My 2023 GMC Acadia has a toe link issue in the rear suspension. This is according to the GMC Service Department in Marquette MI. Is this a possible safety issue, I really don't know. It does make a horrible clunking sound when I steer sharply which vibrates the car. So I definitely believe this does affect the steering. No question I will have to get this fixed ASAP.
GMC Acadia harsh shifting problems
50 of the 5,599 owner complaints about the GMC Acadia describe harsh or hard shifting, most of them for the 2008 model year.
- owner complaints
- 50
- worst model year
- 2008
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,500
- typical mileage
- 68,270
Is there a fix? There are 6 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Slipping 6Check engine light 6Stalling 5Jerking 5Transmission failure 4Grinding brakes 3Won't shift 2Power steering loss 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P2097 1P0717 1P0716 1
What owners say
My 2019 GMC Acadia suffered a "major trans fluid leak" specifically from the transmission accumulator feed pipe. Because of this leak, the transmission lost its necessary hydraulic pressure, leading to "internal damage". This is why I experienced harsh shifts and a complete "missing 3rd gear". This exact part and failure mode are the center of the federal safety agency Recall 20V668. The recall warns that missing bolts on the accumulator can cause a fluid leak, progressing to a total loss of propulsion—which is exactly what has happened to my vehicle.
The vehicle experiences a transmission/drivetrain defect involving delayed gear engagement, hesitation, and apparent slipping. When accelerating from a complete stop (especially onto an incline) the engine RPM increases but the vehicle fails to accelerate as expected. The vehicle jerks and shakes violently and is unable to gain speed. This issue is intermittent but highly repeatable and occurs almost every time when there is a slope immediately after a stop sign. It results in loss of acceleration, violent shaking, and inability to maintain or build speed, creating a serious safety risk in traffic. It first happened around 1 year (early 2026) after the new car purchase (Nov 2025). There are no warning lights or messages. The dealer claimed they were unable to reproduce the issue during a brief test drive without me present and incorrectly attributed it to a bulletin without performing a detailed diagnosis or repair or looking at the video we recorded on the issue. The issue persists and affects safe operation of the vehicle. No inspection has been done by police or insurance. In one instance, this occurred while other vehicles were approaching from behind, creating a dangerous situation where I could not accelerate to match traffic flow. This resulted in a high risk of being rear-ended due to the unexpected loss of acceleration. I am aware of other consumer reports describing similar transmission-related symptoms such as slipping, hard shifting, and hesitation in this model. Some complaints describe transmission issues occurring at low mileage without warning lights.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly lost motive power before slamming into gear. Additionally, the vehicle vibrated abnormally while changing gear. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
My 2023 GMC Acadia consistently makes a sound at lower speeds when it is changing gears. For example, accelerating or accelerating for stoplights. The sound is kind of a ka clunk. The technician can find nothing and does hear the sound when we go for a test ride. I am worried that the sound indicates a transmission problem. The VIN search does not show a recall for my vehicle.
The transmission keeps slipping, clunking, and not shifting correctly. Not shifting or down shifting correctly up and down hold or at stops. My husband is a trained mechanic and has confirmed through his place of employment that the transmission is failing. It hasn’t no yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance. No warning lamps, but the transmission temp rises to 270F+ In regards to the next question.. the issue is ongoing.
I have had multiple sensor issues with my Acadia since reaching 60000 miles. Currently, there is a thermostat sensor causing hard shifting, No cold air blowing from the AC, stabilitrack, traction control, steering assist reduced and fan running after turning off. I would not report it but I am in a facebook group where MULTIPLE people are reporting having the same issue in their Acadia's.
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. There was a squeaking and squealing sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.
Car has delayed shifting, and jolting when switching gears. Transmission temp gets up to 270 degree while driving
I've had the engine stall before coming to a complete stop on several occasions. It also has been shifting hard and has had a delayed shift. The other day all of the lights to to screen and speedometer completely went out while driving then randomly came back on. That's the only speedometer I have is the digital screen.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2023 Cadillac XT6, GMC Acadia, Chevrolet Blazer, Traverse, and 2022-2023 Cadillac XT5 vehicles. The transmission may have been built with an incorrect sun gear, which can result in the driver-side half-shaft disengaging from the transmission.
- Risk
- A half-shaft disengaging from the transmission can result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is placed in park. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the sun gears, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2023. The remedy is expected to become available August 31, 2023. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GMC's number for this recall is N222389310.
Recall number 23V172000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2023 Cadillac XT5 and GMC Acadia vehicles. The right-front half-shaft assemblies may be improperly connected to the transmission, causing them to separate.
- Risk
- Separation between the half-shaft and transmission can result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is placed in park. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the right-front half-shaft assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 17, 2023. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006 or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is N222393410.
Recall number 23V043000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
- Risk
- Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1‑888‑988‑7267, Buick Customer service at 1‑866‑608‑8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
Recall number 20V668000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles and 2017-2018 GMC Acadia vehicles. The right front intermediate driveshaft may fracture and separate while driving.
- Risk
- If the front right intermediate drive shaft assembly separates while driving, the vehicle will lose propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. If the assembly separates while parked on a grade, without the park brake engaged, the vehicle may move unintentionally, increasing the risk of a vehicle roll-away.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right front intermediate drive shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2017. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is 17329.
Recall number 17V516000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Regal, LaCrosse, Verano, and Enclave, and Chevrolet Impala, Malibu, Cruze, and Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjuster may disengage from the transmission shift lever. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." They also fail to conform to FMVSS number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
- Risk
- If a vehicle's shift cable disengages from the transmission shift lever, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the driver may be able to shift the lever to the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
- Remedy
- General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace any affected transmission shift cable adjusters, free of charge. The recall began on April 10, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑222‑1020, Buick owners at 1‑800‑521‑7300, and GMC owners at 1‑800‑462‑8782. General Motors' number associated with this recall is 14048.
Recall number 14V092000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 buick enclave, chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, gmc acadia, pontiac g5, g6 and saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".
- Risk
- The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before march 24, 2009. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668 and saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 09V073000 · Recall details
Questions about the GMC Acadia harsh shifting
Which GMC Acadia years have harsh or hard shifting problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2008 (13 complaints), 2014 (6 complaints) and 2007 (5 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix harsh or hard shifting on the GMC Acadia?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,500 (median of 7 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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