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What 280 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 GMC Acadia Limited

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)

5 of 280 complaints match · Lights · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 2, 2017LightsFire

DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS HAVE OVERHEATED ON BOTH SIDES AND HAVE MELTED THE PLASTIC HOUSING. THE LIGHTS ARE EXTREMELY HOT IN A CONFINED SPACE AND ARE IN VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A FLAMMABLE MATERIAL. I NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE HEADLIGHT AND SAW THAT IT HAS MELTED THE HOUSING TO THE POINT WHERE THE BULB IS NOW SITTING DIRECTLY ON THE MELTED PLASTIC HOUSING. THESE ARE THE RUNNING LIGHTS....NOT THE MAIN HEADLIGHTS.

NHTSA ODI 10957975

Nov 1, 2015LightsFire

DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS BULB MELTING, BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE, RESULTING IN BURNING OF HEADLIGHT HOUSING. BULB CAN NO LONGER BE HELD IN PLACE BECAUSE MOUNTING FIXTURE IS MELTED AWAY. THE EXISTING BULBS ARE MADE OF PLASTIC. I BELIEVE THE FILAMENT IS OVERHEATING THE PLASTIC BULB AND CAUSING A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD.

NHTSA ODI 10787536

Apr 24, 2015LightsFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC ACADIA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED BY THE DEALER, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE LIGHT BULB MELTED INSIDE THE HEAD LAMP. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE THE LIGHT BULB BECAUSE THE BULB MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 10712717

Apr 23, 2015LightsFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT HAD BURNED OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED ON THE DRIVER SIDE APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING MELTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 10712502

Jan 13, 2014LightsFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THAT THE BULB HAD GOTTEN TOO HOT AND MELTED THE CASING, LIGHT BULB, AND HOUSING UNIT. THE COMPONENTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR BOTH HEAD LIGHTS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 10559682

Working with the data? Download all 280 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 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 Limited verdict →