GMC Acadia reliability by year
10 recalls and 5,496 owner complaints across 19 model years. Best year to buy: 2025. Year to avoid: 2017.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 7 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 19 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Acadia aggregated across 19 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a GMC Acadia?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2025 GMC Acadia scores 8.0/10 — the strongest in the 2007–2025 range. 57 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which GMC Acadia year should I avoid?
The 2017 GMC Acadia scores 6.6/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 689 owner complaints with NHTSA, 1 active recall. That doesn't mean every 2017 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the GMC Acadia should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2013 (avoid — the electrical system — 5 fire-related complaints on the electrical system); 2011 (avoid — the lighting — 5 fire-related complaints on the lighting); 2010 (avoid — the steering — 1 fatality report and 3 crash-related complaints on the steering); 2009 (avoid — the electrical system — 5 fire-related complaints on the electrical system); 2014 (high-risk ownership — electrical system: 78 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 35,845–95,000 mi); 2012 (high-risk ownership — body: 39 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 40,000–97,000 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2025, 2024, 2023, 2020, 2022, 2021. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the GMC Acadia are tracked?
19 model years (2007 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 10 recalls and 5,496 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the GMC Acadia?
powertrain is the most-reported category — 1,242 complaints across 19 model years. Average shop repair runs about $2,500.