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 8 of 14)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #124

Mar 152013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 54,000 miles

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

Transmission started slipping. I would pull out onto a street and it would slip and I almost got his by a car. I took it in repeatedly to dealer and they couldn't duplicate and after repeatedly taking it back and them keeping it for a month they finally replaced the transmission. Repeated steering issues. I took it in constantly and was told nothing wrong but after looking at it myself I found melted bushing and after being told all that had been replaced already. Steering problems from day 1. 4 times of having power steering replaced and steering column and every time I got the vehicle back the vibration was worse, today I found the problem on my own. The rack and pinion has a major leak. Not sure how repeated trips to the dealership and they couldn't see this. My steering also locks up while driving almost hit a car..and the dealership never has loaners so im stuck driving an unsafe vehicle while I wait because I was told I can only go where I bought my vehicle because of the extended warranty. This vehicle goes in to the shop and as soon as it is picked up it needs to go right back the same day. Worst vehicle and most unsafe of anything I've ever owned.

- La Porte, TX, USA

problem #123

Dec 142013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 86,731 miles
Transmission failure while traveling on interstate. Only to find out this is only one of multiple Acadias with this few miles to have this happen and leave us stranded miles from home. And unfortunately we are now finding out that a lot of people have had this happen but noone bothered to tell us about it or warn us that this might be a problem. And of course our warranty has expired because we have owned it 5 years and have taken very good care of our vehicle having the oil changed every 3000 miles and tires rotated and balanced routinely and you could look at it and it looks brand new.. but now we are out $4000 + which should not be happening with this vehicle.. we are very disappointed and angry that we could have been in a very dangerous situation had my husband not been the one driving that day.

- Leitchfield, KY, USA

problem #122

Nov 142013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 91,968 miles
Transmission wave plate failure a few months out of warranty now I am stuck with repairing it when it is a known part defect.

- Gilbert, MN, USA

problem #121

Nov 202013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 74,000 miles

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

I was merging onto highway when the RPM's on my vehicle went to 5 (or above) and the vehicle lurched into gear. After that happened, the vehicle would not go above 45mphs. Every time the vehicle would need to change gears after this the rpms would climb before changing gears. The vehicle was taken to the dealership and I was advised it was the transmission.

- Levittown, PA, USA

problem #120

Jul 012010

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
On the freeway, power went out. Car was towed. Transmission was out and was replaced.

- Hayward, CA, USA

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problem #119

Nov 122013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 45,744 miles
Transmission went while driving. GMC aware of transmission problems with this truck. Will not fix problem because my 5year 100,000 mile warranty expired in August. Dealer where truck was brought will not help nor GMC is helping. This is not right. This is usa, I want justice!!!! can't afford to get this fixed. Truck needed to take my son to school and for work, church. My whole life has been disrupted. They use tax dollars to bail out auto makers. But the auto makers (GMC) will not honor the customer.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #118

Oct 252012

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 82,616 miles

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

Purchased 2008 Acadia in March 2012. Eight (8) months after purchase while driving with infant son in vehicle, without any warning or lights the car lost all power. Luckily, a serious accident didn't occur. The transmission had completely failed. The cause was a broken 3-5 waveplate, the transmission had heat damage, and material throughout. Our local GMC dealer service department removed, torn down, and overhauled the transmission. This service was covered under a 5 year 100,000mi warranty. It has been 1 year and the transmission is slow to change gears and shaking rumbling at 20mph and 40mph. I called my local dealer they were unable to set up an appointment for 4 days, the car is now at the dealership. I was told it needs $4,900 of work. The cause of the shake and rumble during acceleration is the failure of the torque converter ($2,000). The torque converter was replaced with a remanufactured torque converter, when the transmission was rebuilt 13 months ago. When I asked GM to replace the torque converter, I was told I was lucky it lasted more than 12,000mi. Very disappointed with GM. The transmissions are defective and the are aware of this issue, they put a band aid on the car until it passed 100,000mi, and no longer covered by warranty and now the consumers problem. I do not consider myself lucky that my car spent 7 days in the shop last November and now has been in the shop 4 days with no end in sight, for the same issue.

- Plymouth, MA, USA

problem #117

Nov 202013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 68,270 miles
The transmission in our 2008 Acadia has begun slipping and first gear shifts engage with a very noticeable clunk (thump); there is also a delay when the car is shifted into drive (~3 to 5 seconds); GM needs to perform.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #116

Jun 032013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 51,000 miles
The transmission would not shift into third gear. Took to dealer. They were aware of the problem and "offered to help" by discounting the price of rebuilding the transmission. The transmission is still not right. Shifting is poor and clunky.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #115

Nov 232013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
Started car and it would not go into gear. No issues with the transmission prior to this. Mechanic says the transmission needs to be replaced. Contacted GM and was told my warranty expired a couple of months ago and there was nothing they would do. Now I see that this is a common occurrence for the Acadia.

- East Rockaway, NY, USA

problem #114

Nov 292013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 77,000 miles

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

Driving on interstate at 75 mph. Car suddenly lost power and slowed immediately. Had to cross lane in heavy traffic to get to side of road. Luckily did not get hit. Had wife and dog along. Stuck on side of road in cold weather for over an hour. Sudden loss of power on busy interstate was very dangerous. In reading forums on internet, this appears to be common problem. GMC needs to take responsibility for this common defect.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA

problem #113

Nov 232013

Acadia

  • 107,683 miles
Complete transmission failure. Fluid was checked and full after feeling the transmission slip moments before. Turned to go back home and the vehicle lost power. Thankfully we were not yet on the interstate and coasted off the road. Vehicle was towed to dealership where it was confirmed that the transmission was ruined and total replacement was required at a cost of $4200. After reading about the many issues with this vehicle and speaking to a mechanic who said they were always fixing major issues with this model/year we opted to trade instead. Didn't want to invest that amount of money and always be waiting for the next issue to arise.

- Toledo, IL, USA

problem #112

Nov 122013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 88,500 miles
While driving our GMC Acadia we had lost our transmission with no warning. We were 300 miles from home and had to have the vehicle towed back to our home so we could figure out what had happened. Upon doing research we had learned that the wave plate inside the transmission had broke and destroyed the transmission with know warning sign. Fortunately enough I had just exited the freeway to pull into a shopping center for rest. The potential for this problem to happen while on the freeway would have had a much worse outcome and had the potential to be very dangerous to me and my family. I have learned through research that GM is aware of the problem and has refused to recall the vehicle to repair this issue. This is negligence on GM's part as they were advised by their own engineers to use a $30 wave plate, but do to cost effectiveness and negligence decided to select the $1.50 part that breaks down over time costing their consumers thousands of dollars in repair. To repair the wave plate is not costly, but when it breaks it destroys the transmission and it needs to be completely replaced at a cost between $4000 - $6000. This is completely uncalled for and GM needs to own up to their deficiencies. I have contact GM and advised them of my displeasure with their product and choice of parts. I was told that they are aware of the issue, but will not do anything to help their consumers.

- Hannibal, NY, USA

problem #111

Nov 092013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 67,500 miles
Vehicle RPM's would start going up and down. Then there would be hesitation when you accelerated. I pulled out from doctor's office and it would not move in reverse or forward. Car had to be towed to a local mechanic.

- Huntersville, NC, USA

problem #110

Nov 052013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 76,607 miles
While merging onto the highway the vehicle was revving up, but not speeding up. I would take my foot off the accelerator for a second and then try to accelerate again. The gear would sometimes "catch" and sometimes not "catch". the mechanic discovered that the one cooling line was corroded and another was "sweating". the transmission, torque converter, and cooling lines all had to be replaced. I think its a premature time for my vehicle to need a new transmission with only 76K miles as the vehicle is well maintained.

- Queens Village, NY, USA

problem #109

Nov 142013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 55,600 miles
I was driving home when my transmission suddenly started to lurch and hunt for gears, then hesitate. My car then wouldn't move forward nor would it go into reverse. Two codes showed up when I had the vehicle scanned, P2715 and P0700. After doing research I concluded the wave plate in my transmission had failed. My vehicle is no longer drivable. Thankfully I wasn't on the freeway when this incident happened because once the transmission quit the vehicle came to a stop rather quickly. In reading reports online it appears transmission failure of this particular model is highly probable and that GM knows it's an issue but has refused to recall the vehicle.

- Oakdale, CA, USA

problem #108

Nov 142013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 59,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly failed to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 59,000...updated 12-30-13 updated 1/22/2014

- Hoover, AL, USA

problem #107

Nov 132013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 99,728 miles
I purchased a used 2008 GMC Acadia in December 2012. At time of purchase, the vehicle car fax report was clean and indicated one previous owner. The vehicle mileage at the time of purchase was approximately 81,000 miles. My personal mechanic inspected the vehicle prior to purchase and also gave the vehicle a clean report. For the first 11 months of ownership, this vehicle ran like a champ. Today, at 99,728 miles (mostly highway mileage on my behalf) I find that I am having to replace the entire transmission (rebuild) at an out-of-pocket expense of $4,300. I called the GMC dealer where I purchased this vehicle and they advised that there were no recalls/warranties available on the transmission. They also advised that in the event the entire transmission needed replaced, that the cost would be in the vicinity of $4,500 and they were able to provide this estimate with certainty because "they had just completed a rebuild on another '08 Acadia last week". I find it highly disturbing that at only 99,728 miles, and 5 years of age, a transmission completely gives out. I am also disturbed that with the number of complaints out there on various internet chat forums regarding this vehicle and specific model, that GMC, to date, has yet to issue any recalls or extended warranties. I felt it necessary to report this matter as soon as possible. I will be getting in touch with a class action lawsuit attorney to look into this matter further because I genuinely am concerned that GMC should be held accountable if the number of people out there with the same issue have found there checkbooks much lighter as a result of this.

- Hamilton, OH, USA

problem #106

Nov 082013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 58,500 miles
I just had my transmission fail on me yesterday. Luckily it still had 1st & 2nd gear, unfortunately I'm 5yr-8months into it at 58xxx miles. Sounds like I'll be paying for this one. If there is any info out there on recalls. From what I've been reading online, it seems there is a real problem with this transmission (6T70) in the early years. I imagine as more and more '07 - '09 Acadias (traverse, enclaves & vues) get into the 50K+ mile range the transmission problems are really going to start spiking up. It would be a real shame if GM chooses to ignore the obvious and push this problem back on to their customers.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #105

Nov 112013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 67,358 miles
I was driving on a major highway. The car would not change gears to accelerate. When I got home the car would barely move when I tried to back into my driveway. The engine revved as if the car was in neutral. This transmission failure could have caused a serious or fatal accident, as the speed limit was 55 and I had no warning that the car would not accelerate when expected.

- Coatesville, PA, USA

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