I just had my transmission fail on me yesterday. Luckily it still had 1st & 2nd gear, unfortunately I'm 5yr-8months into it at 58xxx miles. Sounds like I'll be paying for this one. If there is any info out there on recalls . From what I've been reading online, it seems there is a real problem with this transmission (6t70) in the early years. I imagine as more and more '07 - '09 acadias (traverse, enclaves & vues) get into the 50k+ mile range the transmission problems are really going to start spiking up. It would be a real shame if gm chooses to ignore the obvious and push this problem back on to their customers.
2008 GMC Acadia transmission complaints
Page 7 of 10: complaints 161 to 190 of 279, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I was driving on a major highway. The car would not change gears to accelerate. When I got home the car would barely move when I tried to back into my driveway. The engine revved as if the car was in neutral. This transmission failure could have caused a serious or fatal accident, as the speed limit was 55 and I had no warning that the car would not accelerate when expected.
3/5/r wave plate transmission failure - I was traveling out of state and my 2008 gmc acadia stopped in it's tracks without any warning. Vehicle was running, but it would not move. I was stranded on the side of the road, at night with 3 young children, over 5 hours away from home. Vehicle was towed to the dealership the next morning and 3/5/r wave plate failure was determined, new transmission required. Less than a week prior to the cross country trip, vehicle was at dealership having oil change and other preventative maintenance completed, no issues noted at that time. Major safety issue that needs to be investigated.
I was turning left at stop light. The transmission failed to shift and stalled causing me to be struck. This could have been a fatality if traffic were heavier. I have since researched and found that gm has had thousands of complaints regarding the transmission problems. This could have been prevented had gm recalled a defective valve located in the side box (according to mechanic at gm dealer this is why I stalled out). I am seeking an attorney for a class action lawsuit.
Transmission went out while driving on the interstate. We were able to pull-over and get out of the way of the high speed traffic. No accident occurred, but it could have been a serious situation that caused several accidents.
I was driving by myself with my 3 children when my transmission went out. I have kept up with all maintenance and even had a transmission flush done 4 months ago, just to have the transmission go anyway. Gmc customer service will not help (the car is only 5 years old) but said it was in service in 2007, so no warranty coverage. There are several hundred complaints on the same issue with no one willing to do the decent or right thing. There should be a recall. We have had several issues with this vehicle. We have four children so we need this car. We cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars to have something fixed that is an obvious ongoing issue with these vehicles. Please consider investigating this. This truly is an issue that gmc should be accountable for.
I noticed that the gears felt like they were slipping. Rpms would go up by 1000-1500, then the vehicle would engage in gear. I noticed this very sporadically a few days before I took the car in, but it steadily got worse. I called the dealer and parked the car until my service appointment even though there were no warning lights on the car. After making the service appointment, I researched acadia transmission issues on the web, and found lots of complaints about the 35r wave plate. Turned out this was the source of my issue as well. Transmission had to be completely dis-assembled to clean out the debris. Totally unacceptable for a 5.5 year old car with less than 80k miles to need its transmission rebuilt. Given the number of complaints about the 35r wave plate, please open an investigation for a recall.
Transmission stopped working and wont let the vehicle move. This vehicle only has about 57,000 miles! By reading on the internet it seems I'm not the only one with this issue. Gm has not issued a recall on this yet.
Had a complaint with the transmission not downshifting adequately on 10-25-2010 and courtesy gmc reprogrammed it ... Under warranty. For about a week prior to 10-22-13 the car was not driving right with the shifting acting up so I brought it in and as I was in the process of getting my car to a service car center it would quit running, but I got it in the shop in time before it stopped for a third time. It acted up on highway 90 while doing 57mph and again at doing 45mph and when I slowed down to turn into the service center. The service center (dave's), after checking it out, brought it in to a-abal transmission for me since I was afraid to drive it in case it didn't make it. My transmission had to be completely rebuilt ($4205) at my expense (had multiple broken parts) since my warranty was up in march. Calls were made to gmc with no aid in helping me with this problem. Upon research I found out that the acadia's transmissions have been known to breakdown between 50,000-70,000 miles in cars purchased in the following years ... '07, '08 and '09 (a problem they knew about). The complaint list is long. I don't understand why gmc has not stood behind their product since it has placed consumers in dangerous situations (read multiple complaints).
Wave plate transmission failure 2 months after purchase and 5 months after warranty. So disgusted!!!
Gmc acadia, catastrophic engine failure, and steering system. 23 sept 2013, while driving my gmc acadia, and the vehicle shut off after a loud nose came from the engine, tuesday 24, 2013, SUV towed to private repair shop. After attempting to start the vehicle and checking the SUV out, I was told that they would not go further because they believe the vehicle needs a new engine, I call gmc and talked with [xxx] a problem specialist, arrangements for vehicle to be check out at ?hennessey gmc. Poc, [xxx], I have met with before in regards to a recall, and told him on multiple occasions that I heard some sounds coming from the engine, I was told they did not hear anything. 25 sept 2013 SUV left at shop, [xxx]would call me that day. I didn't hear from him, 1 oct 2013 I stop by hennessey, on the SUV's problem, spoke to [xxx], I stated that I been waiting for his call, they were still checking it out, but gmc only paying for one hour, to open up the engine, it may cost $500 to $ 600 dollars. I can not afford to purchase another vehicle. Army motor sergeant/ master mechanic, responsible for (aoap), army oil analysts program, this uses labs that analyze the oil pull from ?engines, transmissions, of vehicles such as gmc, ford, chrysler, and other manufactures. 3,000 miles or bi-annually vehicles I.e. Hummve. The military learn decades ago that vehicle manufactures will delivery vehicles with defected parts, such as engines, transmissions, that can be out of tolerance. The army started pulling oil samples, and sending them to the labs for test, for water, metal, and any other foreign matter, this help to identify issues in the engine before the ?warranties expired. So the suggested failure that manufactures placed on vehicles that covered their bottom line. $2,000 credit to purchase a new vehicle from them is a insult, I have this in writing. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
We bought vehicle from hendrick toyota on 6/15/2013. My wife began driving to work when it completely stopped in the middle of the road. She was frantic because of the busy street and thankfully, our kids were not in the vehicle. Car was towed to hendrick where it was determined that transmission failed. It was told to me that the wave plate in these vehicles was known to fail and after research and a technicians affirmation, apparently gmc never tempered this particular part and have known about the issue for quite some time. Again, after researching, I've seen countless complaints/issues of people with the same thing happening and that gm and their service and customer satisfaction departments quite simply explain it away as "well, there's nothing we can do" despite, what appears to be, clear evidence that this major power train problem has been completely ignored. Now, I'm looking at a bill of $3000+ (dealer cost) to repair and from what I've seen, others are having the vehicles fixed at least the $4000. I will do whatever I can to recoup any repair costs that this major issue has caused. It is beyond frustrating that I only had the vehicle for about 100 days and not even 3000 miles on it (after the 90 day/3000 mile warranty had expired) to only fork out thousands of dollars for an issue that a major automobile company should have recalled. I can tell you that through this experience, I will never purchase another gm vehicle again because of their incredible lack of consideration to make this right with all that have had this issue. I hope to hear from someone very soon in regards to this matter. It's unfortunate that many people have suffered a great financial loss because of a clear decision by gm to avoid correcting this powertrain problem. I appreciate your time and efforts.
I was driving during daylight hours on the highway and I pressed on the gas to accelerate because there was a slight incline on the route I was traveling. When I pressed on the gas pedal, there was no acceleration and I got nervous that it might be the alternator. However, I was still able to drive the vehicle although it did not want to pick up speed. I exited the highway and noticed that the vehicle was having difficulty shifting gears and was making what sounded like a whirring noise from under the hood. I drove the vehicle straight to my mechanic's shop. He was surprised to find out that it was the transmission as the vehicle is routinely serviced. It appears that the wave plate failed and there was debris inside the transmission.
Hundreds of complaints about the transmission problems I am complexed that there is no recall at this time. February 2012 my gmc lost power as I was driving. The car was towed to gmc and I was told something was wrong with the transmission (on top of all the other major problems I have had) this luckily was covered under the warranty. Fast forward one year later february 2013 transmission fluid leaking went to the dealer where they put in a dye to trace the leaks as they said they did not believe it was the transmission, they wanted to charge for this but agreed to do this for free. I was also told the transmission that they fixed was only covered for 12 months or 12,000 miles. At this point it was a lost cause dealing with the dealer as they were not covering any of their work and said these issues did not fall under warranty even though it was still under the 5 year/100,000 mile warranty period. After driving it for a while we noticed more fluid leaking from the car so my husband brought the car to gmc in early october 2013 to discuss the issue of the transmission, he was told the 5 years period ended 9/27/13. On october 15 I was driving on the high way and the check engine light came on and the car would not go faster than 40 MPH. I drove the car to my mechanic as gmc was clear this car was no longer warrantied. I am now told that my car is in need of a new transmission costing over $4,000. Calls into the dealer went unanswered for over a week and complaints to gmc corporate were useless. This is not normal wear and tear of a car and if you look at all the complaints made on the transmission of this car there needs to be a recall as this is a huge safety issue with transmissions failing more than once. If you look at the buick enclave and saturn outlook yas these "triplets" all have the same issues it is enough to justify a recall or class action law suit.
My acadia (which I just bought in march) began shifting harshly between the 3rd and 5th gears and my check engine light came on. The next day I took it to an auto repair shop where I had the codes read and was told I had a problem with the 35r waveplate and the transmission control module. I was told I would have to pay $600 just to have my transmission taken apart to diagnose the extent of the damage. I was told that a drum came apart causing "extensive damage" and that I would either need a complete transmission rebuild for $3600 or a brand new transmission for $4000. This car has less than 100,000 miles on it (although I know that is high for the year, a brand new transmission for a fairly new car is extreme). I was told by the mechanic that this is extremely common for the 08 acadias and it was not uncommon for this particular car to go through several transmissions before reaching the 100,000 mile mark. This is a joke. Gmc needs to recall the car and pay the costs of the many owners who are having to pay thousands of dollars to repair a part that should not have been put in the car in the first place!
Transmission failure - wave plate broken forcing vehicle to be stuck in one gear and fail in reverse, 3rd and 4th gears. Automatic transmission slips in reverse, 3rd and 4th. Multiple owners report same issues and recall is needed by gm on the acadia transmission.
My wife was driving her 2008 gmc acadia on the freeway when the transmission suddenly gave out and slipped out of gear. The vehicle would not accelerate. She was in the fast lane traveling 70 MPH in the fast lane. She had to fight through traffic to get over to the shoulder so she could pull off the freeway enough to avoid getting hit by other cars traveling the freeway. She then had to exit the vehicle with our children during high traffic time. Very unsafe situation for a vehicle with only 69k miles on it. This is a known issue with the 2007 and 2008 lambda platform vehicles. Gmc knows about the 3-5-r wave plate that was not heat treated during the building of these transmissions. Search the web or even forums for 3-5-r wave plate failure and see what comes up. I feel they should atleast extend the warranty if not recall this transmission before somebody gets hurt or killed when one goes out in traffic.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the transmission failed with the illumination of the transmission warning indicator. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnosis where the contact was informed that the transmission clutch plate would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred three months later. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, where the contact was awaiting the rebuilding of the transmission. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.
Driving gmc acadia to my sons baseball game and the car jerked forward, so I immediately slowed down. Continued to drive and the car basically would not get out of 1st gear. The RPM's kept going up and never came down and the car would not go over 40 MPH while the engine was gearing up. The transmission was completely shot. Took to the dealership to have repaired. Gmc has tons of 2007 and 2008 acadia's with the same problem and are forcing customers to pay for the repair. The wave plate was shot along with everything else in the transmission. On my bill they put n/c in all the parts and labor and then just plugged in an amount in a line item called " misc customer deductible" no one will explain the charge. Dealership told me the gmc calculates the charge and gmc told me to call the dealership. They are giving people a "discount" of some sort so they clearly know they have an issue but they should be footing the entire bill. My car is 30,000 miles under the warranty and 28 days over the 5 years and it cost me over $1,200 to fix it when they put in a defective part and they know it.
I was driving 45pmh and all of a sudden I didn't seem to have power so I pulled over and called my husband where he asked me my RPM and if I could manually shift, etc. I could manually shift and only had 2nd gear. I called and had it towed to the dealer where they charged me $4400 to replace the transmission due to faulty wave plate. No help from gm due to out of warranty because I've had it over 5 years.
2008 gmc acadia slt-2 with 42,300 miles; not yet 6 years old. "service stability control" and "service traction control" warnings received periodically. This week, transmission started to shift unevenly; not correctly upshifting/downshifting while driving at 30mph. Car now only operates in 1st gear. No higher gears, no reverse.....engine just revs. Car has complete service rec no longer safely drivable. Appears to be part of the known waveplate issue. Why no recall with the great number of similar acadias with the same problem over and over? Thanks for your attention.
While driving, the vehicle suddenly lost power and would not accelerate. The vehicle could only be driven 20 MPH. When the vehicle was taken to the dealer, the customer service manager immediately diagnosed the problem and said he had recenly seen several gmc acadia's with the same issue. He stated the problem is the wave plate inside the transmission which are faulty in several generations of gmc acadias. He further stated the wave plate could only be replace with another one that is also succeptable to failure. Upon repair of the problem, the dealer confirmed the transmission wave plate was cracked however said there was nothing they could do about it.
Vehicle has a delayed shift into 3rd and 5th gear, with a vibration felt in those gears. Found codes p0717 p0716 for input speed sensor on transmission. It is believed the vehicle has a broken 35r wave plate and need to tare down to inspect or replace transmission at only 63,000 miles. Extremely common problem on these vehicles (please refer to gmc acadia forums online everywhere for other victims).
Check engine light came on. Had onstar diagnose it and it came back as transmission codes. The transmission solenoid is clogged up, could be from contaminenents in the fluid or could be my clutch wave plate is coming apart like so many others have experienced. Out of warranty 5 months. Contacted gmc customer care, they were no help.
While accelerating at a light, the transmission started to jerk. Within 5 miles, could not drive faster than 30 MPH. Could not get into reverse. Appears that the transmission is totally shot. 57,000 miles and 5 years 10 months.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed and became hard turn when parking or when turning at low speeds. The failure was experienced numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who flushed the power steering lines. The failure was not corrected. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for further inspection. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,700 and the current mileage was 104,000. Updated 11/19/13*lj the consumer stated that the wave plate and timing chain were both replaced under warranty. The steering gear box pump was not covered under warranty. Updated 12/2/2013
The transmission failed climbing a hill with an approximate 10% incline. My wife was transporting two young children at the time at had to turn hazards on while the vehicle crept up a very heavily traveled roadway (us highway 31). This occurred after the transmission was repaired two weeks earlier for the same problem. At that time, I was informed by gmc that it was the input speed sensor. Turns out it is transmission failure, which I have since learned is very common with this model. After reading vast entries of many other acadia users with the same problem, I can't help but think that this is a design flaw. I mean, how many transmissions fail at 48,000 miles. I'm just glad my wife wasn't driving at night, on a long trip, or on the interstate, which would have left my children and her in a very vulnerable position. For the price of this vehicle, I would expect reliable usage up to at least 100,000 miles. In my opinion, because of reliability issues and the shear volume of people with the same problem, gmc should recall these vehicles and replace the transmissions with what they are now installing on the newer models. The fact that they have improved the transmissions on newer models proves there is a flaw with my model year. Why else would they correct it. Thanks for your consideration.
I've had my gmc acadia in for service on the transmission 3 times in the last 6 months: speed sensor, wave plate, now torque converter. Dealership responds they are completely independent, and that this is not an issue with this model. However, the failure of the transmission in these vehicles is prominent on gmc acadia forums. Why has gm not stepped up to own and fix this common issue?
I was driving and it just stopped shifting/going anywhere. The engine light came on. Then it started going again and then stopped again. I took it to the shop, and I was told it needed a total transmission overhaul/rebuild. A transmission should last longer than 80,000 miles. We paid good money for this vehicle and I would expect better performance. Gm needs to stand behind their vehicles.
Tramission is running hot (sends message to idle engine) then check engine light comes on and temp fluctuates up and down. Then car will not shift into gear it's like it's in neutral. About 50 miles later it starts all over.
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