Problems · by component
2008 GMC Acadia engine problems
124 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2008 GMC Acadia cite engine, 14% of all 858 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
124
14% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The car would not shift causing me to pull over on the side of a highway to restart the car this happened 5 times in a row b4 the car would shift into proper gear”
“The traction control turns on and then the shifts don’t work and I can’t drive since there is no speed also the rpm and the gas the speed and the battery gages start flickering up and down then I turn off the truck and it continues to work fine but after 40 miles or so it does it all again”
“The contact owned a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, a grayish-colored smoke as well as an abnormal sound emit from the engine without warning. The contact pulled over and exited the vehicle as the vehicle was quickly engulfed in flames. The contact called the fire department and they extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed(#23-046145) and no injuries were reported. The contact stated that the highway barrier was damaged as a result of the fire. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.”
“The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving approximately 25-30 mph, the vehicle loss motive power without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed and remained at the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,038.”
“VEHICLE WILL CUT OFF, STILL RUNS AFTER SWITCH IS OFF, WHEN MAKING A TURN POPPING IN THE WHEEL, STEERING GETS HARD WHEN MAKING A TURN, SOMETHING KILLS BATTERY AND IT LEAKS INSIDE, THIS HAPPENS WHETHER IN MOTION OR NOT”
“THERE IS A AIRBAG NOTIFICATION THAT COMES ON ALSO IM HAVING ENGINE ISSUES WHERE MY FUEL RUNS OUT EXTREMELY FAST WITHOUT NOTICE. I CAN DRIVE LESS THAN 30 MILES AND MY VEHICLE WILL BE ALMOST OF EMPTY FROM A FULL TANK. IT JUST HAPPENED OUT OF NOWHERE. MY FRIEND ALSO HAS THE SAME VEHICLE AND SHE IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES WITH HER CAR. I REALLY NEED THIS FIXED ASAP.*DT*JB”
Showing 6 of 124 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.