Problems · NHTSA complaints
2009 GMC Acadia problems
Owners filed 333 complaints about the 2009 GMC Acadia with NHTSA between Sep 2009 and Jul 2026. The most-cited component is steering (112).
Complaints
333
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
8
Reported by owners
Fires
14
Reported by owners
Injuries
17
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Steering112
- Power train72
- Engine67
- Electrical system47
- Exterior lighting38
- Structure25
- Air bags16
- Electronic stability control (esc)14
- Vehicle speed control11
- Seat belts10
- Fuel/propulsion system9
- Suspension8
- Engine and engine cooling8
- Seats6
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
4
6
17
19
33
92
45
27
17
18
22
14
5
4
6
2
1
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2010 | 6 |
| 2011 | 17 |
| 2012 | 19 |
| 2013 | 33 |
| 2014 | 92 |
| 2015 | 45 |
| 2016 | 27 |
| 2017 | 17 |
| 2018 | 18 |
| 2019 | 22 |
| 2020 | 14 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Steering
112 reports3 crashes
“The vehicle tire system lights came on the air bag sensor light Car did not fill safe driving no control on the road unstable on turns car was sold one lug muissing front tire ,returned car several times last time I took the vehicle was due to drivesrs back wheel wobbling so bad , Someone followeing said it looked like tire was coming off . the owner said it was fine , put it on the rack let me drive off , I drove it and it was very unstable to drive and took it to Nor cal Tires Ukiah Ca they informed me it was not safe to drive .”
Power train
72 reports1 crash1 related recall
“The stabilizer/traction control keeps going off and it will stay off.i can turn,hit a bump or start it up and the traction control/stabilizer system is off.i almost had a accident on the freeway in the rain because it turned off out of nowhere and I almost lost control. Also I was going down the road and all of a sudden my vehicle died and I had little control over vehicle. Once it came to stop it would not start again and when attempting it sounded like something was stuck in my fan or something because of the way it rattled and sounded and was rough sounding. Vehicle was inoperable and had to be towed. Upon investigating it was the timing chain kit that had failed suddenly for no apparent reason. Vehicle was well maintained and kept accordance with running policies and practices required and suggested by manufacturer. Still the failing caused engine damage that is well in to the several thousands of dollars and engine must be replaced due to this issue failing and I have noticed several thousand people having this same very issue and rendering them a foot and vehicle less due to the high cost of fixing without any warning or engine light or code suggesting of…”
Engine
67 reports1 crash3 fires
“There was a recall for gmc premature timing chain engine recall. This recall was complete in 2011 but it did not fix the problem. The timing chain keeps breaking off the cam shaft sensor and needs to be replaced.”
Electrical system
47 reports5 fires1 related recall
“The stabilizer/traction control keeps going off and it will stay off.i can turn,hit a bump or start it up and the traction control/stabilizer system is off.i almost had a accident on the freeway in the rain because it turned off out of nowhere and I almost lost control”
Exterior lighting
38 reports1 crash4 fires
“THERE WAS A RECALL AT ONE TIME FOR THE TRANSMISSION LINKAGE ABOUT IT POPPING OFF, I AM NOW HAVING IT POP OFF I HAVE NO CLUE HOW LONG IT BEEN THIS WAY SEEING AS IT GOES TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY NEVER SAID ANYTHING BUT IT HAD BEEN THAT WAY FOR A WHILE YOU CAN JUST LIFT IT OFF. HEAD LIGHTS GO OUT ALMOST EVERY 6 MONTHS ON THE DOT! I HAVE BEEN CAUGHT TWICE WITH NO LOW BEAMS. *TR”
Structure
25 reports2 crashes2 fires1 related recall
“2009 GMC ACADIA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, STEERING WHEEL POWER AND FAULTY BRAKES. *LD THE CONSUMER THE LIFTGATE AND LAMP WERE REPAIED UNDER RECALL, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE CONSUMER DID NOT RECIEVE NOTIFICATION FOR THE RECALLS CONCERNING THE ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, AND TIMING CHAIN. *JS”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.