What 220 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 GMC Acadia Denali

This is a complaint update#498946. I made all the necessary repairs outlined and detailed on the diagnostic report issued by the dealership. I picked my vehicle up on Thursday evening. I got up at 6:00 on Friday March 18th and noticed my OnStar diagnostic report had come through at 12:00 am and stated there was a problem with my emissions/transmission. I immediately at 8:30 called GMC manufacturing and they told me to take the vehicle back and GMC manufacturing made me a 1:00 appointment for the same say while I was on the phone. I had to be at work at 12 noon so my husband took it there and came back and told me that my transmission was bad. The dealership offered to but my vehicle back fir $18,500 or pay for the repairs myself $3.909. I asked for assistance since this was the initial problem I took it in for and it has network weeks and I haven’t heard anything. This month is my 2 year anniversary of owning it. I informed the dealership about the Special Warranty coverage and they stated that this was not covered but I explained to them that the coverage is limited to 150,000 miles and that my vehicle only has 120,000 miles on it so I am confused and seeking clarification and explanation from a higher source and no one has contacted in 2 weeks.

NHTSA ODI 11459651

Low oil pressure warning, engine shutoff. Vehicle was equipped with oil life monitoring. It was at 20%, when engine shutting down. Engine seized, called tow truck. Towed to shop. The only report was to the dealership and the repair shop. Possible high oil consumption. The warning was last minute, barely had time to react.

NHTSA ODI 11454214

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Acadia. The contact indicated while driving at various speeds the vehicle had experienced random jerking and hesitation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine control module was faulty. The engine control module was replaced but the failure continued to occur. The vehicle was then taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the rack and pinion and power steering pump were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11448756

This complaint is not just about this particular vehicle. It's about all vehicles. Seat belts only have one latch. If that latch is damaged in an accident you are trapped. Over 60% of the people killed in auto accidents were not wearing a seatbelt. Why? Because of the fear of being trapped. All first responders carry a seat belt cutter. There are a lot of seat belt cutters on the market today. That proves to me that a seat belt will trap you in a vehicle in its present design. In an accident the seat belt shoulder portion will tighten down. Under pressure, it will not release until you back off the pressure. Under certain circumstances you may not be able to back off the pressure which causes difficulty to release the belt. I have designed, manufactured, and installed a prototype of belt release in my vehicle. I call it my Designated Emergency Seatbelt Hinge. I have also filed for, and received a patent for my design. I believe all vehicles should have an D E S H installed. I don't understand why seat belts only have one release point.

NHTSA ODI 11429075

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the driver’s side seat control panel had detached from the seat without warning. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to a dealer where the seat panel was replaced out of pocket. Recently, the contact discovered that the same panel was fractured for the second time. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact made another appointment with the same dealer for the same failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11424079

Multiple AC system failures - Rear evaporator core failed in summer 2020. Had the unit replaced at a the dealership. Nine months later the front evaporator core failed. From discussion with numerous mechanics these parts should not be failing. Vehicle has less than 40k miles on it and I am the original owner.

NHTSA ODI 11422190

AIR CONDITIONING HOSE RUBBED/MELTED FROM BEING TOO CLOSE TO THE ENGINE FRAME. HAD IT REPLACED IN 2019 BY DEALERSHIP. NOW IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN IN 2021 AND DEALERSHIP SAYS THE BRACKET FOR THE ENGINE NEEDS TIGHTENED SO IT DOESN’T KEEP OCCURRING. IT WILL COST OVER $2000 TO GET THIS FIXED AGAIN. AIR BLOWS HOT AIR IN REAR AND PASSENGER SIDE AC VENTS AND DRIVER SIDE IS GETTING WARMER AS WELL. AIR DOESN’T NOT BLOW COLD WHEN STATIONARY OR WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ODI 11416617

I HAVE A 2016 GMC ACADIA DENALI THAT HAS A "SERVICE SIDE DETECTION" ERROR ON THE DIC. CALLED IN THE GMC AND THERE IS A SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT #N172097060 ON THIS ISSUE. IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE VALID FOR 6 YEARS / 80,000 MILES. MY ACADIA HAS 41,000 ON IT. WHEN GMC ENTERED MY VIN, IT DOESN'T SHOW UP AS BEING COVERED?? HOW CAN SOME BE COVERED AND SOME NOT IF THEY ALL SEEM TO HAVE THIS ISSUE?

NHTSA ODI 11405746

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED MARVIN K. BROWN AUTO CENTER (1441 CAMINO DEL RIO S, SAN DIEGO, CA 92108, (619) 272-6867) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED OR INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 43,000.

NHTSA ODI 11405437

MY CAR PRESENTED WITH ISSUE 'PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE MALFUNCTION CHECK CIRCUIT' THAT PER GMC SERVICE ADVISOR MAY AFFECT THE PROPER AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT DURING AN ACCIDENT. CAR ONLY HAS 35K MILES AND BARELY USED SINCE PURCHASED BACK IN 2015. NOW THEY ARE NOT BEING COVERED FOR REPAIR/REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA ODI 11402713

I HAVE HAD THE "SIDE DETECTION SYSTEM" FAIL TWICE IN 2 YEARS. I SEE THERE IS AN OPEN RECALL (N172097060) FOR THIS ISSUE BUT THIS DOES NOT COME UP SAYING MY VEHICLE IS AFFECTED WHEN I SEARCH THE VIN. I BELIEVE THERE IS MORE VEHICLES INCLUDED THAN THE 131,652 THEY IS CLAIMED IN THIS REPORT.

NHTSA ODI 11399722

WITH ONLY 49000 MILES ON MY 2016 GMC ACADIA, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I HAD TO REPLACE MY GAS PEDAL...I HAVE OWNED NUMEROUS OTHER VEHICLES AND NEVER ONCE HAD I HAVE REPLACE MY GAS PEDAL. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE ADVISER IF NOT REPLACED IT MAY CAUSE MY VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT ME PRESSING ON THE PEDAL.

NHTSA ODI 11390272

THE CAR STARTED USING MORE GAS WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THE DEALER SAID IT WAS THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND IT IS LOCKING UP.IT COULD FAIL WHEN DRIVEN

NHTSA ODI 11384877

THE DRIVERS SEAL BELT LATCH BROKE DUE TO AN "INTERNAL FAILURE".

NHTSA ODI 11374798

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND I WENT TO TURN THE CORNER AS I SLOWED TO TURN THE CORNER THE STEERING WHEEL WOULDN'T TURN, I HAD TO HOT MY BRAKES BECAUSE IT SCARED ME THAT MY CAR WOULDN'T TURN, THE CARS BEHIND ME HAD TO GO AROUND ME, I THOUGHT I WAS ABOUT TO CAUSE A WRECK BECAUSE MY STEERING WHEEL WOULDN'T TURN. I FINALLY GOT IT TO TURN BUT IT WAS REALLY HARD. I WAS THANKFUL MY KIDS WERE NOT IN THE CAR. I TOOK MY CAR IN TO GET LOOKED AT AND THEY SAID I NEED A NEW STEERING RACK, I ONLY HAVE 60,000 MILES ON IT. THEY SAID REPAIRS ARE GOING TO COST $1,200 OR MORE. I CALLED 5 DIFFERENT REPAIR SHOPS AND THEY ALL SAID, THAT IT WAS COMMON ON THE GMC ACADIA AND OTHER GMC VEHICLES. THEY ALSO TOLD ME AT ONE TIME GMC HAD MORE RECALLS THEN THEY HAD VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. WISH I WOULD OF KNOWN THIS PRIOR TO BUYING. COULDN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD OF BEEN LIKE TO LOSE IN OF MY OWN KIDS ARE SOMEONE ELSE FOR A VEHICLE PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN TO THE MAKERS BUT NOT EVERY PURCHASER.

NHTSA ODI 11372404

AC WAS BLOWING HOT AT LESS THAN 42K MILES. IT HAPPENED OUT OF THE BLUE WHEN I PUSHED THE AC BUTTON IT WOULD JUST BLINK, LIGHT WOULD TURN OFF AND IT WOULD BLOW HOT AIR. THERE WAS NO WARNING OF A LEAK OR ANYTHING WRONG BEFORE THIS POINT. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND THE ISSUE TO BE 'LEAK COMBINATION MANIFOLD LINE RUBBING AGAINST R/F BODY BEAM'. IT WAS NECESSARY TO REPLACE A/C COMBINATION MANIFOLD IN ADDITION TO EVACUATING AND CHARGING THE AC COMBINATION LINES AND IT COST ALMOST $900 FOR THIS REPAIR. I SHOULD HAVE LEAKING AC HOSES OR RUBBING AGAINST THE MANIFOLD WITH MILEAGE THIS LOW.

NHTSA ODI 11353308

WINDSHIELD WIPER JUST SOPPED WORKING UNEXPECTEDLY. WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT AND IT STARTED RAINING HARD AND WIPERS WOULD NOT MOVE. NO PREVIOUS ISSUE WITH SYSTEM. NOTHING TO INDICATE A FAILURE WAS GOING TO OCCUR.

NHTSA ODI 11352100

FAILURE OF POWER STEERING SYSTEM - AT LOW SPEEDS, POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE IS NOT ACTIVE. VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN STEERING WHEEL FROM A STOPPED POSITION OR MOVING AT LOW SPEED. THIS PRESENTS A SAFETY RISK IN THE ABILITY TO AVOID PEDESTRIANS, VEHICLES OR OTHER OBJECTS WHILE DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS, MOST NOTABLY PARKING LOTS. CONDITION STARTED AROUND THE 50,000-MILE MARK. AFTER FURTHER EXAMINATION, FLUID APPEAR TO BE LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. HAD VEHICLE TAKEN TO GM-CERTIFIED DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE, AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM REQUIRED IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH THERE APPEARS TO BE CONCERNING HISTORY OF POWER-STEERING RELATED FAILURE ON THE GMC ACADIA. PRIOR MODEL YEARS (2007-2011) HAD THE WARRANTY EXTENDED ON THE SYSTEM UPWARDS OF 10 YEARS AND 150,000 MILES. IN ADDITION, A VARIETY OF TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS HAVE BEEN ISSUED ON THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM OF THE 2016 GMC ACADIA. NHSTA DATABASE ALSO POINTS TO A NUMBER OF SIMILAR INCIDENTS, TYPICALLY OCCURRING AROUND THE 50,000 MILE RANGE. THIS INDICATES A LATENT MANUFACTURE DEFECT IN WHICH FURTHER ACTION MUST BE TAKEN TO ADDRESS THIS ONGOING SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11350970

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO REVERSE OR GO FORWARD IN EITHER GEAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SEVERAL UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO SANDOVAL BUICK GMC (300 N HAMILTON RD, WHITEHALL, OH 43213) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 200,000.

NHTSA ODI 11342899

MY 2016 GMC ACADIA WAS BROUGHT IN FOR A BASIC CAR INSPECTION. THE CAR HAS 54,000 MILES. I WAS TOLD IT FAILED INSPECTION DUE TO THE LEAKING OF STEERING FLUID. I NEEDED A NEW GEAR ASSEMBLY. THE CAR HAD NO ISSUES PRIOR TO THIS AND I TAKE THE CAR REGULARLY TO GMC. FORTUNATELY, I DID NOT GET INTO AN ACCIDENT, BUT I DRIVE 60 MILES A DAY TO WORK AND THIS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. THE TOTAL COST TO HAVE IT FIXED WAS ALMOST $3,000. I DID NOT HAVE THE EXTENDED BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY, SO I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET.AFTER READING MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM, I CALLED GMC CORPORATE TO MAKE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT WITH THEM. IF YOU OWN THIS CAR AND ARE ANYWHERE FROM 40-70K MILES, PLEASE HAVE THIS CHECKED OUT. I HAVE 2 SMALL CHILDREN AND I COULD HAVE EASILY CRASHED IF I DIDN'T HAVE MY CAR INSPECTED. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL IMMEDIATELY. PEOPLE BUY THIS SPECIFIC CAR, BECAUSE THEY HAVE CHILDREN AND WANT A SAFE VEHICLE. THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE NOT RECALLED THIS ISSUE IS AWFUL. I LOVE AMERICAN CARS, BUT I AM LOSING FAITH IN THEM. PLEASE REPORT THIS PROBLEM, SO THAT MAYBE GMC WILL BE FORCED TO RECALL THE ISSUE AND SAVE LIVES.

NHTSA ODI 11331702

2016 GMC ACADIA SLT-1, 58,000 MILES. TOTAL LOSS OF POWER STEERING BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE WITH NO PRIOR SYMPTOMS. THE CAR WOULD BARELY TURN AT LOW SPEEDS AND MADE A LOUD HOWLING NOISE WHEN WHEEL WAS TURNED. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY TELL ME I NEED THE POWER STEERING PUMP, RACK AND PINION AND ALL NEW HOSES. NO PRIOR WRECKS OR ISSUES. THIS IS RIDICULOUS TO BE HIT WITH A $4100 BILL WITH NO EXPLANATION OF WHY THIS COULD HAPPEN. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11326950

POWER STEERING GIVES OUT AT LOW SPEEDS. TOOK IT IN AND WAS TOLD IT'S A CRACKED POWER STEERING FLUID PUMP. $2700. CAR HAS 55,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED BY DEALERSHIP. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11326830

SERVICE SIDE DETECTION SYSTEM WARNING STARTED ALERTING ME A FEW WEEKS BACK. THIS NOW IS THE SECOND TIME THAT IT HAS AFFECTED ALL THE ELECTRONICS IN MY CAR. SENDING ME RANDOM ERROR MESSAGES AND AFFECTING THE CAR FROM OPERATING IN A SAFE CONDITION. CAR WOULD NOT START FOR 40 MIN. ONCE I FINALLY GOT IT STARTED, NONE OF THE GAUGES WORKED AND TURN SIGNALS WERE NOT GOING OFF IN THE CAR. LUCKILY I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO HOME, BUT THIS COULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IF I WAS FAR FROM HOME. CAR WAS NOT IN MOTION AS I STARTED TO NOTICE ISSUES AND PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. NOTICED AS I WAS PULLING UP TO A STOP AND THE BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING CORRECTLY AND STARTED TO GET TRACTION NOTICES FROM THE SYSTEM IN THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11324894

AC MAKES NOISE UNDER HOOD AND DOES NOT GET COLD. MECHANIC SAID AC VERY LOW AND REAR EVAPORATOR IS LEAKING. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 31300 MILES. CHECKED ONLINE AND OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE ACADIA. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11321054

TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO HESITATE WHILE SHIFTING AND SLIP AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. TOOK TO JIM ELLIS MALL OF GA DEALER WHERE THEY DETERMINED THE TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH HAD FAILED CAUSING THE SHUTTER AT ALL SPEEDS. DEALER INDICATED THE COMPLETE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. VEHICLE ONLY HAD 111,000 MILES AND ALL PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS WERE FOLLOWED INCLUDING TRANSMISSION FLUSH AT 65,000 MILES. VEHICLE IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD AND NEVER PULLED A TRAILER OR ABUSED IN ANY WAY. SINCE THE NEW TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED, THE OWNER FEELS THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION EVER FELT RIGHT BUT CAN'T PROVE IT.

NHTSA ODI 11316867