2012 GMC Acadia problems, complaints & recalls

2012 GMC Acadia recalls (5)

• Recall 21V246000Apr 8, 2021108 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

  General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.

  Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

  Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.

• 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 12V151000Apr 9, 201247,846 vehicles
  VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

  General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 chevrolet traverse, buick enclave, and gmc acadia vehicles currently registered in alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, wyoming and the district of columbia. Snow or ice buildup on the windshield or on the wiper may restrict the movement of the wiper arm, causing the wiper arm to loosen and cause the wiper to become inoperative.

  Risk: If this occurs, driver visibility could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper arm nuts, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 20, 2012.

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…

Recent 2012 GMC Acadia complaints

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

1. Filed Aug 5, 2026PAAirbagsElectrical SystemOther / Unknown

   Hello so I notice 3 weeks ago my headlights keep cutting off and on then a week later my radio stopped working, The floor of the driver side is always wet after it rains. I noticed one day the rain started dripping on my feet when I drive after a big rain fall, I believe the car is not sealed properly and now water is coming out from the airbag signs in my vehicle and the car starting to smell like mildew. I think water is sitting in certain parts of my vehicle. I'm not sure…

   NHTSA complaint #11755081 · source
2. Filed Aug 4, 2026189,352 miMNBody & Structure

   The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, after pressing the liftgate button the liftgate raised and crashed down independently after several seconds. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle remained at the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure…

   NHTSA complaint #11754818 · source
3. Filed May 21, 2026213,766 miOHEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to release from low gear while at a stop. The transmission was backed up. The engine light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who confirmed there were no recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 213,766.

   NHTSA complaint #11739205 · source
4. Filed Apr 23, 2026125,000 miWIBody & Structure

   The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while reversing, the liftgate unexpectedly opened, even though the liftgate was properly closed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

   NHTSA complaint #11733369 · source
5. Filed Feb 9, 2026NCLighting

   Daytime Running light bulb and housing failure. Some 2012 Acadia models recalled under now expired recall for bulbs and deformation of surrounding housing. Apparently the above recall was excluded from this recall and should have been included. Both DRL on this vehicle have failed and surrounding housing has been damaged . Subsequently replacing just bulbs is not possible. The housing melted on the bulb. Photo is available on request. This failure should be considered a fire…

   NHTSA complaint #11716658 · source
6. Filed Oct 16, 2025NEOther / Unknown

   Back up camera When in reverse the backup camera screen is black or shows very little light making it unusable. Unable to see objects or persons behind vehicle. Despite cleaning camera. No visual damage noted. * It is available for inspection upon request. * Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? NO * Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? NO *Were there…

   NHTSA complaint #11693987 · source
7. Filed Oct 14, 2025187,000 miMIBody & Structure

   The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the liftgate independently unlatched and fell midway down, and then independently closed and latched. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 187,000.

   NHTSA complaint #11693365 · source
8. Filed Aug 25, 2025172,000 miWATowedEngine

   The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact’s wife stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 172,000.

   NHTSA complaint #11682845 · source

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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