2011 GMC Acadia Owner Complaints

The relay for the fan at the top of the fuse/relay box on the right side when facing the front of the vehicle. (under the hood) Gets hot and blows the relay and melts the spot where the relay prongs plug in. Causing the need for a new fuse box and circuit problems within the fuse box connectors. The fans, specifically the a/c fan does not kick on when turning on the a/c and the low speed fan does not kick on at all until the secondary temp fan kicks on after the temperature raises past the normal operating range. Which an overheating engine is bad for all parts of the engine which can and sooner or later will lead to a catastrophic failure putting the operator and other motorists life's at risk.This time it created a small fire that was extinguished only because the fuse box cover was off and I was looking at it as it happened, putting the cover back on extinguished the fire. This is the third time it has happened with the exact same problem. You tube is full of videos with the exact same problem.

NHTSA ID

11736860

Incident

May 1, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11707460

Incident

Aug 25, 2025

Unknown

NHTSA ID

11683502

Incident

Aug 20, 2025

My air bag light keeps coming on saying to service it. I saw the recalled issues before with the other Acadias and was thinking maybe my year model would need to be looked into as well. I haven't ever had a wreck for them to come out but the light comes on frequently.

NHTSA ID

11648922

Incident

Jan 23, 2025

Transmission shudder from torque converter

NHTSA ID

11646976

Incident

Jan 24, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11629891

Incident

Dec 6, 2024

System failed from wear on the rear ac hose from the power steering hose rubbing on it. Creating a leak in my ac system

NHTSA ID

11594827

Incident

Jun 17, 2024

I had issue with the timing chain an have check engine light is on I have heard other people having problems with there timing chain. It starts hard. I've had it looked at multiple times. I feel like this is a safety concern. It has low miles on it

NHTSA ID

11582730

Incident

Mar 16, 2022

Not sure but the ex owner of the vehicle told me the it had a recall on the drivers seatbelt (wasn’t due to a car accident)

NHTSA ID

11546507

Incident

Sep 3, 2023

The engine light came on. Had a mobile mechanic look at it, he ran a diagnostics, it showed a P0017 code. He advised to get another opinion on how to repair, as he said it may need a new engine. Took it to a local repair shop, was told the same thing. The Acadia runs fine, and only has 116K miles. The problem is that it will not pass the required emission test for annual registration and tag. The cost of a new engine was estimated at about $10K, which is more than the Acadia is worth. Was told that these vehicles have had a history of this same issue.

NHTSA ID

11542473

Incident

Aug 7, 2023

seatbelt locks and does not release

NHTSA ID

11519793

Incident

Jan 1, 2022

2011 gmc Acadia slt gear shift does not lock causing it to slip into neutral with slightest bump of shifter or sudden hard breaking Also passenger seat belt does not.lock at all when breaking and driver side seat belt never unlocks there are safty recalls on these issues for this model but.says mine has zero unfixed recall also defrosting and mirror defrost does not work properly causing me to have very bad visibility I had a close call when driving in Houston a week ago when I had to slam breaks due to a crazy driver who did not see me.and cut me off the lane my gear shifted into neutral causing me to not be able to accelerate after breaking to avoid the next speeding car fortunately I was lucky and was able to quickly shift back into drive and go there are electrical issues as well and there has only been one other owner and well maintained so I don't know what to do next my passenger nearly hit dash during this that's when I realized passenger seat belt does not lock

NHTSA ID

11517785

Incident

Apr 7, 2023

DRLs melted into the housing, seems like this is possibly caused by cowls that are not properly sealed allowing moisture into headlight assembly. This is obviously a fire hazard and will be a costly repair. I am not sure if vehicle insurance covers this but I doubt it.

NHTSA ID

11515296

Incident

Apr 3, 2023

LOOKING INTO A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT I FOUND I HAD A MISFIRE IN A FEW CYLINDERS. LOOKING INTO IT I FOUND OIL IN MY SPARK PLUG TUBES, MY COILS WERE PERFECTLY DRY AND THE TOP OF THE TUBES WERE DRY AS WELL. LOOKING INTO THIS ISSUE I FOUND MULTIPLE TSB FORMS FOR THE ISSUE STATING THERE WAS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT IN THE HEAD. IT SAYS IT EFFECTS ALL VINS FOR ALL YEARS AS THEY USE THE SAME ENGINE.

NHTSA ID

11508536

Incident

Feb 22, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, she heard an abnormal noise from the rear passenger side tire. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11488807

Incident

May 1, 2022

Mileage

140,000 mi

I was driving on the freeway then my car suddenly started slowing down. I tried changing lane so i can pull over on the side of the freeway but unfortunately i couldn't get to pull over before the car completely stopped on the freeway. I called AAA. They sent a tow truck which came to the freeway to tow my car. My husband came and took me to work. The car was towed to a GMC dealership. I went to the dealership after work. I was told my car has timing chain problem and if not fixed will damage the engine. I went online to read reviews of this car only to see it was a very common problem for this year and model of GMC which if i have ever read those reviews i would not have bought a GMC. This vehicle should be recalled for this issue.

NHTSA ID

11488614

Incident

Jun 21, 2021

Looses power while driving. Cannot jump the battery it needs to be recharged every time. Power steering stops working while driving( low rpm and when stopped) dangerous for merging or lane changes. Engine shudders when trying to accelerate. TCM/ ECM replaced 2020. Problem still persists. Whining noise upon start of the vehicle. Auto start will not work. traction control light, check engine airbag and

NHTSA ID

11485397

Incident

Sep 20, 2022

POWER STEERING RACK & HIGH PRESSURE POWER STEERING LINE. IF THIS FAILS WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY YOU WILL LOSE POWER STEERING CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. ALSO THE TIMING COVER IS LEAKING. BOTH OF THESE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH ALL GMC ACADIA SUV'S YET THE NHTSA HAS NOT INVESTIGATED OR REQUIRED THE MANUFACTURER TO DO A RECALL AND COVER THE COSTS OF REPAIR. COSTS FOR BOTH REPAIRS IS $5000.00 !!!

NHTSA ID

11477083

Incident

Aug 2, 2022

The contact owns a 2011 GMC Acadia. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he used his knowledge of vehicles to depress the accelerator pedal, which raised the RPM and caused the steering wheel to become operative. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while the vehicle was idling. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel would seize while driving and steering to the left. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 174,300.

NHTSA ID

11473668

Incident

Jul 13, 2021

Mileage

174,300 mi

Hi, I think the 2011 Acadia Denali should be in the recall along with the Terrain. The reason being that I always get flashed at night and every night as though I have the high lights on which I don’t. That’s every night. Please check into this. With all this road rage going on I worry I might come across one angry person or cause someone to wreck. Please I’m worried. Thank you.

NHTSA ID

11458225

Incident

Mar 23, 2022

I had a collision with a deer and my airbags did not deploy

NHTSA ID

11453019

Incident

Oct 21, 2021

While driving down the road, transmission will shudder and have difficulty maintaining constant speed. This is especially dangerous while merging on to the highway. It is searching for the gear to be in while rpms are fluctuating.

NHTSA ID

11447207

Incident

Jan 10, 2022

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.

NHTSA ID

11444850

Incident

Jan 23, 2021

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

NHTSA ID

11442441

Incident

Oct 8, 2021

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.

NHTSA ID

11441476

Incident

Nov 23, 2021