what that is but now with only 50,000 on my car it is really bad. it barely made it home last night. transmission is totally slipping and even when just driving along at the same speed it went into limp mode. the gas revved like i was in neutral. this is extremely dangerous as i had a carload of girls on a trip to the mountains. what is it going to take until this causes an accident and casualties! gmc needs to step up and get this part recalled. it is a faulty part and they need to pay for the replacement!!!

Reported in: DANVILLE CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D59J

POWER TRAIN

transmission wave plate issue...car started "hard-shifting" from 2nd-3rd gear...once this started, in a matter of a couple of days, had trouble even shifting into gear...barely was able to drive it to dealership where they diagnosed the issue...my issue is that i have to pay $4500 for something that is a known dangerous problem with gmc acadias across almost all model years based upon my research on the internet. this should be a recall situation. there is obviously a fault somewhere with the assembly process to be this huge of a problem. this could lead to a major accident. on 9/27, i was turning left off a main road into my subdivision. car would not engage into gear, so was just coasting across the lane where oncoming traffic would be until it engaged maybe 3 to 4 seconds later. had there been traffic coming, the oncoming vehicle would have slammed into me before i could have gotten across.

Reported in: BRENTWOOD TN || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

the power steering was noisy from around the date of purchase. this problem evolved into intermittent failure of the power steering at both low speeds and at highway speeds. the complaint has not been addressed adequately by general motors even though i am finding many complaints for this same issue. in fact, there is a class action lawsuit pending currently (see below). the vehicle now has approximately 78,000 miles and the intermittent problem persists along with electrical issues on rh side of vehicle. the class action was brought on behalf all persons in the united states who purchased or leased any 2009 through 2012 gmc acadia, 2009 through 2012 buick enclave, or 2009 through 2012 chevrolet traverse vehicles (collectively, ¿�class vehicles¿�) designed, manufactured marketed, distributed, sold, warranted and serviced by general motors, llc and general motors company this action arises out of a uniform and widespread defect in the integral steering system of an entire class of automobiles that poses an extremely unreasonable safety risk not only to the driver and passengers of the vehicle, but to other drivers on the road and pedestrians on the streets. the lawsuit alleges that the steering system in these vehicles are defective because steering may intermittently and drastically fail while the car is in motion (the ¿�steering defect¿�), thus creating a serious safety risk. a copy of the complaint is attached here. complaint: gm 4-1-13 the court denied gm's motion to dismiss and ordered it to answer the complaint. gm motion to dismiss.

Reported in: AMHERST NH || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D79J

POWER TRAIN

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph the transmission stalled with the illumination of the warning indicator. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. the technician stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 78,000. the vin was unavailable.

Reported in: FORT WORTH TX || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

on slow speeds the power steering goes out completely on turns this seems to be a ongoing issue due to other reports power steering just fails but not all the time someone is going to get injured badly as gm knows and you know of this problem.

Reported in: LANGHORNE PA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D19J

STEERING

the steering locks up at low speeds when trying to make a turn. it is extremely dangerous because it is almost impossible to get the vehicle to steer, i barely got mine off the road when it occurred. it is kind of a hit and miss situation, it does not happen on every turn you make; it might happen once and then the next turn it won't and then the next it locks up again. at this point i have my vehicle parked until it's repaired because it's too dangerous to operate because you never know when it will lock up and if you would be able to maintain control of your vehicle. this problem needs to be recalled, especially after so many complaints have been made of the same issue with the vehicle, before someone ends up injured due to the faulty steering. after reading all of the complaints i'm surprised gm has not addressed this issue.

Reported in: HURLEY VA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D99J

POWER TRAIN

initially noticed when shifting from park to another gear shifting was hard. about a week later noticed hesitation in shifting gears while driving at various rates of speed then the engine would rev once it shifted into gear. eventually parked the car in drive then went to back out to take to dealership and it would not go into reverse. vehicle towed to dealership where they replaced the wave plate and other parts that were contaminated. since this incident the vehicle has not drove smoothly or shifted gears smoothly. it also gets less than 15 miles to the gallon during my daily commute now where prior to the transmission fix i would get 19-20. vehicle hesitates and revs continually while driving and accelerating. when i returned the vehicle to the dealership stating there was still an issue i received "we could not replicate the issue" and sent on my way. after research on this site and other and reading the systemic issues others have had just like it i am concerned for my family and those around me safety if the transmission decides to stop while traveling high speed in traffic or when crossing traffic.

Reported in: PASADENA MD || Crash: N || VIN #:

ENGINE

initially noticed when shifting from park to another gear shifting was hard. about a week later noticed hesitation in shifting gears while driving at various rates of speed then the engine would rev once it shifted into gear. eventually parked the car in drive then went to back out to take to dealership and it would not go into reverse. vehicle towed to dealership where they replaced the wave plate and other parts that were contaminated. since this incident the vehicle has not drove smoothly or shifted gears smoothly. it also gets less than 15 miles to the gallon during my daily commute now where prior to the transmission fix i would get 19-20. vehicle hesitates and revs continually while driving and accelerating. when i returned the vehicle to the dealership stating there was still an issue i received "we could not replicate the issue" and sent on my way. after research on this site and other and reading the systemic issues others have had just like it i am concerned for my family and those around me safety if the transmission decides to stop while traveling high speed in traffic or when crossing traffic.

Reported in: PASADENA MD || Crash: N || VIN #:

ENGINE

i bought my gmc acadia, used with approx 50,000 miles on it and have owned it for less than 4 months and with in the last month have replaced 3 ignition coils and i am assuming will have to replace more. from my understanding there is no issue that is causing the coils to fail other than the part is going bad. and what i was informed is that gmc is now using a different type of ignition coil which would lead me to assuming that the ignition coils they put in the acadias are faulty. and now the owners are left to foot the bill, which does not seem right. the tough part of my situation is that i purchased this gmc after trading in my pontiac gto that was in the shop for 10 months while gm sat around doing nothing for me. all 5 vehicles that i have owned were gm vehicles and needless to say now, i will not be purchasing a gm vehicle ever again. gm customer service is the main reason for this. i understand that these thing happen but gm should make the situation right and have not even come close to making me feel valued as a customer.

Reported in: CENTRALIA MO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D69J

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:SUPPORT DEVICE

the suv was parked in my mom's driveway. i pushed the remote to open the rear power lift gate. i came upon the back of the suv with my 3 year old daughter and the lift gate was up. i went to put something in the trunk when the lift gate collapsed on my head knocking me out and to the ground. luckily, my mom saw what happened, got my husband and made sure my daughter didn't wander in to the road. i was knocked out for a few seconds, but luckily people were around. imagine if it had happened near a busy road or parking lot. we have a 1 year old and a 3 year old. could of been disastrous. so upon spending several hours in the er, i was diagnosed with a concussion. my husband looked at the lift gate, watched it go up to the top, stop and then come crashing closed. it appears it was a complete failure of the rod that opens the lift gate, both pistons or arms that help lift and support the lift gate, and the sensors which should tell the door to immediately open back up. the door came down with such force it could permanently injure or kill a child or senior citizen. we contacted gmc immediately they took down our information regarding the car and incident. took gmc 2 days to call back and go over everything again and 2 more days to get the story from my husband. so 12 days in to this and all they've done is collect the info over the course of 2 calls. they are also telling us that we have to wait another 8 days just to get a future date to have the lift gate inspected by gmc. huh? 20 days and counting with no working lift gate. family of four plus a dog during christmas makes it very difficult. gmc seems more concerned with vacations than there product failure and customer injury. i hope that we can come to some sort of fair resolution and a permanent fix to a potentially lethal problem without going through the legal system. we'll see if gmc does the right thing. the dealer replaced the liftgate supports. updated 07/16/14

Reported in: POUGHKEEPSIE NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23DX9J

STEERING

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated when the steering wheel was turned it made a knocking noise. the dealer performed a diagnostic test which located the failure in the steering gear box and the rack pinion ball rack assembly needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 28,600.

Reported in: CROSSETT AR || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D89J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

various gm vehicles have a known defect that allows water from the sun roof drain to enter the passenger compartment and more importantly allows water to enter the passenger compartment fuse block. this defect is covered under service bulletin #08-08-57-003c. this vehicle has had numerous electrical system issues that only occur during heavy rains and the dealer has been unable to recreate the problem after things have dried out so to speak. most recently after a heavy rain, the battery was dead and when replaced with a new battery, the engine would not shut off even after the key was removed. this is a serious safety concern that can result in injury or death. the only way to shut off the engine is to remove the ecm fuse from the under hood fuse block. not being able to shut the engine off via the key can have serious life consequences in the event of an emergency. this is a wide spread issue that seems to get worse over time and ends up with not being able to shut the engine off. the gm models affected by the service bulletin as follows: 2008-2012 buick enclave 2007-2012 gmc acadia 2007-2010 saturn outlook

Reported in: SIMPSONVILLE SC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D39J

STRUCTURE

various gm vehicles have a known defect that allows water from the sun roof drain to enter the passenger compartment and more importantly allows water to enter the passenger compartment fuse block. this defect is covered under service bulletin #08-08-57-003c. this vehicle has had numerous electrical system issues that only occur during heavy rains and the dealer has been unable to recreate the problem after things have dried out so to speak. most recently after a heavy rain, the battery was dead and when replaced with a new battery, the engine would not shut off even after the key was removed. this is a serious safety concern that can result in injury or death. the only way to shut off the engine is to remove the ecm fuse from the under hood fuse block. not being able to shut the engine off via the key can have serious life consequences in the event of an emergency. this is a wide spread issue that seems to get worse over time and ends up with not being able to shut the engine off. the gm models affected by the service bulletin as follows: 2008-2012 buick enclave 2007-2012 gmc acadia 2007-2010 saturn outlook

Reported in: SIMPSONVILLE SC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D39J

ENGINE

various gm vehicles have a known defect that allows water from the sun roof drain to enter the passenger compartment and more importantly allows water to enter the passenger compartment fuse block. this defect is covered under service bulletin #08-08-57-003c. this vehicle has had numerous electrical system issues that only occur during heavy rains and the dealer has been unable to recreate the problem after things have dried out so to speak. most recently after a heavy rain, the battery was dead and when replaced with a new battery, the engine would not shut off even after the key was removed. this is a serious safety concern that can result in injury or death. the only way to shut off the engine is to remove the ecm fuse from the under hood fuse block. not being able to shut the engine off via the key can have serious life consequences in the event of an emergency. this is a wide spread issue that seems to get worse over time and ends up with not being able to shut the engine off. the gm models affected by the service bulletin as follows: 2008-2012 buick enclave 2007-2012 gmc acadia 2007-2010 saturn outlook

Reported in: SIMPSONVILLE SC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D39J

POWER TRAIN

while driving thru an intersection with a yield my vehicle suddenly stopped and the engine rpm climbed to around 3500 rpm. the transmission slipped between gears causing a sudden and unexpected slow down.luckily another driver was alert and had to slow down quickly to keep from hitting us as we were merging with traffic.this never happened before and came on without warning.as soon as it happened once it has been happening more often, i brought the vehicle in and the diagnosis was the "wave plates" in the transmission. the mechanic informed me that this transmission had an issue with a part that was not properly heat treated and caused it to fail.i called the gm dealer and they would not warranty because we were just outside the 100,000 mile warranty period. they also stated that they knew there have been many issues with this vehicle but gm has not issued any type of recall.now i need a new transmission at a cost of around 4,000 dollars. i have owned several gm vehicles in the past and gotten well over 250,000 miles with no issues at all. this could have been very serious and caused injuries if the circumstances were different and someone who panicked was involved. i feel that this should warrant a recall and force gm into looking into this further. thank you for your time.

Reported in: SUTTON MA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33DX9J

ENGINE

in 2 years of ownership i have replaced 4 ignition coils and the vehicle now needs yet another. at roughly 85000 miles (and year 5) the transmission wave plate failed. gm would only authorize a rebuild (last week).

Reported in: PROSPECT KY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D29J

POWER TRAIN

in 2 years of ownership i have replaced 4 ignition coils and the vehicle now needs yet another. at roughly 85000 miles (and year 5) the transmission wave plate failed. gm would only authorize a rebuild (last week).

Reported in: PROSPECT KY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D29J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

passenger side low beam headlight failure. replaced by recall in 2012. now driver side low beam operates intermittently. probably needs same repair - but recall has ended.

Reported in: BEVERLY MA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D39J

POWER TRAIN

i was at a stop light and upon pulling off noticed the vehicle was very slow to accelerate, despite the rpms being very high. vehicle was towed to the dealer two days later due to a snow storm. they replaced a sensor, and returned the vehicle to me. 3 hours later while driving down i280, the vehicle completely lost acceleration. this was very unsafe, the diagnosis was broken wave plate.

Reported in: EAST ORANGE NJ || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D59J

ENGINE

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.

Reported in: DIXON IL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D19J

POWER TRAIN

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.

Reported in: DIXON IL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D19J

POWER TRAIN

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 at 82000 miles, but six weeks out of 5 yr 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.

Reported in: DIXON IL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D19J

AIR BAGS

vehicle was north bound on sc hwy 101, 1-mile south of sc hwy 414. crossed south bound lane into shoulder of the road- on into small brush and trees. driver side undercarriage was torn away, with tire/wheel/hub 50 feet behind vehicle, shock/coil spring 20 feet behind and left of vehicle. driver door window completely shattered with door hinges torn away. windshield shattered on driver side. seat belt locked driver firmly in seat. air bags did not deploy! had just received an "on-star" e-mail check list on 2-24-2014 in which the air bag system was checked in green which indicated it was functional-ok! this is horrifying when safety devices turn out to be non functioning un-safety devices! this suv was maintained properly in every aspect possible, and would have been considered in excellent condition for the year and mileage.

Reported in: LANDRUM SC || Crash: Y || VIN #: 1GKER33D59J

STEERING

steering failure. appears to be a prevalent complaint among owners of this vehicle. safety hazard. gm should issue a recall.

Reported in: DALLAS TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D69J

STEERING

when making a turn at a low speed, the power steering failed. after a minute or two and pulling hard on the steering wheel, i hear a click and the power steering re-activates. another incident just like the first one happened the next day. i did not drive the car again until i took it to the local gmc dealership. it has been the for 3 days and they say that they can not determine what the problem is. the car is not safe to drive until there problem is solved. although i did not have an accident when this happened, it was very scary when i felt that i could not control the turning of the car. i see there are many incidents described just like this posted online.

Reported in: SAVANNAH GA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D69J

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

a female used the automatic liftgate option to open the back gate and get items out of the back. after the gate opened fully, it fell forcefully for about 2 feet, directly onto her head. this resulted in her falling to the ground on concrete, blacking out, and becoming very dizzy and nauseas. she is currently being transported by ambulance to the hospital. this is a definite safety issue and malfunction that may cause serious injury or death.

Reported in: DORA AL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D59J

POWER TRAIN

my transmission (wave plate clutch) went out while i was driving. i am registering this because i have come across a forum on edmonds.com consisting of over 38 pages of customer complaints regarding the 2008 - 2010 acadia having transmission problems around 75k miles, just outside of warranty. the cost to repair ranges from $2200 to $4500. someone recently suggested that owners start officially registering our complaints. gm is aware that faulty transmissions are putting their owners at risk of loss of control of vehicle functions while driving, yet they will not take ownership of the issue.

Reported in: AUOROA CO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D29J

POWER TRAIN

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.

Reported in: MORGANTOWN WV || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D19J

STEERING

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.

Reported in: MORGANTOWN WV || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D19J

ENGINE

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.

Reported in: MORGANTOWN WV || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D19J

ENGINE

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!

Reported in: MORGANTOWN WV || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D19J

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the throttle became stuck without warning as the vehicle continue to increase speeds of over 90 mph. the contact stated that the driver was able to stop the vehicle by continuously depressing the brake pedal. the vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 89,000.

Reported in: HUDSONVILLE MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D19J

ENGINE

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.

Reported in: BLAIR WI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23DX9J

POWER TRAIN

driving on the highway through the mountains the vehicle would shift into neutral and lose all power. after doing this several times we exited. the check engine light came on and we did not have reverse and the transmission would only remain in 1st gear. after taking to dealer he new exactly what it was before even looking at the vehicle... the shift wave plate for reverse, 1st and 5th gear. if this is such a "known" common problem for this vehicle between 60,000 and 70,000 miles why was there not a recall? losing power on the highway (with my family) 100's of miles from home while driving through the mountains of tn (we live in mi) was very dangerous. finding out this is a common thing for this vehicle is inexcusable for a manufacturer in this day and age to let go without fixing on affected vehicles before it happens.

Reported in: SHELBY TOWNSHIP MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D79J

STRUCTURE:BODY

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.

Reported in: CROFTON KY || Crash: Y || VIN #:

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

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.

Reported in: CROFTON KY || Crash: Y || VIN #:

ENGINE

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.

Reported in: CROFTON KY || Crash: Y || VIN #:

STEERING

the rack and pinion steering gear and power steering pump appear to be defective in my 2009 gmc acadia. for the past several weeks my power steering will lock up or freeze mid-turn, which is very scary. the power steering is gone completely and i have to turn really hard before it seems to re-engage. i am unable to take tight turns in this situation and i am often on the wrong side of the road as i try to pull out of the turn waiting for the power steering to re-engage. i have been lucky so far that i have not run into any oncoming cars when the system locks up. my car is currently in the shop and we are looking at least $1500 worth of repairs.

Reported in: COLUMBUS OH || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D89J

POWER TRAIN

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated while driving 70 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the transmission failed and need to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 81,453 and the current mileage was 81,456. updated 05/29/14 ma updated 06/03/2014 *js

Reported in: LONE TREE CO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

POWER TRAIN

my wife was driving home from work when she experienced erratic operation of her vehicle. when taking off at first the vehicle lacked power then suddenly the engine rpm raced and the vehicle lurched forward. the engine speed was uncontrollable with the throttle. at a stop light the vehicle would barely take off and suddenly engine rpm's would race and the vehicle would surge when throttle was applied. the vehicle was driven directly to the gmc dealership on the way home and at that point it was determined the reverse gear was completely inoperative. the transmission failed due to a broken reverse wave plate. vehicle was delivered new 7/10/09 (less than 5 years). the transmission replacement final billing was $3,906.54.

Reported in: LONE TREE CO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

STEERING

when going at slow speed turning to right or left is tight.

Reported in: HAWESVILLE KY || Crash: N || VIN #:

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

in slowing at manual stop sign, the engine accelerated (while i had my foot on the brake) to a very high revolution--approximately 4,000 to 4,500 revs--and i had to put all of my leg strength into pushing the brake pedal to the floor, while i hurried to shut the engine off. once i had turned the ignition off, the engine did shut down the way it should have. once that was accomplished, i started the engine up again and it ran without any further incident. it was a few months later before another such incident occurred. the second time this same type of situation occurred under virtually identical circumstances, i took the vehicle into pat mcgrath gmc's service department and explained what had happened. the service manager immediately drove the care to test it, but naturally the car didn't act up. at that point they attached a monitor to it and told me to drive it until the problem recurred, but after a week of no such problem occurring, i had them remove the monitor ironically, the problem occurred under exactly the same circumstances the next morning. so far i have had this same experience recur approximately 6-7 times as i have been slowing down to stop the vehicle, the engine would rev up badly, but i already had the brake on to stop it, put it into neutral and shut it off. on restarting it did so properly and there was a time lag between problems. gmc is now aware of the problem as i had posted it on the acadiaform.net. at they point they had had no other such issues brought to their attention...

Reported in: ELY IA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D39J

SEATS

the second row seat belts that were listed on the nhtsa website for a recall. the dealer bergstron gmc of appleton, wisconsin says the vehicle does not have a recall for this. the seat belts get jambed when the seat is lowered. one seatbelt connector is broken, and the seat is tearing from the belt connectors. the connectors still get jambed in the seat and are not accessible without having to re lower the seats and funble with the belt connector. at least one of the connector is exposed with no plastic.

Reported in: APPLETON WI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D49J

SEAT BELTS

the second row seat belts that were listed on the nhtsa website for a recall. the dealer bergstron gmc of appleton, wisconsin says the vehicle does not have a recall for this. the seat belts get jambed when the seat is lowered. one seatbelt connector is broken, and the seat is tearing from the belt connectors. the connectors still get jambed in the seat and are not accessible without having to re lower the seats and funble with the belt connector. at least one of the connector is exposed with no plastic.

Reported in: APPLETON WI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D49J

POWER TRAIN

broke down, car felt like it would not shift into second gear then just died. dealer found a cracked wave plate, cracked clutch housing (clutches worn), cylinder excessively worn, torque converter full of metal. no sign of any computer alerts or check engine signals until break-down. repaired all for $2820.15. said it would have been covered if under 100,000 miles. sounds like planned obsolesence, or just poor manufacturing. no more american cars for me.

Reported in: GEORGETOWN MA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D79J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the headlights alternately failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the headlight needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 176,531.

Reported in: ADRIAN MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D89J

POWER TRAIN

vehicle was travelling at 60mph when engine rpms revved excessively high yet vehicle lost power to the wheels. with no acceleration yet engine red lined, attempted to maintain control while braking and pulling to the side of the road. unable to maintain full control. vehicle entered non travelled portion of the road (ditch). issue was later determined to be the reverse wave plate (aka - drive/reverse clutch) requiring complete transmission rebuild.

Reported in: VAN METER IA || Crash: Y || VIN #: 1GKER23D49J

STEERING

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that a knocking and creaking noise was present when turning the steering wheel. the contact also indicated that the steering wheel became more difficult to turn. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the steering gears were faulty and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 69,000.

Reported in: SPRINGFIELD NE || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D19J

POWER TRAIN

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!

Reported in: WESTPORT MA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D79J

ENGINE

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!

Reported in: WESTPORT MA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D79J

STEERING

we were driving in a parking lot and as we began to turn left to park the car, the power steering failed. we had to stop suddenly to avoid a collision. it took incredible arm strength to straighten the car out to leave the parking lot - to return home with the car. when accelerating (higher rpm's) the power steering capability returned. when driving slowly to turn into our driveway, the steering not only failed - but also froze. no amount of arm strength could turn the wheels. this is a serious accident waiting to happen, and after searching online today - i found that this is a systemic issue with this make and model of gmc acadia. i also found that a class action lawsuit has been filed for this same car defect. it is very disappointing that a recall has not been mandated, as this defect causes random steering failure and could be fatal.

Reported in: FISHERS IN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D29J

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

i have needed to replace 7 low beam headlamps on my gmc acadia since 2011. this week both low beam headlamps went out in a 24 hour period. replacing the headlamps is a very expensive item due to the labor involved (removing the front wheels and wheel wells). this costs anywhere between $150 to $250 each time. i consider this a safety issue since this happens so often. this last event happened at night requiring us to drive home without any low beam headlights.

Reported in: HOFFMAN ESTATES IL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D69J

STEERING

wife was almost hit a couple of times today when there was a complete loss of power steering while turning at low speeds.

Reported in: HAMEL IL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

POWER TRAIN

while driving out of town this weekend we noticed quite a few problems with the vehicle shaking/vibrating a lot while on the interstate and when driving up inclines it would start to surge back and forth. after some doing some research online it seems as if the transmission is starting to show signs of the common wave plate problem in this vehicle. this needs to be addressed, as well as all the other common issues that this platform has, by gm.

Reported in: HAMEL IL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

STEERING

we have had issues that are getting more serious with our 2009 gmc acadia regarding loss of steering control at low speeds and when turning. the wheel will lock up and become extremely hard to complete the turn. it has gotten so bad that i will not allow my daughter to drive it as the issue could cause a serious accident. our mechanic has been calling other dealers and nobody seems to know if it is the steering rack or pump. both will cost around $1000 to fix and we still done know if the issue will be fixed. what is gmc doing about this. steering issues could cause them more problems than getting this issue fixed.

Reported in: MORRIS PLAINS NJ || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D59J

STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk violently intermittently. the contact noticed that there was water leaking from underneath the vehicle. additionally, the power steering assist would sporadically seize accompanied by an abnormal noise when completing a turn. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was advised that the water pump and ignition coil needed to be replaced. an unknown repair was made to the steering component to rectify the failure. on a separate occasion, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine service where the dealer advised that the tie rods failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

Reported in: TIFTON GA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D29J

POWER TRAIN

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk violently intermittently. the contact noticed that there was water leaking from underneath the vehicle. additionally, the power steering assist would sporadically seize accompanied by an abnormal noise when completing a turn. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was advised that the water pump and ignition coil needed to be replaced. an unknown repair was made to the steering component to rectify the failure. on a separate occasion, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine service where the dealer advised that the tie rods failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

Reported in: TIFTON GA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D29J

STEERING

there should be a recall on this car!!! while turning at low speeds, the power steering locks up.it is impossible to muscle the wheel. i almost got into an accident several times. this has happened many times. i cannot drive the car anymore as it is very dangerous!! there are so many complaints of the power steering locking up!! why isn't gmc looking into this?? do we have to wait until someone is seriously injured or killed?

Reported in: GLEN ELLYN IL || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

replaced steering pump, two days later replaced steering pump again. the issue is that at all instances of no exceleration the steering becomes uncontrollable. however pressing the excellerator restores power steering. at times there was also cases where the steering would not cooperate when entering a freeway when not excellerating.

Reported in: APPLETON WI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D49J

SEAT BELTS

this is in regards to the center row, middle seat belt. my 9 year old was sitting in this seat using the seat belt. i was driving down a hill at roughly 40 mph when the light at the bottom changed so i stopped. my son was leaning a little forward and the seat belt locked up. i told him to lean back and it should unlock. but it did not, it kept clicking like when using a seat belt for a car seat. at which point he became stuck up against the seat and couldn't move his chest. he started panicking so i had to pull over to assist him. i unbuckled the seat belt and let it go in and it locked, completely inside the seat. after pushing in what little slack there was i got it to release and was able to pull it out, but only about 6 inches and then it locked again. i then had to move my child to another seat while on the side of a busy road. the seat belt has remained locked in this position for about 3 weeks. i took the car in last week for an oil change and the recall on the airbags so i asked if they could look at this too. they misquoted us on the price and then proceeded to tell me the only way to fix it was to take the whole seat apart and it would cost roughly $400.00 and insisted there would be no way for this to be for a recall, as they didn't see it as a safety concern. i have to adamantly disagree. a seat belt locking and not locking could be a very dangerous thing in an accident, or even in a sudden stop.

Reported in: SEASIDE CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D09J

SEATS

this is in regards to the center row, middle seat belt. my 9 year old was sitting in this seat using the seat belt. i was driving down a hill at roughly 40 mph when the light at the bottom changed so i stopped. my son was leaning a little forward and the seat belt locked up. i told him to lean back and it should unlock. but it did not, it kept clicking like when using a seat belt for a car seat. at which point he became stuck up against the seat and couldn't move his chest. he started panicking so i had to pull over to assist him. i unbuckled the seat belt and let it go in and it locked, completely inside the seat. after pushing in what little slack there was i got it to release and was able to pull it out, but only about 6 inches and then it locked again. i then had to move my child to another seat while on the side of a busy road. the seat belt has remained locked in this position for about 3 weeks. i took the car in last week for an oil change and the recall on the airbags so i asked if they could look at this too. they misquoted us on the price and then proceeded to tell me the only way to fix it was to take the whole seat apart and it would cost roughly $400.00 and insisted there would be no way for this to be for a recall, as they didn't see it as a safety concern. i have to adamantly disagree. a seat belt locking and not locking could be a very dangerous thing in an accident, or even in a sudden stop.

Reported in: SEASIDE CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D09J

STEERING

over the last year the turning on my acadia while at slow speeds has gotten progressively worse. this especially happens at lower speeds, but i have always been able to complete my turn. in april it finally got worse where i needed "brute force" to make a turn and i almost hit another vehicle. at this time the automobile is an "accident" waiting to happen and i will not let my wife or daughter drive it anymore. i have taken the car to my mechanic and he has replaced the power steering pump and rack and pinion and the problem still continues!!! he does not know what else to do! i see that there are many other out there having the exact same problem. gm needs to find a solution to the problem and fix it!! this is a 45k car and these types of problems should not exist, and if they do, they should be handled by gm promptly. i am planning on filing a lawsuit as soon as i find a lawyer familiar with these gm issues.

Reported in: AUSTIN TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D69J

SEAT BELTS

driver side tensioner assembly, part number 19300368, broke from main wire meshing harness, exposing the retractor belt anchor plate to be free and lose. the end bracket of this 3 point seat belt is not properly secured to the main driver seat because of part number 19300368 braking apart. seat belt is now a 2 point harness with the seat belt tongue clipping on the buckle on my right hip area and the pillar loop or seat belt adjuster as the other hard point, located above the left shoulder area. other seat belt issue is located in the second row seat, passenger side. part number is 19257112 belt kit, left side area of the seat which is near the left hip area. the plastic component which covers the buckle prevents the tongue, connected to the main harness, from releasing when pushing the quick release red color button. had to brake the plastic cover from the buckle in order to release the tongue freely.

Reported in: SAN DIEGO CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D59J

STEERING

this is an intermittent problem where the power steering goes out while the engine is at low rpm. typically at lower speeds, but makes it unsafe to steer when it happens. however, if you are exiting a freeway with gas off and engine idling it is difficult to steer when/if it happens. this is a common problem for this vehicle and saw that there is a class action lawsuit against gm for this. i hope they gm recognizes this and turns into a recall as this car has had many safety related issues.

Reported in: SHELBY TOWNSHIP MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D79J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

tl* 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.

Reported in: SHAWNEE KS || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D49J

ENGINE

tl* 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.

Reported in: SHAWNEE KS || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D49J

STEERING

while driving i lose power steering, whether it's 10 miles per hour or 50 miles per hour. difficult to turn while driving. it seems to have gotten worse over the last few months and the power steering makes a noise while moving the steering wheel. upon recovery of the power steering, i nearly lose control from overcompensation for trying to turn the wheel with all my strength. extremely dangerous and unpredictable. there are too many complaints with gmc and the ntsha to continue without a recall.

Reported in: KANSAS CITY MO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D99J

STEERING

acadia has become increasingly difficult to turn both left and right. my wife can't drive the car anymore because she can't turn the steering wheel enough so that she can park at work. really dangerous and scary.

Reported in: ROCHESTER NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV13D59J

STEERING

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*lj

Reported in: VINELAND NJ || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D29J

STEERING

loses power steering at low speeds such as pulling out of a parking area or any time low speed. very hard to turn until you accelerate.

Reported in: INDEPENDENCE MO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13DX9J

STEERING

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 straiten 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.

Reported in: HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE AR || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D19J

STEERING

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 2000.00. 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).

Reported in: FORT WAYNE IN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33DX9J

STEERING

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.

Reported in: JOHNSTON IA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D19J

STEERING

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.

Reported in: IMPERIAL MO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23DX9J

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

while emptying out the rear of the vehicle, the lift gate proceeded to descend while i was taking out our suitcases. i was unaware this was happening and my hand was on the right side of the vehicle hatch. the lift gate did not stop when it hit my hand and i immediately pulled away from it catching my finger on the sharp side of the mechanism. it ripped open my middle finger, cutting it to the tendon, requiring a trip to the emergency room. i had to get eleven stitches to close the wound and a tetanus shot. after we arrived home and investigated the problem, we discovered the struts on the lift gate must have been weak to let the hatch descend. the problem is that there is no fail safe when this happens to stop the descent! my brother-in-law also got caught and it took a great deal of muscle to push it up. what would happen if a child got caught in it? i hate to think of the outcome. it would seem to me that this default would be a priority issue to consider. the fail safe should work no matter what. i am concerned this could be a life threatening situation. appreciate any comments you may have on the above incident.

Reported in: ANN ARBOR, MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D29J

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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.

Reported in: CASTLE ROCK CO || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

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.

Reported in: CASTLE ROCK CO || Crash: N || VIN #:

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL

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. al and doris walls

Reported in: LITTLETON CO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

SUSPENSION

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. al and doris walls

Reported in: LITTLETON CO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

STEERING

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. al and doris walls

Reported in: LITTLETON CO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D39J

SEAT BELTS:REAR

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while her child was seated in the rear passenger seat, the contact could not unlatch the rear seat belt restraint. after many failed attempts, the seat belt began to tighten across the child causing him to become pressed up against the seat and unable to move his chest. the child began to lose oxygen, which prompted the contact to cut the seat belt from the child. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 14v266000 (seat belts); however, the dealer stated that the failure she experienced was not identical to the one listed in the recall. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

Reported in: BUTLER PA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV13D29J

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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.

Reported in: STOW OH || Crash: N || VIN #:

POWER TRAIN

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.

Reported in: STOW OH || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

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.

Reported in: STOW OH || Crash: N || VIN #:

POWER TRAIN

while turning left from a stop sign, my 2009 gmc slt had an rpm increase and failed to change into a higher gear. i was almost struck by an oncoming vehicle because my vehicle failed to accelerate. i parked at the post office and when i returned to my vehicle and tried to back out of the parking space my vehicle would not go into reverse. i had to get the vehicle towed to carmax and have it repaired. it is still at carmax and has to have the entire transmission rebuilt. luckily i have an extended maintenance plan so i only have to pay a deductible intead of the entire amount. i feel that based on the number of same complaints and safety issues that gmc should have to issue a recall to have all the transmissions replaced versus the individual vehicle owners having to pay. if researched it is evident that this is an engineering flaw which started with this transmission in 2007.

Reported in: HARVEST AL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23DX9J

STEERING

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 shouls be considered for a recall because of the danger involved in not being able to control this car when the power steering is out.

Reported in: WEST BEND WI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D59J

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

over the course of 6 years since i've purchased by new vehicle, on the right side passenger floor, there is a puddle of water that has accumulated under the carpeting and is causing the floor to rust and deteriorate. it is when you run the a/c and the water drains into the vehicle. i've sent it to the dealer to have it repaired many times and they only do a fix and not correct the problem to avoid the lodging of the water. the last time i sent it to my dealer the fan motor was inoperable because of the water damage the electronic circuits.

Reported in: EAST ELMHURST NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV33D0J1

AIR BAGS

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated while driving 20 mph the front passenger side tire blew and the contact lost control of the vehicle, crashing into a two foot ditch. the vehicle then went through a row of hedges and crashed into a tree on the driver's side. the seat belt did not restrain the contact and the air bags did not deploy. the rear seats collapsed as well. the contact sustained a severe concussion from hitting her head on the windshield, bruised legs, arm, fractured nose, and bruising to the face. the contact was found lying over the console and was taken to the emergency room. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was towed to a collision shop. the contact later received notification of nhtsa recall campaign number 14v266000 (seat belt) however, the part needed for the repair was not available. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Reported in: FORT WORTH TX || Crash: Y || VIN #: 1GKER13D79J

SEAT BELTS

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated while driving 20 mph the front passenger side tire blew and the contact lost control of the vehicle, crashing into a two foot ditch. the vehicle then went through a row of hedges and crashed into a tree on the driver's side. the seat belt did not restrain the contact and the air bags did not deploy. the rear seats collapsed as well. the contact sustained a severe concussion from hitting her head on the windshield, bruised legs, arm, fractured nose, and bruising to the face. the contact was found lying over the console and was taken to the emergency room. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was towed to a collision shop. the contact later received notification of nhtsa recall campaign number 14v266000 (seat belt) however, the part needed for the repair was not available. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Reported in: FORT WORTH TX || Crash: Y || VIN #: 1GKER13D79J

STEERING

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 costed $1400-$1700 to fix! therefore a recall needs to be made of this issue due to faulty assembly before someone gets injured!

Reported in: RACELAND KY || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

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

Reported in: OLD BETHPAGE NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D49J

STEERING

the steering column randomly locks at speed while turning. locking column caused impact to curb while driving vehicle.

Reported in: KNOXVILLE TN || Crash: Y || VIN #: 1GKEV33D79J

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

the above mileage and dates are approximate--dealer and gmc (case #71-1186898165) are aware of problem which involves a sudden power surge as i have been stopping at my mailbox, stopping at stop sign and pulling into parking place. each time my speed was slow enough and my foot was on the brake, that i could maintain control while the rpms surged to over 4,000. i put transmission into neutral and shut engine off and, with restart, problem went away. dealer has attached a monitor to try to identify the error code, but after a few weeks of having it in place, i returned to dealership and had it removed. the following morning it happened again as i stopped at my mailbox. i haven't been back to my dealer to report that incident. vehicle now has just a few miles over 101,000 and there has been no recent issue of the same type.

Reported in: ELY IA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D39J

STEERING

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 travelling 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..

Reported in: GALVESTON TX || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D39J

POWER TRAIN

tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle jerked without warning. the contact also stated that shifting was difficult. on one occasion, the vehicle was shifted into reverse and the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to reverse. the failure occurred on multiple occasions. the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 69,000.

Reported in: CHESTER VA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D59J

POWER TRAIN

at 72000 miles we had the acadia serviced because of shifting problems, looked at again several times between them an 108000 when my wife had a near catastrophic failure as the transmission failed re engage while in drive in the middle of a busy intersection and called 911 because of the danger to my daughter, herself and those motorists on the road who couldn't see the hazard lights in the setting sun driving westbound - she narrowly avoided being rear ended and left the vehicle and sat on the embankment until police arrived.

Reported in: ADA MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV13D09J

STEERING

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.

Reported in: ST. LOUIS MO || Crash: N || VIN #:

STEERING

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 travelling 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, relaced power steering pump & resivoir. 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 resivoir as full. approximate repair cost is $1500 as of now... this is a highly dangerous & apparently common situation that gmc should be recitfying with a recall of the acadia.

Reported in: INDEPENDENCE KY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER13D79J

ENGINE

vehicle's check engine light came on and immediately thereafter, car began sputtering/hesitating while driving on the freeway.

Reported in: IRVINE CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER23D19J

STEERING

tl-the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while driving at varies speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the contact was able to maneuver the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and the diagnosed power steering pump and steering rack needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified about the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 42,000. lb

Reported in: MADISON HEIGHTS VA || Crash: N || VIN #:

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

tl-the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the low beam head lamp failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed the low beam head socket on drivers side melted. the technician stated the head light capsule would need to be replaced. no repairs were made to the vehicle. also while driving 55 mph the vehicle failed to accelerate. the manufacturer was made aware of the failures. the failure mileage was 60,000.sr

Reported in: 804-462-5304 VA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D29J

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

tl-the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the low beam head lamp failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed the low beam head socket on drivers side melted. the technician stated the head light capsule would need to be replaced. no repairs were made to the vehicle. also while driving 55 mph the vehicle failed to accelerate. the manufacturer was made aware of the failures. the failure mileage was 60,000.sr

Reported in: 804-462-5304 VA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKER33D29J

STEERING

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.

Reported in: MUSKEGON MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1GKEV23D49J