2009 GMC Acadia problems, complaints & recalls

Updated from NHTSA data · How we count

Owners have filed 33 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 GMC Acadia, most often about engine. There are 5 recalls for this model year.

Complaints
33
Recalls
5
Crashes
1
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Median mileage
134,000 mi
at time of problem

Key facts

  • Engine is the most-reported problem area, named in 10 of 33 complaints (30%).
  • Electrical System (8) and airbags (5) follow.
  • Half of the complaints that list mileage happened before 134,000 mi.
  • Owners reported 1 crash, 3 fires and 0 injuries.
  • The 2009 GMC Acadia has 5 recalls on file.
  • NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations covering this vehicle.
  • It ranks 18th of 20 GMC Acadia model years by our severity-weighted complaint score (1st = worst).
  • That is 46% fewer complaints than the 2008 model year (61).

2009 GMC Acadia problems by category

  • Engine
    10 complaints
  • Electrical System
    8 complaints
  • Other / Unknown
    7 complaints
  • Airbags · 1 crash
    5 complaints
  • Transmission & Drivetrain
    5 complaints
  • Steering
    4 complaints
  • Visibility & Wipers
    3 complaints
  • Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
    2 complaints
  • Fuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion
    2 complaints
  • Lighting
    2 complaints
  • Suspension
    2 complaints
  • Wheels & Tires
    2 complaints
  • Seats & Seat Belts
    1 complaints
  • Acceleration & Cruise Control
    1 complaints

A complaint can mention more than one problem area, so categories add up to more than the total.

Most-reported components

Component (as filed with NHTSA)Complaints
Engine10
Electrical system8
Unknown or other7
Air bags5
Power train5
Steering4
Fuel/propulsion system2
Exterior lighting2

When problems happen (mileage)

Under 10k10k–30k230k–60k60k–100k8100k–150k5150k+
Mileage at the time of the problem, for 2009 GMC Acadia complaints that list mileage.

2009 GMC Acadia recalls (5)

  • Recall 15V415000Jun 30, 2015691,144 vehicles
    STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.

    Risk: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on November 15, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.

  • Recall 14V266000May 20, 20141,339,355 vehicles
    SEAT BELTS

    General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through March 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue and separate over time.

    Risk: If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.

    Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). General Motors recall number for this campaign is 14187.

  • Recall 14V118000Mar 17, 20141,176,407 vehicles
    AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.

    Risk: Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.

  • Recall 10V375000Aug 12, 2010207,210 vehicles
    SEAT BELTS

    General motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 chevrolet traverse, buick enclave, gmc acadia, and saturn outlook vehicles. The second row seat side trim shield restricts the upward rotation of the safety belt buckle when the seat back is returned to a seating position after being folded flat. If the buckle contacts the seat frame, additional effort is required to return the seat to a seating position. If sufficient force is applied, the buckle cover could be pushed down the strap, exposing and partially depressing the red release button.

    Risk: The safety belt may not restrain the occupant as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.

    Remedy: Dealers will modify the second row seat side trim shields. If a safety belt buckle is damaged, dealers will replace it free of charge. The safety recall began on august 18, 2010. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, buick at 1-866-608-8080, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, and saturn at 1-800-972-8876, or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

  • Recall 10V240000Jun 4, 20101,365,070 vehicles
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

    Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.

    Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.

    Remedy: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • EA20002Opened Aug 31, 2020Closed Aug 30, 2024led to recall 21V245

    Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure

    On August 31, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) EA20002, as an upgrade of Recall Query (RQ) RQ19003. This investigation, related to recall 14V-266, was opened to investigate instances of detachment of the flexible steel seat belt anchor cable attached to the outboard side of the front seats in vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The subject vehicles included model year (MY) 2009 through 2014 GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs as well as MY 2009 through 2010 Saturn Outlook SUVs. These vehicles were previously repaired…

  • RQ19003Opened May 28, 2019Closed Aug 31, 2020

    Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure

    On May 19, 2014, General Motors LLC (GM) notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that it would conduct Safety Recall 14V266 to address fatigue and separation of the flexible steel cable that connects the front outboard seat belts to the seat-mounted belt pre-tensioner in 1.4 million model year (MY) 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook, 2009-2014 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse (Lambda Platform) vehicles.The remedy was to inspect for signs of damage and replace pre-tensioner anchor cables as needed. Re-work was conducted to relocate the pre-tensioner anchor cable out of the occu…

  • DP12003Opened Jun 4, 2012Closed Jul 24, 2014

    Loss of Headlamp Illumination

    As of July 16, 2014, out of a population of 248,453 subject vehicles, NHTSA received 473 consumer complaints of inoperative head lamp. Many of these complaints indicated that the head lamp harness suffered damage from overheating. After reviewing the complaints, ODI found: -69% (328) alleged that a single head lamp was inoperative. -18% (86) alleged that both head lamps were inoperative but not at the same time. -9% (41) alleged that both head lamps were inoperative but the complaints did not indicate whether the failures had occurred at the same time. -4% (17) alleged that both head lamps wer…

  • AQ10001Opened Nov 18, 2010Closed Dec 28, 2015

    Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit

    On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.Analysis of this…

Recent 2009 GMC Acadia complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

  1. Filed Jul 10, 202654,000 miOHVisibility & Wipers
    The contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front driver’s side and passenger’s side exterior mirrors moved out of place and failed to remain in a set position. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was garage-kept and was concerned about the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately…
    NHTSA complaint #11749564 · source
  2. Filed Jul 10, 2025MNEngine
    There was a recall for gmc premature timing chain engine recall. This recall was complete in 2011 but it did not fix the problem. The timing chain keeps breaking off the cam shaft sensor and needs to be replaced.
    NHTSA complaint #11672573 · source
  3. Filed Apr 23, 2024CASteeringSuspensionWheels & Tires
    The vehicle tire system lights came on the air bag sensor light Car did not fill safe driving no control on the road unstable on turns car was sold one lug muissing front tire ,returned car several times last time I took the vehicle was due to drivesrs back wheel wobbling so bad , Someone followeing said it looked like tire was coming off . the owner said it was fine , put it on the rack let me drive off , I drove it and it was very unstable to drive and took it to Nor cal…
    NHTSA complaint #11584719 · source
  4. Filed Feb 24, 2024AREngineFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionTransmission & Drivetrain
    The stabilizer/traction control keeps going off and it will stay off.i can turn,hit a bump or start it up and the traction control/stabilizer system is off.i almost had a accident on the freeway in the rain because it turned off out of nowhere and I almost lost control. Also I was going down the road and all of a sudden my vehicle died and I had little control over vehicle. Once it came to stop it would not start again and when attempting it sounded like something was stuck…
    NHTSA complaint #11573731 · source
  5. Filed Nov 15, 2023MIElectrical SystemAcceleration & Cruise ControlTransmission & Drivetrain
    The stabilizer/traction control keeps going off and it will stay off.i can turn,hit a bump or start it up and the traction control/stabilizer system is off.i almost had a accident on the freeway in the rain because it turned off out of nowhere and I almost lost control
    NHTSA complaint #11555365 · source
  6. Filed Jul 22, 2023MDVisibility & Wipers
    When it rains the drainage holes in the sunroof of the vehicle do not drain properly. The water runs down the side of the passenger side window in the front and on the circuit/fuse box in the front. When this happens, the water effects the driving. The vehicle will get sluggish and eventually cut off when the circuit/fuse box gets wet. The vehicle had a recall in approximately 2015 and I took it to be serviced. I think the problem is reproduced. I had no warnings of this…
    NHTSA complaint #11533868 · source
  7. Filed Jun 14, 2023MIAirbags
    Airbag light keeps flashing had it checked at a dealer said it needs new module on passenger side. Airbag won’t deploy if there’s a crash.
    NHTSA complaint #11527054 · source
  8. Filed Jun 4, 2023ORElectrical SystemOther / Unknown
    Stabilitrak system in 2009 gmc Acadia randomly acts up disabling abs system and traction control. Also randomly get a low oil pressure warning light but oil level, temperature is fine and no noises smoke or performance decline. Used different scan tools to read codes and the vechile has none listed. Changed numerous sensors and the problem is never resolved
    NHTSA complaint #11525289 · source

Compare the 2009 GMC Acadia with another vehicle →

Other 2009 GMC models

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology