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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.

About this comparison →

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

Unknown Or Other complaints

20 reports
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Mileage unknown · Mar 11, 2025
Air BagsElectrical SystemUnknown Or OtherCrashInjury

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 pro…

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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] they could have been killed no safety bags deployed? I basically begged for auto to be repaired of electrical issues when only 2000 miles on it with 900 miles on it GMC I called every week for almost 2 years no help now this! I was injured have not much memory of accident. This auto needs be taken off road I deserve like I asked for when new same car just without issues I could have been killed but no one cared. Now look no air bag INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11647636

Mileage unknown · Feb 26, 2024
Unknown Or Other

The exhaust resonator failed only a few hundred miles after warranty (60,300) and not covered by dealer under warranty. It creates a noise and reduces power/performance, which could inherently create a safety concern. The vehicle was inspected by an independent service center. The following code for the rattle noise is PIT5863.

NHTSA ODI #11574020

Mileage unknown · Feb 5, 2024
Unknown Or Other

The fabric on my headliner/ceiling is coming unglued or the clips are not holding it. It is a danger to my driving the car as it is continually loosening; which could potentially fall while I am driving the car. It is making an irritating squeaking noise which distracts my concentration from driving carefully. I took the car to …

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The fabric on my headliner/ceiling is coming unglued or the clips are not holding it. It is a danger to my driving the car as it is continually loosening; which could potentially fall while I am driving the car. It is making an irritating squeaking noise which distracts my concentration from driving carefully. I took the car to Walker GMC in Alexandria, Louisiana. The mechanic and the service advisor both told me GMC has issued an instruction form on how to fix this problem as GMC has had complaints with this happening to the Acadias. I contacted GMC customer service. They will not let me know if they will cover the cost of the repair until I get an estimate. Walker is wanting to charge approximately $188 for the estimate. Since this is a safety issue, I am reporting this problem to your agency so that others may be protected and GMC will take care of this problem.

NHTSA ODI #11570147

Mileage unknown · Jul 16, 2023
StructureUnknown Or OtherInjury

I opened my power lift gate to load groceries in the trunk. It opened without issue. As I loaded the groceries the lift gate came crashing down on my head. This happened in the festival foods parking lot around 5:05 pm today (7/16/23). Once I moved out from under it I saw the left arm was popped off. I popped it back in , there …

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I opened my power lift gate to load groceries in the trunk. It opened without issue. As I loaded the groceries the lift gate came crashing down on my head. This happened in the festival foods parking lot around 5:05 pm today (7/16/23). Once I moved out from under it I saw the left arm was popped off. I popped it back in , there is a metal piece that was messed up. It came/ happened out of nowhere. I’ve never had an issue with it.

NHTSA ODI #11532590

Mileage unknown · Feb 25, 2023
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

Vehicle has previously been brought in to GMC dealership at least 2-3 times for the dash turning on and off while driving. Started happening around 5,000 miles here and there. First took it in just over 7,000 miles as it was happening more and more frequently. It was last in for the issue on 2/6/23. The dash turned completely of…

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Vehicle has previously been brought in to GMC dealership at least 2-3 times for the dash turning on and off while driving. Started happening around 5,000 miles here and there. First took it in just over 7,000 miles as it was happening more and more frequently. It was last in for the issue on 2/6/23. The dash turned completely off WHILE driving going approx 45-50 mph, is not turning back on, unable to see speed while driving.

NHTSA ODI #11509088

Mileage unknown · Feb 5, 2023
Unknown Or Other

GM recall N222378380 Vehicle was taken to dealer for the recall for "Surround Vision". Dealer performed the recall yet the backup camera continues to work intermittently. Not having a reliable back up camera is a serious safety concern.

NHTSA ODI #11505626

Mileage unknown · Feb 2, 2022
Fuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

Brand new vehicle purchased from dealer, at 8900 miles transmission slipped. Dealer has for 2 hours and couldn’t find problem, but replaced transmission fluid it was dark. At 9000 it happened again, they have vehicle and said the new transmission fluid is dark and muddy. Only 100 miles, so they determined they need to take apart…

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Brand new vehicle purchased from dealer, at 8900 miles transmission slipped. Dealer has for 2 hours and couldn’t find problem, but replaced transmission fluid it was dark. At 9000 it happened again, they have vehicle and said the new transmission fluid is dark and muddy. Only 100 miles, so they determined they need to take apart transmission and see what happened. It’s a 52k car, it should not be repairs, it should be replaced under warranty. Video of 8900 from dealership https://video.37483.net/timeline/2CJTHEW6

NHTSA ODI #11450038

Mileage unknown · Nov 2, 2021
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

On at least 3 occasions, my vehicle’s locks have malfunctioned and I’ve been locked out of my car with one incident being locked out in the rain. Upon approaching my vehicle and using the unlock button on the outside of my door, I was unable to access my vehicle. Then trying my key fob and app to unlock, with all attempts unsucc…

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On at least 3 occasions, my vehicle’s locks have malfunctioned and I’ve been locked out of my car with one incident being locked out in the rain. Upon approaching my vehicle and using the unlock button on the outside of my door, I was unable to access my vehicle. Then trying my key fob and app to unlock, with all attempts unsuccessful. The back hatch of the vehicle would open, so my daughter had to crawl through to manually open the door. Once the vehicle was started, once put in drive, the vehicle would not lock. As stated, I can confirm three dates this has happened and that I’ve contacted my local dealer. I am pretty sure it’s happened one other time but I can not remember the date. The dealer would only look at it once and could not find anything wrong because the problem did not happen in the short time my vehicle was there. I do have video of at least one instance that I can provide.

NHTSA ODI #11439134

Mileage unknown · Jul 31, 2021
Unknown Or Other

As I was driving down Interstate 65 in south Alabama on a drizzling rainy day, the sunroof made a very loud popping noise and then exploded, with shattered glass falling into my SUV. Luckily, I was able to keep my vehicle on the road without swerving and losing control. I closed the sunshade on the sunroof to keep the glass fr…

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As I was driving down Interstate 65 in south Alabama on a drizzling rainy day, the sunroof made a very loud popping noise and then exploded, with shattered glass falling into my SUV. Luckily, I was able to keep my vehicle on the road without swerving and losing control. I closed the sunshade on the sunroof to keep the glass from continuing to fall in and drove home. There was no warning lights nor any indication that something was wrong with the sunroof. When I got home, I called the nearest GMC dealership in Pensacola, Florida to report the issue (850.637.8973). Jonathan Sparks handled the claim. He sent out team members to pick up the vehicle from my home. They first removed as much of the glass as they could to keep it from flying off and possibly hitting another vehicle behind them. They drove it to Pensacola, replaced the entire sunroof, and then brought it back to me. Documentation and pictures are attached.

NHTSA ODI #11427297

Mileage unknown · Dec 12, 2020
Electrical SystemSteeringUnknown Or Other

CAR STEERS TO LEFT,VOLUME DOES NOT WORK AFTER A CONNECTED CALL WHILE DRIVING,SCREEN BLACKS OUT AND NOISE COMING OUT OF LEFT DRIVER DOOR PANEL WHILE CAR IS OFF,ALSO MESSAGE THAT SD CARD WAS REMOVED NO APPS WORKING

NHTSA ODI #11383159

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.