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What 144 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 GMC Acadia

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 (144)Crash / fire / injury (7)Electrical system (37)Engine (29)Fuel system (26)Brakes (17)Transmission & drivetrain (17)Steering (15)Airbags (8)Backup camera & sensors (7)Speed control (7)Driver assistance (6)

1 of 144 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Aug 28, 2022BrakesSpeed controlCrash

As I was stopped in line behind a car at the ATM, my foot slipped from the brake, I quickly placed it back only to find that I ended up going forward. I quickly moved my foot more to the left for the brake only to end up going forward even faster hitting the car in front of me. I then put my left foot firmly on the brake. Now with both feet on the brake the car is climbing up the car in front of me and not braking. Finally, I put it in park and cut the engine. The whole front end of my car is crushed. Now 5 days earlier my husband had a similar incident when he was parking the car and thankfully only hitting the curb. Looking at the brake pedal you will find that there is a rubber edge hanging down on the right side. IF YOUR FOOT SLIPS BELOW IT while crossing from the accelerator going right to left, YOU WILL NOT hit the brake but will continue to press the accelerator. In fact, if you raise your foot upward, you will only raise the brake. The only way to get to the brake is to get out from under it by going toward the accelerator and then back to the left. This action does not work in an emergency! I believe this rubber edge is too large is a safety hazard. We are still in the process of assessment by insurance, body shop and GMC.

NHTSA ODI 11481608

Working with the data? Download all 144 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 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 2021 GMC Acadia verdict →