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What 47 owners told NHTSA about the 2022 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 (47)Crash / fire / injury (3)Electrical system (14)Engine (14)Fuel system (8)Lane Departure (4)Transmission & drivetrain (4)Brakes (3)Seat belts (3)Steering (3)Driver assistance (2)Airbags (1)

3 of 47 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 3, 2025Crash1 injury

My 2022 Acadia does not go into park at times even though the control button shows that it is in park. On May 15, 2025, I pulled under my carport and put the car in park. As I reached for my purse in the passenger seat, the car started moving forward even though it was in park. It ran through my privacy fence and injured my daughter who happened to be on the other side of the fence. She had some pretty severe bruising and scrapes on her hip, thigh, and upper body. The pain is bad enough, but her arm and shoulder was injured. It continually feels like something running up and down her arm. This is three weeks later and she still has the problem. The horrifying fact is the reality that I could have killed her through no fault of my own. I had the car towed to the dealership because I was afraid to drive it. Of course, the service department said they ran a test through the electrical system and found no problem with it. They brought my car to the front and told me there was nothing wrong with it. In fact they said they had not heard of that kind of problem. When I have to park I find a parking spot that would be least likely to have someone walk in front of it. If I have to park facing anything I will not pull up fully into the parking space so if my possessed car decided to go for a joy ride while in park again, at least someone would have a running chance to stay alive. I consulted the internet trying to find a fix to the problem. What I found was that GM has had the problem for years and has no idea how to fix it, yet they are allowed to continue to sell vehicles that are a potential safety hazard to society. My vehicle is a safety hazard to me and to society. Also learned that if you take you car to the repair shop you are appeased thinking they repaired the problem and yet it continues. When your warranty runs out, GM expects you to pay for any further visits to the shop. As far as I'm concerned selling GM products could be considered A FRAUDULENT ACTIVITY!

NHTSA ODI 11664533

Feb 7, 2024AirbagsBody & structureCrash3 injuries

Vehicle in a motor vehicle accident, hit from behind with great force. Airbags did not deploy. Three occupants in vehicle. The frame was easily damaged of the vehicle causing it to be totaled out. This VIN was not marked apart of recall but yet it does show it is. Recall was reported a week prior to incident unknowingly at the time of incident. Vehicle was hit at a stop red light by a Chevy suburban that drove away. The airbags should have went off. There is video image from local city traffic cam to show the hit. Good brakes though. Was able to hold onto the brakes and not hit the vehicle in front of me. Vehicle is at local salvage lot as of 2/8/24 and you may be able to grab it before it’s parted out or reconstructed.

NHTSA ODI 11570447

May 25, 2023BrakesCrashFire

The contact owns a 2022 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal to stop, smoke began to fill the cabin of the vehicle. The transmission was switched to the park position and the contact exited the vehicle and discovered flames and smoke coming from the front brake rotors. Moments later a clicking noise was heard and the unoccupied vehicle rolled down an incline and crashed into a tree and came to a stop. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 15,000.

NHTSA ODI 11523860

Working with the data? Download all 47 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 2022 GMC Acadia Denali verdict →