2016 GMC Acadia Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 130,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

I have a recall on this vehicle that GMC has failed to provide me parts/repair and this recall will be 3 years old in June. I have emailed the local dealer, the manager of the local dealer, GM corporate, and no one has followed through. The best I came to getting the repair was that Corporate made sure I had an appointment and dealer had…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The…Owner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 54,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

While operating my vehicle, the power steering suddenly failed without adequate warning. The steering became extremely difficult, creating a significant safety hazard for myself, my passengers, and other drivers on the road. A sudden loss of steering assist increases the risk of collision, especially at lower speeds, during turns, or in…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The recall is with the steering wheel air bag. If it goes off then the driver could possibly get injured or killed from metal fragments according to the recall letter that I received. The letter is dated June 10, 2023. If they can't come up with a fix then they should supply me with a vehicle that is safe. Seven months is way too long.Owner complaint, filed 2024

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 48,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 GMC Acadia on February 28, 2026. After purchasing the vehicle, the contact obtained a Carfax report and discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the vehicle was purchased at an auction. The dealer agreed…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 192,000 miles

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 GMC Acadia. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 180,000. The contact stated that it was later discovered upon checking the vehicle information settings, that the mileage was…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 300,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 78,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

Transmission began hesitating around 1800rpm with only 92,000 miles showing on the odometer. It feels like a flutter as the transmission shifts into the next gear. I have heard the 2016 year group has had transmission problems. Believe a recall is justified.Owner complaint, filed 2026

The torque converter has been going since before I bought this vehicle. When the RPMs are between one and two, the entire vehicle starts shaking and there is no acceleration. This is a huge safety concern, especially with traffic.Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 31,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

Technician told me the engine "grenaded itself". "Cylinder #4 melted into the side walls of the cylinder wall caused by air to fuel mix ratio controlled by the ECU failure to mix appropriately." My family and I were traveling for Easter and were stranded on the side of the highway. I had a private repair shop (Greenville Auto Clinic LLC)…Owner complaint, filed 2026

While starting to drive. It seems like the transmission goes into 2nd shift and the car jerks a little and I have to press the gas pedal to get it to stop.Owner complaint, filed 2024

Parts named most: Blind spot detection (9).

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help

What owners said

My care received error code stating service side detection system. Took it to a dealer who, after thoroughly checking my entire electrical system told me the fuse to my side detection modules blew and caused those defective modules to then create a continuous back-feeding of power to the rear wire harness causing a complete depletion of…Owner complaint, filed 2022

I have had the "side detection system" fail twice in 2 years. I see there is an open recall (n172097060) for this issue but this does not come up saying my vehicle is affected when I search the VIN. I believe there is more vehicles included than the 131,652 they is claimed in this report.Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 70,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 32,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

The vehicle makes a clunk noise that comes from the brakes or ABS. After starting the vehicle and taking off I hear the clunk and feel it on the brake pedal. This happens every day and every time you take of after starting the car. The gm dealer told me they know there is an issue/condition they are aware of but it's nothing to worry…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 38,000 miles

Car would not start no inter lights dead towed to dealer they fixed it once I had back for one day it happened agin needs a side dentition module I have been waiting for over 5 weeks and nothing no partsOwner complaint, filed 2019, at 52,568 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 61,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

The cable that attaches the front driver seatbelt to the base of the seat (left side), suddenly broke when simply buckling the belt.Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the second-row seat belts become inoperable. The contact stated that the seat belt buckle failed to latch as intended. An unknown dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 206,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

A few years ago I was driving home and both headlights of our GMC Acadia went out at the same time. I drove home, in the country, in total darkness. We had them replaced by the garage, which was very, very expensive due to extreme difficulty accessing the headlights for this model. Since then, we have had to replace them two more times…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Windshield wiper just sopped working [VIN]. Was driving at night and it started raining hard and wipers would not move. No previous issue with system. Nothing to indicate a failure was going to occur.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 56,608 miles

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

I have a concern with all 4 of my tires on my 2016 gmc acadia. These tires were [VIN] on the 10th week of 2016. I purchased my truck 4/12/2016. I have taken my truck to good year service station and gmc as instructed by gm to no avail. They are saying that this is wear an tear. All of my tires are dry rotted. My truck is only 2 years old…Owner complaint, filed 2018

I have a 2016 gmc acadia. It has approximately 24,000 miles, and was purchased new by me. The factory tires, goodyear fortera hl edition, are exhibiting significant cracking between the treads all around each tire. The tires have been properly maintained, have even tread wear, and adequate tread depth. There was a recall for the same…Owner complaint, filed 2018, at 24,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

There is an air vent located next to accelerator with fins slanted downwards. Shoes such as tennis shoes hang up on the vent as you try to release the accelerator. Have to pull your foot out of the hang up which causes delays and distractions. Dealer says no known fix and that this is not identified as a problem by gm.Owner complaint, filed 2016, at 100 miles

Special Coverage Adjustment N172097060 Side Blind Zone Alert Module Water Intrusion was issued for my vehicle. I took it in to get fixed and was told I was past the 6 year extension (May 2022) but under the milage (79,199). They told me the parts are on back order from GMC. This was on 04-03-2023. On 04-05-2023 I was driving my vehicle…Owner complaint, filed 2023

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

The car was parked and off when the lift gate malfunctioned. Opened the liftgate using the button on the gate, it opened fully paused open, then suddenly dropped 1/3 of the way closed on top of my husband, it opened again and then closed quickly on it's own. It repeated the same action again when we tried opening. After we turned off the…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 53,000 miles

Passenger side carpeting and foam are soaked from a leakage somewhere. The fuse panel under glove box is soaked and not working correctly. Water is almost making its way into battery under passenger side rear floor. Rust has formed under the shifting console. Car is moldy. No one can tell me what is happening but thousands of complaints…Owner complaint, filed 2022

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

After the air bag recall i went and had them do it and 3 days later is still coming on. Saying service air bag. And alot of people is having issues with tighen gas cap light. I have replaced everything it could be and still does it. Now i believe its a bigger problem and there is alot of ppl having the same issues. I dont remember the…Owner complaint, filed 2025