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2021 GMC Acadia

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 GMC Acadia do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 256.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 27 of 149 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

7 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports

Engine complaints

29 reports
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Mileage unknown · Dec 11, 2024
Electrical SystemEnginePower TrainCrash

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 highwa…

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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!

NHTSA ODI #11630080

Mileage unknown · Dec 1, 2024
Engine

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 “…

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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?

NHTSA ODI #11628120

Mileage unknown · Nov 9, 2024
Engine

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 …

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11624343

Mileage unknown · Jul 24, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

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.

NHTSA ODI #11604229

Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2023
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemSteering

The car stopped working all of a sudden, I was driving the car with no issues that morning and parked & shut off car to go to my appt. I turned the car back on and worked fine as I was putting in my address on the GPS my car just stopped and shut off by itself. I pushed the start button and it sounded like it wanted to start but…

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The car stopped working all of a sudden, I was driving the car with no issues that morning and parked & shut off car to go to my appt. I turned the car back on and worked fine as I was putting in my address on the GPS my car just stopped and shut off by itself. I pushed the start button and it sounded like it wanted to start but it wouldn't and the whole engine shooked. Called GM and car still under warranty had it towed to the nearest GM. They diagnosed it and said it was the fuel injector module that went bad. It's 2021 with only 23800 miles. After a week, just got it back for a day and now the cooling fan has a loud noise, check engine light on, coolant stays on C even after driving it more than 10 mins, ac blows hot air, I get an alert with steering assist is reduced and to drive with care.....seems like something is wrong with the thermostat.

NHTSA ODI #11550751

Mileage unknown · May 17, 2023
Engine

I have a really loud buzz & rattle noise. I can feel vibration on the passenger floor board real bad. The loud noise usually around 2,000-2,500 rpms. I have 39,000 miles on my car. It has always made a noise at take off but we thought it was normal untill now it's extremely worst. I took it into the dealship they diagnosed as so…

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I have a really loud buzz & rattle noise. I can feel vibration on the passenger floor board real bad. The loud noise usually around 2,000-2,500 rpms. I have 39,000 miles on my car. It has always made a noise at take off but we thought it was normal untill now it's extremely worst. I took it into the dealship they diagnosed as something broken inside the muffler / resonator / weld inside muffler. So I did my research on the internet and I see alot of people complaining about this same issue on there cars. There was even a BULLETIN NUMBER (PIT5863) Pulished on 11/2/2021 the correction review # (21-na-118) all my issues are identical to bulletin. My year,make,model and issues with my car.

NHTSA ODI #11522455

Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2022
Engine

car had only 5000 MILES . We live in denver took it to mountains for first time. we are both in our late 70 s . going down mouintains vail pass car engine EXPLODED CAR WENT INTO COMPLETE stop at highway speed. LUCKY WE DID NOT DIE as car went off to berm on i 70 west. milemarker 180 OR SO. GMC roadside called after…

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car had only 5000 MILES . We live in denver took it to mountains for first time. we are both in our late 70 s . going down mouintains vail pass car engine EXPLODED CAR WENT INTO COMPLETE stop at highway speed. LUCKY WE DID NOT DIE as car went off to berm on i 70 west. milemarker 180 OR SO. GMC roadside called after 18 hours finally consented to tow car back to denver. we called 911 FOR FEAR OF OUR LIFE with trucks wheezing by. " GMC national" would not buy back car. my wife and I explained to gmc we were in a panic when this happened. DEALER AUTO NATION FOUND THAT pistons were blown up as well as engine. THEY OFFERED to give us new ?REBUILT engine .. we refused as we are very frightened to be in this car. DEALERSHIP FINALLY offered to buy car which we consented . GMC refuses to pay any of our trip interruptions expenses case no SR9-8150020854 april 1-866 790 5600 ext 5913625 PISTONS CONFRIMED BY AUTO NATION WEST GOLDEN CO TO BE DEFECTIVE AND SPONATEOUSLY BROKEN PISTONS THERE WAS DEFECT IN PRODUCTION OF PISTONS NO SAFETY WARNING THAT CAR ENGINE EXPLODED CAR JUST COMPLETELY STOPPED SUDDENLY

NHTSA ODI #11482254

Mileage unknown · May 9, 2022
Back Over PreventionElectrical SystemEngineCrash

I got into an accident because my back up crap camera did not warn me that a car had turned behind me. Also when and backing up and a car is coming it doesn’t indicate the car is coming until it’s behind me. I’ve taken it to the dealer and they say there’s nothing wrong with it. Also there is no break when you come too close to …

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I got into an accident because my back up crap camera did not warn me that a car had turned behind me. Also when and backing up and a car is coming it doesn’t indicate the car is coming until it’s behind me. I’ve taken it to the dealer and they say there’s nothing wrong with it. Also there is no break when you come too close to something in front of you.

NHTSA ODI #11463901

249 miles · Nov 4, 2021
EnginePower Train

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while stopped at a stop light and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved up with the RPM’s increasing up to 15,000. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked and vibrated as the transmission did a hard shift. The vehicle was taken …

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The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while stopped at a stop light and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved up with the RPM’s increasing up to 15,000. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked and vibrated as the transmission did a hard shift. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who took the vehicle on a 24-minute test drive and no failure was found. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times and no failure was able to be determined. The failure occurred several times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 249.

NHTSA ODI #11439390

Official recalls

2

22V709000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Sep 22, 2022

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Cadillac XT5, XT6, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with the optional Surround Vision feature. The rearview camera coaxial cable connectors may have been crimped improperly, causing the rearview camera to fail or function intermittently.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inoperative rearview camera can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the coaxial cables, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 18, 2023. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N222378380.

21V422000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Jun 3, 2021

General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac XT5, XT6, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The fuel supply lines may be improperly attached and seated.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Improperly attached and seated fuel supply lines may loosen or separate, causing a fuel leak and increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace fuel supply lines as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212335590.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE22006 · Rear-View Camera Failure

Opened Jul 22, 2022 · Closed Nov 21, 2022

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

On July 22, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE22-006) to assess alleged failures of the rear-view camera (RVC) in Model Year (MY) 2020-2021 Cadillac XT5, XT6, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The complaints report that the screen for the RVC is black, sometimes with a red triangle and a circle with a line through it. To date, ODI has received a total of 18 complaints and several EWR Field Reports with allegations of the RVC image failing to display when the vehicle is in reverse. The reports have been received over the past 28 months with most occurring with low vehicle mileage.During the investigation, ODI learned incorrect crimping specifications were utilized in the production of the coaxial cable connector. Improper crimping leads to loss of connection between the RVC and dashboard screen that results in failure of the RVC image to display. Failure or malfunction of the RVC image to display results in reduced visibility of the area behind the vehicle. This limited view may lead to an increased risk of incidents resulting in injury and/or property damage while the vehicle is in reverse.The improperly crimped connectors were only present on subject vehicles equipped with the optional RVC surround vision feature (UV2). Vehicles not equipped with the optional RVC surround vision feature were not affected by this failure. On September 28, 2022, General Motors (GM) filed a defect information report (NHTSA number 22V-709) recalling certain MY2020-2021 Cadillac XT5, XT6, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with the optional RVC surround vision feature (UV2). GM will replace the coaxial cables with properly crimped connectors.In view of the recall action being taken by GM, ODI is closing this preliminary evaluation. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov. The ODI identification numbers for the complaints cited above can be found below: 11343838, 11390254, 11406709, 11415261, 11415501, 11425365, 11429267, 11431846, 11446363, 11463278, 11463901, 11471702, 11475437, 11476809, 11477176, 11481806, 11484360, and 11484360.