2017 GMC Acadia: jerking or lurching

Filed Feb 4, 2026 · Driver assistance, Steering · OR

On [XXX] my 2017 Acadia Denali started driving poorly and a steering assist reduced message appeared. I had O'Reilly scan for error messages and they were: P0128 and P0826-00. The dealership confirmed that they would need to replace the thermostat. The Buick GMC Beaverton technician made a video of my vehicle: [XXX] My safety was put at risk due to the risk of my steering going out. My car intermittently was having trouble engaging in driving (it randomly acted like it was not firing, it was "jerking"), I heard my cooling fan come on immediately the next day when started my car to drive it to the GMC dealership. I feared that my car would just die going over a mountain pass without cell coverage. On [XXX] I had the same steering assist reduced message and then replaced my thermostat at 39,228 miles. I will need to replace this again, 37,638 miles later. The GMC service technician mentioned that this is a typical problem for my car, and I have discovered a 2022 Acadia recall for their thermostats. Please extend this recall to include the 2017 Acadia. The component was not inspected by the police or insurance rep (yet), but it was inspected by the GMC dealership and O'Reilly veri scan. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 24, 2025 · Transmission · 106,000 miles · MA

The contact's boyfriend owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked abnormally while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure; however, the mechanic stated that the failure was related to the transmission. The contact called two local dealers about the failure, and both stated that the vehicle could not be serviced in the near future. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

Filed Jan 29, 2025 · Transmission · MI

My transmission is burning on the inside with no warning or indication. Transmission fluid is black and burned. Experienced jerking and hesitation when gears are automatically shifting.

Filed Feb 1, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · 75,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and accelerating to 25 MPH, the vehicle jerked and downshifted, and decelerated to 17-18 MPH. The contact stated that the failure occurred several times while driving. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 5 MPH and attempting to come to a complete stop, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle shuddered and failed to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal harder, and the vehicle responded. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving, causing him to shift to neutral(N) while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the diagnostic test codes: P0010, P0016, P0018, and P0507 were retrieved. The mechanic determined that the engine and an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Two unknown dealers were notified of the failure and informed the contact the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Filed Jan 19, 2023 · Electrical, Lights · MI

1. Could not put car into park or turn off. Caused battery to be dead as it would not turn off when put into park. 2. Steering wheel locked and jerked repeatedly. Could not turn into parking spot. The steering wheel had a mind of its own and could not stop the jerk. It is dangerous and scary ! 3. At night, the headlights do not light the road. It is as though there are no lights at all. It is dangerous to not see the road at night because headlights do not give appropriate lighting.

Filed Dec 15, 2022 · Electrical, Steering · FL

My vehicle has serious issues that from my research seem to be a common problem/manufacturer defect experienced by other owners of this model. I believe the defect/issue is an electrical problem. While driving, the vehicle will often have problems using it's automatic transmission. It ranges from "rough" shifting (where the car jerks while shifting gears) to situation where the vehicle fails to shift gears completely leading to the RPMs shooting up. The cars power steering and traction control system also simultaneously fail. This leads to a dangerous situation when on highways etc This issue simultaneously causes all of the warning lights on the dashboard to light up while displaying the following messages on screen "Service stabilitrak" & "steering assist reduced -drive with care" & "service brake assist" & "service parking brake". The gauges also stop responding/reflecting accurate info when this happens. I have a video of what this all looks like. This has been on ongoing intermittent problem pretty much for the entire life of the vehicle. GMC informed me that they had never heard of this when I inquired about it a dealership but searching online makes it incredibly clear that this is an extremely widespread issue that they are aware of. I have also attached a file that has a list of all error codes detected by me for this vehicle.

Filed Mar 13, 2021 · Brakes · 39,000 miles · NM

This occurred while pulling into a parking space in the afternoon on march 12, 2021 at approximately 2:30pm.... Upon depressing the brake pedal the pedal went all the way down and the car lurched crashing into a light pole. Fortunately the light pole prevented me from hitting another car in the parking lot. My airbag deployed slamming into my chest and I managed to put the vehicle in park. There was extensive damage to my gmc acadia and aaa and my insurance were called and the car was towed to a collision shop as instructed by my insurance. I am presently awaiting calls from my insurance and the adjuster. This is saturday and nothing has happened yet. I'm very disappointed in the manner that the vehicle performed and I'm still having chest pains where the airbag hit me.

Filed Apr 18, 2019 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 35,596 miles · NC

Vehicle had multiple (more than 2) warning lights flashing on and off, while RPM and MPH needle would fluctuate simultaneously. This would happen while in the driveway and also while in motion. Vehicle would not accelerate with accelerator pedal fully pressed, especially on an incline. While this was occurring I had to exit the highway and turn around in an adjacent subdivision. I could not get out of the way of a car in the neighborhood because I was trying to go forward on the street due to a slight incline. It would also jerk into gear when moving from reverse and drive. Had this happened in a traffic intersection, it would have been deadly. This car is unsafe. After 6 months of being 'fixed' it has started happening again. The dealership has had the vehicle for a week this time without being able to fix it. The last time it was at the dealership for around 10 days.