My 2021 GMC Acadia that has 63,768 miles on it was idling Wednesday 9/30 when it died and would not start back we had to have it towed to a shop to get it checked out and it was throwing the P023F code for the fuel pump control module that has a recall bulletin for the same thing make model problem and under their 80,000 miles but recall not on my vin number and GM is refusing to pay for it. It's going to cost me 937.27 to get it fixed.
GMC Acadia won't start problems
104 of the 5,599 owner complaints about the GMC Acadia describe won't start, most of them for the 2008 model year.
- owner complaints
- 104
- worst model year
- 2008
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 80,000
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 17Stalling 16Fuel pump 12Loss of power 6Power steering loss 5Headlights 5Water leak 4Fuel gauge 4
Trouble codes mentioned
P0420 1P023F 1P0123 1P0017 1P0016 1P0008 1
What owners say
Coolant temperature sensor failed - it is still in the engine. the fan stays on high all the time. And the AC does not want to turn on. The car is extremely hot to drive in during the summer months. I have to transport persons who are seniors and in their mid 80s. It is not safe to drive this car in the summer. I can't tell if its over heating or what is happening. The coolant temperature gauge does not work. The dealer said my car is out of warranty and that the AC will not start until the sensor is replaced. I said that it has less than 50,000 miles. They will not help me. The vehicle has not been inspected anyone other than the service mechanic. The engine light start coming on about a month ago. I drove first to an autoparts store to see if they could help. this is the first time I learned that it could be a bad sensor.
My wife and child drove the car to the grocery store and parked the car l. When she returned to leave , the car would not start and flashed a warning with key fob not detected and some kind of security light warning. The instrument cluster told her to place the key in left console cup holder to crank the vehicle . This did not work either .I drove the second key fob to her to determine if it was a key fob issue and the 2 nd key did not work as well. Called dealership and service requested the car being towed. Tow truck didn’t feel comfortable with the removing the vehicle as it was sitting due to space in the parking lot. They dispatched a small tow truck , but in the meantime I disconnected the battery cable and waited about 15 min. The car cranked and I immediately drove it to dealership. There was no code shown at the dealership and this was the first time they have had dealt with this issue. The mechanic drove the car the next day and the same situation happened again , except this time the key fob worked after several failed attempts . I feel that this is a safety issue because the car failed to operate and had no manual ability to operate without the electronic system functioning properly and this could have happened anyway and stranded my wife and child . A few months before in an unrelated incident , the power trunk malfunctioned and had to be reprogrammed . It would not operate except manually . Car is currently at dealership still being evaluated .
The vehicle has experienced repeated electrical and engine-related malfunctions, including random engine shutdowns while driving and random no-start conditions. The thermostat and cooling system failed and were replaced in 2024. Multiple sensors have failed. The braking system remains noisy even after brake replacement. The lane detection safety system does not provide audible alerts. The vehicle is currently operational and available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle has randomly shut off while driving on both highways and city roads in Azle, Texas. This occurred while my two children were in the vehicle. When the engine shut off, there was a risk of losing power steering and braking assist, which could have caused an accident, especially at highway speeds and in traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The thermostat and cooling system failure were confirmed and repaired by a service center in 2024. Electrical and sensor issues have occurred repeatedly but have not been fully diagnosed or resolved. Brake noise persists despite replacement. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? UNKNOWN. The vehicle has been serviced by repair facilities, but the manufacturer has not provided a definitive diagnosis for the engine shutdown and electrical failures. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure? When did they first appear? Yes. Various warning lights and symptoms appeared prior to failures, including cooling system warnings and sensor alerts. Electrical issues and battery failures have occurred repeatedly, with batteries lasting only 2–3 years. Symptoms began after purchase and have continued throughout ownership. Additional details The brakes have been noisy even after replacement, and the lane detection system does not produce audible warni
The fuel pump control module failed, 2021Acadia Denali First time, 9/22/21 8073 miles, the car was parked at the residence under the car port, when needed, the car would not start. No check engine or other indicators. Car was towed to dealer for repairs under warranty. Second time, 10/6/23 31879 miles, we were driving the car on a rural road, 55 mph speed limit with no shoulders when the car stopped in a curve. Had to flag down cars to keep them from hitting us for an hour till the wrecker loader it on the truck to take back to same dealership for warranty repairs. Third time, 7/29/25 48199 miles, we were again on a rural road 55 mph speed limit when the car stopped with my 71 year old wife alone in the car, again in a curve. This time there was a check engine light. I drove my truck to pick her up and assist her until the wrecker came. This time with luck I was able to restart the car and I followed her to our home where the tow truck picked it up and brought it to the same dealership for the third time for repairs under warranty. All three times the culprit was the fuel pump control module. Each time it was the same code in the ECM. Each time the dealership said they did a full check on the fuel system, pump, etc. and only replaced the fuel pump control module.
About a month ago when I shifted my vehicle into park and shut the vehicle off, "Shift to Park" appeared on dash display for which I had to restart the vehicle, shift it into another gear and attempt to shutoff the vehicle again. Occasionally this would work but not all the time. Other times when shifting into other gears did not work I had to restart the vehicle, press the shifter button multiple times and then was able to shut the car off with no "Shift to Park" appearing. On 7/11/25, Arrived to work and had to performed the shifting the vehicle into another gear and was able to shut the vehicle off. When I went to leave for lunch, the car would not start at all, check the GM App and it stated "Critically Low Battery". A co-worker helped jump the battery and I was able to start the vehicle. When I went to leave work for the day, the vehicle would not start again with no notification as to why. My co-worker jumped the battery again and vehicle started now with all the system lights on dash staying on and warnings displayed. 7/12/25 Vehicle struggled to start and all system lights were still on. Later in the day, the vehicle would not start and all overhead, dash, display, taillights would not shut off. We jumped the battery and took the vehicle to our local dealer.
The Fuel Pump Control Module failed. It happened when the car was parked. The car would crank, but would not start. We were stranded far from where we live. It was hot and we had to be towed to a GM Dealership. This part could have failed on the hi-way with awful results. The Dealership verified the defective part. We have the old part as needed. Lots of lights flashed and went out. The Engine Light stayed on. The Gas Gauge was not reporting the correct amount of gas in the tank, but seemed to correct itself before the part failed..
This 2012 GMC Acadia denali with close to 160k has been in the shop several times due to it randomly stalling out It kept basically locking me out from starting the car a "service anti-theft system" would flash across the dash followed by a flashing check engine light along with a lock and key symbol. A local GM repair shop had it in 3 times for them to tell me they couldn't figure it out or get the vehicle to "act up" they cut me two new keys and tightened up what they claimed to be loose battery cables just for the vehicle to die/stall with a no crank no start happen literally 10 minutes down the road after paying almost 600$ for repairs and that it was towed back 3 times for the same issue spanning over two months of them not being able to figure out the issue. Salvador ended up replacing the anti-theft control module after the 3rd time having to tow it back and forth just to leave the shop and I couldn't start the vehicle the next day after handing over almost another 400$ and less than 15/20 miles of drive time. GM needs to get this issue figured out!!! There anti-theft system locks people out from starting their vehicles more than it does actually preventing actual theft. This will eventually end up causing a major crash at an intersection or highway if the anti-theft system keeps failing it just randomly cuts out power to the engine while driving.
I was driving along [XXX] . I stopped at Walmart and shopped for about 2 hours. I was Leaving Walmart and was stopped at a red light at the exit from Walmart [XXX] and traction control light comes on and a message came up and stated traction control off and to service stability control and the vehicle loses power right at the light. I checked everything I could and dis connect the battery for about 30 minutes and connected the battery back up vehicle still would not start. After sitting there for 3 hours the vehicle starts up. A week later the same thing happens again. I had to go through all the steps again so after a couple of hours. The vehicle started up. A few days later it happens shin but this time I'm at a stop sign on a busy road. I called Road side service for a tow. No one showed up so I went through Ll those same steps of disconnecting the battery and hooking it back up after a couple of hours and it stated up. I drove it home and started doing some research and found something saying to change the brake pedal position sensor so I done that and it worked for a few days and started doing the same thing all over again. S week later I drive it to the store and got almost home and the vehicle shut down again and would not start back up. I had it towed to my uncle shop Nd he done a diagnostic on it and got about 4 or 5 codes. All of those things are very expensive to purchase. I just ran the Vin to check for recalls on the vehicle but couldn't find any but it should have been a lot of recalls because there are so many of these vehicles the exact same model and year with trouble with stability control ND brake and traction control issues. All the issues they hD on this car thT I have should not have been sold to anyone except the manufacturer. I wish I could just get my money back that I paid for it. $4700.00 not included in the work I had done like the cv axles replace on both sides in the front. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While deiving in three lanes of traffic in rainy weather. The vehicle began to buck as though the engine was cutting on and off. No warming lights or abnormal noises preceded the event. The vehicle lost traction several times, but recovered. As quickly as it happened it stopped and normal driving resumed. It occurred 2 more times after approximately 1 mile of travel. I was able to limp the vehicle home, but once I shut it off it would not start again. I had it towed to the dealership and the service consultant informed me that it was the Fuel Pump Control Module that had failed and it was covered under warranty.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the GMC Acadia won't start
Which GMC Acadia years have won't start problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2008 (29 complaints), 2011 (9 complaints) and 2010 (7 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix won't start on the GMC Acadia?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 23 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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