While driving, error popped up stating steering assist is reduced; drive with caution. Heat was no longer working. Engine temp was reading cold even though vehicle had been running for half hour and temp outside was 65 F. After vehicle was stopped, engine fan ran very loudly for at least 15 minutes. Took vehicle in to have diagnostics ran, and received error P0128 pointing to faulty engine coolant thermostat and sensor. Also received U0401 indicating insufficient data coming from ECM/PCM. I was told that together with U0401 and P0128 together indicate a communication problem between control modules. Check engine light was never on.
2021 GMC Acadia complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2021 record →
*Transmission or torque converter. *Vehicle shuddering or shaking at low speeds or when shifting. *Studders while trying to drive fromstop. Can casue accident. *No check engine lights or any warnings prior to failure. *Did not accuse anything when checked by diagnostice tool. *Issue started in Sept but is ongoing
Received message "Steering assist is reduced. Drive with care". This is related to a faulty thermostat and temperature sensor.
I have a 2021 GMC Acadia that keeps saying steering assist not available. But when it does this, the temperature gage stops working and so does the AC. After you turn the car off the fan still runs for at least 10 minutes.
This is a well known issue. On the dash it keeps reading steering system is being reduced drive with care. I have been dealing with this issue almost years. Been to the dealership too many times for this issue
My Acadia, 2021 has just 36011 miles. Car sputtered a few times like it was running out of gas and stalled as I was driving home in rush hour traffic. I couldn't even get it off the road. No warning lights or advance warning. Waited 3 hours for AAA (told 20 minutes) and then towed to dealer. Tow person could not get it into neutral so they used the sleds to ramp it up onto the flatbed. The dealer replaced the fuel module board which seems to be a common problem with these cars. Dangerous in that I thought someone might rear end the car while sitting in the single lane. Look on the Acadia forum and you'll see this is common and no recall has been issued and it sounds like it could very well happen again.
I was driving down a heavy traffic expressway with a lot of semi traffic and the SUV started puttering. All of a sudden it died, the check engine light came on and I started to slow down quickly. I was in the middle lane of 3 lanes going 70 mph. VERY LUCKILY, I was able to pull to the right and barely made it onto the shoulder. The SUV had $28,972 miles on it. It was more that 100 degrees outside at the time. I called for a tow and had to wait over 2 hours. My car was nearly hit many times during the wait. The whole situation was very dangerous. What if my children were in the car at the time???? The tow truck driver was nearly killed while trying to get it on the truck. He had to call the police to block the lane. He stated that he could not put it in neutral and had to do something else with it to get it up. It was towed to the dealership where I purchased it. They did the diagnostics and said it was a fuel pump module issue. Less than 30,000 miles and this happened. I was planning to take a trip through the mountains, but at this point I do not feel safe at all in this vehicle. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL IF GMC IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE!!!!!
Instrument cluster malfunction. Entire instrument cluster blacking out every 60 seconds, then rebooting nonstop while driving. While this was occurring, none of the advanced driver assistance systems functioned, nor did the speedometer or other gauges. This occurred while on a trip, and meant having to travel a long distance without having emergency braking, collision warnings or the ability to monitor speed. The car was taken to local dealer and they replaced the entire instrument cluster.
Car was parked overnight in my garage and in the morning it would turn over, but not start. Had to have it towed to my GMC dealer, but had great difficulty moving the car out of the garage because the transmission remains in PARK if the engine is not running. Had this happened on a highway while driving and without a place to safely get off the road ( which HAS happened to others who have made this same complaint to NHTSA), this could have been an extremely hazardous situation for the occupants of the vehicle. The engine will suddenly shut down, power steering is lost, and power braking will also be lost. This problem was diagnosed as a failed fuel pump module. The failed part was replaced by the dealer (GM part#13554820). The service manager acknowledged that this is a known and common issue and that GM is aware of it but has not issued a voluntary recall. The manager also advised that this part has not been updated and that it may fail again without warning. Please....this is a serious safety issue that needs to be addressed before someone is injured or killed while abandoning a car stalled in traffic that cannot be moved.
The fuel pump control module failed, 2021Acadia Denali First time, 9/22/21 8073 miles, the car was parked at the residence under the car port, when needed, the car would not start. No check engine or other indicators. Car was towed to dealer for repairs under warranty. Second time, 10/6/23 31879 miles, we were driving the car on a rural road, 55 mph speed limit with no shoulders when the car stopped in a curve. Had to flag down cars to keep them from hitting us for an hour till the wrecker loader it on the truck to take back to same dealership for warranty repairs. Third time, 7/29/25 48199 miles, we were again on a rural road 55 mph speed limit when the car stopped with my 71 year old wife alone in the car, again in a curve. This time there was a check engine light. I drove my truck to pick her up and assist her until the wrecker came. This time with luck I was able to restart the car and I followed her to our home where the tow truck picked it up and brought it to the same dealership for the third time for repairs under warranty. All three times the culprit was the fuel pump control module. Each time it was the same code in the ECM. Each time the dealership said they did a full check on the fuel system, pump, etc. and only replaced the fuel pump control module.
Driving out of state. My 2021 Acadia with 41,172 miles. When pushing the gas to go there is slippage when trying to accelerate. MY car went automatically into neutral saying transmission and then not start. After a rest period it would start then repeat the same issue. In bumper to bumper traffic on I75. The most Terrifying & UNSAFE place to be at 75 to 80 mph. We happened to be driving up on construction and slow down traffic. When the car stalled. Towed it to a transmission place because of code. They replaced the DTR1 PCM.
The Vacuum pump on my 2021 GMC Acadia failed causing my breaks malfunction. This Problem was confirmed by a certified mechanic that repaired it. this is in conjunction with the NHTSA recall issued under N192268490.
Driving on rt 95n in Ga. Going 70 mph and vehicle just bucked and shut off. At the time I was in the middle lane and almost got hit by a tractor trailer while I was trying to get to the right side of the road. Called general motors roadside assistance and they supplied a tow company to tow me to a dealer in Ga. About 35 miles away unfortunately it was Sunday dealer was closed and I had to get a taxi to take me to a hotel with all my luggage. On Monday morning when the service dept. Opened they advised me the fuel pump module had failed and would be replaced. Luckily most times when vehicles shut off with push button electronically shifted transmissions you can't put the vehicle in neutral to move or tow but after many tries it went to neutral(according to the tow driver) also after researching my vehicles failure I found this is a wide spread problem among many gm suvs and trucks! Hopefully a recall is in the future before someone gets killed!!
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the navigation screen was inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer suggested replacing the unit. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.
The Radio in my 2021 GMC Acadia had to be replaced due to an UPDATE Failure. I had to pay $221.32 for diagnostic and $1,580.18 for a new Radio. My Husband and I are the original owners of the 2021 GMC Acadia. My Dissatisfaction is why are some GMC products under recall for this issue but my 2021 GMC Acadia not part of the recall. The Hands free calling was not working, the GPS and also affected the back up Camera. all of these . a response is requested
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after a routine maintenance at the local dealer, it was noticed that the radiator was leaking coolant. Upon further inspection, the contact and his son noticed that the driver’s side of the radiator was corroded. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,175.
Car stalled at intersection and unable to restart. The car would not go into neutral to get the car out of the roadway. The fuel pump driver or fuel pump fail with 41k miles. The condition is very unsafe.
I was driving down the road and all the sudden my breaks locked up. Like I had to stand on the break with both feet for it to barely stop. After getting it to the repair shop they said my vacuum pump exploded. My problem is it’s very well taken care of car and absolutely no warning light was on. I had no warning at all just all the sudden wouldn’t stop. Now I’m 7,600 in the hole because of this and very upset my not even 5 year old car is having these problems.
On numerous occasions the key fob is not detected and locked out of vehicle. Key fob notice on panel saying it’s not detected while driving. Took it to Jim Causley GMC dealer several times and then they kept vehicle for a week unable to duplicate and sent me on my way. This is still happening with no help.
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a fractured rear cap catalyst converter cap. The contact was informed that the catalyst converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the original catalyst converter was replaced by the same dealer less than two years ago under warranty. In addition, the contact stated the front catalyst converter was replaced by the same dealer five weeks ago. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the door locks failed to lock and unlock while using the key fob or the buttons on the outside or inside the vehicle. The locks failed to operate as needed until after the vehicle was driven. The contact had to manually lock the door; however, after locking the door, the contact was unable to unlockthe vehicle. The contact had to climb through the trunk of the vehicle to enter the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure only occurred while it was raining. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure because it was not raining at the time. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in GMC Special Coverage: N22378380. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.
Vehicle gives, “Driver assist reduced Drive with care” warning randomly. Lane change will no longer work and engine light will come on. Problem is sporadic and does not stay active. Engine light will shut off after a day. Once vehicle is shut off cooling fan runs extremely loud and for a long period of time draining battery.
While driving all displays, gauges, screens shut off. Unable to determine speed or anything. Car still drives but there is zero driver feedback. System will come back on and the it will happen again. Has been going on for 2 years. Dealer unable to determine the issue.
While driving the engine cut out. I wasn't able to get the vehicle off the road and had to put in an acceleration lane until I could get a tow. Other drivers entering the roadway were accelerating and some didn't realize that my road hazard lights were on and almost hit me. The vehicle was given a diagnostic check by a service station and say that the Fuel Pump Power Control Module is not working. After checking the Internet I found a recall for this item on other GMC models but not the Acadia. There was no advance warning for the malfunction.
I have had nothing but issues with this vehicle from the day I purchased it. I should have been more leery of purchasing a vehicle with so few miles on it as a certified vehicle. First issue lift gate wouldn’t work. Had to have sensors replaced twice. Next was the purge valve sensor that has went bad 3 separate times. Then the crankcase vent sensor. Paid a fee for diagnostics, it was not repaired took it back when the engine light came back on, they replaced it without charging but I was advised it’s not covered under warranty. And most recently my check engine light came on yet again today now reading an issue with the engine cooling system. Unfortunately the dealer is so booked out, my only option is to drop it off and hope they can get it in by a cancellation or no show. Seems there are new issues ever 3-6 months with the car.
I was traveling in my 2021 gmc Acadia in which I have had numerous issues with is the almost 4 years I have owned it. The back up camera 2 weeks after purchase it went out in June of 2021. After that The vehicle In October of 2021 I get in the vehicle on rainy day. Infotainment systems reads error with the SD card that Issue progressed I called dealer finally I get service appointment after strike and my vehicle sits at Roger’s Pontiac GMC 2660 Michigan Ave Chicago IL 60616 for 10 hours now I placed thread around the crowl and by knob. Car was not touched I was told it was a internal issue and that the GM Engineers would need to replace the infotainment system They looked at it again In November of 2022 No closer to finding a problem I called Gmc Because by now My Temperature coolant sensor was working then not working car would say reduced parking assist and then if hot Air conditioning wouldn’t work I Called GMC offices filed numerous complaints. They called the service manager no one would take calls nothing would get done. So [XXX]I’m Driving down [XXX] heading east a big Truck flys off of [XXX] slams into side of my SUV Destroys every panel on passengers side of vehicle The Acadia mine with all the curtain air bags in the a pillar in ceiling on the front and back seats on top Side and bottom side not one deploys not even on the A pillar where rear passengers door is ripped off. I was knocked out if anyone was in them 2 seats like my 2 kids that are always with me [XXX] t
May 2023 we took the car to the GM dealership for a electronic recall. We reported a rattling noise at that point in time. Whatever repair was done that the car ran w/o any noise for nearly a year. April 2024 the catalytic converter failed at just 61K miles on this vehicle. The mechanic at the same dealership noted a broken mounting bracket and replaced the catalytic converter. October 24 2024 at 76K miles the car started making the same noise. The mechanic at the same dealership noted a loose mounting bracket due to an excessively vibrating catalytic converter, a crack on the cat converter, a leak and sequentially damaged front pipe. They noted they made all of those repairs. They noted they test drove the vehicle and verified the car was repaired. October 26, 2024 after those final repairs the car made a loud revving noise and emitted a smell of sulfur. The next day the car died on the road while driving. Every system of he vehicle shut down and I narrowly avoided getting hit from behind. On 11/2/24 We had the car towed to the dealership again. The mechanic noted the recent replacement on the cat converter & oil had leaked intermixing. That caused the motor to seize and the car to stop working while I was on the road driving. I can't imagine what could've happened to me had it stop on the highway at 65mph.
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, the contact became aware that the front and rear-view cameras were inoperable. The camera failure message was displayed. The contact stated that the cameras failed to function properly, and an image was not displayed. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
While driving, the vehicle shut off without warning. It was in-traffic when this occurred and subsequently blocked traffic. I tried to restart the vehicle many times. It would start and then die within a few seconds. Since the vehicle would not remain running, it was impossible to shift out of the "park" position. Since it was in "park", the vehicle could not be readily moved out of traffic. This failure is a safety hazard! The vehicle was towed from the scene. The dealer diagnosed the problem as the "Powertrain control module lost communication the the fuel pump driver module causing no fueling to engine from low pressure fuel pump U18A..." The fuel pump control module had internal communication circuit failure. GMC module 13554820 was replaced.
While driving vehicle stalled multiple times in the middle of the road, with service transmission and engine light coming on, causing unsafe conditions, causing accident and leaving passengers stranded. Battery being drained and needing to be replaced multiple times within 2 years. Vehicle stopping and shutting off on the highway causing dangerous driving conditions!! Radio and lights flickering, with radio freezing and shutting off. Electrical system not working properly and overheating!
While driving down the interstate at 70mph+, the instrument panel went black and restarted multiple times. The car continued to stay at a sustained speed, but I was unable to control anything or see how fast I was going. It appears as if the car has shut off, but it isn't. It also affects the lights. It has happened multiple times with no known cause. When I brought this up at the dealership, they said that it would be an $80 diagnostic fee and unless they can replicate the problem they can't do anything about it because it doesn't throw any error codes. There was another women in the dealership the same time as me with the exact same issue. No fix offered. Looking online and talking to others this seems like a common issue that GMC is ignoring.
Engine exhaust makes vibrating noise similar to a leaf blower under acceleration. TSB issued due to common issue and GM refuses to recall or fix. Broken baffle/weld inside of front muffler/resonator on exhaust system under front passenger compartment. Issue getting worse. $2500 at local dealership to fix, with GM offering “assistance” to fix issue in the amount of $742 leaving the consumer with balance. At what point will the rest of the defective part deteriorate and cause clogging issues and more damage?
Vehicle stalled on major interstate while giving no warning Vehicle would not start after failure Had to be towed to dealership Found to be a faulty fuel pump module Service advisor even said this is a common problem Vehicle mileage was at 33,478 This could have been a deadly accident
Vehicle stalled out and instrument panel showed no gas when the tank was over half full. I had trouble re-starting but was able to only drive a mile before stalling again. Both times occurred at a stoplight I had it towed to local dealer . They replaced the fuel pump power control module. The service personnel said that they see a large number of these and that some people had accidents due to this. I was about to enter a very busy highway at rush hour and if this happened on the highway, it would be very dangerous. I saw that there were previous recalls on GMC/Chevy vehicles similar to mine from 2021 that had recalls for this same reason but the Acadia has not been included. From what I have seen, a recall should be considered.
46,000 miles on my car. Fuel management system failed. Would not start until we unplugged battery, and let it reset. Car lost acceleration and went into neutral on highway.
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to 35 MPH. The vehicle stalled, and the "Steering Assistance Reduced" message was displayed. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer the following day, where it was diagnosed that the accelerator pedal and terminal connector were bent. The dealer retrieved DTC codes: P2138, and P2122. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 27,792.
5 September went to start my car and the car started before i put it in drive it stalled and i could not restart the car kept turning over and will not run. plug in a diagnostics machine and found fault code P023F Fuel pump control module. this was the same fault I had two years ago june 2022. replaced the unit but part number has changed "13543075 has changed to a new number of 13554820" so GMC is aware there is a problem with the old part. included an image of original repair.
Front right brake hose was entangled around the front drive shaft and tore the brake line apart causing catastrophic brake failure. Car had only 19000 miles on the odometer odometer.
Vehicle shut off on highway, was able to pull off on shoulder. Would turn but not start. Dealer states fuel pump control module fault.
The vehicle, without any warning, suddenly stopped. I was unable to restart and unable to put the vehicle in Neutral for pushing to a safer location. Had to be towed to the dealership.
Electronic dashboard failure. Entire instrument panel randomly shuts off while driving, including speedometer and all gauges. Driver then has to wait for system to reboot itself before it begins working again. This condition is completely random and may not occur for months, or may occur several times within minutes. This is a safety issue due to the driver's inability to monitor speed. It is also possible that other safety systems are being shut down while waiting for the system to reboot. GM has known about this software glitch since 2021, and it affects certain GM vehicle models from 2021-2023. (Refer to GM TSB# 21-NA-054). NHTSA should require a recall for this problem.
No matter what speed I am driving at or whether or not there is a passenger my service safety restraint system light comes on randomly and shuts off randomly. I called the dealership and they brushed it off saying it just means the airbag wont deploy if I were to get into an accident. Great thanks that makes me feel real safe! I see several people complaining about this as well and think it might be time to look into what the problem is and do a recall.
I have 43,000 miles on my car and I do not by any means drive hard or really ever go over 50 MPH and I am being told that my rear tow links are loose and need to be replaced. I have NEVER had to replace those in any vehicle I have ever owned especially a 2021 vehicle with under 50k miles on it. I have read that there is a recall on the 2022 Acadia's for this exact issue so I can only assume it is the same issue happening on the 2021's as well.
My 2021 GMC Acadia only has 25,327 miles. I purchased it new from Mossy of Picayune. The fuel pump module has been replaced 3 times. The first 2 times I was able to drive it to dealership for repairs. The last time on march 29, I was crossing a very busy highway and my vehicle just stopped without warning. It stopped as I was crossing and vehicles were coming up behind me very fast and I was almost hit. This was very scary and dangerous for me and my family and also the other vehicles on the highway . I was able to coax it into the emergency lane. I called Mossy of Picayune and was told my vehicle was no longer under warranty and they didn’t have a tow truck available. I had it towed to a local repair shop and had repaired. The cost to tow to Mossy was high (40 miles). And I paid $100.00 to have towed to local shop. The cost of repairs was $285.00. There really needs to be a recall on this dangerous situation. I have read many reviews with others having the same problem with their 2021 Acadia. I am very worried to drive my vehicle.
Vehicle engine shuts off randomly while driving, car goes into neutral, and I have to stop and try to restart it. Sometimes, the vehicle struggles to start up and requires multiple attempts before being able to drive again. The engine then misfires, the car shakes aggressively, and engine will shuts off again 1-2 more times before it will start smoothly. This is obviously a safety issue as it happens while driving and could lead to a major collision. Been to the dealership multiple times. First time, the dealership was unable to find anything wrong and could not replicate the problem. The problem continued to happen and returned to dealership where they replaced the purge valve in the fuel system. Problem started occurring again and returned to dealership. Dealership kept vehicle for a week and was unable to replicate the problem. Showed the dealership a video of the problem and they replaced the fuel pump control module. A few weeks out from the fuel pump control module replacement and the car shut off twice while driving to work.
The rear view camera was supposed to have been fixed during the safety recall in 2022, but two years later and over seven visits to dealership service repair shop, it still has not been fixed. GMC says they don't know how to fix it because they have tried everything and that because my warranty has been "out" one month - there is nothing they can do for me. My back up camera has not worked since the recall repair. What can I do? The car has been in the shop, who says they are contacting GMC Service Expert - but they are not communicating with me anymore. I have no car and no fix.
UNKNOWN-THE VECHILE WILL NOT START AND SHOWS THE FUEL IS EMPTY, BUT I JUST LOOKED PRIOR AND HAD 3/4 FULL.
FUEL PUMP CONTROL MODULE The fuel pump control module failed while sitting idle at a major highway intersection during the noon rush hour. All efforts to remove from the highway failed because the electronic shifter could not be moved to the neutral position and the electronic parking brake could not be disengaged. It was two hours before a tow truck arrived and traffic was backed up for approximately one mile. The vehicle was towed into the dealership where the problem was identified and the fuel pump control module was replaced. (Invoice attached.) I am unaware of any accidents related to this specific incident, however given that traffic was backed up as far as it was, it is certainly a possibility. The component was not inspected by anyone other than the dealership. There were no warnings, indicators, or symptoms prior to the failure. The same component (FUEL PUMP CONTROL MODULE) failed again more recently. Fortunately it occurred in a shopping mall parking lot and only caused inconvenience and delays. However, there is evidently an issues with this particular component. (Invoice included to verify part failure and replacement.)
My vehicle stops working while in traffic when the auto stop is engaged. The abs, parking brake, and dash flashes prior to the engine stopping. I have been to the dealership multiple times and they are never able to recreate the issue. The check engine light codes produced are P0014 and c0800-03.
Airbag light on dash comes on solid. Dealership had vehicle for 3 days and repair made to seat belt tensioner, days later, airbag light returns on dash. Other GM vehicles were recalled for airbag problems but maybe should include the Acadia.
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2021 GMC Acadia → · Every Acadia year → · How the figures are calculated →