What 280 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 GMC Acadia Limited

SERVICE BULLETIN NO.: SBC-14329 COMPONENT(S): STEERING NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10056459 2011 GMC ACADIA ..POWER STEERING FAILURE. RECEIVED A NOTICE ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FAILURE IN MY POWER STEERING PUMP. TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE GMC DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THIS FIXED AS I HAVE EXPERIENCED EARLY INDICATIONS OF A FAILURE, AIR BUBBLES IN THE FLUID AND NOISY TURNS. (CONFIRMED BY DEALER) WAS TOLD THEY CANNOT REPLACE IT UNTIL IT "FAILS". SO I NEED TO CRASH MY CAR BECAUSE THE PUMP FAILS. JUST FEEL THAT GMC NEED TO FIX THIS POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. THEY ARE AWARE OF THE ISSUE SINCE THEY ISSUED THE BULLETIN OR "RECALL". *TR

NHTSA ODI 10668707

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

DURING LOW RPM TURNING (SUCH AS PARKING OR PULLING OUT/IN FROM/TO A PARKING LOT OR STOP SIGN) THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING. THE VEHICLE BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER AND CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO HEAD INTO TRAFFIC. WE HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT YET BUT HAVE HAD NUMEROUS CLOSE CALLS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10641018

MY 2011 GMC ACADIA INTERMITTENTLY LOOSES POWER STEERING, THIS STARTED AROUND 4 MONTHS AGO AND HAPPENS WHEN I AM DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS (PARKING, TURNING INTO DRIVEWAY, BACKING OUT OF SPOTS, ETC...) THE STEERING COMPLETELY LOCKS UP AND I END UP DOING 16 POINT TURNS WITH THIS VEHICLES DEAD WEIGHT! AFTER LOOKING ON THE INTERNET I SEE THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS CAR YET NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE ABOUT IT. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS I NEVER KNOW WHEN ITS GOING TO HAPPEN. I HAVE BEEN CONTACTED BY GMC ABOUT A "SAFETY" RECALL FOR A BOLT ON A WIPER COMING LOOSE YET HAVEN'T HEARD A THING ABOUT A RECALL ON A REAL SAFETY ISSUE LIKE RANDOMLY LOOSING MY STEERING ABILITY! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10640586

BEGAN HEARING WHINING NOISE AND THOUGHT IT WAS IN THE ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND RACK AND WAS NOT COVERED UNDER POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. I JUST HAD THE "NUMEROUS" RECALLS REPAIRED AND NOW THIS. ACCORDING TO MANY POSTS ON VARIOUS WEBSITES, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH GM PRODUCTS. REPAIRS ARE COSTLY AND SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, OR SHOULD BE RECALLED! THIS IS RIDICULOUS CONSIDERING THE COST OF THESE VEHICLES. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10638805

POWER STEERING WENT OUT. AFTER THAT WAS REPLACED, THE STEERING COLUMN WENT OUT. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT. WHEN WILL SOMEONE DO SOMETHING? AFTER SOMEONE DIES? MORE DETAILED INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10620791

THE VEHICLE LOSES ITS POWER STEERING WHILE BACKING INTO PARKING SPACES AND WHILE THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED SHARPLY. NO POWER STEERING AT ALL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10614625

I WAS PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY WHEN IT FELT LIKE THE POWER STEERING LOCKED UP. THE CAR WOULDN'T TURN IN ANY DIRECTION. I APPLIED MORE FORCE TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND IMMEDIATELY HEARD A GRINDING NOISE AND SAW WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND OPENED THE HOOD TO SEE THE SMOKE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE AND IT SMELLED HORRIBLE. I CHECKED THE POWER STEERING FLUID AND IT WAS PERFECT. I STARTED THE CAR BACK UP AND THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK, BUT NOW THERE'S A WHINNING SOUND EVERY TIME I TURN. AFTER RESEARCH ONLINE, I FOUND THAT THOUSANDS OF OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME EXACT PROBLEM AND THAT GM IS GOING THROUGH A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OVER THIS ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN FOR INDIVIDUALS INSIDE THE CAR. THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IS CASE # [XXX] FILED ON 03/22/2013. AFFECTED VEHICLES ARE AS FOLLOWS: 2009-2012 GMC ACADIA, 2009-2012 BUICK ENCLAVE, 2009-2012 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10606238

STEERING WOULD INTERMITTENTLY LOCK UP OR BE VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN AT LOW RPMS. THIS PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE IN THE LAST YEAR AND HAS NEARLY CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. UPON RESEARCHING A FIX TO THE PROBLEM I HAVE FOUND MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ONLINE ON ALL GM ACADIA, TRAVERSE, ENCLAVE AND OUTLOOK VEHICLES. GM HAS A COUPLE OF TSB COVERING THIS ISSUE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT GM HAS KNOWN ABOUT AND DONE NOTHING OTHER THEN TO CHARGE YOUR $1500+ TO FIX A KNOWN STEERING DEFECT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10593926

I HAD TO HAVE MY STEERING PUMP REPLACED BECAUSE OF A LOUD WHINING SOUND. I BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW. ALSO THE HEATING ELEMENT WENT OUT IN MY HEATED SEAT ON PASSENGER SIDE WHERE IT IS RARELY USED. ALL REPAIRS OVER $1100. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10585808

I HAD TO REPLACE MY POWER STEERING RACK WHEN THE CAR WAS LESS THAN 4 YEARS OLD AND HAD ONLY 42000 MILES. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED AT THE DEALER. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10576541

POWER STEERING MAKING A WHIRRING AND GRINDING NOISE AT LOW SPEED. WHEN IT HAPPENS IT APPEARS TO BE HARDER TO STEER. CONCERNED THAT THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE POWER STEERING AND FEAR FOR MY AND MY PASSENGERS' SAFETY. WHEN I GOT ON THE INTERNET TO SEE IF OTHERS WERE HAVING A SIMILAR PROBLEM AMAZED AT HOW FREQUENT IT WAS WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF RECALL OR ADMISSION BY GMC. THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON AND SERIOUS PROBLEM AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10572627

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY COMING OFF OF AN EXIT RAMP, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE STEERING. TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LIKE TRYING TO PULL ON DEAD WEIGHT TO GET IT TO TURN. THIS CONTINUED AND SEEMED TO GET WORSE AS I SLOWED THE CAR TO A STOP. UPON DRIVING AGAIN A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, POWER STEERING RETURNED FOR 10 MILES OF DRIVING ON THE WAY BACK TO MY HOME, AND THEN FAILED AGAIN. NO WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED WITH POWER STEERING FAILURE, AND CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10555260

IN WET / RAINY CONDITIONS, POWER STEERING FAILS AS BELT GETS WET AND LOOSES ALL TRACTION. THIS HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES AT VARYING SPEEDS AND HAS TWICE ALMOST RESULTED IN ACCIDENTS AS WE WERE NEGOTIATING TURNS. VARIOUS ONLINE AUTO FORUMS HIGHLIGHT THIS AS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE GMC ACADIA. WHY HASN'T A RECALL BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE? DEALER STATES THERE IS NO FIX. *TR

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