Transmission feels like it’s slipping, almost like a jerky shift from any stop, seems like a common issue and should be recalled!
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 →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Acadia years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
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.
What owners actually said
149 reportsI was driving home and about 10 minutes into my drive I got a notification about my steering assistance being disabled. When I arrived home about 10 minutes or so later and went to shut my car off I noticed that a very loud fan sound from the hood of my vehicle began roaring. I restarted my car and it went away. I looked at my t…
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I was driving home and about 10 minutes into my drive I got a notification about my steering assistance being disabled. When I arrived home about 10 minutes or so later and went to shut my car off I noticed that a very loud fan sound from the hood of my vehicle began roaring. I restarted my car and it went away. I looked at my temperature gauge and it was all the way on C. I tried shutting my car off again and the loud electrical fan sound picked right back up again. I stayed in my vehicle while it was turned off waiting to see if it would stop while trying to call for answers. I couldn’t risk having a dead battery for work tomorrow morning. After what was about 6-7 minutes the electrical fan finally shut off. Turns out my aunt JUST had this exact same issue with her 2021 GMC Acadia as well. According to Reddit MANY people are having this issue yet there is still no recall for this problem. My car is only at 85K miles, has always been dealership maintained and has never had any issues like this until now. If this is a wide spread make and model issue a recall should have been issued.
Recently took vehicle for alignment for a pull to the right. After 3 alignments at the dealership I was told the rack and pinion gear sensor shorted out causing the vehicle to pull to the right. Also the exhaust has a rattle in the resonator confirmed by 2 sources. I asked the dealer to fix years ago under bumper to bumper a…
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Recently took vehicle for alignment for a pull to the right. After 3 alignments at the dealership I was told the rack and pinion gear sensor shorted out causing the vehicle to pull to the right. Also the exhaust has a rattle in the resonator confirmed by 2 sources. I asked the dealer to fix years ago under bumper to bumper and tsb PIT5863. I was told not enough techs and not enough time so now the warranty is expired and the issue isn't fixed.
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 diagn…
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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.
*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 int…
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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. …
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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!!!!!
Official recalls
222V709000 · 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
1PE22006 · 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.
Illustration