2012 GMC Acadia Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2012 GMC Acadia, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Steering4613.0%
- Powertrain (other)4312.1%
- Body & structure4211.8%
- Electrical4111.5%
- Engine3710.4%
- Airbags339.3%
- Fuel system246.8%
- Exterior lighting215.9%
- Driver assistance174.8%
- Visibility123.4%
- Other / unspecified92.5%
- Brakes82.3%
- Seat belts82.3%
- Interior & seats61.7%
- Suspension61.7%
- Heating & air conditioning10.3%
- Tires & wheels10.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
About 1 month ago While making a slow speed turn from a parking lot to a street the steering seemed to lock for no reason. After a brief moment the steering resumed normal function. I inspected the ignition switch and found nothing abnormal. Checked power steering fluid level, it was in the operating range. Unable to duplicate the issue at that time. On 3-9-23 while driving the vehicle started making an unusual noise coming from the engine. It seemed to be consistent with engine rpm. I believe it was the power steering pump. After stopping and starting the engine the noise was gone. A few minutes later while driving at slow speed the steering locked again, or the resistance was too great for my wife to overcome.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
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 transmission has all the symptoms of a broken wave plate and/or torque convertor as reported in the first generation T75 transmission service bulletin. This started occurring at 120K. I know the service bulletin was for the 2007-2009 models but the 2012 had the same exact transmission and waveplate. The car feels like it's going to shudder out and die on the highway.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, after pressing the liftgate button the liftgate raised and crashed down independently after several seconds. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle remained at the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 189,352.
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while reversing, the liftgate unexpectedly opened, even though the liftgate was properly closed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
Hello so I notice 3 weeks ago my headlights keep cutting off and on then a week later my radio stopped working, The floor of the driver side is always wet after it rains. I noticed one day the rain started dripping on my feet when I drive after a big rain fall, I believe the car is not sealed properly and now water is coming out from the airbag signs in my vehicle and the car starting to smell like mildew. I think water is sitting in certain parts of my vehicle. I'm not sure what to do.
service battery charging station error code keeps popping up
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
Hello so I notice 3 weeks ago my headlights keep cutting off and on then a week later my radio stopped working, The floor of the driver side is always wet after it rains. I noticed one day the rain started dripping on my feet when I drive after a big rain fall, I believe the car is not sealed properly and now water is coming out from the airbag signs in my vehicle and the car starting to smell like mildew. I think water is sitting in certain parts of my vehicle. I'm not sure what to do.
SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG CONNECTOR,FRONT SAFETY BELT ANCHOR, POWER LIFT GATE PROP ROD RECOVERY
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG CONNECTOR,FRONT SAFETY BELT ANCHOR, POWER LIFT GATE PROP ROD RECOVERY
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
Daytime Running light bulb and housing failure. Some 2012 Acadia models recalled under now expired recall for bulbs and deformation of surrounding housing. Apparently the above recall was excluded from this recall and should have been included. Both DRL on this vehicle have failed and surrounding housing has been damaged . Subsequently replacing just bulbs is not possible. The housing melted on the bulb. Photo is available on request. This failure should be considered a fire hazard. GM customer service center stated to me that this vehicle was not included in recall after VIN search. Some 2012 Acadias were in fact included , this one was not. And should have been since the failure occurred as stated in the original recall.
The headlights in this make and model go out frequently. I've owned my vehicle for 2 years and have put 5 headlights in it.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the liftgate lamp detached from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the adhesive had severely deteriorated. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 175,000. The VIN was unavailable.
FRONT BLOWER MOTOR FOR DEFROST/HEATING/COOLING SYSTEM INTERMITTENTLY STOPS WORKING. SEEMS TO STOP WORKING MORE OFTEN IN RAIN, SNOW, AND COLD. HAS BEEN A SAFETY HAZARD, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE DEFROST DOESN'T WORK AND WINDSHIELD FOGS UP. VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE. BELIEVE THAT SOME OLDER ACADIA MODEL YEARS HAVE A RECALL ON THE BLOWER MOTOR BECAUSE IT GETS WET DURING RAIN AND SNOW AND NO LONGER WORKS. THE 2012 ACADIA HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. POTENTIALLY GETTING WET THROUGH A FAULT IN THE SUNROOF?? (08312020REAR BLOWER CONTINUES TO WORK.)
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
Incomplete recalls
Rear driver side cast aluminum knuckle/hub assembly fractured. The rear wheel partially separated from the suspension with uncontrolled toe, camber, & caster. Wheel impacted suspension linkage causing fracture of rear driver side rotor. Vehicle is available for inspection. Incident caused driver to lose control of vehicle and go into ditch UNKNOWN if problem has been reproduced Vehicle/component has not been inspected No warning symptoms prior to failure
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
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)
The brakes on the vehicle have failed 5-7 times within the past year and a half. By "failed" I mean that the pedal was touching the floor of the vehicle and did NOT engage. Mechanic was unable to replicate the failure any of the three times we took it in to get it looked at. The brake pads, rotors, and fluid lines have all been checked multiple times and are all in good condition. The master cylinder was replaced and the brakes worked well for about 6-7 months. Approximately 3 weeks ago, the brakes failed entirely, yet again, this time driving on a highway at 70mph. The emergency brake had to be used in order to get the vehicle to slow down. The vehicle was then dropped off at a local dealership, who has kept it for about 2 weeks and states that they cannot replicate the problem when they take it for a test drive. We have 2 young children and this has been our primary family vehicle. There has not been a check engine light or any other warning lamp AT ALL.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG CONNECTOR,FRONT SAFETY BELT ANCHOR, POWER LIFT GATE PROP ROD RECOVERY
RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE DOES NOT LOCK AND SECURES THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER IN PLACE
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while closing the hatch of the vehicle, the driver's side ball joint hinge fractured, causing the bar holding the hatch to scrape off some of the tints of the windshield. The contact stated that he was able to stop the hatch from fully closing to prevent the hatch from braking the windshield. The contact stated that the hatch had not been opened since the incident occurred to prevent further damage to the windshield. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
WARNING "SERVICE AIR BAGS" POPS UP; DEALER SAYS NEEDS PASSENGER PRESENCE ASSEMBLY $200 AND LABOR $500. SAYS AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY. ALSO HAPPENED 1 YR AGO BUT MESSAGE WENT AWAY UNTIL RECENTLY.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
I STARTED HAVING STEERING PROBLEMS WHEN I WOULD SLOW DOWN TO MAKE A TURN ON A CITY STREET. THE STEERING WAS VERY TIGHT. UNSAFE CONDITION WITHOUT WARNING. I HAD THE POWER STEERING UNIT REPLACED, THEN I WAS TOLD THE RACK AND PINION HAD METAL IN THEM AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO FLUSH OUT THE METAL. I PICKED UP THE CAR TODAY AFTER A COST OF $2,200. DROVE HOME ON CITY STREETS, SAME PROBLEM ONLY TIGHTER TURNING. CALLED THE MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD TO RETURN THE CAR. JUST LUCK I HAVE ANOTHER CAR TO DRIVE. SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS VERY UNSAFE CONDITION. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Heating & air conditioning
Reports naming the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 GMC ACADIA. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE AIR CONDITIONER LIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE INITIALLY, BUT LATER ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE AIR CONDITIONER FAILED TO TURN ON AFTERWARDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE AIR CONDITIONER LINE HOSE DUE TO THE HOSE RUBBING UP AGAINST THE POWER STEERING LINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 GMC ACADIA. AFTER THE CONTACT PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THAT IT DID NOT COME EQUIPPED WITH A SPARE TIRE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE DOES NOT COME EQUIPPED WITH A SPARE TIRE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,114. UPDATED 9/18/174*CN UPDATED 02/05/2015 *JS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .