Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2012 GMC Acadia submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 37 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 37, in the owner's own words
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to release from low gear while at a stop. The transmission was backed up. The engine light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who confirmed there were no recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 213,766.
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact’s wife stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 172,000.
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that shortly after purchasing the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered that the catalytic convertor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The mechanic also inspected the vehicle and determined that the steering rack, front struts, and suspension control arms were also faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Ratle sound in the engine thinking it may be the timing chain. Code p0430 came on stating catalytic converter bank 2 needs replaced. We replaced o2 sensor downstream on bank 2 code was cleared by shop. After driving a few miles same check engine light came on and i took it to the shop they hooked it up to run the code and it was the same p0430 again
I was driving along [XXX] . I stopped at Walmart and shopped for about 2 hours. I was Leaving Walmart and was stopped at a red light at the exit from Walmart [XXX] and traction control light comes on and a message came up and stated traction control off and to service stability control and the vehicle loses power right at the light. I checked everything I could and dis connect the battery for about 30 minutes and connected the battery back up vehicle still would not start. After sitting there for 3 hours the vehicle starts up. A week later the same thing happens again. I had to go through all the steps again so after a couple of hours. The vehicle started up. A few days later it happens shin but this time I'm at a stop sign on a busy road. I called Road side service for a tow. No one showed up so I went through Ll those same steps of disconnecting the battery and hooking it back up after a couple of hours and it stated up. I drove it home and started doing some research and found something saying to change the brake pedal position sensor so I done that and it worked for a few days and started doing the same thing all over again. S week later I drive it to the store and got almost home and the vehicle shut down again and would not start back up. I had it towed to my uncle shop Nd he done a diagnostic on it and got about 4 or 5 codes. All of those things are very expensive to purchase. I just ran the Vin to check for recalls on the vehicle but couldn't find any but it should have been a lot of recalls because there are so many of these vehicles the exact same model and year with trouble with stability control ND brake and traction control issues. All the issues they hD on this car thT I have should not have been sold to anyone except the manufacturer. I wish I could just get my money back that I paid for it. $4700.00 not included in the work I had done like the cv axles replace on both sides in the front. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Transmission issues
The timing chains went on the engine at 148,000 miles. Which is known for 3.6l engines. Gm needs to own up to their faulty manufacturing on these engines. I need this vehicle for my children. This is the second time I have to put another engine in this truck. Thankfully when I purchased this vehicle it had a warranty but it only cover so much so I had to put a jasper motor in it instead of a brand new one from GM itself and now this jasper motor died after only driving it 22,000 miles and getting my oil changed every 3,000 miles. Single mom of soon to be 3 children i can't afford another 3 row seating Vehicle.
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contacts stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost velocity while depressing the accelerator pedal. The message "Engine power reduced and service traction control" was displayed temporarily. The contact managed to pull over the shoulder of the road and had the vehicle towed to a local independent service lot where it was diagnosed with metal debris in the engine which required an engine replacement. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
While driving the vehicle it just shut off for no reason which created a safety hazard! We were then forced to have it towed to a nearby repair shop, because we did not want to take the chance to start the vehicle and have the same thing happen again. The repair shop did their diagnosis and informed us it was a broken timing chain but couldn’t tell us if any other damage was done to the motor, without completely tearing it down. The decision was made to wait and it remains sitting at the repair shop.
142,000 miles and timing chain is bad. A very known issue and a very common issue in the GMC Acadia Denali which I think should be repaired by GM! I only owe $4,000 on the car and it's going to cost me 3,000 to get it fixed that is ridiculous so I think you should stand behind your workmanship and your quality of vehicles that you build GM and fix it take care of your customers as we keep buying this type of junk
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the RPM would rise to 4,000 however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle and became aware of smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine block, camshaft, reverse gear, and transmission housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 158,000.
The automatic passenger side window does not work anymore, it went out a couple months after I bought it. I have always done maintenance on my vehicle, oil changes, tires, etc. and the timing chain went out on it for some unknown reason. Very pricey to fix. I would hate to be stranded with my 6 grandchildren with. With all the complaints on the timing chain, this should be a recall.
I was driving 40 mph, when warnings appeared on my dash. "Service Stabalizor control", "Traction control turned off", "power is reduced", and the check engine light came on. I lost power as if engine quit, no acceration, but then came back intermittent. If I had been on a highway going 65 mph, in heavy traffic, there may have been an accident. Power steering remained on. I took to an auto service business, and they were unable to find the problem. Code indicated a fuel pressure problem.
Was waiting on dealership to catch up to bring in for a transmission problem. I know it is transmission related due to not wanting to shift properly and the fact my friend has same make and model only about 100000 more miles than mine does was doing same symptoms and she took to 3 or 4 mechanics and all said nothing wrong..no codes show up...needless to say after about 2 months it stalled out on her on interstate with speed limit 75 and she barely moving. I myself was at a sharp curve in turn lane waiting on traffic and when I braked to stop it made horrible sound and felt like brake was pushed through floorboard. When I was clear to go i push accelerator down to the floor and am barely inching along and am now stuck in the road in a 90 curve where its hard to see traffic coming. This was very scary and traumatic having this happen. I'm just glad it was only myself and the other drivers were being observant and paying attention to the road. This has happened a lot compared to research on blogs car complaints websites. The common problem is it doesn't give a code when diagnostic checked. 99% of cases show they best guess or find something else wrong and you pay 3 or 4 charges until you finally convince them its the transmission and then you're out 5000. Not counting the average 4500 you've already pd due to not listening to the driver of their vehicle and causing unnecessary charges and leaving you without a vehicle too long that isn't necessary.
Driving at 55mph, suddenly the Traction Control blinks on & off, the vehicle starts skipping. Next, Service Stabilitrack System appears and I almost come to a complete stop, Engine Running at Reduced Power appears. I barely made it to the side of the road, traffic was heavy at the time. This is apparently a common issue with other Owners and could be a number of different sensors, parts malfunctioning.
A P0306 CODE APPEARED. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE EXPRESSED THAT MY ENGINE WAS 'POROUS'. WHEN I START MY ENGINE THERE'S A ROUGH START. WHEN IT'S IDLE THE CAR SHAKES.
I HAVE 2 ONGOING ISSUES, 1ST IS THE CAR WILL BE DRIVING FINE THEN GET A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND HAVE A CODE FOR CYLINDER MISFIRE. CAR WAS AT DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES WITH ISSUE AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE WHILE UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. MYSTERIOUSLY THE INTAKE HAS TO COME APART AND BE REWORKED SINCE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED, AND STILL HAS SAME ISSUES. THE 2ND AND MORE CONCERNING ISSUE IS THE POWER STEERING. INITIALLY TOOK IN AND TOLD THE RACK AND PINION NEEDS CHANGED. STILL HAD SAME ISSUE AND TOLD POWER STEERING NOW NEEDS TO BE CHANGED, SO WE DID. SOUND AND STILL STIFF AFTER 2 RACKS AND 2 PUMPS. MECHANIC REFUSED TO WORK IT AGAIN. TOOK TO DEALER YESTERDAY. SAYS NEEDS NEW POWER STEERING PUMP. SO DEALER TOOK FOR A TEST DRIVE AND SAID IT'S STILL DOING IT AND NEEDS ANOTHER RACK AND PINION. AT WHAT POINT IS GMC THAT HAS A KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE WITH STEERING GOING TO FIX THIS ISSUE. I CAN'T KEEP THROWING MONEY AT THIS THING AND I CAN'T FEEL UNSAFE IN IT. WHAT CAN I DO?
ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TURNS OUT TO BE CADILLAC CONVERTER.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AT START-UP, THE ENGINE MISFIRE WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNKNOWN DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. A SECONDARY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC CONFIRMED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THREE DAYS AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT LATER ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KINDLE AUTO PLAZA FORD (523 STONE HARBOR BLVD, CAPE MAY COURT, (609) 465-5000), WHERE THE STARTER, THE TIMING CHAIN AND THE TRANSMISSION WERE REPLACED. ADDITIONALLY, THE AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKING TO THE SAME DEALER, WHERE THE FRONT PASSENGER'S AIR BAG SENSOR WAS REPLACED. THE SENSOR FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES AND THE DEALER REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE NHTSA. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 91,000.
BOUGHT THIS GMC USED WITH 32000 MILES. PERFORMED REGULAR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. THE CAR JUST HIT 102,000 MILES AND THE ENGINE SEIZED UP. I WAS DRIVING IT HOME AND STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND THE CAR JUST DIED. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY. THERE WAS NO WARNING AS I HEARD NO NOISE, DID NOT SEE ANY BUILD-UP OR SMOKE COMING FROM THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP AND A 2ND MECHANIC BOTH VERIFIED THE ENGINE ISSUE. IT JUST BLOWS MY MIND THAT A VEHICLE THAT JUST HIT 100,000 MILES WOULD HAVE AN ENGINE DO THIS. THE COST TO REPLACE THE ENGINE IS ABOUT $8,000-$9,000.
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD MADE MY VEHICLE MADE A WEIRD NOISE AND LOST ALL POWER. TOOK IT TO A DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN. I SPENT 10K ON A NEWER VEHICLE AND THIS HAPPENS. DEALERSHIP IT GONNA BE ANYWHERE FROM $5,500-7,000 TO FIX IT. I CAM'T AFFORD TO FIX THAT. HOW IS GM STILL MAKING THIS MOTOR WITH A TIMING CHAIN ISSUE AND HOW IS THIS YEAR NOT ON RECALL FOR THIS THE YEARS BEFORE WERE ON RECALL FOR IT. MY VEHICLE JUSTS SITS ON TRAILER. JAS BEEN THERE FOR 2 MONTHES. NOTHING LIKE PAYIN ON A DEAD HORSE
CAR STARTED RUNNING ROUGHLY. IT WAS LOUD UPON STARTING. THE CAR WOULD MAKE ESPECIALLY LOUD NOISES WHEN ON CURVES. THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. HAD IT CHECKED BY A MECHANIC. WAS TOLD THE TIMING CHAIN IS BAD AND NEEDS REPLACED. THIS MECHANIC TOLD ME HE SEES THIS PROBLEM A LOT & IT HAS TO BE REPAIRED BY A DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP'S COST FOR THIS REPAIR IS $4400. I CAN'T AFFORD THAT. UPON CALLING MECHANICS ALL OVER TOWN, THEY ALL SAY IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM WITH GM'S TIMING CHAINS.
TAMARA RECALL I HAVE REPLACED TWO HARD FUEL LINES IN THE LAST MONTH FROM THEM CRACKING OR THE WELD FAILURE AND NOW I HAVE TO REPLACE ONE OF THEM AGAIN. WHEN THESE LINES FAIL THEY SPRAY FUEL ON THE HOT ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION THAT COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO START ON FIRE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 GMC ACADIA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE STEERING SHOOK AND MADE NOISES. IN ADDITION, THE SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE FAILURES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 105,000.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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