2011 GMC Acadia: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Jul 28, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · TX · fire

On July 27 at 400 pm I arrived home and my daughter went to take out the trash and I heard her scream daddy the car is on fire. I rushed outside and flames were 6 ft tall I called 911. After putting the fire out he stated th car was running doors locked so they couldn’t open the hood

Filed Jan 31, 2020 · Engine · 125,000 miles · VA · fire · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc acadia. The contact stated that the front of the vehicle caught on fire as it tried to enter the interstate from a ramp. The contact and her passenger quickly exited the vehicle after she pulled off to the shoulder. The complete front of the vehicle was destroyed by the fire. A police report was filed and the contact was the only one transported to the emergency room and was given a cat scan. There were no other injuries .the contact had not spoken to the dealer or manufacturer since the incident occurred back in 10/2019. The contact just received her VIN from the insurance company since the fire destroyed all traces of the VIN on the vehicle. The insurance company did not total the vehicle since it only had liability coverage. The failure mileage was 125,000.

Filed Sep 18, 2018 · Electrical · 53,000 miles · IL

Wife complained the A/C suddenly stopped flowing from the dashboard vents while returning from a shopping trip. I started the engine and was switching the air flow direction from floor to dash when I started smelling smoke and saw smoke coming from the glove box area. I immediately turned the A/C off, removed the glove box, turned the A/C back on and saw smoke coming from an one of the A/C "actuators" up behind the glove box area. Removed actuator, was warm to the touch. Waiting for new replacement part t3983001.

Filed Mar 2, 2017 · Lights · 60,000 miles · MD · fire

Daytime running lights have overheated on both sides and have melted the plastic housing. The lights are extremely hot in a confined space and are in very close proximity to a flammable material. I noticed smoke coming out of the headlight and saw that it has melted the housing to the point where the bulb is now sitting directly on the melted plastic housing. These are the running lights....not the main headlights.

Filed Dec 27, 2016 · Engine, Transmission · 70,000 miles · VI

I was complaining about the performance of this vehicle to the dealer for the past three years. Now that the warranty is expired, I had to change the driveshaft, fell out while transporting passengers; transfer case, the transition from drive, the automatic shift would jerk; a passenger I had in the car told me one day I would not make it up a hill. One week later it happened. Transmission, the vehicle wouldn't move even when gas was applied; 6 coils and plugs, the bad smell of something burning was scary. I had to pull off the road because the reduce power light come on. Yesterday, 12/26/16, I went through this again!!! There is a rubbing sound in one of my wheels, don't know what that is yet. I also changed the axels and about to change the tie rods for a clunking noise while making turns on uneven surfaces. I made numerous complaints to gmc hq and the dealer here in the vi from 2013. The dealer changed parts that were irrelevant and told me it was fixed.

Filed Dec 10, 2014 · Visibility · 42,000 miles · CA

Hvac system failure for the second time in less than a year that lead to freon leaking into the passenger cabin of our 2011 gmc acadia that has less than 44,000 miles. It was making an extreme hissing sound, followed by a misty cloud of freon gas, and now lets off an acrid, plastic/electrical burning smell that fills the cabin followed by steam rising from the engine compartment and the vents in the car's hood. The car starts to smell like it is on fire, only we can't find the source since it is obscured by the dashboard. We have had to the dealer several times for the same issue, yet all they do is upgrade the software and recharge the freon unit. It eventually leaks and shoots out freon into the faces of the passengers, which is not safe! Now the burning smell has us concerned that we are driving a vehicle that is going to catch fire at anytime.we initially had gm and gmc repair this problem in october 2013, but the unit failed again exactly a year later in october 2014. There are dozens upon dozens of owners online that have well-documented cases with the same HVAC unit. Something needs to be done before the car catches fire, and heaven forbid, kills someone.

Filed Oct 17, 2014 · Lights · 71,039 miles · OH

I noticed headlight wasn't working and went to auto parts store to replace bulb. Attendant looked at it and said plastic assembly holding headlight bulb was melted and discolored as if the bulb was overheated.. We worried that it could have caught on fire so took it to sandoval gmc where we purchased the vehicle new. Left it to have replaced and they called and said the other headlamp assembly has melted as well. Both would need to be replaced to insure no danger of fire. The quote to replace $1,917.01 yes that's right one thousand nine hundred dollars and one cent. They said they would try to get a better price and they did. When we picked up the car they took an "insurance" discount off in the amount of $1,150.20. Still our cost of $824.32 was beyond belief. If this happened to two of two oem parts think how many are on the road. Do I hear "recall"?

Filed Jun 26, 2014 · Steering · 28,000 miles · OH

I was pulling out of my driveway when it felt like the power steering locked up. The car wouldn't turn in any direction. I applied more force to the steering wheel and immediately heard a grinding noise and saw white smoke coming from under the hood. I shut the car off and opened the hood to see the smoke coming from the front of the engine and it smelled horrible. I checked the power steering fluid and it was perfect. I started the car back up and the power steering came back, but now there's a whinning sound every time I turn. After research online, I found that thousands of others have had this same exact problem and that gm is going through a class action lawsuit over this issue because it's a huge safety concern for individuals inside the car. The class action lawsuit is case # [xxx] filed on 03/22/2013. Affected vehicles are as follows: 2009-2012 gmc acadia, 2009-2012 buick enclave, 2009-2012 chevrolet traverse. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Sep 24, 2013 · 34,000 miles · CA · 1 injury

Air conditioner/compressor has failed and the unit is leaking freon inside the car cabin when air conditioning or vents are open. There is also a hissing sound and exhaust coming from the compressor, which was proceeded by a burning smell when the unit initially failed. After doing some research, it appears that this is an on-going issue for people who own this particular make and model of car - there are dozens of people documenting this issue online, but gmc refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem. We contacted the dealer and were informed that not only would we have to pay for the exploration of the problem, which results in the costly removal of the dashboard, we would also need to pay to fix it even though there is less than 40,000 miles on the car and it is barely 2 years old. We have had to shut the vents and forgo using the ventilation when driving because the leaking freon causes passengers to become light-headed and develop a headache. When the weather is hot, you nearly suffer from heat exhaustion while driving. Additionally, the heating has also failed at this point, rendering the system useless.

Filed Oct 17, 2012 · Body · 32,000 miles · OH · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc acadia. The contact stated that after having the windshield replaced, she noticed a burning smell being emitted from an unknown source. It was later discovered that the luggage rack was allowing water to enter the vehicle which reached the electronics through the rear view mirror. As a result, all of the electrical components that were connected to the rear view mirror, including the onstar system and the radio, failed to function correctly. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages were 32,000. The VIN was not available.