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What 260 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 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 (260)Crash / fire / injury (11)Airbags (108)Steering (33)Electrical system (31)Transmission & drivetrain (22)Engine (18)Lights (16)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (13)Fuel system (9)Seat belts (9)Speed control (8)

33 of 260 complaints match · Steering · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Nov 21, 2018SteeringElectronic Stability Control (esc)

AT JUST UNDER 1 YEAR OLD THE RACK AND PINNON WENT OUT. REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THEN AT JUST OVER 3 YEARS OLD IT WENT OUT AGAIN ON TOP OF THAT FOR THE LAST 9-12 MONTHS THE ENGINE WILL REV UP AND ACCELERATE ON IT'S OWN AFTER IT WILL CHUG FOR A BIT THEN THE SENSOR STABILITRAK WARNING COMES ON THEN IT WILL SAY TRACTION CONTROL OFF THEN IT WILL SAY ITS BACK ON. I HAVE ALSO HAD IT WHERE IT WILL LOOSES ENGINE POWER AND YOU CAN BARELY GET IT TO GO WHEN PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL. IT'S DONE THIS SERIES OF EVENTS ABOUT 10 TIMES. IT HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING, WHEN IN PARK, AND WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT. NO RHYME OR REASON TO IT. BUT IT IS PRETTY UNSAFE WHEN A VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN DRIVING ANYWHERE! NOT TO MENTION THAT A RACK AND PINNON SHOULD NOT GO OUT 2XS IN LESS THAN 3 YEARS LET ALONE ON A VEHICLE THAT COST 45,000+ THAT WAS PURCHASED TO ORDER BRAND NEW! THESE KIND OF COSTLY REPAIRS MIGHT I MENTION AREN'T COVERED UNDER THEIR POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, THOUGH RACK AND PINNON IS PART OF THE STEERING COMPONENT. ALSO THIS SUMMER AT LESS THAN 4 YEARS OLD THE AC QUIT WORKING SO I WENT IN 90 DEGREE TEMPS WITH A BABY AND NO AC UNTIL WE HAD A CHANCE TO RECHARGE IT WITH REFRIGERANT.

NHTSA ODI 11153120

Nov 9, 2018Steering

STEERING NOISE ...NOISE WHINING SOUND COMES FROM STEERING COLUM WHEN THE VEHICLE IN MOTION AT LOW SPEED BACKING WHILE TURNING INTO PARKING SPACE OR ENTERING SPACE..DEALERSHIP @ WINKELLY GMC IN CLARKSVILLE, MD CANNOT SAY WITH ANY CERTAIN WHAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE ...BUT DO ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH NOISE FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AND OTHER VEHICLES OF GMC HAD BEEN RECALLED BUT NOT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL....NO WARRANTY...DEALER SUGGEST TO KEEP AN "EYE" ON IT...WAIT UNTIL THE NOISE BECOMES EVEN LOUDER...

NHTSA ODI 11150265

Sep 11, 2018SteeringCrash

ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 I WAS GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND I HIT A CONCRETE BARRIER. THE OFFICER COULD NOT TURN MY STEERING WHEEL AND THE REPAIR ESTIMATE GUY SAID THAT WHEN OPERATING THE VEHICLE TO TEST THE STEERING THE POWER WOULD COME AND GO. THE STEERING WOULD BE SOFT AND WHEN TRYING TO TURN, THE STEERING WOULD BECOME DIFFICULT TO OPERATE. MOST OF THE REVIEWS THAT I READ HAVE THE SAME ISSUE BUT THEIR MODELS ARE OLDER THAN MINE. MY ACADIA IS A 2015 WHEN IS THIS SAFETY HAZARD GOING TO BE CORRECTED? IT HAS BEEN 8 YEARS (2007) SINCE THIS STEERING MALFUNCTION WAS DISCOVERED AND MY VEHICLE WAS PUT INTO PRODUCTION AND GMC IS STILL PUTTING PEOPLE AT RISK WITH THEIR CONTINUED USE OF THE SAME STEERING DESIGN, MATERIALS, ASSEMBLY OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT CAUSES THIS MALFUNCTION. SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE IN ORDER TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE.

NHTSA ODI 11128775

Aug 1, 2018Steering

MY CAR LOST POWER STEERING WHILE I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AND CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY AS I DROVE! THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS DEEMED TO BE LEAKING AND FAILING. THIS IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM FOR WHICH MODELS 2007-2011 WERE RECALLED. ESTIMATES TO REPAIR ARE ABOUT $1,000. I HAVE LOST THE USE OF MY CAR SINCE JULY 14, REPAIRS ARE SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 18, 2018. COMPLETELY DISSATISFIED WITH MY DEALER, BOWSER, PLEASANT HILLS, PA. THIS IS THE MOST UMSAFE CARE I HAVE EVER DRIVEN! THE COMPUTER CONTROLS REQUIRE DRIVER TO TAKE EYES OFF THE ROAD TO DO EVERYTHING! VOICE CONTROLS NEVER WORK PROPERLY. COMPUTER SYSTEM HAS BEEN FIXED TWICE THEN FINALLY REPLACED. I TRIED TO RETURN CAR DAYS AFTER BUYING IT AND DEALER REFUSED.

NHTSA ODI 11115179

Jul 20, 2018Steering

MY ACADIA LOST POWER STEERING MAKING VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO STEER. I COULD HEAR A WHINING SOUND I'D NEVER HEARD BEFORE. WE TOOK IT TO THE CLOSEST REPAIR SHOP SINCE WE WERE ON VACATION. SERVICEMAN SAID THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS LEAKING AND NOT WORKING PROPERLY. CALLED DEALER, BOWSER, IMMEDIATELY COULD NOT GET AN APPT FOR 5 DAYS. DEALER INSPECTED VEHICLE, CONCLUDED THE PUMP WAS NOT UNDER POWER TRAIN WARRANTY AND ESTIMATED IT WOULD BE OVER $1,000 TO REPAIR. SAME PROBLEM AS RECALL ON PREVIOUS MODELS.

NHTSA ODI 11112590

Dec 16, 2017SteeringLights

MY FIRST INCIDENT ON MY 2015 GMC ACADIA SLE FWD PURCHASED BRAND NEW WAS THIS YEAR AT 40000 MILES. ONE HEAD LIGHT WENT OUT AND THEN THE OTHER IN WHICH THE DEALER WANTED 400+ BUCKS TO REPLACE. THE LIGHTING IS ACTUALLY BAD FROM THE HEADLAMPS. THEY LIGHTS DO NOT EXTENDED IN FRONT OF YOU TO SEE IF YOU WILL BE COMING UPON ANYTHING AND CAN POSSIBLY RUN IT OVER. MY SECOND ISSUE AT 41000 WAS THE POWER STEERING. ONE DAY I HEARD A LOUD WHINING AS I TURNED THE CORNER ON A CITY STREET AND SUDDENLY THE POWER STEERING STOPPED. I LOOKED IN THE MANUAL AND IT SAYS TO PUT A CERTAIN TYPE OF TRANSMISSION FLUID IN THERE, BUT I HAD JUST HAD A FREE OIL CHANGE AT THE DEALER ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO AND THEY DO NOT TOP OFF ANY OTHER FLUIDS. AFTER PUTTING THE FLUID IN THE POWER STEERING PLACE, I NOTICED A LEAK. COME TO FIND OUT THE POWER STEERING PUMP IS LEAKING ON MY CAR WITH ONLY 41000 MILES. A BRAND NEW CAR PRACTICALLY THAT COST 30,000 SHOULD NOT HAVE ISSUES SO SOON. TODAY, DRIVING TO WORK I ALMOST LOST IT BECAUSE MY CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN STARTED JUMPING CODES "SERVICE STABILITRAK; SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL; TRACTION CONTROL OFF; ENGINE POWER IS REDUCE' AND MY SPEED WENT FROM ABOUT 40 TO 30 INSTANTLY. I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET TRAFFIC WHILE THIS HAPPENED AND WAS UNAWARE. JUST THINK, IF I DID NOT PUT ON BRAKES AND WAS GOING AT A CERTAIN SPEED AND THE PERSON BEHIND ME IS AS WELL, AND MY CAR'S SPEED JUST DROP DRAMATICALLY, WHAT TYPE OF INJURIES COULD HAVE OCCURRED. I AM VERY PERTURBED BECAUSE THIS IS THE SECOND GM CAR THAT I PURCHASED WITH DEFECTS AND MY CAR JUST SO HAPPEN TO BE OMIITED FROM ANY RECALLS. I OWN A 2010 CHEVY MALIBU AS WELL AND THE POWER STEERING COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING IN 2015 AND I HAD TO PAY 1300 TO GET IT FIXED, WHILE OTHER CARS WHERE ON RECALL FOR THE SAME ISSUE. I'M SO DONE WITH GM!!

NHTSA ODI 11055051

Nov 30, 2017Steering

I NOTICED THE OTHER DAY WHEN I WAS TURNING MY STEERING WHEEL IT WAS VERY HARD. NO LIGHT OR WARRING AT ALL. I CHECKED MY POWER STEERING FLUID AND IT WAS FULL. I'M NOT ABLE TO TURN THE WHEELS WHEN I'M NOT PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDDLE. I WANT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THESE CARS. BECAUSE HE HAS REPLACED TOO MANY IN THE 2015 MODEL. IF I HAVE THEM REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP IT WILL COST ME $1000. THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING. I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT, BECAUSE I WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL IN TIME. THANK GOD THE OTHER CAR MOVED OUT OF THE WAY. I HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN IN MY CAR EVERYDAY.

NHTSA ODI 11051603

May 19, 2015SteeringTransmission & drivetrainBrakes

LEFT VEHICLE PARKED ON INCLINE WITH PARKING BRAKE SET. RETURNED TO VEHICLE, STARTED ENGINE, RELEASED PARKING BRAKE , PUT VEHICLE IN DRIVE. THE GEAR INDICATOR ON THE DASH SHOWED THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. THE GEAR SELECTOR IN CENTER CONSOLE INDICATED IT WAS IN DRIVE. STEPPING ON GAS RESPONDED WITH ONLY INCREASED RPM. VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL RAPIDLY IN REVERSE. THE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING (ALMOST LIKE IT WAS IN PARK). THE VEHICLE WAS NEARLY UNCONTROLLABLE AND ALMOST RESULTED IN SEVERE INJURY AS A COUPLE AND THEIR DOG WERE WALKING BEHIND VEHICLE ON SIDEWALK AT TIME OF INCIDENT. AFTER EXERTING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FORCE ON THE BRAK PEDAL THE VEHICLE STOPPED. I APPLIED THE PARKING BRAKE AND SHIFTED TO PARK. SHIFTED BACK TO DRIVE WITH THE SAME RESULT ROLLING BACK FURTHER NEARLY HITTING A BRICK MAILBOX. I THEN PUT TH CAR IN PARK AND TURNED IT OFF RESTARTED AND SHIFTED BACK TO DRIVE, THE VEHICLE THEN PERFORMED AS EXPECTED. VERY FORTUNATE THIS INCID T WAS NOT A DEADLY ACCIDENT. THIS SAME PROBLEM EXHIBITED ITSELF ON LEVEL GROUND ON W PREVIOUS OCCASION BUT WAS DISMISSED AS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, BUT IT HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES NOW.

NHTSA ODI 10717426

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Working with the data? Download all 260 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 2015 GMC Acadia Limited verdict →