KnownCarProblems2011 GMC Acadia Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 269 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 GMC Acadia, most often about the steering (24% of complaints, typically around 63,000 miles). It is 10th of 20 Acadia model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2011 GMC Acadia problems
Steering
64 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 63,000 miles.
During low RPM turning (such as parking or pulling out/in from/to a parking lot or stop sign) the power steering stops working. The vehicle becomes impossible to steer and causes the vehicle to head into traffic. We have not had an accident yet but have had numerous close calls.
The car started to make a loud whining sound 3 month after we purchased it used. Then power steering started to go in and out. Took the car to a auto care shop and this is what the bill said. "replace power steering pump, tried to flush system 2 times, bleed out air, replace power steering pump again, still no power…
Engine
56 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles.
I'm the 2nd owner and so far I've had to have a motor mount & 2 catalytic converters replaced. The AC started having issues with the controls not working & then the AC completely broke and leaked all the refrigerant which made a huge mess. There's a horrible oil leak that can't seem to be stopped. The brake pedel…
I took our 2011 GMC Acadia, mileage 80,637, to the dealership on 12/16/2017 because the display showed "service air bag." the service technician reported that he found dtc b0022 and b0015 stored in sdm, tested circuits, good. He found excessive resistance in both front seat belt anchor pretensions and recommended…
Electrical
47 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles.
Fuel gauge is falling to empty with at least 15 gallons of fuel remaining,I have tried fuel cleaner ???? This is a constant worry . Is this a warranty item covered by GMC ? If not what is the cost to repair and will GMC help with the cost ?
The contact owns a 2011 GMC Acadia. While driving at 55 MPH, the contact noticed fluid leaking out of the air vents. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the air conditioner line between the compressor and the condenser needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was…
Lights
38 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights.
Head light mounts have melted due to heat from the daytime headlight bulbs. Now I cannot maintain functioning daytime running lights. Bulbs burn out in just a few days use. Gm claims this is not a safety issue and therefore will not replace the headlight units.
Daytime running lights have overheated on both sides and have melted the plastic housing. The lights are extremely hot in a confined space and are in very close proximity to a flammable material. I noticed smoke coming out of the headlight and saw that it has melted the housing to the point where the bulb is now…
Transmission
33 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 72,000 miles. Parts named most often: driveline, automatic transmission.
Vehicle came out of park sitting in driveway while being cleaned out. The key was not in the ignition; however the gear shift was shifted into park as someone reached over across the seat. Passenger side doors were open and as the vehicle rolled , the doors hit my pouch causing damage to the front and rear passenger…
I saw an error message on the dashboard that read "service traction control", then it read "traction control off" and then the last thing that read was "engine power is reduced". That's when my car dropped from going 55 MPH to 20 MPH and I could not accelerate. I pulled off the road a few minutes then back onto road…
Air bags
19 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 56,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2011 GMC Acadia. The contact was driving approximately 10 MPH when the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated consistently on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the passenger's side air bag was faulty. The…
The contact owns a 2011 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but did not offer any assistance. The failure…
Stability control
16 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 69,500 miles.
While driving this morning this message appeared : "traction control off" , then "service stabilitrak". Very soon after message "reduced engine power" appeared. The car was still running, but would not go above approximately 2k RPM's or 15mph. This is the second time that this has happened and have had to take to shop…
I saw an error message on the dashboard that read "service traction control", then it read "traction control off" and then the last thing that read was "engine power is reduced". That's when my car dropped from going 55 MPH to 20 MPH and I could not accelerate. I pulled off the road a few minutes then back onto road…
Other or unspecified
14 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 82,500 miles.
I went to open the back of my Acadia, pushed the button and as it raised I started to put a window in the back and the liftgate made a strange noise and before I knew it the liftgate started to come down while I was still holding the window....it didn't stop even though it hit me and made my face hit the edge of the…
Our nite mare began december 2015 purchase of this vehicle has been in shop more then we've driven it , first thoughts on non starting was needed bigger battery, did that , second they thought battery issues again , an third time of non starting suppose able bad ground on transmission, did that, fourth time another…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 GMC Acadia recalls
Air bags: critical fasteners
Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on may 24, 2021. Owners may contact buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n202321200.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 buick enclave, 2010-2019 chevrolet traverse, and 2011-2016 gmc acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Body and structure: hatchback/liftgate
Risk: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on november 15, 2016. Owners may contact buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. Gm's number for this recall is 15240.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 buick enclave vehicles manufactured january 3, 2007, to february 29, 2012, 2009-2012 chevrolet traverse vehicles manufactured july 6, 2008, to march 9, 2012, 2007-2012 gmc acadia vehicles manufactured september 15, 2006, to february 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 saturn outlook vehicles manufactured august 17, 2006, to march 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.
Seat belts
Risk: If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.
Fix: General motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in july 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on july 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on july 11, 2014. Owners may contact general motors at 1-800-222-1020 (chevrolet), 1-800-521-7300 (buick), 1-800-462-8782 (gmc), 1-800-553-6000 (saturn). General motors re
Full defect summary
General motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 buick enclave vehicles manufactured april 14, 2008, through may 14, 2014, chevrolet traverse vehicles manufactured june 6, 2008, through may 14, 2014, and gmc acadia vehicles manufactured april 9, 2008, through may 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 saturn outlook vehicles manufactured april 14, 2008, through march 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue and separate over time.
Air bags: side/window
Risk: Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on june 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and gmc owners at 1-866-996-9463. Gm's number for this recall is 14030. Note: vehicles repaired as part of customer satisfaction campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 buick enclave and gmc acadia and 2009-2013 chevrolet traverse and 2008-2010 saturn outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (siab) wiring harnesses may result in the siab and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.
Visibility and wipers: linkages
Risk: If this occurs, driver visibility could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper arm nuts, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 20, 2012.
Full defect summary
General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 chevrolet traverse, buick enclave, and gmc acadia vehicles currently registered in alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, wyoming and the district of columbia. Snow or ice buildup on the windshield or on the wiper may restrict the movement of the wiper arm, causing the wiper arm to loosen and cause the wiper to become inoperative.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Outboard front seat belt anchor cable failure
Summary
On august 31, 2020, the office of defects investigations (odi) opened engineering analysis (ea) ea20002, as an upgrade of recall query (rq) rq19003. This investigation, related to recall 14v-266, was opened to investigate instances of detachment of the flexible steel seat belt anchor cable attached to the outboard side of the front seats in vehicles manufactured by general motors (gm). The subject vehicles included model year (my) 2009 through 2014 gmc acadia, buick enclave, and chevrolet traverse suvs as well as my 2009 through 2010 saturn outlook suvs. These vehicles were previously repaired for this defect under recall 14v-266. The subject vehicle population is approximately 1.3 million v
Seat belt anchor cable failure
Summary
On may 19, 2014, general motors llc (gm) notified the office of defects investigation (odi) that it would conduct safety recall 14v266 to address fatigue and separation of the flexible steel cable that connects the front outboard seat belts to the seat-mounted belt pre-tensioner in 1.4 million model year (my) 2009-2010 saturn outlook, 2009-2014 buick enclave, gmc acadia and chevrolet traverse (lambda platform) vehicles.the remedy was to inspect for signs of damage and replace pre-tensioner anchor cables as needed. Re-work was conducted to relocate the pre-tensioner anchor cable out of the occupant entry path. Odi has subsequently received four (4) vehicle owners questionnaires (voq) reportin
Questions about the 2011 GMC Acadia
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 GMC Acadia?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (64 complaints, typically around 63,000 miles); engine (56 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles); electrical (47 complaints, typically around 75,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 GMC Acadia have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 8, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the GMC Acadia?
- It is 10th of 20 Acadia model years by number of complaints, with 269 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.