Traveling approximately 65 MPH in the far left lane of a major highway. Going up a slight incline I tried to accelerate but the car was not reacting then the rpms would shoot up but the car would not react. I had to cross 3 lanes of traffic to get to the emergency lane. The car would not go over 20 MPH after that and struggled at that. I managed to get to a gas station. 1 tow truck, 1 rental car and now $1500 to replace the "wave plates" and "wave housing". Additional note - the car broke down in august 2012 as well. In that incident the water pump had to be replaced.
2008 GMC Acadia transmission complaints
Page 10 of 10: complaints 251 to 279 of 279, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The power steering stopped working while driving and I had to complete emergency maneuvers to get the car off of the road.
I'm concerned about the safety of the 2008 gmc acadia and similar gm vehicles, as I was driving with my family out of town when the transmission suddenly had problems shifting in and out of gears. While driving the weekend after thanksgiving and approximately 4 hours from home, our 2008 gmc acadia started down-shifting hard after passing a vehicle on the highway. A few minutes later this repeated, and then the check engine light came on. Soon after, when almost to our destination, the vehicle had no power to get up hills on the highway, and once we exited, could barely make it off the exit ramp and through a very busy intersection. It seemed to be stuck in a high gear. Being late friday afternoon on a holiday weekend and now in a rural area, there weren't any repair shops that were either open or could look at it. So we had to rent a car and attempt to drive the acadia back another 40-50 miles to get to a chevy dealer that was open and could at least checkout the transmission. On saturday they confirmed it was the transmission, and specifically the 3-5-r wave plate, but the vehicle wouldn't be ready until the following week. Later I researched and found this to be a common problem, but it still wasn't being recalled by gm. Luckily we were barely (1 month) inside of our power train warranty and didn't get hurt. I will say that the chevy dealer that did the repair was great to work with, especially since we were from out of town. But now I'm worried about being able to safely drive this vehicle for any significant distance from our home.
We were coming home from family on thanksgiving night and the check engine light came on as we were getting on the highway. When we got off the highway and onto our exit, we hit a red light. Luckily, it was on a hill, because my husband hit the gas and we didn't go anywhere. The car just revved up to around 4 RPM's. We finally gained some momentum going down the hill and then the car drove just fine again. Next stop light, same thing...only this time, we were making a left hand turn and facing on-coming traffic. It took everything it had and about 20 seconds just to roll through the intersection! If our kids had been in the car with us, this could have been a major accident if we had been hit! The car was towed to the mechanics and was found to be a broken wave plate. There are numerous complaints about the wave plates in the acadia's, traverse's, and the outlook's, but no recall. I am also only 1 month out of the power train warranty! Please help! Thank you!
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc arcadia. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle failed to move. The contact merged to the shoulder of the road and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer informed her the reverse wave plate had fractured and the reverse clutch four, five and six housing were damaged. As a result, the housings had to be reconditioned and the reaction sun gear needed to be replaced. Recently, the transmission failed again with the same problem. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired at the dealer. The manufacturer was notified who stated a representative would contact her within twenty four hours. The failure mileage was 74,450 and the current mileage was 110,000.
Been going through forums and know a few people who have purchased acadia's and the transmission gives out on these cars really quick and it's a 5000 dollar fix that gmc knows about and refuses to fix and at 50,000 miles their is no reason you should need a new transmission I personally am two weeks out of warranty with a 22000 dollar sitting brick and expected to pay for poor production quality this should be addressed on the national level and is extremely unfair to loyal tax payers to be almost robbed in plain daylight.
Picking up my car after an oil change and tire rotation at the dealer, the car would not go into reverse. They ran diagnostics on the vehicle and I was told the transmission or more specifically the wave plate in the transmission broke. It's been at the dealer going into the second week now. They are still having a shifting issue.
My friends and I left a store and was pulling out onto a busy route. Speed limit is posted as 45 MPH. I was idling at the stop sign waiting for a vehicle to pass. When it did I pulled out into traffic. I gently pressed on the accelerator and that is when I felt the truck jerk and then the pedal was floored!!! I was not doing this!!!! I was in amongst the traffic, trying to dodge others, and then I tried to turn my truck off. I couldn't do it. It was not allowing me to and the speed had increased dramatically!!! I reached down and was messing with the accelerator hoping to pull it up from the floor. The accelerator was completely pressed into the floor as if someone glued it there. I crossed over 3 lanes of traffic trying to dodge vehicles and trying to prevent a crash. I finally managed to free the accelerator. It freaks me out when I drive now,.
I was driving on the highway and pressed the gas and started to move then without the warning the car stopped running. It felt like the car had been pushed into neutral, the motor would rev but it would not go anywhere. Took it to the gm dealer. I was told it was all set. Fast forward 2 weeks later same exact thing happened, also my car started to "buck" in reverse. Again brought to gm dealer and told nothing is wrong with it. Fast forward 4 days later heading on vacation with my 4 year old int he car. Same thing happens in the middle of the highway, we came to a dead stop. This was very scary since I had my daughter with me and we were 150 miles from home. Called gm dealer I had been dealing with and they gave me the number for the gm dealer closest to were I was located. Called the gm dealer on cape cod, ma. Was told to drive it there and they are so busy it will be days before they could even look at it. They had my car for 2 weeks and told it is fixed. I can tell it is not the transmission is still acting up. Due to the incidents with this car I do feel myself or my family could have been seriously injured with from this car stopping in the middle of highways. After doing research on the vehicle I have come across numerous gm owners with the same situation. I do believe that this situation could have been life threatening- by a major car accident. I hope someone can help us because gm does not seem to care about what is happening.
I bought my gmc acadia in february and have had it at the dealership I know 15+ times. Everything is wrong with it. It started off that it was the stability track and stability control censors, then it went to both rear wheel bearings replace, bypassing the wiring (because gm) told the dealership to bypass the factory wiring and build a new harness for the wiring, several other things wrong, and now the transmission!!!! What will happen next!!! So many people are having major issues with the acadia. Not dependable nor safe for me nor my family!!!!!
My acadia's transmission failed (the 3, 5, r wave plate) while 4 hours from home. It has now been at the dealership for 22 days ... The transmission has been taken out 3 times and still can't "get it right". This is a huge mess that gm has not handled well at all. They will not let the dealership put a new transmission in it. They can't tell me when my car will even be ready ... There are 4 other acadia's at the dealership with the same problem .... Just google gmc acadia transmission problems and you will see that I am not alone ..... Thank you for any help you can provide.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle shook and decelerated to 40 MPH. The contact was unable to accelerate beyond 40 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the transmission was replaced. Approximately one year later, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken back for repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.
I have had the rack & pinion steering rack replaced 2 times since I've owned the vehicle (bought new in july 2008) dealership replaced both after getting ugly with them, now at 75,000 miles transmission went out,replaced it. Got it back from dealer and now the steering locks up when turning, usually happens when taking off from a stop and then it finally unlocks as your trying to turn with excessive force. Feels like the power steering just goes out for a few seconds and then comes back. Have just dealt with it last few weeks, but now after not able to turn and hit a curb while turning, there is obviously something defective. Doing research on this there is numerous complaints about the steering locking up, this is very dangerous if its defective. Paying 45k for a vehicle you shouldn't have to argue with the dealer on replacing this part. Is there something being done to fix this issue. I have almost come to a decision that gm doesn't stand behind their product and have about given up on them.
Cause code: 6021 - component damaged/cracked, reverse clutch plate replacement reading various forums, these seems to be a problem with all lambada platforms, hundreds if not thousands of transmission failures, creating a major safety concern for myself and the public. Gm needs to replace these trannys with a new more durable/reliable design before someone is seriously injured or killed, its only a matter of time. Please confront gm with these complaints...thx http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/webx/.f215073?displayrecent.
My power steering groans and moans when turning at low speeds. Turning the wheel is very difficult even for me being a male. The noise is very annoying and may affect the steering. The car is for my family of three kids and wife --- not sure they should be driving this anymore. I called the a gmc service dealer and they said they have heard of "very similar issues" waiting back to hear if they will repair this. I've had too many repairs lately for a car with only 58k miles -- one sway bar, another sway bar, transmission issue, headlamp issue, faulty thermostat, limited life brake pads, now power steering issues! Ugh!
2008 acadia 50,000 miles. A whinning noise from the time I start the car until the car is cut off. Repairman stated that they were aware of the problem and they had no fix for it now. He told me it would be okay to drive..........not very happy!!!!
Recently, when loading the cargo area of my 08 gmc acadia, the vehicle started rolling forward (the ignition was off, and in "park"). It rolled approximately 2 ft. Before "park" engaged. (my 2 grandsons were playing in my driveway a short distance away). After having the vehicle checked out at the gmc dealership where it was purchased the service mgr told me that this is a "normal" condition, acceptable by gm, that the parking gear "pawl" can actually roll up to 2 ft. Before engaging. It doesn't seem probable, or even possible this can be considered to be a "safe" condition. When I asked who would be responsible for injuries resulting from this situation his response was, "gm".
I noticed that when driving on an expressway and would attempt to pass a slower moving vehicle, as I would move into the passing lane and attempt to accelerate, the car would hesitate for a few seconds, lose speed, then suddenly downshift and accelerate at an unexpected rate. I also noticed that the car would unexpectedly accelerate or decelerate under normal driving conditions. I bought the vehicle to the dealer for repair, they responded that they could find nothing wrong, but the what I was experiencing was characteristic of the 6-speed transmission on the vehicle. The problem continued and I found it dangerous. I returned the vehicle and the dealer's remedy was to "reset the transmission computer." during this time, I also noticed that the "service stabilitrac and traction control" warning would come on. Onstar recommended I shut off the engine to reset the system. I found this only happened when I first used the car in the mornings to go to work. Again, the dealer said there was nothing wrong and the computers were showing no codes -- they also stated that they could not duplicate the problem. I got the car back from the dealer and it happened again - at 7:00 am. I called onstar and they gave me two codes. I bought the car back to the dealer and gave him the codes. It now seems that there were two defective sensors controlling the stabilitrac / traction control system and how they communicate with the transmission. I was told that gm is changing manufacturers on the sensors. I have not had use of the car since the beginning of june and am still waiting for gm to produce these parts. In the meantime, unexpected acceleration, deceleration, and gear shifting was occurring under all driving situations causing -- in my mind -- a danger to myself, my passengers, and others. The dealer has had the car on five different occasions since june 8. This last service they have had the car since july 20.
My 2008 gmc acadia has trouble accelerating/merging into traffic. The transmission, at least according to a gmc service writer, is due to gmc's transmission design. It was intended to upshift and even skip gears, in order to conserve fuel. I understand that this was "corrected" in later years. The dealership says it is "not a problem, it is the way it was designed to operate". If that is the case, then why was it corrected in subsequent models? Entering traffic is dangerous, the transmission "lags" at all the wrong times, and accelerating to pass, or while changing lanes, produces the same lagging effect, thereby causing my vehicle to become a road hazard! This is totally unacceptable to me, and after spending almost $30,000 on this vehicle in 2010, I do not feel I alone, or I while driving with my family, should be subjected to this dangerous and hazardous situation 90% of the time we are on the road.
Power and power steering failure- when it rains or I drive through puddles of water the car looses power and slows. Also when I am driving the power steering stops working and there is a loud squealing noise. I had the dealer look at my acadia and they said they could readjust the belt guard. This did not work and they said just be cautious while driving. Also the cruise control doesn't coast and the speed increases as you go down hill.
I own 2008 gmc acadia. On two occasions the weekend of nov 28, 2009 once when I was driving, separately when wife driving, after the car was put in park and the ignition turned off, key removed, the car rolled backwards several feet until the brake was applied. Took the car to dealer service who could not replicate and expressed disbelief there was an issue. Surfed web and found the federal safety agency recall id# 09v073000 on 2009 acadia. The recall is exactly what's happening with my 2008 acadia. Just called gm 866# and they denied that the 2009 acadia recall existed. Please help and get gm to recall the 2008 acadia's with same issue as 2009.
Bolts fell out of front drive shaft causing drive shaft to become dislodged and hang down striking roadway. Would act as a vault point at highway speed. Minor damage to bottom of vehicle from rotating/ bouncing driveshaft. Dealer installed "an upgraded boltkit" this makes me think this not the first time this has happened if the bolt kit is upgraded.
2008 gmc acadia consumer wants to know if it's normal for a vehicle with automatic transmission to roll backwards when stopped on an incline. *nj the consumer stated he took his foot off the brake and let the vehicle rolls backwards. The vehicle began to pick up speed as it rolled and very shortly, the engine stopped.
To state recognition of the facts: fwd wheel-spin was reported to achieve forward vehicle movement with the current fwd system on wet surfaces of this vehicle. The drivers correction factors to regain traction includes, de-throttle (back peddle the engine) to lower the torque level and thereby hopefully regain traction with the roadbed when the road conditions exist as reported. Reported details to gm and driving experiences driving issues include: 1.cana traction control device be added to retard the throttle and RPM to prevent wheel-spin? 2.are the correct tires / tire compounds being used? 3.will wheel-spin endanger the lifeline and longevity of this transmission or motor? 4.is damage is being introduced into the mechanical parts of the engine and transmission, what can we expect? 5.the current implementations require the driver to functionality drive regaining control of the front tires, which is considered abnormal therefore becoming a hazard to the normal traffic flow as show. 6.the current implementations require the driver to back-pedal the throttle motor and transmission; the observed conditions occur over 2000 RPM of acceleration, next the motor / fwd systems then over-spin the motor and transmission up to 3500 RPM before the driver can back-pedal the throttle, regain control, and resume acceleration while attempting to remain safe in normal traffic flow.. To summarize gm (karen) has reported in a verbal phone conversation with me, held on 12/10/08 that a stabilock transmission on a 2008 acadia is within specifications to have fwd tire-spin and or traction loss when acceleration exceeds 2000 RPM on wet roads and surfaces and the vehicle handling conditions are normal. Karen also states she has no issues with the reported problems as described, and maybe, I (the driver lacks experience driving a front wheel drive vehicle).
Purchased a 2008 gmc acadia sle on oct. 23, 2008. Took it to the dealer on nov. 20, 2008 because "check engine" light came on. Informed that the cam shaft was bad, and that the cam & both headers would need replacing. Vehicle has just slightly over 2,000 miles. Discovered through the service department, and internet chat forums this is a common problem with this vehicle. Vehicle is still at the dealer, repairs not complete yet. It appears this problem has been on going since the 2007 model year(first year of production). Why hasn't gm addressed this problem? It appears that they are just standing by, and putting the burden on the consumer.
Turned down a road and felt something pop and then the transmission would not shift out of 2nd. Gear. Since then have had several issues with the transmission shifting to excessively. That some issues with extremely excessive shifting. Once my wife pulled out into traffic and the transmission would not shift causing a man in a truck to slid off of the road to avoid hitting her because the vehicle would not shift and go down the road. And also with the battery dying for no reason. This has happened 4 different times.
1. While traveling on an interstate highway, the vehicle's "stabilitrak" control abruptly shut down, and the brakes locked with light depressions of the pedal. (stabilitrak controls the vehicle's traction control, anti-lock brakes, and roll-prevention program.) 2. The failure has occurred approximately 5 times; on one occasion, the engine stalled in addition to the above. Consequences were as described above. 3. The vehicle was taken on an urgent basis to the gmc dealer the following day. The dealer advised that the problem is due to "play in the camshaft," which sends an erroneous signal to the stabilitrak, causing it to shut down. The dealer advised that repair will require replacement of cylinder heads and other equipment, which is a draconian procedure which will take a week or more. In addition, the dealer advised that the problem is causing permanently damage to the vehicle's drivetrain which worsens with miles driven. The dealer further advised that repair parts would not be available for at least 8 weeks because the problem is widespread in the vehicle line and gm refuses to manufacture parts in sufficient quantities to meet the national demand. Almost 8 weeks after reporting the problem, the problem remains unrepaired, and gm has refused one written request and one written demand for immediate correction of the problem, despite this being an immediate threat to occupant safety in that it shuts down the vehicle's most important electronic safety components, including traction control, anti-lock brakes, and the anti-roll-over program.
We purchased a new gmc acadia on 6/16/08. Since our purchase, we have experienced a dangerous transmission issue. After coasting downhill, the vehicle fails to downshift which causes a rapid deceleration when traveling uphill. This rapid loss of speed puts the driver in the hazardous situation of a rear end/chain reaction collision on the road gmc claims to have a fix, but this fix causes the documented gas mileage to be reduced by at least 2-3 miles per gallon. They have attempted to fix this issue twice in the last 4 weeks to no avail.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. The vehicle was parked in the driveway, but the gear was placed in drive. The contact removed his foot from the brake pedal and depressed the accelerator pedal. The vehicle then accelerated in reverse on its own. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the acceleration was normal. The gmc area representative stated that when driving 6 MPH, the engine shuts off to prevent the transmission from being damaged, thus the vehicle driving in reverse. The dealer stated that since the vehicle was designed in that manner, nothing could be done. The current and failure mileages were 127. Updated 11/08/07
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