10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
70,064 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2008 GMC Acadia:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #24

Jan 152014

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 88,000 miles
Headlamp wiring melted the headlamp module and bulb receptacle there was no fire but there could have been I was informed there was a service directive on this that expired on 12/31 but I still had to pay $240 to have it repaired when I googled the problem I found multiple complaints about this defect. I feel it is something you should look into.

- Grand Haven, MI, USA

problem #23

Mar 112014

Acadia

  • 87,000 miles
Right headlight gasket around daytime running light overheated and melted headlight casing causing entire headlight assembly to need to be replaced. Did not discover until realizing daytime light was not coming on. Unsure of how long the issue had been going on.

- Mechanicsville, VA, USA

problem #22

Nov 042013

Acadia

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the headlights failed to function properly. The contact also mentioned that the sockets were melted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

- Bastrop, LA, USA

problem #21

Oct 302013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 95,000 miles
Day time running light went out and the socket and housing melted.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #20

Aug 212013

Acadia

  • 112,000 miles
Passenger side headlight failed to properly function, bulb was changed and still failed to function properly. Problem seems rooted in manufacturer's wire harness not properly functioning.

- Oak Forest, IL, USA

problem #19

May 042010

Acadia

  • 27,643 miles
Day time running lights burn out on GMC Acadia. Light gets so hot, they melted and burned the headlight assembly. This is a possible fire hazard. I have had the lamps replaced 4 times by the dealership, between both headlights assemblies. Less then 60,000 miles, the headlight assembly was so badly burnt and bridle, it fell apart in the technicians hand and it would not hold a lamp anymore. The whole entire headlight assembly needs replaced. The problem is caused by heat from the halogen lamps. An easy fix could be replacing the halogen lamps with leds. These are day time lamps only and are on all the time. This is a very poor design and craftsmanship by GMC and a safety issue they are not willing to correct. I have tried addressing the issue directly with GMC with no luck.

- Carson City, NV, USA

problem #18

Aug 012009

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 25,415 miles
I have had multiple problems with the daytime driving lights over heating and causing the entire headlight assembly to melt. Incidences on 8-1-09 8-15-09 4-8-10 and 11-15-12. And again in 2013. The fact that there is enough heat to melt the assembly to the housing tells me there is possibility of a fire. This is obviously a design and mechanical flaw of the vehicle. The consumer end of this is that along with the chance of fire, the vehicle's design requires the entire front grill to be removed in order to replace the headlight wiring harness and housing. This labor intensive method means that replacing this part can cost upward of $900. And it still does not address the initial problem of the overheating that caused the wiring harness to melt into the housing. So you are just waiting for it to happen again and hope that it is within the 30 days warranty for repairs. And wondering if my car is going to catch fire.

- Gainesville, GA, USA

problem #17

May 252009

Acadia 6-cyl

  • miles
Multiple problems with this vehicle. It has been in the shop more than 10 times in the past 4 years that I have owned it, frustrating. List of repairs: Timing belt, head lights, steering, camshaft, oil leak, struts, brakes and this is what I can recall mostly.this vehicle has had multiple services especially for service stability track that never gets repaired, they can't find the problem. Also service air bag keeps coming on but dealership cannot do anything while the light is not on. Very frustrated with this vehicle. I have never experienced so many repairs and services with any other vehicle as I have the Acadia. I owned a galant car before the Acadia for 5 years and only had to do one repair in those 5 years I owned it. I regret purchasing this vehicle! I am a single mother of two and I need a dependable vehicle not one that is malfunctioned!

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #16

Dec 082008

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 5,000 miles
I was taking my daughter to Florida for cheer leading competition; I was just outside of Illinois when the check airbag light and message screen came on thankfully the light went off but came back on on our way back to Chicago and kept coming on and off. Took it to dealer but they only said that the harness was tight they only wiggled it and light went off but came back a couple of days later. Then the power steering started making noise dealer said they didn't hear anything and didn't do anything and noise is getting louder. Then suspension stared it making noise. Took it to dealer and had tie rods replaced. Then the service airbag problem came back and this time didn't go away. Took it to the dealer and they said that the harness was to tight and they rerouted it so it wasn't tight anymore. Worked for a couple of days and its on again but I didn't take it back and now is past its warranty.then head lamp went out. Had to pay dealer $180 (rip off) next the other head light went out. My nephew replaced it in less than 10 min. Now there is a recall for that head light problem. Then wipers arm came loose from motor I had my cousin fix it for me. Now I have had the check engine light on for a couple of weeks took it to autozone came back with the code to replace the canister purge solenoid now I have the transmission problem, it started to act funny shifting pretty hard some times and then a few days ago I was driving on the freeway coming home when I notice the rpms at about 45000 and it wouldn't change gears and the fuel gauge started going nuts I don't know why and had to drive it home on the same gear. Took it to autozone and came back with the same code for the solenoid plus P0700/P0716/P0717 for the transmission. Now my Acadia is just sitting on my driveway no money to fix it and driving my 15 year old truck hoping GMC does something about this nightmare

- Northlake, IL, USA

problem #15

Nov 192012

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 99,000 miles
Daylight running lights overheat both driver and passenger sides. There is evidence that both bulb sockets have overheated and the light housing has cracked from the overheating. With the bulb and socket overheating this has the possibility of causing a fire, with evidence being the cracked lamp housing form the heat. I have replaced the bulbs on both sides always using dielectric grease. I have owned this car since 2010 and replaced the right side bulb 3 times and now on the left side 4 times. There is a factory recall on other year models but not on the 2008 GMC Acadia slt-2 having every bell and whistle. It was Monday, Nov. 19, 2012 when this electrical system failure happened again.

- Imperial, MO, USA

problem #14

Nov 012011

Acadia 6-cyl

  • miles
My vehicle has an issue with the daytime driving lights and headlights. The lights have failed multiple times due to the bulb melting into, and fusing to, the headlight assembly. This created a condition where the entire headlight assembly needs to be replaced. This includes the lens piece, the bulb, and the wiring connector. This is an issue at night (no/misaligned headlights), the loss of the benefit of daytime driving lights, and I imagine a possible fire.

- Newport Coast, CA, USA

problem #13

Aug 262012

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 68,662 miles
While it was raining outside, I was sitting in the back seat and happened to look up and saw water/ rain trickling out from around the rear interior overhead light, it was also coming in around the sensor in the overhead. The trickle eventually slowed down to a drip. In my opinion, water and electricity don't mix.

- Rosedale, MD, USA

problem #12

Aug 072012

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 66,000 miles
The drl went out and we took it to the dealer to be replaced. They said the housing around the wiring/light had melted and we would need to replace the entire housing at a cost of $1,100. They stated it was a fire hazard. I am out of warranty and see that this is a common issue.

- Lehi, UT, USA

problem #11

Jul 022012

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 68,500 miles
I replaced the driver side daytime running lamp and 8 days later replaced passenger side daytime running lamp. The last bulb replaced was on the passenger side and now is burned out again less than three weeks later. There is evidence on both bulb connectors of overheating. Dielectric grease has been used everytime bulbs have been changed through out the life of the vehicle. To the best of my knowledge, any time there is overheating on an electrical circuit further problems could arise. There is a factory recall on other year models but not on the 2008 GMC Acadia slt-2 having every bell & whistle along with higher price tag than lesser trim packages.

- Baytown, TX, USA

problem #10

Mar 012012

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
Low beam headlight out. Have changed twice within a 2 month period. Second time I changed it went out the very next day.

- Molena, GA, USA

problem #9

Apr 012010

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
Headlight failure due to faulty wiring in headlight assembly.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #8

Aug 222011

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 65,000 miles
Passenger side headlight doesn't work. Connector is burnt. Appears to be electrical problem and requires entire head light unit to be replaced. Not covered under extended warranty. Cost is ~$600.

- Patriot, OH, USA

problem #7

Jul 222011

Acadia

  • 38,394 miles
2008 Acadia. Low beam lights suddenly stop operating while driving. Severe safety hazard. GMC forums on internet show hundreds of consumers experiencing same issue. Our low beam drivers side went out. Low beam passenger side two days later. Due to poor engineering, the lights cannot be accessed without removing the bumper or tires. Not a bulb issue. Problem with melted wiring harness. There was no to way replace the wiring harness without splicing the wiring and installing an aftermarket connector part. Possible fire hazard as the bulbs are too hot for the current wiring. The harness replacement will only fail again because the wiring cannot handle the heat. This issue can leave you stranded on a dark road at night with no headlamps that may just suddenly go out. This is a potentially serious and deadly problem. According to the many forums, this is a common issue on Acadias and Saturn outlooks.

- Fort Collins, CO, USA

problem #6

Jul 202011

Acadia

  • 45,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated the wiring for the headlights was melting and caused the headlights to shut off. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated the wiring for the headlights was not covered by the warranty. The failure and current mileage was 45,000.

- Elizebeth, CO, USA

problem #5

Feb 012010

Acadia

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated the front driver side low beam headlight would no longer illuminate. While replacing the headlight himself, the contact noticed the wiring harness was melted. The contact stated he was able to rewire the wiring harness to repair the headlight. Approximately one year later, the failure recurred on the front passenger side headlight. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the wiring harness for the passenger side headlight was melted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 60,000.

- Gadsden, AL, USA

Read the next 4 complaints »