2008 GMC Acadia: complete transmission failure

Filed Sep 19, 2020 · 210,000 miles · KY

I was driving the vehicle when all of a sudden it would not go into 2nd or another gear. The transmission was not shifting. I love the acadia but the transmission seems to be an ongoing issue with this make and model. It definitely is a safety hazard. It left me stranded on the side of the road. Luckily I had a place to pull over. Was told the transmission needs to be replaced. This is an outrageous cost for something that gmc knows about.

Filed Dec 3, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 110,000 miles · CA · crash

Transmission failed, transmission slipped out of gear, transmission stuck in first gear, gm approved a 2013 safety recall for this vehicle, the transmission failed in 2017, the transmission was repaired and the entire engine has been replaced twice. The transmission is failing again because it is a product defect that is dangerous. Gm has refused to repair or replace the vehicle and the autonation has refused to repair or replace the vehicle. Gm and autonation have sold a dangerous used car with a fraudulent intent. Gm and autonation have ratified the intentional fraud. The car needs to be replaced immediately because it is still dangerous to drive and the transmission is currently failing again.

Filed Jul 7, 2019 · Transmission · 85,000 miles · VA

Transmission failure at 85,000 miles. At highway speed the vehicle suddenly races the motor and suddenly slows to about 30 MPH, risk of rear end crash. The dealer thinks its the '' 35r wave plate''. This was reported to the dealer when it was in for the steering pump recall [ after it LED to a crash]' there was a gm extended warranty on the transmission at that time as then knew it was a problem. They said that time that they '' couldn't replicate the transmission problem it '' at a single test drive. Now that it has completely failed they say the extended warranty has expired time wise and they will not repair it. Despite knowing it is a safety problem freq. To this model year., [ in motion, driving in a straight line]

Filed Jul 24, 2018 · Transmission · 85,500 miles · MI

My vehicle has 85,500 miles on engline and transmission. I bought the vehicle when it had 36,000 miles on it. I have never pulled anything behind my vehicle that would put strain on the transmission. I took it to the mechanic and found out I needed a new transmission. The vehicle would stay in 1st gear and would not shift to a higher gear.

Filed Jan 23, 2018 · Engine, Fuel system · 83,000 miles · IN

Bought vehicle with only 23k miles on it, transmission started acting up within 6 months of driving it, taken to a dealer, said nothing wrong, another year later got worse, took it in to a different dealer, nothing wrong, 6 months later took it in before going on vacation, nothing wrong, but had problems while on vacation, 6 months later, 1,500 miles away from home on vacation, driving down a 75 mile an hour speed limit divided highway, transmission went out with no warning, no dash warning, took in to a transmission dealer (since we couldn't get into a dealer) and said we wouldn't make it home the way it was. 5 grand later and a mess of a vacation later we were on our way home. Less than 3 months later, tighten gas cap light on dash, check tire pressure light on and check engine light on. Found out online that this model and make and year had numerous issues with transmission, don't understand how there was no recall and how gm got away with it. Oh, and we were under extended warranty in the beginning where they said nothing wrong, and as soon as warranty was expired, boom! Transmission had to be fixed! Transmission dealer said the damage was from a cheap 15.00 part that caused us to have to spend 5 grand while on vacation. We have all shop paperwork showing the paper trail what we tried to get fixed.

Filed Dec 22, 2017 · Transmission · 124,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. While driving 40-45 MPH, the engine would not switch gears. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off and restarted the engine, and was able to drive the vehicle to the contact's residence. The contact experienced the same failure 18 months ago. The vehicle was taken to todd wenzel buick gmc (614 n state rd, davison, mi 48423) where it was diagnosed that a new transmission control module was needed. The manufacturer was contacted at 1‑800‑462‑8782 and did not assist. There were no recalls associated with the vehicle. The failure mileage was 124,000.

Filed Oct 18, 2017 · Acceleration, Engine · 100,000 miles · LA

Transmission problem I am being told...no warning signs! Stopped at a red light and went to accelerate and acadia would not go faster than 25 MPH! Now I am being told I need a new transmission at 95000 miles gmc is a joke! Will never own another one!

Filed Jul 25, 2017 · Engine · 155,000 miles · WI

Timing chain was replaced about 3,000 miles ago. Check engine light appeared just minutes before exiting onto the highway. I accelerated to a maximum of 45mph before the engine started to "putt" and then I thought the transmission went out on the vehicle, the RPM skyrocketed, I slowed the vehicle down to pull over and it started smoking / steaming and oil and water were spewing out all over the vehicle. I thought it was on fire. Several passers-by noticed and called police reporting that my vehicle was on fire, I called a tow truck. Got a ride to work. Towed to the dealer / service center who replaced timing chain. They said the engine is shot. 2 pistons fell out. Class action lawsuit needs to occur on this vehicle. It is a pile of junk to fix and extremely unsafe. Timing chain and transmission problems. Engine problems. Unrecalled, defective timing chains in these gmc acadia's cause catastrophic permanent unsafe engine damage. Gmc will not recall unless they are forced to, due to the cost of replacing the entire engine after the timing chain failures. I thought the vehicle was going to explode when I pulled over when the engine failed; I jumped out and backed away to a safe distance. Scariest driving moment I've ever experience. A class action needs to occur in order for them to do something about this once and for all.

Filed Jul 19, 2017 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · CA

I bought the gmc acadia used in 2014. It had about 80k miles on it, from a dealership. They assured me it has been inspected and I had an extended warranty on it. The transmission went out with my 5 children in the car on the freeway. I'm a special ed teacher and drive only 5 miles from my home and occasionally to los angeles to visit relatives. After 3 weeks of having the car, the transmission went out. I was horrified!!! The warranty covered the majority of the parts. But they charged almost $4000 for a transmission that they told me would be new, I found out later that it was rebuilt with new parts. Fast forward to 3 years later, the water pump, the fuel pump, the axle and the transmission and computer has went out again. Another almost $4000, this time it has to come out of my pocket as the warranty is expired. It is bleeding me dry. I have the car serviced regularly and keep all of my service records, this makes absolutely no sense. As a parent of 5 children, (2 special needs), I was excited about my purchase, now I wish I would've never done it. --

Filed Jul 7, 2017 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 160,000 miles · OH

What's not wrong with this car?? I bought it used with an extended warranty. After a year everything went downhill. It has been in and out the gmc service at lease 3 times a year. I don't even know where to start. The airbag light is on but it isn't covered under the airbag recall. What about safety? There has been a check stability trac and traction lights on as well on several occasions. When those lights come on the vehicle decelerated while driving across the kentucky bridge which almost caused a 12 car pile up. In addition, it also skips gears. When trying to speed up it jerks into the next gear like a hiccup. The dealership stated these problems were electric and wear covered under my extended warranty. I suggested that maybe the transmission was bad. However, they stated otherwise. Literally, 4 months later the transmission is out. But what a surprise no longer under warranty. Now I'm looking at a $5,000 bill. The service department stated that it is transmission failure due to an electric issue (out of my control). There is nothing that I could have done to prevent it from happening. But after talking to gm they, basically explained that they don't stand by their product after 100,000 and that they can't prove that the issues are actually manufacturers defect. I strongly disagree as there are hundreds of people experiencing the same hardships as me with the 2008 vehicle. On [xxx], for gmc acadia, 2008 is the worst year with the most complaints for transmission failure. How aren't these already recalled by now? They are nothing but junk! Not work anything. Even a gmc service rep. Said these were the worse year and get them in the shop all the time. Why won't gmc just isssue a recall and take them off the market. I have all the proof of regular maintenance and service receipts. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Jun 2, 2017 · Steering · 119,100 miles · WI

I am experiencing steer loss when at low speeds which involve turning street corners, pulling and out of parking lot spaces and any other time a 90 degree turn is required (most often in any city travel). The steering becomes so tight in these circumstances that wider turns are required when steering wheel won't engage to assist. At street corners, this means wider turns where attention to oncoming traffic is dangerous. In parking lots, the ability to pull into a space is impossible without 3-4 point turns to move forward and backwards. This too can block oncoming vehicles and most importantly, avoid contact with those parked in the adjacent spaces. The wheel can be impossible to turn and freeze on you when you are not applying the gas and you don't want to apply the gas when your turn is already too wide for a street corner turn and traffic is coming your way or you are trying to avoid parked cars next you when pulling in or out of parking spaces. Both straight on parking and vertical parking is nearly impossible to maneuver in. My vehicle has 119,200 miles. I noticed my steering getting stiffer on rare occasions at 88,000 miles but I was always able to make my turns properly. I do a lot of highway travel now so my miles have added up quickly in the last year and a half. This is not the first major problem with this vehicle. My first was at 67,000 when the entire transmission went out. Prior to that, the entire back axle had to be replaced (under warranty). Since then, the throttle body at 84,000 miles. Recalls of several gm vehicles have been made for the power steering and the rack and pinion but the 2008 acadia is not listed. These steering issues are not "one-off" situations per vehicle but rather entire populations of owners of this vehicle with a common problem - power steering not working properly at several intervals of mileage on the vehicle!

Filed Apr 20, 2017 · Transmission · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to shift correctly and a knocking/grinding noise was heard coming from the transmission. The dealer was not aware of any transmission failures. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the wave plate failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Five days later, the manufacturer issued a recall for the transmission wave plate. Two years later, the wave plate failed again and the vehicle failed to shift into reverse, third gear, and fifth gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and instructed the contact to seek reimbursement; however, the manufacturer denied the claim, stating that the contact exceeded the vehicle/age stipulations for the recall repair/reimbursement. The vehicle was included in a recall, but the details were not provided. The failure mileage was unknown.