I am reporting three safety-related incidents involving a 2023 GMC Acadia SLE purchased XXX. 1. XXX – Washer Pump: Since purchase, the windshield washer pump activated but no fluid sprayed. The issue was reported at purchase. During repairs on December 5, we were told the pump had smoked and nearly caught fire. Warranty records list a washer pump repair costing $474.81. 2. XXX – Severe Shaking and Loss of Power: The vehicle developed severe shaking, reduced power, and a flashing check-engine light. It could only travel about 25 mph and had to be towed to a dealership. Warranty records list a camshaft position actuator repair costing $516.36. 3. XXX – Unexpected Shutdown: While driving toward [XXX], the vehicle shut off without warning at a traffic light. Multiple warning lights illuminated, and the emergency parking brake activated. The driver disengaged the brake and moved the vehicle to a nearby parking lot. These separate incidents raise serious concerns about the vehicle's safety and reliability, including potential fire risk, loss of power, and unexpected shutdown while driving. The vehicle had approximately 47,490 miles at purchase and now has approximately 79,000 miles. I request that the federal safety agency document these incidents and determine whether they indicate a potential safety defect or warrant further investigation. Complete diagnostic reports and repair orders are not currently available. I can provide additional information if needed. The repeated failures create concerns about the vehicle's ability to operate safely and reliably. An unexpected shutdown in traffic could cause a collision or leave the vehicle in a dangerous position. I request that these incidents be considered together when evaluating whether further investigation is warranted.These incidents occurred on separate dates and involved different vehicle systems. I am concerned that additional failures could occur without warning. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
GMC Acadia fire or smoke problems
60 of the 5,598 owner complaints about the GMC Acadia describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2008 model year.
- owner complaints
- 60
- worst model year
- 2008
- typical mileage
- 70,000
By model year
Often reported together
Overheating 4Headlights 4Check engine light 4Wipers 2Warning lights 2Misfire 2Loss of power 2Jerking 2
What owners say
The contact owns a 2010 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact became aware of white smoke coming from the vents. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact and minor children exited the vehicle. The contact stated that while exiting the vehicle, there was fire coming from underneath the hood. The Fire truck arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle had liability coverage, and the insurance company declined to inspect the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was a total loss. The failure had occurred while the contact's minor children were seated in the rear seat of the vehicle. The contact and the children sustained smoke-related injuries. The contact and the children later received medical treatment for the smoke-related injuries. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The manufacturer declined to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.
Without warning transmission overheated, blew out fluid and caught the front end of the vehicle on fire
The warning steering assist reduced, drive with caution appears. Shift to park appears. Temperature gauge drops to zero. Fan runs on high. A/C & heater don’t not work when this happens. We certainly do not feel safe driving our Acadia like this. Can’t trust that it won’t start on fire.
Front left brake was locking up. Happened 1st a couple months ago. Happened again recently and was towed to dealership. Burning smell from brake and hot in wheel area. Left front brake caliper was locked, pads overheated, rotor warped. Replaced front left caliper, front left brake hose, front pads, and front left rotor. Road tested, brakes operate properly. Brake life on monitor shows 18%, brake pads are at 8mm Out of calibration, reprogrammed brake system control module and performed brake percent calibration per bulletin #25-NA-282. Warranty code is 28YZ314171448.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate while attempting to shift gears. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked and made an abnormal sound, with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated there was black and white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission, cooling system, and fuel system failures. The dealer also determined that the engine was leaking oil. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle required several repairs. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 126,000.
Got onto the interstate and suddenly my car stopped but didn’t kill. My traction control light said off and then it said reduced engine power and my fuel went down to E. I couldn’t go but my car was still running. I killed it then waited a minute and started it again and it started moving slowly. Then it said service stabliltrak and traction system but since the light have went off. Around the same time I started hearing popping and crackling sounds from my speaker and now I have no interior sound at all just popping sounds no matter if my car is started or not. I’m scared it’s going to catch on fire or something
The contact owned a 2010 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, white and black smoke had leaked into the interior cabin through the air vents. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had caught on fire under the hood. The contact pulled over to the side of the road when the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The local fire department arrived on scene and extinguished the fire. The source of the fire was unidentified. A police report was filed. The contact sought medical attention for smoke inhalation. The vehicle was towed to a local tow lot via the insurance provider. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The local dealer was not contacted. In addition, the contact related the failure to an unknown the federal safety agency Campaign that was previously repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Drivers side door caught on fire overnight. Burned up the interior of the vehicle and smoldered out. Windows were up, car was completely closed and locked. Still starts and drives. Door, seat, steering, ceiling , visor all burnt and melted to some degree. Seems to have been electrical.
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, she noticed that the engine caught on fire with no warning light illuminated. The fire was put out by the Chicago Fire Department and after the vehicle was inspected the cause of the fire was determined as a failure with the electrical system. A police report was filed with the Chicago Police Department and a report was provided. No injuries occurred and no medical attention was needed. The vehicle was not towed. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Related recalls
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.
- Risk
- If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), and 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GMs number for this recall is 14515.
Recall number 14V614000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured March 26, 2013, through August 15, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the engine control module (ECM) software may cause the fuel gauge to read inaccurately.
- Risk
- An inaccurate fuel gauge may result in the vehicle unexpectedly running out of fuel and stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM to correct the fuel gauge reading, free of charge. The recall began on June 27, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑521‑7300 (Buick), 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), and 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14007.
Recall number 14V223000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.
- Risk
- It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 10V240000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.
- Risk
- This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080; cadillac at 1‑800‑982‑2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9436; or hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493; or through their website at http://www.gmownercenter.com .
Recall number 08V441000 · Recall details
Questions about the GMC Acadia fire or smoke
Which GMC Acadia years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2008 (10 complaints), 2011 (10 complaints) and 2007 (7 complaints).
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