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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

What owners actually said

149 reports
Mileage unknown · Feb 18, 2026
Engine

Car was taken in for an oil change at 62k Miles. Dealer advised that it needed a radiator replaced. At 64k miles it was brought into the dealer for warranty work due to a failing thermostat. While being diagnosed, we were told not only the radiator needed to be replaced, but the oil cooler also needed to be replaced. So a 5 yea…

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Car was taken in for an oil change at 62k Miles. Dealer advised that it needed a radiator replaced. At 64k miles it was brought into the dealer for warranty work due to a failing thermostat. While being diagnosed, we were told not only the radiator needed to be replaced, but the oil cooler also needed to be replaced. So a 5 year old car with just over 60k Miles had the thermostat/sensor fail and need to be replaced. A radiator fail and need to be replaced and and an oil cooler fail and need to be replaced. Vehicle has been at a GM dealer for all maintenance. No crashes or reasons these parts should fail. Vehicle has never towed anything to but any sort of strain on the cooling system.

NHTSA ODI #11718832

Mileage unknown · Feb 10, 2026
Power Train

Had vehicles looked at twice and serviced once for the transmission slipping. No issues were found when looked at and light was deleted. Took to another mechanic who drained and refilled transmission. Transmission still slips after service. This happens at acceleration and continues til 3rd gears where it jerks in between gears.…

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Had vehicles looked at twice and serviced once for the transmission slipping. No issues were found when looked at and light was deleted. Took to another mechanic who drained and refilled transmission. Transmission still slips after service. This happens at acceleration and continues til 3rd gears where it jerks in between gears. Stops while driving continuously, the starts up again if stopped for any reason.

NHTSA ODI #11717130

37,000 miles · Feb 9, 2026
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and DTC: P04FB; was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with moisture of the crank case. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a qu…

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The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and DTC: P04FB; was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with moisture of the crank case. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a quick fix and was covered under the warranty. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times and was covered under warranty. The contact was informed that there was no fix for the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.

NHTSA ODI #11716760

58,000 miles · Feb 4, 2026
Electrical System

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was approximately 29,000. The contact attempted to trade in the vehicle, and the purchasing dealer checked the VIN and retrieved a Carfax Re…

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Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was approximately 29,000. The contact attempted to trade in the vehicle, and the purchasing dealer checked the VIN and retrieved a Carfax Report. The Carfax Report indicated that the mileage on the Title on 11/04/2024 was 58,000; however, on 02/04/2025, the mileage was 28,000, and the vehicle had been in an accident in the past.

NHTSA ODI #11715591

Mileage unknown · Jan 21, 2026
Engine

Been happening for a year and a half. Muffler is very loud and rattles constantly. Getting worse over time. There is a current recall but my vin isn’t included even though my car is having the same issue.

NHTSA ODI #11712579

78,200 miles · Jan 21, 2026
Fuel System, Gasoline

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle started, and the contact exited the vehicle and ran into the house for a while. The contact stated that while reentering the vehicle, the contact noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was emplo…

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The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle started, and the contact exited the vehicle and ran into the house for a while. The contact stated that while reentering the vehicle, the contact noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was employed by an independent mechanic, and the vehicle was driven to the place of employment. The independent mechanic attached the mobile diagnostic tester to the vehicle and retrieved DTC: P023F, which indicated fuel pump secondary circuit failure. The contact was advised that the fuel pump module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V422000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not associated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,200.

NHTSA ODI #11712434

Mileage unknown · Jan 9, 2026
Electrical SystemVehicle Speed Control

The electronic dashboard goes black while driving. I was driving to work on the highway at highway speeds and the entire electronic dashboard went black including the hud display and the radio screen. The radio screen turned back on and auto reconnected to my phone and android auto. I was able to safely get to an exit and park, …

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The electronic dashboard goes black while driving. I was driving to work on the highway at highway speeds and the entire electronic dashboard went black including the hud display and the radio screen. The radio screen turned back on and auto reconnected to my phone and android auto. I was able to safely get to an exit and park, turn off the car and restart and the dash did come back on to then go black about 5 minutes later this time the hud stayed on and I was able to get to work where the car sat off for 8 hrs , when leaving work the dash stayed on. The radio screen would turn off randomly and unable to connect to a programmed cell phone via Bluetooth or data cable. I brought the vehicle in for a service and this issue plus the concern of the transmission shuddering. The dealership found the problem and both the dashboard and radio needed service updates and both were charged to fix. A service update should not be charged for the dash as you have no speedometer when it goes out. There was no warning or alert that the dash or radio needed an update.

NHTSA ODI #11709819

Mileage unknown · Jan 8, 2026
Lane DeparturePower Train

Cars is not keeping track of temperature showing engine is cold after 30 minutes of driving, fan runs for extended periods of time after shutting off, check engine light comes on, steering assist alert comes in screen. All of this happens in a cycle. To stop it the battery has to be unplugged and reconnected resetting the car an…

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Cars is not keeping track of temperature showing engine is cold after 30 minutes of driving, fan runs for extended periods of time after shutting off, check engine light comes on, steering assist alert comes in screen. All of this happens in a cycle. To stop it the battery has to be unplugged and reconnected resetting the car and everything goes back to being fine for a short period of time.

NHTSA ODI #11709573

Mileage unknown · Jan 4, 2026
Unknown Or Other

My car suddenly out of the blue started overheating. By the time I could get stopped safely and turn the car off the engine fan kept running to try to cool it down. I’ve never had any issues with my car. It only has 47,000 miles on it. I now have to have it towed to a mechanic shop to get diagnosed, but I’m hearing that it’s pro…

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My car suddenly out of the blue started overheating. By the time I could get stopped safely and turn the car off the engine fan kept running to try to cool it down. I’ve never had any issues with my car. It only has 47,000 miles on it. I now have to have it towed to a mechanic shop to get diagnosed, but I’m hearing that it’s probably a thermostat and that the GMC Acadia’s are famous for that being a problem. I’m not sure why GMC would not do a recall on this part! this is an extremely expensive fix.

NHTSA ODI #11708654

Mileage unknown · Nov 25, 2025
Electrical System

The infotainment center/and On Star alert systems ( crash detections / SOS ) No access to anything in the infotainments center along with most of the safety setting not alerting due to and over the air update failure. yes is available for inspection upon request. all On star safety features are not working if a crash were to …

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The infotainment center/and On Star alert systems ( crash detections / SOS ) No access to anything in the infotainments center along with most of the safety setting not alerting due to and over the air update failure. yes is available for inspection upon request. all On star safety features are not working if a crash were to happen i would not be able to get help if i was injured. Yes and it is ongoing. BY a GMC certified dealer. No.

NHTSA ODI #11701600

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.