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What 38 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 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 (38)Crash / fire / injury (5)Engine (11)Transmission & drivetrain (11)Electrical system (9)Fuel system (3)Steering (3)Airbags (2)Backup camera & sensors (2)Brakes (2)Visibility & wipers (2)Body & structure (1)

11 of 38 complaints match · Engine · clear filters

Apr 2, 2026Transmission & drivetrainEngine

Vehicle would not run due to a failed fuel pump control module. With a non-running engine, the transmission could NOT be placed into Neutral to be able to movie vehicle out of the road. Needed tow truck to move vehicle. This condition placed many people at risk as the vehicle could not be moved out of the way until a tow truck arrived.

NHTSA ODI 11728726

Feb 26, 2026AirbagsEngineCrash

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that with the stop/start feature activated and while attempting to park the vehicle, the accelerator pedal was slightly pressed in order to slowly move the vehicle forward. The vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove forward, over a curb, and crashed into a tree. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle sustained severe damage, but no air bags deployed. No injuries were reported, and no police report was taken. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact indicated the failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 5,665.

NHTSA ODI 11720724

Feb 19, 2026SteeringEngine

Temperature gauge dropped to zero or no reading, message displayed on screen "Steering Assist Reduced, Drive with Care", continued to drive speed limit, when parked fan runs after car is shut off, in a few days the temperature gauge started working again, then the cycle repeats about once every 2 weeks for a couple months before engine light came on last week & when checked at a local parts place was told temperature sensor malfunction. Read multiple accounts of this same issue online

NHTSA ODI 11719045

Feb 8, 2026Engine

From the day that I’ve gotten this vehicle it has been burning oil and water like crazy. There is no reason I should be putting a quart of oil every couple weeks

NHTSA ODI 11716606

Jun 14, 2025Engine

I've had the engine stall before coming to a complete stop on several occasions. It also has been shifting hard and has had a delayed shift. The other day all of the lights to to screen and speedometer completely went out while driving then randomly came back on. That's the only speedometer I have is the digital screen.

NHTSA ODI 11666905

Feb 19, 2025EngineFuel system

I am experiencing a recurring P04FB diagnostic trouble code on my 2023 GMC Acadia, related to the crankcase pressure sensor. GM issued Bulletin No. PIP5841C, which attributes the issue to moisture buildup freezing inside the sensor. Their recommended fix is to remove the sensor, blow out any moisture, and reinstall it. However, this is not a permanent solution—the code returns within days, suggesting an inherent design flaw in the PCV system. Additionally, the replacement sensor (Part #12718935) is on national backorder, making it impossible to obtain. Many owners across multiple GM models using this engine (such as the Chevrolet Blazer and Cadillac XT4) are experiencing the same problem, yet GM has not provided a real solution. A properly designed PCV system should not allow excessive moisture to accumulate in the sensor. Instead of addressing the root cause, GM’s bulletin merely delays the issue by temporarily clearing the moisture. This approach does not prevent the problem from recurring, and it does not fix the underlying defect. If the sensor fails or provides inaccurate readings, it can affect emissions and engine performance. The fact that the replacement part is unavailable suggests GM may be restricting access to it, possibly because they know it is defective. This raises concerns that GM is quietly managing a widespread issue rather than issuing a formal recall or warranty extension. I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate this issue, as GM's current approach does not resolve the problem. Owners should not be forced to repeatedly clear moisture from a sensor that is failing due to a design flaw. If GM has internally identified a better solution, it should be made available to affected owners instead of delaying action with ineffective temporary fixes.

NHTSA ODI 11643702

Nov 30, 2024Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

On 11/26/24 my wife was running errands in her vehicle when the power shut off and killed the car. She was in the left lane of a busy state highway. She was able to coast off the road slightly before the vehicle came to a complete stop. The dashboard said to press brake and start button, but the car would not start. The vehicle was also stuck in drive and would not switch to park, neutral, or any other gears. Police came and had to push her vehicle with theirs into a nearby park lot so a tow truck could pick it up. It is currently at a GM dealership waiting to be looked at.

NHTSA ODI 11628033

Feb 26, 2024EngineCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in park, the brake was released, and the vehicle lunged forward and collided with a Rental Movie machine coming to a stop at a building. No safety features were activated. The air bags were deployed. The contact sustained leg, hand, stomach, breast, and chest injuries. Medical attention was sought. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11574065

Dec 26, 2023Electrical systemEngineTransmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after his wife had driven the vehicle approximately 75-80 MPH on the highway, and was attempting to turn into the driveway, the vehicle inadvertently shut off. A message indicating a transmission failure and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer however, the cause of the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the vehicle had been at the dealer for four months. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 6,250.

NHTSA ODI 11561900

Oct 4, 2023Speed controlEngine

Shortly after leasing the vehicle in December of 2022 I noticed the transmission would slip when accelerating. It also jumps when down shifting as I'm slowing down - as well as after place the car into drive. I did bring the vehicle back to GMC in early 2023 explaining the aforementioned. I was told that there was too much transmission fluid which was the causing the issues I was experiencing. They reduced the fluid levels and sent me on my way. Unfortunately their assessment and solution did not remedy the problem. I intend to bring the vehicle in again, but based on past experience, I will be told nothing is wrong. Lastly, I've done some research and it appears I'm not the only person experiencing the same issue. I'm hoping that reporting this issue will lead to an investigation of potential safety issues.

NHTSA ODI 11548177

Nov 19, 2022Electrical systemEngineFuel system

Purchased Vehicle Oct.21 2022. In first week, vehicle left my wife stranded twice, and myself once. When error occurs, vehicle goes into limp home mode and cluster illuminates all lights, says serivce brakes, transmission, engine, fuel tank reads "E" (when is was just full), PRNDL buttons are flashing and will not allow park, does not respond to throttle inputs... only way to be not stranded as the vehicle will not restart is to disconnect battery or wait 15-20 minutes as the vehicle seems to incorrectly "heal" its errors and allow the engine to restart. I noticed this when the tow truck came to pick it up, and he "drove" it on to the flat bed. 45 Diagnostics showed up on the scan tool, all relating to CAN bus communication. My concerns are the following: 1. How can a 2023 vehicle with <400 miles leave some one stranded 3 times because of a CAN bus comm error? There is an electrical gremlin (likely from lack of quality control) causing to leave a customer to having to limp to the side of the highway. 2. Why is the error able to incorrectly "Heal" itself, ie. the fault reactions seem to debounce and allow engine to restart (as mentioned prior) after a certain amount of time. This only leads to potentially putting the customer back at risk as they just were. 3. GM dealer is yet to start troubleshooting, its been 2.5 weeks. Claim is that they "need a transmission guy to look at it since the codes causing the check engine light are transmission module". Although, the vehicle has approximately 45 active codes, relating to many different modules and all pointing to CAN bus error. The vehicle has an electrical issue, causing my wife to get stranded. first warning on cluster before being stranded : "Service: Transmission Now Unable to shift Soon. " What does this even mean???? this does not tell me, what the problem is, and what I should do about it. I am an experienced OBD Engineer from an auto OEM and this does not follow best practices. Please help.

NHTSA ODI 11494274

Working with the data? Download all 38 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 2023 GMC Acadia Limited verdict →