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What 138 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 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 (138)Crash / fire / injury (13)Electrical system (39)Airbags (31)Transmission & drivetrain (27)Engine (21)Lights (10)Steering (8)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (6)Fuel system (6)Speed control (6)Body & structure (5)

6 of 138 complaints match · Speed control · clear filters

Dec 12, 2023Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlEngine

At 35-40 and 55-65 mph, the car slips/ pulls back. I took it to the dealer, my rep said it is a known issue and GMC issued a bulletin but will not recall it because it's too expensive. There are thousands of reports online. Please investigate.

NHTSA ODI 11559683

Aug 4, 2022Electrical systemSpeed controlLane Departure

The original side detection system is not an enclosed system. Allowing water, snow, sleet, and salt can penetrate the system. Once, there is penetration and corrosion in the system it effects the entire automobile's electrical system and instrument cluster. Causing the vehicle to come to a complete halt.

NHTSA ODI 11477690

Apr 5, 2021Speed control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND CEASED ON THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO WHITESIDE CHEVROLET BUICK GMC CADILLAC (50714 NATIONAL RD E, ST CLAIRSVILLE, OH 43950) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED HOWEVER, NOTHING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH PRODUCT LIABILITY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 99,000. *DT THE CONTACT HAS FILED A SAFETY REPORT WITH THE MANUFACTURER.

NHTSA ODI 11406500

Jun 19, 2017Speed controlElectronic Stability Control (esc)

WHILE DRIVING AT VARYING SPEEDS, VEHICLE'S TRACTION CONTROL POWERS OFF. AS A RESULT, THE CAR LOOSES ALL POWER, STEERING WHEEL LOCKS, AND I AM UNABLE TO STEER OR BREAK. ONCE THE CAR POWERS DOWN OR IS TURNED OFF, IT WILL RESTART. USUALLY THE ENGINE LIGHT INDICATOR WILL TURN ON. IT HAS POWERED DOWN AT IT'S PEAK FREQUENCY THREE TIMES WITHIN 10 MILES. THE ISSUE IS TOTALLY UNPREDICTABLE AND HAS HAPPENED OVER 8 TIMES TOTAL, INCLUDING ON THE HIGHWAY TRAVELING 65-70 MILES PER HOUR AND ON A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET GOING AS SLOW AS 20 MILES PER HOUR. IT HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE GMC DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED FOR REPAIRS 4 TIMES, BEGINNING IN APRIL 2017. IT IS CURRENTLY THERE NOW (THE 4TH TIME, WAS TOWED TODAY 6/19/17;). IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AS THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING WHEN OR WHERE THE CAR WILL LOOSE POWER. THERE IS VERY LITTLE TIME TO DO ANYTHING WHEN THE WARNING SOUND/MESSAGE APPEARS. LITERALLY, YOU MUST PRAY THAT NO ONE HITS YOU AND THAT YOU CAN COAST TO A SAFE PART OF THE ROAD (E.G., SHOULDER). THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OR REPAIR THE VEHICLE PROPERLY. I WORK IN A CITY (ATLANTA, GA) WHERE A CAR IS NECESSARY GIVEN THE DISTANCE I DRIVE FROM HOME TO WORK EVERYDAY. I HAVE LOST VALUABLE WORK HOURS AND PEACE OF MIND WITH THIS CAR. I JUST WANT MY FAMILY TO BE SAFE WHEN DRIVING. I HAVE ALSO CALLED THE CORPORATE GMC OFFICE AND OPENED A CASE.

NHTSA ODI 11000110

Feb 16, 2017SteeringSpeed controlElectronic Stability Control (esc)

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS NOW, MY CAR HAS FLASHED "TRACTION CONTROL OFF", "ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED", "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL", "SERVICE STABILITRAK" WHILE IN MOTION AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND HAS OCCURRED MOST RECENTLY JUST PRIOR TO A CURVE THAT CAUSED ME TO DRIVE INTO THE OPPOSITE LANE BECAUSE THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN CAUSING NO CONTROL IN THE STEERING WHEN THESE LIGHTS COME ON. WHEN THE CAR IS AT A COMPLETE STOP, IT IS THEN PUT INTO PARK AND THE KEY IS TURNED TO THE OFF POSITION AND HAS HAD NO CONSISTENCY OF IF IT WILL RESTART OR NOT. IF THE TRACTION CONTROL SYMBOL IS STILL ON THE DISPLAY, IT WILL NOT RESTART. IT HAS BEEN INTO THE GM DEALER IT WAS PURCHASED FROM WITH SCHEDULED EVALUATION OF THE PROBLEM AND THEY STATE THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE AND NO CODES STORED IN THE SYSTEM FOR THEM TO EVALUATE THIS PROBLEM. THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP SYMBOL WILL STAY ON OR GO OFF ON ITS OWN AT NO SPECIFIC RATE. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN THAT HAS CAUSED MY VEHICLE TO STOP UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING 55MPH DOWN A STATE ROUTE AND LIMITS STEERING ABILITY WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURS CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO GO INTO THE OPOSITE LANE ON THE ROAD. I DID RECORD THE DASH INDICATOR LIGHTS AFTER THE VEHICE WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP PARTIALLY ON THE ROAD WHILE STILL IN DRIVE FOR THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO VIEW THESE ON THE DISPLAY AND I ALSO HAVE THE COPY OF THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT PAPER THAT DESCRIBES THERE WERE NO REPAIRS COMPLETED DUE TO NO FAILURE DURING SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT ON 2/9/17. THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (CHECK ENGINE LIGHT) WAS STILL ON THE DISPLAY WHEN VEHICLE DROPPED OFF IN THE EVENING BEFORE THE SCHEDULED SERVICE. UPON PICKUP ON 2/11/17 THERE WERE NO INDICATOR LIGHTS ON THE DISPLAY. I AM UNABLE TO PUT THE MPH OR ESTIMATED MILES IN THE ALLOTED SPACE ON LAST INCIDENT ON 2/15/17 SO AM ADDING HERE; I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 35MPH AND THERE WAS ABOUT 98,170 MILES.

NHTSA ODI 10955051

Dec 12, 2014Speed controlEngineFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 GMC ACADIA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE FRONT TIRES SPUN WITHOUT THE VEHICLE MOVING. THE ENGINE STABILITY AND TRACTION LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE EMITTING FROM THE ENGINE. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,800.

NHTSA ODI 10663966

Working with the data? Download all 138 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 2013 GMC Acadia Limited verdict →