CarComplaints.com Notes: Ahh, the ole' sophomore slump. The 2008 Acadia suffers from widespread transmission failure around 75,000 miles.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
81,929 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 GMC Acadia drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2008 GMC Acadia Owner Comments (Page 12 of 14)

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problem #44

Jul 022012

Acadia 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I own a GMC Acadia 2008 that started having transmission problems one year ago (July 2012), I was on a busy highway in austin, tx and had my three young daughters with me when I started noticing I couldn't accelerate very well. Next day my GMC Acadia just stopped in the middle of a road and I couldn't accelerate at all, thank god this time my daughters were not in the car with me. I had the car towed and it turned out the problem was a broken wave plate which seems to be a very common problem with GMC Acadias 2007 and 2008.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #43

Jun 232013

Acadia 10-cyl

  • 114,000 miles
On a trip from Texas to Colorado our transmission failed. Driving on Saturday - transmission was acting funny. Stopped for night - got up next day to pull out of parking lot onto highway and transmission slipped out of gear - couldn't get it back into gear - managed to steer to right hand side shoulder. Could have been disastrous if I had made it out onto highway with cross-traffic coming. Looking on edmunds.com it seems this is a very persistent issue with GM Acadias & Buick enclave GM models.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #42

Jun 192013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 100,200 miles
On June 19, 2013 I was driving my 2008 GMC Acadia from my home to work. I needed to turn right from my residential side street onto a major four lane highway. I had a red light but could turn right on red if I yielded to oncoming traffic. There was a car approaching traveling the same direction as I was turning but I knew I had sufficient time to turn and accelerate before the car reached me. As I was turning right from my side street onto the highway, I pressed the gas to accelerate and the car began to move forward but at a very, very slow pace, the engine began to rev very loudly, and the car was jerking very badly. At that point I was fully on the highway but could not accelerate my car. Luckily there were no cars in the far left lane of the highway, so the oncoming car was able to change lanes and avoid rear ending me as he was traveling approximately 55 mph and my car would not get past 5 mph. Even though there were no warning signs indicated on my dashboard, such as the check engine light, I took my car to the repair shop that day as I knew something was very wrong with it. I have been informed that the wave plate on my transmission has gone bad and I need an entirely new transmission. It is my understanding this is a very common problem with this year and make of car.

- Metamora , IL, USA

problem #41

Jun 162013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 93,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

We were driving down the road and all of the sudden the car made a loud roaring noise like someone was mashing the accelerator to the floor. The transmission seemed like it did not know what gear it was in hence going from 50 mph to 30 rapidly could have caused a serious accident. Had I been the middle of an intersection or pulling out into traffic it could have caused a life threatening accident. We contacted onstar and the codes indicated transmission problem of a broken wave plate. Code P2715 the Acadia will not back up at all. There are numerous blogs of people having the same problems with the Acadia's wave plate ranging in the year of 2007-2009. Seems like it is a really bad design and not strong enough for this type of SUV. I can not understand why GMC is not recalling or offering to pay to fix these faulty transmissions. I am about to be out $4,000 because I have no warranty left and GMC and carmax are not willing to help. I have only had this vehicle for 4 months and it only has 93,000 miles and it makes me sick because the 5 year 100,000 mile warranty was out in January. I am ashamed for GMC not wanting to make it right and that our safety is of no interest to them. GMC claims I don't have a strong enough business case because I bought from carmax and not from a certified GMC dealer. I previously owned a Chevrolet trailblazer and didn't have this many problems and it had 130,000 miles when I sold it to get this one. I don't think I will be buying any GMC product again since they apparently don't have enough faith past 5 years for a transmission or engine which is pitiful for an american owned company. Now we are not able to go on our yearly vacation thanks to GMC and their unwillingness to back their products that they know are faulty. Thank you for listening to my valid complaint and my concern for everyone's safety who owns an Acadia.

- Thomaston, GA, USA

problem #40

Jun 102013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 74,000 miles
We purchased our 2008 Acadia in 2011, it had approximately 30,000 miles on it at the time of purchase. Less than thirty days after purchase we had to replace the front rotors. At 40,000 miles we had to replace the front brakes; the air conditioner backed up, which required maintenance to the blower motor; and the head lights went out, which required replacement. At 45,000 miles the rear struts went out, which required replacement; and we had to replace two tires. At 60,000 miles the water pump went out and needed to be replaced. At 55,000 miles the front struts went out, which needed replacing, along with four new tires, and a new set of headlights. At 60,000 miles the rear brakes and rotors needed to be replaced. At 70,000 miles the transmission went out, which also required replacement. The final incident happened on 6/10/13 at 74,000 miles, while I was driving with all three of my children. I was going 50 miles an hour on a highway, and the entire car shut down. The steering console locked with the keys in the ignition, I had no ability to steer the vehicle, the brakes did not function either. I had to use the parking brake to slow the vehicle down, barely avoiding a collision with another vehicle.

- Ellsworth, KS, USA

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problem #39

May 182013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 83,000 miles
While driving on a highway, the car went into neutral and lost power. After a few seconds, it went into low gear and would not shift into a higher gear. The transmission required a re-build two years earlier at 62,000 miles and is now failing again. We were told the transmission must be re-built yet again. We cannot drive the car as the loss of power and slipping transmission is very dangerous. The transmission design, and the subsequent repair by the dealer, was faulty. As our warranty expired 4 months ago, we were a new transmission was required at $4,000.

- Eastchester, NY, USA

problem #38

Oct 302012

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While traveling down the road at highway speeds, the vehicle looses power on its own, and down shifts to first gear at times, without the ability to shift into higher gears. Also at times, you pull up to a intersection, and the vehicle will not pull off under its own power. Vehicle has 80,000 miles on it, with a 100,000 mile power train warranty. GM says the warranty went out in October of 2012. The vehicle has multiple history of GM reprogramming the transmission, and the vehicle has been serviced regular.

- Nesbit, MS, USA

problem #37

Jun 012013

Acadia

  • 67,000 miles
1. transmission going out at 67K miles and appears to be very prevalent with this make and model of vehicle. Very dangerous as the car will not go into gear at any given time and basically leaves you stuck in neutral in the middle of a busy highway. 2. service air bag light stays on after dealership claims to have fixed the problem. If in a crash, have no idea if we will be protected. Not a comfortable feeling.

- Hoover, AL, USA

problem #36

May 122013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
While driving at about 45mph, the vehicle lost power to the wheels, the engine raced and the transmission appeared to fail. The vehicle was shut off, and restarted with only 1st and 2nd gear available and was moved to safety. The problem occurred at approximately 55,000 miles. A P0776 code was pulled from the computer and the GMC dealer checked the problem and concluded that the 3,5, R wave plate in the transmission failed and will require a full rebuild. With the numerous complaints about this specific problem, I'm very disappointed in GM for their lack of customer support in what appears to be a manufacturing defect in the 6T70 transmissions, as this issue is occurring in 2007-2009 GMC Acadias, Buick enclaves, Chevrolet traverses and the Saturn vues. Do something GM!

- Beaverton, OR, USA

problem #35

May 012013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
The car transmission has failed as soon as the car turned 5 years. The car has been rarely driven. After checking with many garages I have found that the GMC Acadia 2008 model has a been known for transmission failures by design and it is not an isolated case. This is a rip off.

- Dubai, AE, USA

problem #34

May 042013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 84,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

There was a "clunk" upon acceleration from stopped, soon after vehicle would not move. Wave plate was destroyed in transmission causing a need to be rebuilt, as so many, if not all others in 2007-2009 GMC Acadias have been. Out of pocket cost to me is $3,500 because GM used a $2 part instead of an $8 part. This is an huge safety issue that is stranding people, mothers with children, in dangerous situations, all the while, GM is well aware of the problem and solution but refuses to step up and take responsibility for it. There needs to be a safety recall for this issue.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #33

Apr 172013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 56,845 miles
I was driving my 2008 GMC Acadia along with my sister and her two god children. We were at a red light and proceeded to go when the light turned green. Got up to 20mph and the SUV jerked severely. Once it jerked the SUV would not go over that mileage. We were all scared! I took them home and drove to a GM dealership. I paid $114 for a diagnostic test and was told they did not know what was wrong. They speculated that a wave plate broke or moved. They advised in order to know for sure, I would have to pay $900 plus for a deeper diagnostic! I'm under my 100K mileage and no one is honoring that. I'm a mba student and don't have that kind of cash! I've only had this SUV for 3 years. I bought it used, had only one owner before me, and it was under 20K miles. Sounds like GM's product is not reliable and they do not stand behind their product. I tried to buy an american product to put help our economy and this is the repayment for it! I'm going back to foreign cars, I will never purchase another GM built vehicle as long as I breath!

- Addison, TX, USA

problem #32

Apr 182013

Acadia

  • 112,000 miles
Transmission blew.

- Glen Allen, VA, USA

problem #31

Apr 012013

Acadia

  • 41,000 miles
My car engine starting revving while driving at normal speeds. While driving with my 3 children in the car, it came to a dead stop and couldn't go in reverse. The vehicle was towed and then diagnosed with a broken 35R clutch wave plate. Had to have the transmission rebuilt at 48K miles. The car had been driven less than 10K miles a year for 5.5 years.

- Westport, CT, USA

problem #30

Apr 012013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 81,125 miles
While driving down interstate state at 70mph I came up on slower traffic and had to slow down to 60-65mph before I could change lanes. Once changing lanes and as I went to accelerate the vehicle seemed to downshift and RPM went from 1800-2000 to 5000 and the vehicle basically stalled for about 5 seconds causing a 18 wheeler to basically all but wreck to keep from killing me and my other 5 family members in the vehicle. I pulled over at the next exit and made sure there was no kind of transmission codes or anything to show up on the dash but I still checked my fluids and everything checked to ok. I had 325 more miles to get home so I basically had to baby it to the house. It happened several more times during the trip but that was the worst. I have also experience on several occasions that the airbag in the passenger side front seat turns itself on and off for no apparent reason with the same individual sitting in it who weighs 130lbs. At first I just thought it may have been the way they were sitting but I weigh 200lbs and it did the same with me. I'm hoping to get these problems resolved by dealer tomorrow but with so many transmissions doing the same thing the gov & GMC need to take charge of this issue and get the [xxx] problem fixed before more people have issue and get killed or injured. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Columbus , MS, USA

problem #29

Jul 312012

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 21,431 miles
I have been very disappointed with my vehicle! when I was in the market for a new vehicle I new I wanted the Acadia. I have been a long time customer at my local dealership and when I arrived at the lot they had just brought in a 2008 that had one owner. I was ecstatic because it was everything I could want and not as expensive as a 2012. When I first started driving it was great I loved it! I bought the car with 8,000 or so miles on it and as time went on I started to notice that it wasn't driving like it did the first day I bought it. I drive to and from work 5 days week roughly 35 miles a day. I was in town at the bank and as I started to pull out into the lane my RPM's went sky high and wouldn't come back down and I could not accelerate. I was so scared I pulled over in the next available spot and turned off the car. I waited for 5 minutes, turned it back on and proceeded to pull into traffic. Ever since that day my car has been in the shop twice for transmission issues. I currently have 29,000 miles on the car and it drives like crap! I have it aligned, tires rotated, and I cannot get a smooth ride. The steering wheel shimmies over 50 mph, shimmies when I hit the breaks, my heater doesn't seem to work well unless it is on 85 way too hot. I now have to take the car back into the shop yet again for the same thing transmission failure, alignment off, and who knows what else. I read a lot reviews on this model and seems as though we have all experienced the same issues. I have been a long time Pontiac/GMC buyer and I am very disappointed in GM for not taking this transmission thing serious. How many more complaints do you need to receive before something is done" fatal accident" in which case I hope it isn't me but also nobody else. Please fix this issue it has been a thorn for some time and it's about time that GM do something about it!

- Rolling Prairie, IN, USA

problem #28

Jan 252010

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 82,000 miles
Vehicle leaks water when it rains onto driver and front passenger. Water leaks into airbags and visors. After rains, vehicle will not turn off, even with key removed. Vehicle rolls significantly while in park or when in gear. Transmission skips and slips.

- Belton, TX, USA

problem #27

Mar 102013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 81,110 miles
I purchased a 2008 GMC Acadia one year ago. It seemed like we had made a god sent deal and now we are finding out that the transmission is going out. Our family doesn't have a whole lot of money to just throw away and we put down $5000 and now we are looking down the barrel of a transmission. Not fair considering the dealership apparently knew it was about to go out. I was driving with 3 other teens in my car and all of a sudden it wouldn't go faster than 25 mph.

- Eunice, LA, USA

problem #26

Mar 042013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
My wife was driving the vehicle and approached a stop sign. Once she tried going again the car would not accelerate and we had to tow it to the dealer. They said the transmission went out @ 68,000 miles? also the waterpump, powersteering pump. Master cylinder, as well as something with an air bag connector. The air bag connector has been going on and off for the last two years since we bought it two years ago as a GM certified pre-owned vehicle. I am not sure how this vehicle has not been recalled.

- New Braunfels, TX, USA

problem #25

Mar 082013

Acadia

  • 76,462 miles
I was driving down the highway on Friday afternoon at 65 mph when I tried to accelerate to pass a vehicle, and the engine just revved nearly to the redline. I was able to reach the exit, where I pulled over, put the car in park, then back into drive to start off again. At this point, the car would not shift out of 1st gear. I was able to make it to a midas shop for a check and they stated that the transmission was shot. Called the local GMC dealer and had the car towed there for a diagnostic. They called Saturday afternoon and confirmed that the transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of $3700. The car is 24K miles under warranty mileage, but just happens to be 5 months outside of the 5 year warranty window. I then called GMC customer care for redress and was told they would investigate. Received a call today ad they left a message, but only to ask which dealership it was at, even though I provided that info on Saturday, to include the phone number to the service department. The transmission problem seems to very widespread based on the number of responses on various websites, but doesn't seem that it is being seriously addressed by GM management and is a very serious safety concern.

- Eagle River, AK, USA

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