2008 GMC Acadia problems
NHTSA has received 1,297 complaints about the 2008 GMC Acadia, and 21% of them involve drivetrain & axles. Next are electrical system (12%) and air bags (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,297 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 41 and 19
- Injuries and deaths
- 72 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 83,000 miles 1,049 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 85 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 54 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 125 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 215 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 217 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 130 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 93 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 64 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 45 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 13 |
| 200k+ miles | 8 |
What the data shows
Of the 1,049 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 83,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 78,000 miles (245 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 41 complaints mention a crash; 19 complaints mention a fire; 72 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the GMC Acadia with enough data (558 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Driving car on freeway and it caught on fire, no previous issues that would cause the fire. Front of car and engine compartment caught on fire....updated 01/25/16
I took my 2008 GMC acadia to the GM dealership to find out why my power steering is stiff when I turn left or right. It just started to happen 2 weeks ago. I have approximately 44,000 miles on it and bought it brand new. The warranty is now up and the dealer said it needs the steering rack replaced for $800. This car is fairly new and I can't believe I already need to pay for this to be fixed. I found that many GMC acadia owners have had similar problems, but no recall has been set by GM.
Tl*the contact owns a a 2008 GMC acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the service air bag warning light illuminated and was also displayed across the message board. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the air bag sensor underneath the front passenger seat needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.