10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 4
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 84,553 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.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Wave plate broke and transmission being rebuilt.
- Boalsburg, PA, USA
I was coming home with my five children when getting close to home my truck just would not go over 10 mph I would pull over for cars behind me to pass after I tried turning it off and restarting but it would do the same glad I was close to home that I was able to get their. I got home shut the truck off and tried to turn back on and it wouldn't I have been told that it was a sensor and replaced it and it still didn't work know I have been told that it is the motor that is bad it is embarrassing to have a truck in your driveway that you have not been able to use and still owe have the amount of what it was sold to us. They also told me that this was common on 2007 because of the faulty motor that was put into them as I read some of the reviews it should be considered as a recall because of the price these trucks go for new or used suppose ably it is a high quality vehicle and its sad that their is so many bad reviews and nothing has been done to help all the people who are having this issue as GM knows this isn't something you can say I will get it fixed right away you are talking thousands of dollars for repairs.
- Whitewater, WI, USA
I was driving to the store, going down hill on the right side of the road. Mid-way down a message appeared on the computer saying "engine failure, power off" and the car just shut down with out warning. No matter how hard I pressed on the gas the car was shut off. The steering went out as well and I had to stand in the seat to use all my power to turn the wheel. Previous to this, the check engine light had not been on, no advance warning of this. I had both of my children in the car at the time. Luckily there was a bp gas station with garage at the bottom of the hill, I was able to coast the car into the gas station where they ran diagnostic testing and repaired my car and reset the sensors. Nine months later I was driving with both of my children again, in North East Washington DC when out of no where the same message appeared. I was able to pull the car over to the side of the road and restart the engine one time. I turned around to go home and on the drive home the same thing happened on a less of an incline of a hill. The car shut down completely towards the top of the hill going down. Same as before, no gas and no steering ability. I was too scared to leave the car on the side as cars coming over the hill would not have time to stop before hitting us. I put the car in neutral and tried to glide down the hill to the shell station. The car cut out completely and lost all momentum so I had to push the car into the gas station and wait 3 hours for the tow truck to arrive. It went back to the bp station from February and had a new battery and several other items replaced. I bought this car new in 2007 and have had countless breakdowns and replacements- two transmissions within the first 3 years and repairs. I keep up with car maintenance regularly and do no neglect anything.
- Silver Spring , MD, USA
On my way home from work, in the middle of tunnel truck turn on check engine light, in panel " reduced engine power" and reduced the velocity by itself to 10mph. I turn it off and on again, started running but in less than 1 minute running, did the same problem.
- Virginia Beach, VA, USA
I was driving home from work around 5:05pm on the 5 North freeway going about 65 mph. All of a sudden my check engine light went on and I felt a sudden loss of power in my acceleration. As I stepped on the gas more to keep up with the flow of traffic, the RPM needle jumped up to between 4 and 6 on my gauge, but my vehicle wasn't going any faster so I had to steer to the right to get to the exit. I was barely able to exit without almost getting rear ended but I had no choice as my vehicle would not go over 40mph. After getting it checked at the nearest shop, I was told that it was a stuck solenoid. After I got that fixed, 4 months later, same problem, but now the dealership is telling me they will have to rebuild my transmission due to a broken wave plate, which will cost me at least $2800, which I don't have.
- Northridge, CA, USA
When beginning to drive our vehicle from church the check engine light came on and vehicle would not downshift, and speed would not get above 30 mph. When brought to the dealership the following day, we were told we would need a new transmission. The vehicle only has 50K and should not have had this issue, and it is a transmission safety issue. Had we been on a busy highway and this incident occurred, a major accident could have taken place. Other sites have listed numerous complaints about the same transmission problem occurring in various Acadia's as well. A recall should have been issued and GM should pay for the full repair as it is over $4,000.
- North Syracuse, NY, USA
I'm having chronic transmission problems I've spent &2000. So far on the transmission. The GMC dealer has been constantly telling me I'm having multiple issues regarding the total wave plate of the transmission, which is effecting other areas of the care. Now I'm being told that my transmission was a lemon-make. That it was built faulty & GMC knows it. They have had thousands of complaints and refuse to recall this transmission. This is totally unfair. I still owe 18,000 on this truck. I'm paying two mortgages and I'm worried about how I will make it to work the next day. The maker of this truck should be held responsible for the faults not the consumer. Do to this issue GM issued an exchange program but the dealer ships won't engage in this. Please assist me with this issue.
- Brown Deer, WI, USA
Went to back out of my garage and the car wouldn't go. Had to have the transmission replaced. We had not been experiencing any issues with the car regarding the transmission in the days before it quit working. Other than the check engine light coming on for a few min and then went off about 5 min later about 2 days before it quit working. I love this car but disappointed that our transmission went out at 81,246 miles.
- Durham, NC, USA
The first issue was the water pump, replaced it and 2 months later out went the power steering pump. At that time of replacing the power steering pump the dealership also replaced the rack and pinion and timing chain. Now, it's the transmission. Going rounds with GM to get them to take care of the issue in its entirety. This vehicle doesn't even have 63K miles on it! this vehicle is defective in every which way. I'm worried about what will go out next. I was looking for something reliable and safe and this Acadia has been everything but that. I have several friends that are also experiencing the same issues. Let the game begin. I have never had a vehicle that I feel is so unsafe and unreliable. I am a hard working woman who drove the same car for 13 years and had none of the issues that I am having with this Acadia that I paid twice as much for! so, to anyone wanting to purchase an Acadia, do reconsider, even as dependable as you feel your dealership may be...it will be a lemon in the long run. Be prepared to get your gloves on in the ring with GMC as I'm currently doing...as I'm driving a dealership loaner, for 2 days now...good luck!
- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
Car shut down while I was driving. After awhile it started back up but it would only go on first gear so I could go more than 20mph. Then when I went home, the check engine light came on and the reverse did not work. I have read alot of complaints about the same problem with 2007 Acadias. I hope these cars get recalled because some people might not be as lucky as I was were there weren't any cars around or in the interstate.
- Nashville, TN, USA
Our car was serviced by jim salerno GMC in randolph, NJ on 5/4/13. The car was brought in to check the transmission that was installed by salerno in 2011 but we were told trans is ok, the timing chains need to be replaced. We get the job done which requires them to take the engine out of the car. We get the car back from them and it is idling very low to the point it stalled once when my wife stopped to get out of the car to get our mail. And we noticed it didn't start up the same as before (slower) but we didn't mention this to salerno because we trusted them in doing the job right (big mistake!) for the next few weeks, my wife does some local driving with the car until 6/22/13 when we (my wife and I and our two small children and our dog) left for a long drive up to Maine. We made it into Massachusetts and then an engine light came on followed by a lot of rattling from the engine. This was quite scary since the car started driving erratically and we were traveling at high speeds on rt 84. We luckily pull over into a small rest stop and 5 hours later, a ingersoll GMC comes with a flatbed truck and a loaner car.
- Oak Ridge, NJ, USA
Vehicle is hard shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. Had serviced with new transmission fluid on 7/2/13. On 7/5/13 vehicle would no longer shift at all while traveling on the freeway on our way to family vacation to hilton head SC. It was towed to parks Chevrolet in charlotte, nc where transmission was disassembled with parts replaced and rebuilt. Upon departure of pickup vehicle is still shifting hard from 1st to 2nd gear (around 20-25mph) and we hope to make back home to Ohio safely. I've researched this issue is common in GMC Acadias. Issues needs addressed and resolved for safety! I will be returning the vehicle to Chevy dealer when we return home for further service. We have already paid the warranty deductible and hope to not incur more expenses!
- Poland, OH, USA
On Monday, with my children in the car, I started noticing that the car was not shifting correctly. I did not think much about it. Then on the wed of that week as I was driving in a major city downtown area for the morning commute, the engine light came on... I was at a stop tried to accelerate and the RPM's revved. Stepped on the gas and the car would only go 1 to 2 miles an hour then speed up... dealer said that there were "many parts in the pan" and that I needed to have transmission replaced. $3600 plus tax or have it rebuilt $3300 plus tax. Called GM after reading the various post on edmunds about the Acadia problems. They were very nice and opened a claim but as of yet, no one ever called me back. When they opened the claim they said someone would be in touch within 2 business days (and they would see what they could do on saving me some money on the bill) as I was due back at the dealership to pick up my car.
- Belmont, MA, USA
Transmission failure due to faulty factory issued wave plate. This should have been a recall as GM appears to be very aware of this problem in most early year model Acadias. The price tag alone is $4,000+... not to mention a rental car and making payments on an undrivable vehicle while it sits for who knows how long since the transmission is on national back order because its such a common problem.
- Graham, WA, USA
Car will not accelerate, engine just revs and rpms increase to 5000+ when attampting to change from third to fourth gear. Thankfully, I was on a road less traveled and did not get smashed in the back with my son in the back seat on the highway. What a safety hazard!
- Colonial Heights, VA, USA
Engine light on vehicle, the vehicle will not shift into gear - happened three times had to pull off side of road to not get hit from other vehicles and 5 year old was also in car with me. Had to shut off the car multiple times to get started again and for it to finally shift into gears. Took car to dealer and they replaced transmission control module valve. On 4/1/13 car would not go into reverse on incline. Had to drive forward and reverse on flat area, dealer now says they found broken wave plate and burned 3-5 reverse clutch. Also found internal defect park of valve body. Car is only 5 years old and has only 55 thousand miles on it. Saw other issues on this database all with broken wave plates on 07 Acadias. Paid thousands of dollars to get this fixed.
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Vehicle has about 50,000 miles but a few months out of warranty and started giving me problem shifting gear. Researched the problem and found a lot of similar complaints out there but GM is refusing to take responsibility and making owners pay to fix the problem. Transmission is defective.
- Elk Grove, CA, USA
Manufacturer defect to transmission.
- Lutz, FL, USA
Transmission went completely out while driving on I-79 4 hours from home, while driving the speed limit of 60-65mph, had to push car out of road, towed car to a dealership that we did not know, was told the transmission was completely gone and had to be replaced at a replacement cost of $3600. Had to rent a car to get back home in which cost $275, went looking into this matter found over 90 pages of complaints on edmunds.com.
- Forest, VA, USA
- Cedartown , GA, USA