Vehicle Data Hub

2021 GMC Acadia problems

NHTSA has received 227 complaints about the 2021 GMC Acadia, and 17% of them involve electrical system. Next are engine (14%) and fuel system (13%).

At a glance

Complaints
227 filed with NHTSA
Most reported
Electrical system 17% of complaints
Crashes and fires
17 and 0
Injuries and deaths
9 and 0
Typical mileage
28,000 miles 35 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

Complaints by mileage, 2021 GMC Acadia Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 28,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 13 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 12 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 4 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 5 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 0 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 1 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 0 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 28,000 miles
Based on 35 complaints that include mileage. 83% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles13
20k to 40k miles12
40k to 60k miles4
60k to 80k miles5
80k to 100k miles0
100k to 120k miles1
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles0
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 35 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 28,000 miles.

Safety-related details: 17 complaints mention a crash; 9 injuries reported.

Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 9th most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the GMC Acadia with enough data (227 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 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.

The vehicle was traveling at a very low speed in a parking lot and impacted a light pole. All front airbags deployed and the drivers steering wheel airbag deployed severely breaking the drivers arm, causing shoulder injuries, and neck injuries. The occupant would have been completely fine had the airbags not deployed.

August 2022 CrashInjury

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, traffic stopped abruptly, and the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard; however, the vehicle continued to accelerate while the Forward Collision Avoidance warning feature activated with a red warning light on the instrument panel. The contact attempted to steer off the road to avoid a collision; however, the vehicle crashed into the vehicle ahead, resulting in a three-vehicle collision.

Reported at 64,000 miles, October 2026 CrashInjury

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while his wife was reversing the vehicle, the accelerator pedal was stuck to the floorboard and the vehicle crashed into the garage wall. No medical attention was received. No police report was filed. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to tow the vehicle to their location to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was awaiting a tow truck and had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.

Reported at 2,500 miles, August 2021 Crash

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the fuel pump control module. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance.

Reported at 36,970 miles, November 2025

Other model years of the Acadia

Best and worst years for the GMC Acadia