2011 GMC Acadia owner complaints

Service bulletin no.: sbc-14329 component(s): steering NHTSA id number: 10056459 2011 GMC acadia ..power steering failure. Received a notice about the potential failure in my power steering pump. Took the vehicle into the GMC dealership to have this fixed as I have experienced early indications of a failure, air bubbles in the fluid and noisy turns. (confirmed by dealer) was told they cannot replace it until it "fails". So I need to crash my car because the pump fails. Just feel that GMC need to fix this potential safety issue before someone gets hurt. They are aware of the issue since they issued the bulletin or "recall". *tr

Whining noise in steering column, thumping at slow right turns, needed new rack and pinion, cv joints replaced

Driving on the highway coming off of an exit ramp, the power steering failed and was unable to control the vehicle steering. Turning the steering wheel was like trying to pull on dead weight to get it to turn. This continued and seemed to get worse as I slowed the car to a stop. Upon driving again a few minutes after the vehicle was stopped, power steering returned for 10 miles of driving on the way back to my home, and then failed again. No warning lights appeared with power steering failure, and car is not safe to drive. *tr

The steering randomly gets tight and then let's loose while driving or turning.

Powersteering gets tight and vehicle shakes. Brought to dealer and powersteering pump and gear is leaking fluid. The gm dealer told me that the powersteering part is covered but will not cover the fluid leaking and I am responsible for $500 payment. Brake pedal squeaks when pressed down. Gm dealer informed that the brake is leaking and needs a brake fluid flush and a new brake booster. *js

We purchased the vehicle on August 20, 2025. At which time we paid over $4,800 for the vehicle. I will be trying to submit all files pertaining to the vehicle. We are both disabled and on the fixed income from ssi. However, a week after purchasing the vehicle all issues began to rise up. There was no transmission fluid, the oil need changed, catalytic converter showed up on AutoZone print out, wheels to make a sound when turning, brakes needs fixed, electrical seems to have an issue. The reason I am submitting this is in prayer asking for any remedy with this situation through the recalls, bulletins, and whatever else maybe available for the vehicle. I thank you for your time, effort, and consideration in this matter.

Tailgate system has failed causing tailgate to force closed after opening halfway. Risk of being pinned between the car and tailgate. Similar to previous recall POWER LIFTGATE PROP ROD RECOVERY, gate is not being controlled or caught.

This is my car, but my husband and I tried to take a long trip in the car and my husband found that he was not a safe driver due to the uncomfortable head rest design. My husband is 6' 4" tall and the acadia head rest pushes his head forward and down at an awkward angle. This causes him to be fatigued, get a headache from holding his head at an awkward position and does not allow him to look through his glasses correctly. This is an unsafe situation for a driver during a long trip. I contacted gm to see if we could get a different head rest that would be safe and comfortable for a tall driver but they said that they couldn't help us. They did admit that my husband is not the only driver who has experienced this problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 GMC acadia. The contact stated that after exiting the vehicle with the engine operating, the driver slipped on an ice patch and fell. While the contact was grounded, the vehicle erroneously rolled away and over her legs. The contact sustained muscle and nerve damage to both legs. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 34,994.

I was complaining about the performance of this vehicle to the dealer for the past three years. Now that the warranty is expired, I had to change the driveshaft, fell out while transporting passengers; transfer case, the transition from drive, the automatic shift would jerk; a passenger I had in the car told me one day I would not make it up a hill. One week later it happened. Transmission, the vehicle wouldn't move even when gas was applied; 6 coils and plugs, the bad smell of something burning was scary. I had to pull off the road because the reduce power light come on. Yesterday, 12/26/16, I went through this again!!! There is a rubbing sound in one of my wheels, don't know what that is yet. I also changed the axels and about to change the tie rods for a clunking noise while ma

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 GMC acadia. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled and several warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. After pulling over and attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle restarted on the initial attempt. The failure occurred intermittently on several occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

I have had this 2011 arcadia for less then a month. The dealer I bought it from assured me that the only issue it had was it needed a new a/c condenser. ( permanent codes, p0008, p0332, p0017 ) (pending codes p0161, p0332, p0017 ) ( stored codes, p0332, p0008 ) severe urgency replace timing chains and related components, t chain x1 t chain x1 t chain x2 timing tensioner x1 x1 x1 x1. I havent even been able to drive it and the sold me the car on false pretenses. They wont help me with fixing it, they wont even fix the a/c condenser. Im going through a divorce and I put the only money I had into this car. I dont know what to do.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 GMC acadia. The contact stated that when driving in rainy or icy weather, the tires would spin abnormally when accelerating from a stop and would not grip the pavement. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was test driven. The dealer informed the contact that they were unable to locate a failure within the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who informed the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer for further inspection. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who advised the contact that the vehicle was safe to drive. The failure mileage was 1,000 and the current mileage was 16,000. Updated 02/15/12*lj

Wanted tailgate noise fixed while under warrantee, but was put off by dealer to wait for recall fix. Recall fix did not solve problem of loud noises when using power tailgate. After about 2 years I received recall letter from gm and dealer did recall work. However , the noise problem still exists and dealer tells me I will need to pay $725 to fix part # 23142258 because it is not covered under long awaited recall repair. I called gm customer assistance center and they cannot authorize repair either. I beleive the recall module by not working correctly caused the gear failure. That's why I believe gm should fix the tailgate. All this happened over a 2 year period. While car was in warrenty and now out of warranty. Since gm had to fix all 2011 acadia's the process took too long and d

Takata recall traction contro,l service stabilitrak, engine speed reduced light turned on in my 2011 GMC acadia. Wouldn't go no faster then 15mph on a 55 MPH road and the engine got really loud and rough. Was going 40 when the lights all came on driving down the road. This is very dangerous to drive when it keeps doing this. I'm scared to drive it now. Specially when I have a baby in the vehical with me. I'm not sure what causes it to do this. Some people say it's a glitch in the main vehicle computer, read it's a glitch in several different vehicals. This is something that seriously needs to be recalled and diagnosed and fixed immediately!

The contact owns a 2011 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the subframe underneath the driver’s side felt loose and not properly aligned. The contact merged to the right lane and continued to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that her son and daughter drove the vehicle and noticed the failure as well. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys who replaced all four tires and performed a 4-wheel alignment; however, the failure had been reoccurring and was more noticeable while making turns and driving around curves. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

I have a 2011 GMC acadia. I purchased this vehicle used in late 2013. This is the 6th time I have needed to replace my lowbeams. Last night heading home from work around dusk I was driving down the highway and someone pulled out in front of me and I had to swerve to avoid hitting him. I lost drivers side two days ago and lost the passengers headlight as I started up my vehicle leaving work. It was apparent that he did not see my vehicle as all the other vehicles had their lights on. This is clearly a design issue that if allowed to continue significantly increases the risk of an accident which puts my family in danger. Please address this increased risk to my family and other families that are on the road with these vehicles.

HVAC system failure for the second time in less than a year that lead to freon leaking into the passenger cabin of our 2011 GMC acadia that has less than 44,000 miles. It was making an extreme hissing sound, followed by a misty cloud of freon gas, and now lets off an acrid, plastic/electrical burning smell that fills the cabin followed by steam rising from the engine compartment and the vents in the car's hood. The car starts to smell like it is on fire, only we can't find the source since it is obscured by the dashboard. We have had to the dealer several times for the same issue, yet all they do is upgrade the software and recharge the freon unit. It eventually leaks and shoots out freon into the faces of the passengers, which is not safe! Now the burning smell has us concerned that we ar

Upon starting our vehicle to leave the breaks were very hard to compress. They did eventually release but made a whooshing noise as though there is someone blowing air from the brake pedal. There is no damage or leaking from the break line or the master cylinder. This could lead to failure of the breaks and it is concerning. This vehicle is available upon request to inspect. This has not currently be confirmed by a dealer or service center, or others that would inspect vechicles. There are no warning laps or messages presenting. 11/23/21 is the first day that this occured.