What owners reported to NHTSA about the 2019 GMC Acadia, its recalls, and what to check before you buy one.

Owners filed about 1.4 times as many complaints as a typical Acadia year. The main thing to watch is the transmission and drivetrain, which half of owners reported by about 50,000 miles. Years with fewer complaints: 2013, 2020 and 2021.
Based on owner complaints to NHTSA, compared with other Acadia years from 2012 to 2024. A good year can still be a bad car, so check the one you are looking at.
Owners have filed 388 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 GMC Acadia. The most reported problem area is the transmission and drivetrain (154, 40% of complaints), followed by the electrical system and the engine and cooling. That ranks 4th of 13 Acadia years from 2012 to 2024 for complaints. It has 2 recalls.
1 of these complaints came from Utah owners.
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Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 50,000 miles.
On XXX at 1:56pm, I took the vehicle to Jiffy Lube service center #810 for the "Quick Oil Change Service" which includes checking and filling the Tranmission/Axle fluid. Per the attached receipt the Transmission/Axle fluid was "OK", and the next service was recommended after 5,000 addtional miles from the then current mileage of 153,317.…Owner complaint, filed 2026
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon parking and attempting to turn off the vehicle, the message “Action Required. Shift to Park” was displayed while the gear shifter was in park(P). The vehicle failed to turn off. The contact moved the gear shifter back and forth until the vehicle registered it was in park…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 56,757 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 26,000 miles.
When putting the vehicle in park to turn it off, the dash indicates that I need to put the vehicle in park. But it is in park and it will not let me shut off the vehicle.Owner complaint, filed 2026
This vehicle has an electrical deficiency when trying to park, The console will NOT recognize that the vehicle is in park, causing bell warnings, beeping, and an INABILITY to lock the vehicle, thus draining the battery. We cannot walk away from it, nor ever leave anything of value in it. This is a recurring problem, causing stress, and…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 52,000 miles.
I own a 2019 GMC Acadia equipped with the 3.6L V6 engine. VIN. See form above In 2025, the engine coolant thermostat failed on my vehicle and required replacement at my expense. I am submitting this complaint because I believe this may represent a recurring component problem affecting 2019 GMC Acadia vehicles and I would like NHTSA to…Owner complaint, filed 2026
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the battery low and steering assist warning lights were illuminated. The contact's minor children were occupants in the vehicle during the failure. The tow…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 81,126 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 70,000 miles.
My check engine light is on there is a note that says steering assist is reduced. I took it to O’Reilly’s to get it scanned. The code that comes up is P0128 indicating that the coolant thermostat has a fault. There are other GMC‘s that have a recall for this, but apparently not mine.Owner complaint, filed 2026
The steering assist message comes on and off whenever the weather gets cold in the fall and winter. This causes my air conditioning and/or heater to not work. I have done research and the temperature sensor needs to get replaced because there is a malfunction of the temperature not reading the coolant. Everything is fine with fluids and…Owner complaint, filed 2025
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 21,000 miles.
• Gearshift- It is, available for inspection upon request. • You are unable to turn off Vehicle, your trapped in vehicle. Until parking gear shifts into park and you’re able to shut off the vehicle. • Independent service center. • No • NoOwner complaint, filed 2026
Getting a "shift to park" message when the car is in park. It won't let you do anything lock the car, bells going off, nothing and sometimes it takes 20 minutes or longer to keep trying to get the car into park.it would do it everytime I go to drive it.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 16,000 miles
My Temp control sensor is causing my check engine light to come on. After reviewing the problem, It seems many owners have had this same problem nation wide. I,m simply adding to the complaints by other owners that this should be a recall problem since so many owners are having this same problem. I,ve only had this car for 2 weeks & like…Owner complaint, filed 2025
Unnecessary safety feature sounds and alerts distract driver's normal driving and viewing habits. Any which could be turned off, have been. Every time the car is started, there is a message that these warnings have been turned off. The message never goes away and stays on the entire drive time unless manually turned off.] These type of…Owner complaint, filed 2024
Headlights are so dim that we will not drive the car at night. Dealer's service manager says that he knows about the problem but "there's nothing I can do to fix it". I see a few similar complaints on this site, but nothing as to who to contact to get the problem solved NOR any action on this on the part of the NHSTA. Where do we go from…Owner complaint, filed 2024
The headlights barely light up enough roadway to be of any use at night. Obviously can't drive with high beams constant. The only help is to use the fog/driving lights. However, that only lights up about 30 feet in front of the vehicle. Driving at night is hazardous to one's health as you cannot see far enough down the road to avoid…Owner complaint, filed 2022
My driver side front control arm, and stabilizer bar snapped on me while on the highway without warning causing me to crash. I'm blessed to be alive.Owner complaint, filed 2026
I took my 2019 GMC Acadia in for an inspection and was informed that the toe links were loose and fail inspection. Upon researching this failure, I found that there is a recall for this, but my VIN was no included. I don't understand why not given what I'm seeing from other owners. I quote from the GMC Authority site: [XXX] "GM and the…Owner complaint, filed 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the fuel gauge displayed an inaccurate fuel level. The fuel sending unit was replaced twice; however, the failure persisted. The contact became aware of the recurring failure while refueling the vehicle and noticing that the vehicle consumed more fuel than the fuel gauge…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 64,382 miles
-As stated on GMC Indiana Dealer Invoice: DIAG: Customer states that fuel line blew off while driving down the highway. Believes that it blew off at connector. #[XXX]: Found fuel line above fuel tank broken. Dropped tank to remove and replace fuel feed line. Reinstall fuel tank and test. Okay My vehicle is available for inspection upon…Owner complaint, filed 2024
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated the center rear seat belt failed to extend as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,456.Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 72,456 miles
I'm not sure what this is but I'm not reporting damage I'm reporting the factory model. This vehicle seating is not appropriate for the body size of the front of the vehicle. I've had two other acadias and I didn't have this type of issue. The side of the vehicle where the mirror is located is so large is can cover the view of two cars.…Owner complaint, filed 2023
The contact owns a 2019 gmc acadia. The contact stated while making a left, he was unable to view any objects such as another vehicle nearby due to structure of the vehicle. The contact was concerned that it could result in a crash. The vehicle was taken to local dealer jim hardman buick gmc, inc. Located at 1592 browns bridge rd…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 23,000 miles
Park to shift issue - the vehicle did not register that I was in park, jerked hard when trying to place in gear, did not register the PROPER gear (reverse, neutral, drive), would NOT unlock doors to let passengers out even if it were an emergency. Seems to be triggered on inclines but have also been having issues on flat ground. Other…Owner complaint, filed 2026
After roughly 7000 miles of use the 235/55R20 102V Goodyear Assurance Weatherready tire has a bulge in the sidewall. There are no scuffs or scars on the tire to indicate an impact caused the bulge, it appears there is some sort of separation within the layers of the sidewall. I asked a Goodyear retailer to inspect the tire and they said…Owner complaint, filed 2024
The check engine light came on 12/2023. The vehicle was taken to Pep Boys and AutoZone in MD, WalMart and O'Rilley in Bastrop, LA, O'Rilley in Midlothian, TX. They could not find any problems with the vehicle. I took the vehicle to GMC in Plano, TX. THey charged me for a new battery but the check engine light remained on after I picked…Owner complaint, filed 2024
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled unexpectedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact also stated that while coming to a stop and attempting to depress the brake pedal, the vehicle lost motive power but…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 85,695 miles
Im a travel nurse and I was working in Vermont. As I was driving on the highway in New York on my way back home a shift to park light came on, a stabilitrak light came on, power steering light came on, ABS light came on, and my check engine light also came on. My vehicle started slowing down as I was driving and my lights on my dashboard…Owner complaint, filed 2025
I purchased a used 2019 GMC Acadia from Grieco Honda around November 20, 2023. They showed me a CarFax report indicating the vehicle had never been in an accident. Immediately after the purchase, I reported several issues and attempted to return the car under their 30-day warranty. However, the salesperson convinced me not to return it…Owner complaint, filed 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the brake pedal was applied but failed to slow the vehicle down. As a result, the contact rear ended a Chevrolet Tahoe. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The contact sustained soreness to the body and…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 33,717 miles
Compare the 2019 with other years before you choose one. Tap a year to see its problems.
Each car is rated against its own other years, since popular models always get more complaints than rare ones.
| Car | Vs. its other years | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 GMC Acadia | Worse than most years | 2 |
| 2019 Toyota Highlander | Among the worst years | 3 |
| 2019 Honda Pilot | Among the worst years | 13 |
| 2019 Subaru Ascent | Worse than most years | 9 |
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
The most reported problem areas on the 2019 GMC Acadia are the transmission and drivetrain (154 complaints), the electrical system (106 complaints) and the engine and cooling (58 complaints).
Worse than most Acadia years. Owners filed about 1.4 times as many complaints as a typical Acadia year. The main thing to watch is the transmission and drivetrain, which half of owners reported by about 50,000 miles. Years with fewer complaints: 2013, 2020 and 2021. Based on owner complaints to NHTSA, compared with other Acadia years from 2012 to 2024. A good year can still be a bad car, so check the one you are looking at.
NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2019 GMC Acadia. The most recent, from Feb 2021, covers the tires. Recalls cover the whole model year, so check the VIN of the car you are looking at to see which are still open.
Half of the owners who reported a problem with the transmission and drivetrain gave a mileage of about 50,000 miles or less. Half of the owners who reported a problem with the electrical system gave a mileage of about 26,000 miles or less. Plenty of cars have these problems later or never, so ask for service records.
The Acadia years with the most complaints compared with the rest are 2017. Years with clearly fewer complaints are 2013, 2020 and 2021. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate fairly yet.
These problems are for the model year as a whole. Here is how to find out about the one you are looking at.
We inspect the car with a scan tool and paint gauge, read the history report and tell you whether it is worth the asking price, before you hand over any money.