2008 GMC Acadia Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s side air bags deployed; however, the vehicle was not involved in a crash. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle and the starter was inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle remained at the residence, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11753151

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

Mileage

200,000 mi

Lifegate wont open all the way airbag light is on and truck shimmering when I drive it

NHTSA ID

11737605

Incident

Apr 9, 2026

The car would not shift causing me to pull over on the side of a highway to restart the car this happened 5 times in a row b4 the car would shift into proper gear

NHTSA ID

11724309

Incident

Feb 13, 2026

Lift gate closes by itself I have to put a pole to hold it up and it won’t hit me, it says the air bags needs to be serviced, stabilitrak keeps going off, ball bearing needs work. Radio won’t turn on no sound on air signals, the body chasis something popped while driving, the tracking control keeps turning off, the seats move while driving, catalytic converter are moving car only go 12 mpg.

NHTSA ID

11663793

Incident

Sep 1, 2024

The traction control turns on and then the shifts don’t work and I can’t drive since there is no speed also the rpm and the gas the speed and the battery gages start flickering up and down then I turn off the truck and it continues to work fine but after 40 miles or so it does it all again

NHTSA ID

11618622

Incident

Aug 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while her daughter-in-law was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made a popping sound, and then the fuse box near the passenger's side headlight caught fire. No warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter-in-law was able to exit the vehicle. There were no injuries, and medical attention was not received. Bystanders called the police and fire departments. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. Police and fire department reports were filed. The fire chief informed the contact that the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction. The vehicle was towed to the residence and had not yet been deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11586104

Incident

Apr 30, 2024

Mileage

150,000 mi

Transmissions will not shift out of 1st gear. And puts out a 752 code. This can happen at anytime. Vehicle will suddenly lose power at any time.

NHTSA ID

11586024

Incident

Mar 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the battery had previously been replaced; however, the battery failed to retain a charge. The contact had to recharge the battery every day to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that water had leaked from the windshield and cowl to behind the glovebox, causing the battery to fail; however, no repair was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ID

11570596

Incident

Jan 31, 2024

Mileage

160,000 mi

Deer hit me on the highway at 2am on December 26th. No air bags deployed.

NHTSA ID

11564926

Incident

Dec 26, 2023

UNKNOWN 2008 GMC ACADIA back lift starts to open and then shuts right back down. try to raise it manually and it falls right back down. It can really hurt someone. would like to know what causes it to do that and if there is a recall.

NHTSA ID

11558005

Incident

Dec 1, 2023

Check engine light came on for the TCM. Car has had issues shifting (very rough shifting) and the manual shift option does not work. Was told the TCM had to be replaced. Attempt was made to replace it with a refurbished TCM but that couldn't be programmed to the car. Was then told I would have to buy a brand new one, which is very expensive, and that there was no guarantee that would fix the problem. Car can not be driven over 20mph without risking burning up the transmission. Car also jerks forward very hard when trying to gently accelerate.

NHTSA ID

11535302

Incident

May 10, 2023

Airbag light on 24/7, ABS malfunction traction control system turns off randomly, wiper blade fluid not spraying (front, rear) engine misfire on idle, clear/white smoke from hood and burning smell.

NHTSA ID

11530288

Incident

Jun 29, 2023

The contact owned a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, a grayish-colored smoke as well as an abnormal sound emit from the engine without warning. The contact pulled over and exited the vehicle as the vehicle was quickly engulfed in flames. The contact called the fire department and they extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed(#23-046145) and no injuries were reported. The contact stated that the highway barrier was damaged as a result of the fire. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11527325

Incident

Jun 4, 2023

Mileage

200,000 mi

Started losing power and had problems cranking. Now won't cranking at all. P0123 error code.

NHTSA ID

11525778

Incident

Jun 7, 2023

Head gaskets and engine default and ground wire system defaulted.

NHTSA ID

11498490

Incident

Dec 1, 2022

Turned key to start,it did not.mechanic said timing chain failed.

NHTSA ID

11495008

Incident

Jun 1, 2022

The air bags light came on with no reason truck never being in a crash, the abs and the off road light is on too, the break lights are on while you don't step on the pedal and they go off when you step on it...

NHTSA ID

11493528

Incident

Sep 1, 2022

Liftgate Malfunction: When rear liftgate is manually opened on vehicle, it continues to make a noise after it is completely opened. This noise sounds as though the liftgate is still in the process of opening. There is also an issue when closing the liftgate. Although it is properly closed, it will show a warning sign moments later in the car saying it is opened. When the car is put back in park to check, the liftgate is closed, but the latch has released. So the liftgate is able to be opened without pressing the button to open it. Sometimes it can take a few times of closing the liftgate for it to stay latched and properly closed. The automatic opening function of the liftgate does not work as well.

NHTSA ID

11489021

Incident

Oct 15, 2021

Warning message appears on dash showing windshield wiper fluid is low/empty when it doesn't need it. This warning message remains lit even when the fluid has just been refilled.

NHTSA ID

11489018

Incident

Oct 15, 2021

Passenger Airbag warning light has been showing on my dash since I purchased the vehicle in October of 2021. I brought the vehicle to an auto repair shop to have it checked, and was told that the airbags would malfunction if I were to get into an accident that called for them to deploy.

NHTSA ID

11489015

Incident

Oct 15, 2021

It was in a front end Collision the airbags didn’t deploy my insurance said they totaled the car out due to needing a lot of money to fix it and I contacted gm about it they said there was no recalls and no repairs were don’t to it

NHTSA ID

11478360

Incident

Jun 10, 2022

The headlights don't work even after replacing. It rains in the vehicle from the sunroof. The gas tank isn't registering even after fixing it. So the engine doesn't know how much to put out etc etc and it makes the car jerk horribly. This vehicle is a fire hazard due to raining inside on everything upfront. I have kids I pray nothing happens!!

NHTSA ID

11474831

Incident

Jul 19, 2022

Well my back trunk doesnt worrk well i open it but it closes half way it almost closed on me and its done that more then 3 times and im not sure why its scary cause my child almost got hit with it not opening right.

NHTSA ID

11473883

Incident

Jul 14, 2022

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The vehicle had previously been serviced at the dealer under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 14V118000 (Air Bags) and 15V415000 (Structure) however, after the recall repairs were performed, the rear springs fractured. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he noticed that a section of the rear spring was on the ground. After inspecting underneath the vehicle, he noticed that the rear springs were fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer informed the contact that the rear springs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 7,572.

NHTSA ID

11469792

Incident

Jun 17, 2022

Mileage

7,572 mi

Vehicle has a sunroof drainage issue. Water leaks in through the corners of the sunroof and spills into the dashboard and under the carpeting. The vehicle has suffered electrical damage, corrosion, and mold because of the sunroof drainage issue. I have seen forums with hundreds of other owners who have suffered the same exact sunroof drainage problem with their 2007-2008 GMC Acadias. GMC says my vehicle is not listed in the recall, but I find that laughable. There are way too many Acadia owners that have this exact issue for it not to be a problem with all Acadias.

NHTSA ID

11461297

Incident

Apr 19, 2022