Home · 2017 GMC Acadia Denali · Complaints

What 639 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 GMC Acadia Denali

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 (639)Crash / fire / injury (14)Transmission & drivetrain (221)Electrical system (169)Airbags (75)Engine (53)Brakes (33)Steering (26)Lights (25)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (13)Lane Departure (11)Seat belts (11)

11 of 639 complaints match · Seat belts · clear filters

Jul 1, 2024Seat belts

When the vehicle is cold in the winter it is very hard to push in and latch the Driver seat belt. I have complained to the dealer and they have told me that there is no factory approved method to lubricate it. They suggested that I try spraying some WD-40 in it, but they are not allowed to. My vehicle is not under bumper-to-bumper warranty anymore, but I do have a GMC extended warrantee that is stating that it is not covered. I am not aware of anything ever spilling inside of it (If that did happen, it would not work fine in warm weather). Since this is a safety issue I want to ensure it is properly reported and possibly I can get assistance with GMC fixing this issue with my vehicle. I started noticing the issue in winter of 2023 and it was worse this winter (2024).

NHTSA ODI 11597908

Mar 4, 2024Seat belts1 injury

Seatbelt buckles are defective. Unable to latch properly in first 2 rows. In 3 led row seatbelt is also defective. Somehow my daughter got tangled in seatbelt and could not breathe, I was forced to cut seatbelt with scissors. Always had seatbelt problems since purchase. However due to the trauma my daughter faced I am very concerned.

NHTSA ODI 11575342

Dec 15, 2023Seat belts

The seatbelt alarm system does not work and the seatbelt sign does not work.

NHTSA ODI 11560272

Oct 23, 2023Seat beltsWheels

I parked uphill on my driveway and put car in park to drop off groceries . My trunk didn’t not open which usually only happens when vehicle is in drive. I felt my car begin to move so I jumped in to discover dash said shift to park. This is major safety issue and happens quite often now. Under this circumstance vehicle can’t turn off. Had to replace battery for always draining. Also seatbelts in back seat and passenger seat do not buckle. There was a recall at one point however it disappeared from my dash board and now reads as completed however I never had the opportunity to correct the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11551451

Sep 20, 2021Seat belts

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the middle passenger’s seat belt failed to retract. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and was diagnosed that the seat belt mechanism needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11433697

Jul 17, 2020Seat belts

I HAD A DRIVER SEATBELT MALFUNCTION RIGHT AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I NOW HAVE A SECOND ROW, DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT MALFUNCTION. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE SEATBELT FOR OVER A YEAR. I WAS TOLD AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT THEY WERE REDESIGNING THE SEAT BELT. THEY WOULD CALL ME WHEN IT WAS AVAIL, AND ALSO THAT IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. STILL NO SEATBELT.

NHTSA ODI 11339872

Jul 26, 2019Electrical systemSeat beltsBrakes

I HAVE SEVERAL THINGS THAT HAS WENT WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE SINCE I HAD BOUGHT IT TWO MONTHS AFTER I GOT IT IT WAS IN THE SHOP SOMETIMES WHENEVER I PARKED IT WOULD NOT RESTART BRAKE LIGHTS WILL STAY ON I'VE HAD MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME SERVICE BRAKE LIGHT HAS CAME ON I'VE HAD THE MIDDLE SEAT BELT REPLACED TWICE NOTHING STUCK IN IT IT JUST WILL NOT LATCH IT IS BACK IN THE SHOP NOW WHENEVER I PUT IT IN PARK IT IS TELLING ME TO SHIFT IT INTO PARK I HAD MY CAR FOR TWO YEARS AND WITH IN THE TWO YEARS IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 15 TIMES SO MUCH FOR HAVING A NEW CAR AND IN JOYING IT

NHTSA ODI 11234971

Jun 26, 2019AirbagsSeat beltsCrash2 injuries

MY HUSBAND AND I WERE IN A VERY SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT AND I'M CONCERNED BECAUSE OUR AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WE WERE TRAVELING ON A DIAGONAL STREET IN CHICAGO AND HE WAS GOING STRAIGHT. MY RIGHT FRONT FENDER HIT HIS RIGHT FRONT FENDER. HIS AIR BAGS DEPLOYED BUT OURS DID NOT. THE ER TOLD ME IT WAS LIKELY I HIT THE STEERING WHEEL AND IT COULD TAKE UP TO NINE MONTHS TO HEAL FROM HAVING WHIPLASH IN MY SHOULDERS AND NECK. MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS HAVING A CONTUSION. WE HIT REALLY HARD I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 25 MPH AND HE WAS PROBABLY DOING 45 MPH. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE. MY AIR BAGS MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE MADE THE DIFFERENCE BUT I BELIEVE THEY SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED.

NHTSA ODI 11222811

Nov 18, 2018AirbagsSeat belts

I STARTED NOTICEING WHEN I OPEN MY GLOVE BOX OR HAD SOMEONE SEATING IN THE PASSAGER SEAT MY AIRBAG LIGHT WOULD TURN ON WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. THE LIGHT WOULD TURN ON AND BEEP STATING SERVICE AIR BAG. THE LIGHT WOULD SOMETIMES STAY ON OR TURN OFF. ONCE I TOOK MY ACADIA TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY RAN A BUNCH OF TEST. AT FIRST THEY COULDN'T DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THEY DETERMINE IT WAS THE AIRBAG AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE BACK SEAT FASTENER ON THE MIDDLE SEAT FAILED TO LOCK THE BUCKLE IN PLACE. HAD TO REPLACE THIS.

NHTSA ODI 11152316

Nov 9, 2017Seat belts

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT AND THE SECOND ROW MIDDLE SEAT BELTS BOTH FAILED TO RETRACT. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AUTONATION BUICK GMC WEST SAHARA (6400 W SAHARA AVE, LAS VEGAS, NV 89146; 702-605-5808) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT BELTS FAILED AND THE SEAT BELT SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND OPENED A CASE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS UNABLE TO CONFIRM IF AND WHEN THE PART FOR THE REPAIR WOULD BE AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,400.

NHTSA ODI 11044964

Mar 18, 2017Seat beltsSeats

STATIONARY, NEW VEHICLE POSSIBLY INAPPROPRIATELY EQUIPPED. A VEHICLE WITH A 2ND ROW BENCH SEAT PROVIDING SEATING FOR 3 WITH A CENTER OCCUPANT SEAT BELT BUT WITHOUT HEAD RESTRAINT (AND NO PROVISION FOR HEAD RESTRAINT). I CANNOT SEEM TO DETERMINE IF SUCH A CONFIGURATION DOES OR DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FEDERAL REGULATIONS. I CANNOT DETERMINE, THEREFORE, WHETHER I AM OR AM NOT LEGALLY ALLOWED TO CARRY A PASSENGER IN THE MIDDLE (INBOARD) SEAT.

NHTSA ODI 10966669

Working with the data? Download all 639 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 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 2017 GMC Acadia Denali verdict →