Home · 2011 GMC Acadia Denali · Complaints

What 280 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 GMC Acadia Denali

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (280)Crash / fire / injury (23)Steering (64)Engine (52)Electrical system (47)Lights (38)Transmission & drivetrain (33)Airbags (24)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (16)Speed control (13)Brakes (10)Fuel system (10)

10 of 280 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters

Nov 23, 2021Brakes

Upon starting our vehicle to leave the breaks were very hard to compress. They did eventually release but made a whooshing noise as though there is someone blowing air from the brake pedal. There is no damage or leaking from the break line or the master cylinder. This could lead to failure of the breaks and it is concerning. This vehicle is available upon request to inspect. This has not currently be confirmed by a dealer or service center, or others that would inspect vechicles. There are no warning laps or messages presenting. 11/23/21 is the first day that this occured.

NHTSA ODI 11441476

Mar 29, 2020Electronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes

STABILITRAK ALWAYS REPORTS OFF AND BRAKE WARNING ALWAYS DISPLAYS ON DASHBOARD, WHILE ON OR RUNNING. HAD IT LOOKED AT BY 4 MECHANICS. BREAKS ARE FINE. ENGINE WONT START AFTER EVERYTIME I PUMP GAS. I HAVE TO PUMP ACCELERATOR SEVRAL TIMES FOR ENGINE TO START. HAD IT LOOKED AT AGAIN. PROBLEM IS ONGOING. ALSO, SLOWED DOWN ON ONE OCCASION WHILE DRIVING ON THE HWY. HAD TO PULL OVER SINCE ACCELERATOR WOULD NOT FUNCTION. AFTER 30MINS OR SO. WAS ABLE TO RESTART.

NHTSA ODI 11319664

Jul 8, 2019Transmission & drivetrainBrakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC ACADIA. WHILE ON AN INCLINE WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE SLID FORWARD. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SLIDE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE MOVED FORWARD WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS RELEASED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT FELT AS IF THE VEHICLE WERE IN NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO GREGG YOUNG AUTO CENTER (2020 W 20TH ST S, NEWTON, IA 50208, (641) 275-9706) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE REMEDY COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT IT WAS NORMAL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

NHTSA ODI 11230064

Nov 20, 2018WheelsElectronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes

AS I WAS APPROACHING A RED LIGHT, I PRESSED ON MY BREAKS AND HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE. MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE MUCH, I PUSHED ON THE BRAKES AND THEN THE GAS AND STARTED TO MOVE. AS I WAS DRIVING I FELT THE CAR PULLING. I NOTICED THE ABS TRACTION CONTROL OFF, ALL WHEEL DRIVE OFF, AND STABILITRACK LIGHTS ALL CAME ON. I CALLED THE LOCAL GMC DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER. NOW JUST WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM.

NHTSA ODI 11152808

Oct 1, 2017Brakes

THE STABILITRACK KEEPS TURNING OFF AND THE SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM MESSAGE KEEPS COMING UP. AFTER INVESTIGATION, MULTIPLE MAKES AND MODELS ARE HAVING MASTER CYLINDER LEAKS INTO THE BRAKE BOOSTER. WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN RECALLED FOR SAFETY?

NHTSA ODI 11030725

Feb 16, 2017SteeringElectronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes

MY POWER STEERING HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY LOUD AND DIFFICULT TO HANDLE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. IN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, I HAVE NOTICED NUMEROUS SIMILAR PROBLEMS OTHER INDIVIDUALS WITH THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE HAVE HAD. I AM NOT UNDERSTANDING WHY THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY RECALLS TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM IF IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE ACADIA. RECENTLY, APPROXIMATELY A WEEK AGO, I HAVE NOTICED THAT MY "STABILITRACK" IS OFF AND MY VEHICLE TELLS ME TO "SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM" AND IS NOT BECOMING DIFFICULT TO STOP AND SHAKES QUITE A BIT WHEN DOING SO. I TRAVEL FROM HOME TO TOWN AND OFTEN HAVE TO TRAVEL ON THE INTERSTATE WITH MULTIPLE CARS TRAVELING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS MYSELF IN CLOSE VICINITY. THE POWER STEERING PROBLEM IS ROUGHLY $1300 TO FIX AND THE BRAKE SYSTEM IS ROUGHLY $800 TO FIX. WHY ARE THERE NOT RECALLS ON THESE PROBLEMS IF IT IS SO COMMON? GMC NEEDS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING POORLY MADE VEHICLES THAT COST A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY ONLY FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON TO FIX AND MY MILEAGE IS ONLY 72,000 MILES...THESE PROBLEMS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS, LIVES LOST, AND GMC SUED.

NHTSA ODI 10955050

Oct 18, 2016BrakesEngine

MOTOR STOPS RUNNING WHILE IN MOVEMENT IN GEARS OF FORWARD AND REVERSE. DRIVER HAS NO CONTROL OF THE CAR. STEERING WORKS BUT NO BREAKS OR POWER TO POWER TRAIN. MOTOR JUST SHUTS DOWN WITH OUT ANY NOTICE. THIS HAPPENS WHILE IN MOVEMENT ON PUBLIC ROADS, FREEWAYS AND WHILE PARKING.

NHTSA ODI 10916702

Aug 28, 2016Electrical systemBrakes

OUR NITE MARE BEGAN DECEMBER 2015 PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SHOP MORE THEN WE'VE DRIVEN IT , FIRST THOUGHTS ON NON STARTING WAS NEEDED BIGGER BATTERY, DID THAT , SECOND THEY THOUGHT BATTERY ISSUES AGAIN , AN THIRD TIME OF NON STARTING SUPPOSE ABLE BAD GROUND ON TRANSMISSION, DID THAT, FOURTH TIME ANOTHER GROUND ON TRANSMISSION BAD, FIFTH TIME THOUGHT SOME THING ELECTRICAL , PUT IN SOME SORT OF TRANSMISSION MODULE , SIXTH TIME BRAIN PART, SEVENTH TIME THE BACK HATCH AN 8TH TIME THEY HAVE NO IDEA ITS IN SHOP STILL FROM AUGUST 4TH LAST TIME DROVE ANIT LOCK BRAKES CAME ON AN SLOWED OUR SPEED FROM 55 TO 30 WE WERE ALL SCARED

NHTSA ODI 10902036

Sep 20, 2015SteeringBrakesEngine

WHEN TRAVELING AT ABOUT 35 MPH, ALL SYSTEMS FAILED -- STEERING, BRAKING, ELECTRICAL. THE DEALER INDICATES THAT THIS IS A "CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE."

NHTSA ODI 10766282

Dec 1, 2014SteeringBrakes

POWERSTEERING GETS TIGHT AND VEHICLE SHAKES. BROUGHT TO DEALER AND POWERSTEERING PUMP AND GEAR IS LEAKING FLUID. THE GM DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE POWERSTEERING PART IS COVERED BUT WILL NOT COVER THE FLUID LEAKING AND I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR $500 PAYMENT. BRAKE PEDAL SQUEAKS WHEN PRESSED DOWN. GM DEALER INFORMED THAT THE BRAKE IS LEAKING AND NEEDS A BRAKE FLUID FLUSH AND A NEW BRAKE BOOSTER. *JS

NHTSA ODI 10661420

Working with the data? Download all 280 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 GMC Acadia Denali verdict →