10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
78,530 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.

2007 GMC Acadia drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2007 GMC Acadia Owner Comments (Page 5 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #90

Nov 012011

Acadia

  • 75,000 miles

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

Wave plate broke into pieces in transmission in Nov 2011 with 75,000 miles. Now same issue with transmission in October 2013 with 102,000 miles.

- Rockford, MI, USA

problem #89

Nov 152012

Acadia

  • 52,000 miles
While traveling down the highway with family the check engine light came on and the vehicle began shake and jerk violently. I pulled to the side of the road and the vehicle would not go into reverse and forward made a terrible grinding noise and could not go over 10 miles an hour which is very dangerous driving at dusk. Got the car home and took to the dealer the next morning. We were 2 months past our 100 K 5 year power train warranty and GM would only give a small discount on a transmission rebuild. Not once did they ask about our safety.

- Lincoln, NE, USA

problem #88

Jun 262013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
The vehicle first started fine, however, could not shift into reverse. Once starting and turning the vehicle off three times, it finally shifted into reverse. Then on the highway going to drop off my kids at school, the vehicle then would not shift higher then second gear. Each time I stepped onto the gas pedal, the RPM's would go up, but the vehicle would not go any faster then about 30 mph. Of course, this situation is hightly unsafe, especially with small children in the vehicle. At one point when I was able to drive my vehicle, and everyone said it was fixed, I drove 3.5 hours to pick up my step-daughter and was left stranded there, due to the same issue it went in for the first three times. It has been in and out 9mostly in) the shop for over three and a half months, with each replacement part for the transmission, it goes on a test drive and the same thing keeps happening.

- Oshkosh, WI, USA

problem #87

Jul 082013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 111,328 miles

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

I'm having chronic transmission problems I've spent &2000. So far on the transmission. The GMC dealer has been constantly telling me I'm having multiple issues regarding the total wave plate of the transmission, which is effecting other areas of the care. Now I'm being told that my transmission was a lemon-make. That it was built faulty & GMC knows it. They have had thousands of complaints and refuse to recall this transmission. This is totally unfair. I still owe 18,000 on this truck. I'm paying two mortgages and I'm worried about how I will make it to work the next day. The maker of this truck should be held responsible for the faults not the consumer. Do to this issue GM issued an exchange program but the dealer ships won't engage in this. Please assist me with this issue.

- Brown Deer, WI, USA

problem #86

Sep 282013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 53,000 miles
My 2007 Acadia, just a few months outside its 5 yr power train warranty, experienced a transmission failure at highway speeds. It suddenly started over-revving and would not shift into certain gears. Researching this on the internet shows many many complaints about the GMC Acadia. This appears to be called the "wave-plate" failure. Unfortunately, most people apparently have experienced this between 50-70K mileage, which is exactly where I am. I would highly recommend GMC institute a recall on this vehicle because this appears to be highly common, and a safety risk at high speeds.

- Los Altos, CA, USA

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problem #85

Sep 212013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 67,556 miles
The transmission on my Acadia has died. My wife went to pickup our son from a friend's house. The car drove fine on the way over. When they got back in the car, to leave, the car would not go into gear. She could move the shift lever into reverse but the car wouldn't go. The engine would just rev. She turned the car off to go ask for help. When she started it again, it would go into gear but the check engine light was on and it didn't sound right. When trying to drive the car, it would slip in and out of gear and had a whining sound. When reading the codes, I found the following: P0700 powertrain - transmission control system, P0752 shift solenoid "a" stuck on, & P0797 pressure control solenoid "C" stuck on. I haven't had it checked by a mechanic yet so I don't know the real problem. The tow truck is taking it to the shop tomorrow. I'll have to update once I get the diagnosis. 67K miles seems a little premature to be losing the transmission. Updated 1/10/2014

- Orem, UT, USA

problem #84

Jul 182013

Acadia

  • 90,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2007 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle stopped shifting gears and began to jerk and lunge. The vehicle was taken to and independent mechanic for diagnosis where the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was available. The failure and current mileage was 90,000.

- Odessa, TX, USA

problem #83

Feb 132012

Acadia

  • miles
Vehicle would make very loud sound and the entire vehicle would jerk when going beyond 20 mph, I was terrified of putting my children in this car fearing that I would be entering the interstate of cars traveling 70 + mph and my car not shifting into gear!! after taking it in for a 3rd time. They kept telling me that no codes were coming up and refused to listen to me. After reading all of the blogs about this horrible car I went into the dealership insisted that the manager ride with me in the car to feel and hear what was going on in which he did. I told him that the wave plate was the problem with thousands of these cars so I was pretty sure this was the problem. He said don't believe everything you see on those blogs. Well a few days later they called me and said the wave plate was bad and they replaced it!!! this car needs to be recalled for several reasons, power steering is bad and needed replaced, and is making the same sound again that it was making the first time it went out, the water pump went out and was replaced. I am almost to the end of my extended warranty and I hold my breath every time I drive my car praying that my transmission doesn't go out again, horrible to have this feeling on such an expensive vehicle, I am asking you to please recall these 2007 Acadia's before someone looses their family's lives! thanks so much.

- Destrehan, LA, USA

problem #82

Sep 062013

Acadia

  • 156,000 miles
It all started when attempting to accelerate the car to 30 mph from a stopeed speed and RPM's flew up to 3,000 and would not go down to a normal range while continued acceration or coasting. Then check engine light pops on and pull over to turn car off to figure out what to do. Turn car back on and there are no problems but the light is still on. Problem would show up randomly when driving but then would stop if car was turned off and turned back on almost like a reset. Then started having problems when going down the road where RPM's would go from 1500 to 3000 and would jerk car down to 2500 when foot was taken off the pedal. Would randomly go back a forth from 1500- 3000 during consistent speeds. Even while having these problems it was never an "every time we drove" thing. Then after a few weeks of having this problem a message pops up saying "transmission hot idle engine" that is when it really worried me. We took it to the dealership to pay $199.95 for a diagnostic test stating that the clutch was bad and other internal failures exsisted and we needed a new transmission. To rebuild would be $4900 or a new one $6200. With all the other complaints on here regarding transmissions on the 07 and 08 Acadia's it seems something needs to be done on GM's part. This is not a cheap fix and is frustrating to see all the other people dealing with the same problems. Thankfully we weren't stranded anywhere with our 2 small children. Safety should be a top priority for GM.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #81

Sep 032013

Acadia

  • 88,000 miles
I was traveling on the interstate when I had loss of forward momentum and a check engine light. The wave plate in the transmission broke leaving me at freeway speeds with no way to accelerate. This sounds like a fairly common problem with this vehicle.

- Idaho Falls, ID, USA

problem #80

Jul 052013

Acadia

  • 55,000 miles

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

The transmission started slipping when I merged onto the highway. The engine RPM would spike to 4,000 or 5,000 even though the car was not accelerating. I drove the car right to the dealership which was only a mile away. The dealership later called back and stated that I need a new transmission. This is for a car with only 55,000 miles on it! these cars seem to have a common premature failure with a wave plate that is internal to the transmission. I had no choice but to purchase a new transmission.

- Mechanicsburg, PA, USA

problem #79

Aug 182013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 92,000 miles
We were driving down the interstate and my car completely shut down...I had no driving power. I pulled over to the side of the interstate, put my car in park, started it again, went about 30ft and it shut down again. It was towed to a GMC dealer and received a phone call that I would need a new transmission. It is very frustrating because I have read that many GMC Acadia's transmissions have gone out and they are not doing anything about it. There should be a recall on these. The should stand behind their 100,000 mile power train warranty! I have read that the 2007 and 2008 models have the defects and they fixed the defects in 2009.

- Blair, NE, USA

problem #78

Aug 172013

Acadia

  • 58,950 miles
We were heading home from ft. Davis and while trying to accelerate the engine would just rev and it didn't seem like the gears were shifting. We were going at least 60 mph and trying to accelerate to the speed limit. I had contacted onstar while we were driving and the diagnostics confirmed that is was the transmission/power train. We eventually ended up in pecos, tx at a GMC dealership, who told me, and onstar, that there was nothing they could do because they were already closing for the day. We got there before noon and they still didn't want to run tests or anything, but they did say I could leave my vehicle and they could work on it come Monday. We had put transmission fluid in to see if that would help, but once we started the car we noticed that the car would not reverse. Needless to say my transmission needs to be rebuilt...we were able to get my car back home and two repair shops both confirmed that. The second guy even said that he's had to rebuild/replace at least 4 transmissions and I had missed the recall by one year. Funny thing is I don't even remember being notified of any transmission recall, but I have received others. I haven't even found any online. Obviously this is an ongoing and dangerous problem that needs to be addressed asap!

- Roswell, NM, USA

problem #77

Feb 012013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 58,000 miles
The first issue was the water pump, replaced it and 2 months later out went the power steering pump. At that time of replacing the power steering pump the dealership also replaced the rack and pinion and timing chain. Now, it's the transmission. Going rounds with GM to get them to take care of the issue in its entirety. This vehicle doesn't even have 63K miles on it! this vehicle is defective in every which way. I'm worried about what will go out next. I was looking for something reliable and safe and this Acadia has been everything but that. I have several friends that are also experiencing the same issues. Let the game begin. I have never had a vehicle that I feel is so unsafe and unreliable. I am a hard working woman who drove the same car for 13 years and had none of the issues that I am having with this Acadia that I paid twice as much for! so, to anyone wanting to purchase an Acadia, do reconsider, even as dependable as you feel your dealership may be...it will be a lemon in the long run. Be prepared to get your gloves on in the ring with GMC as I'm currently doing...as I'm driving a dealership loaner, for 2 days now...good luck!

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

problem #76

Jul 022013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the check engine lamp illuminated as the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 75,749. Pdated 09/23/13 the consumer stated the first incident occurred on 07/2/2013. After adding a half quart of transmission fluid the vehicle ran normal until 08/12/2013.

- Houston , TX, USA

problem #75

Jul 312013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 88,685 miles
My wife was driving the vehicle on a local highway at approximately 60 mph when she felt a jerk in the vehicle. She was approaching a stoplight that had turned red and therefore was applying the brake. When she attempted to accelerate the vehicle would not move. The highway is very busy at the time of the incident and she was in danger of being struck by another vehicle. She was finally able to get the vehicle in gear and turn onto a side road and phone for assistance. The vehicle was able to be driven home after sitting for a short time, however I attempted to move the vehicle out of my garage and could not get in gear.

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

problem #74

Aug 062013

Acadia

  • 82,000 miles
I was driving about 35mp and I tried to accelerate but couldn't, it was if my gears were stuck and I was driving an automatic! the car was revving like crazy and driving very funny and all I could do was slow down and there were cars behind me honking and tailing me! there was no side of the road to pull off to so I prayed and was able to make it to a gas station parking lot and called my husband. He came to my rescue and we called Chevy dealership for help. The reverse went out in the Acadia and my husband had to push it in reverse so we could limp it down to the dealership (driving under 30mp) they said the transmission went out. We did purchase an extended warranty but that has since expired so we have to pay out of pocket. We keep up on maintaining the vehicle so we were shocked that the transmission went out when I was driving, there was no warning at all! I was scared that my girls and I would be hurt! we were quoted between $3,500 or $4,800 for either rebuilding or replacing transmission. Many reviews say that even though others have paid to re-do their transmissions on GMC Acadia that it eventually happens again. We can't afford to get rid of Acadia (many payments still) but I feel unsafe keeping it. Others should be aware of the problem in case it happens to them. I've never been so scared or felt so unsafe before.

- Wauna, WA, USA

problem #73

Aug 032013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 86,284 miles
While on a vacation trip with the family, my 2007 GMC Acadia started to hesitate and buck when accelerating from a stop. When I arrived at my destination and pulled into the parking lot, when the transmission completely stopped working with no forward or reverse gears. I had to have the car towed to a GMC dealer and have a broken 3/5/reverse (35R) waveplate replaced in the transmission. This sudden unannounced loss of power to the wheels, could be a potential catastrophic event for the car passengers and other vehicles, trucks and buses, if this were to happen on a highway traveling at 65 mph, as there may be no way avoid getting in an chain reaction accident with the following traffic moving at highway speeds. This could be especially hazardous in high volume rush hour traffic, at night or under weather impaired conditions (I.e, fog, rain or snow). After a little research, I was made aware that this is not an isolated incident and GM is quite knowledgeable of this waveplate transmission problem, in all models with the same drivetrain platform, but have done little to step up and remedy the problem. If you are out of warranty (5 years or 100,000 miles) you are going to be out several thousands of dollars for the repairs, suffer a great deal of inconvenience and are putting yourself and others on the road at great risk. I hope this will help bring this issue to head, as GM needs to recall and repair this waveplate transmission problem, as it present a serious exposure and liability to injure and harm the traveling public.

- Mount Laurel, NJ, USA

problem #72

Aug 052013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
While my wife and I were on our way to court to finalize the adoption of a baby girl the transmission in my 2007 GMC Acadia went out with no warning. We were driving down a 2 lane road going over a bridge when it went out. We now have it in the shop waiting to see how much it is going to cost to repair. I was looking on here to see if there were any recalls on the transmission since it went out without warning to find that this seems to be a common problem with this year model of the Acadia. I cant figure out why GM will not compensate all or part of the cost since this is an obvious problem with the year model. If there is any compensation available or recourse we can take please let us know.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

problem #71

Jul 252013

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 83,000 miles
While driving at approximately 25 mph vehicle was shifting very hard. The vehicle continued to have issue shifting. At another time was driving vehicle and stopped at a traffic light. Upon light turning green pushed on the accelerator and the vehicle would not go, transmission would not shift into gear. Vehicle has 83,000 miles and now the transmission needs to be replace. Seems to be a frequent issue with this vehicle model. GM should recall this transmission!!

- Owosso , MI, USA

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