Problems · by component

2012 GMC Acadia power train problems

43 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 GMC Acadia cite power train, 14% of all 302 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
43
14% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the power train

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to release from low gear while at a stop. The transmission was backed up. The engine light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who confirmed there were no recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 213,766.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 21, 2026Power train, EngineODI 11739205
“The transmission has all the symptoms of a broken wave plate and/or torque convertor as reported in the first generation T75 transmission service bulletin. This started occurring at 120K. I know the service bulletin was for the 2007-2009 models but the 2012 had the same exact transmission and waveplate. The car feels like it's going to shudder out and die on the highway.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 18, 2025Power trainODI 11681462
“Ratle sound in the engine thinking it may be the timing chain. Code p0430 came on stating catalytic converter bank 2 needs replaced. We replaced o2 sensor downstream on bank 2 code was cleared by shop. After driving a few miles same check engine light came on and i took it to the shop they hooked it up to run the code and it was the same p0430 again”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 22, 2025Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11668471
“I noticed shuddering while driving my car and when I took it to my mechanic upon test driving and inspecting it he realized the torque converter is not strong enough for the size of the car. He informed me driving it with the improper size will cause it to shudder and accelerate or not accelerate correctly while driving and cause slipping while shifting gears. Those issue have been happening the entire time I've had it and if the car slips and goes too fast or slips and loses power it is a danger to me and the other cars on the road. There were no codes or warning indicators while this is happening.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 27, 2024Power trainODI 11568275
“The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the RPM would rise to 4,000 however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle and became aware of smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine block, camshaft, reverse gear, and transmission housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 158,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 22, 2023Engine and engine cooling, Power train, EngineODI 11546058
“No warning light when transmission went out. Traction control/stabiltrac service light came on, doors locking and unlocking, not stating what gear acadia was in. Check engine light eventually came on, after it stalled twice on highway. Vehicle is at gmc dealership service department and they are saying its not communicating and are checking wiring harness wires. I have replaced transmission and torque converter and now i dont know what to expect now. Only had it for 3 years so far. I almost got rear ended when it stalled twice before backfiring and a rough swift shift.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 19, 2023Steering, Power train, Electrical systemODI 11539579

Showing 6 of 43 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.