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2008 Gmc Acadia

The Verdict

5 Total Klunk

The 2008 Gmc Acadia has 856 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are electrical (249 complaints) and transmission (235 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 5/100, it earns a "Total Klunk" rating. If you're shopping for a Gmc Acadia, consider the 2023 model year which has 95% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2023 has 95% fewer complaints

View the 2023 Gmc Acadia dashboard →

5

Klunk Score: Total Klunk

Among the most complained-about vehicle years on record. Strongly consider alternatives.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
2007111410065151
200819921249152235
20091282658354
20101594628637
20111087826419
20121325715834
2013291612521
20146562387129
20157141192419
20165041101317
20171663120171212
2018119156838147
201988117556140
2020255223311
20213018305313
20221419183
2023928127
20241321794
20251135552

By Category

Electrical
249
Transmission
235
Body
199
Engine
152
Brakes
21

By Severity

1
376
2
432
3
13
4
35

Worst Problems

Complaints

Electrical 2

Lifegate wont open all the way airbag light is on and truck shimmering when I drive it

2mo ago
Engine 1

The car would not shift causing me to pull over on the side of a highway to restart the car this happened 5 times in a row b4 the car would shift into proper gear

4mo ago
Electrical 2

Lift gate closes by itself I have to put a pole to hold it up and it won’t hit me, it says the air bags needs to be serviced, stabilitrak keeps going off, ball bearing needs work. Radio won’t turn on no sound on air signals, the body chasis something popped while driving, the tracking control keeps turning off, the seats move while driving, catalytic converter are moving car only go 12 mpg.

13mo ago
Engine 2

The traction control turns on and then the shifts don’t work and I can’t drive since there is no speed also the rpm and the gas the speed and the battery gages start flickering up and down then I turn off the truck and it continues to work fine but after 40 miles or so it does it all again

21mo ago
Transmission 1

Transmissions will not shift out of 1st gear. And puts out a 752 code. This can happen at anytime. Vehicle will suddenly lose power at any time.

26mo ago
Electrical 4

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while her daughter-in-law was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made a popping sound, and then the fuse box near the passenger's side headlight caught fire. No warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter-in-law was able to exit the vehicle. There were no injuries, and medical attention was not received. Bystanders called the police and fire departments. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. Police and fire department reports were filed. The fire chief informed the contact that the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction. The vehicle was towed to the residence and had not yet been deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

26mo ago
Electrical 2

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the battery had previously been replaced; however, the battery failed to retain a charge. The contact had to recharge the battery every day to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that water had leaked from the windshield and cowl to behind the glovebox, causing the battery to fail; however, no repair was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

29mo ago
Engine 4

Deer hit me on the highway at 2am on December 26th. No air bags deployed.

30mo ago
Body 1

UNKNOWN 2008 GMC ACADIA back lift starts to open and then shuts right back down. try to raise it manually and it falls right back down. It can really hurt someone. would like to know what causes it to do that and if there is a recall.

32mo ago
Engine 2

Check engine light came on for the TCM. Car has had issues shifting (very rough shifting) and the manual shift option does not work. Was told the TCM had to be replaced. Attempt was made to replace it with a refurbished TCM but that couldn't be programmed to the car. Was then told I would have to buy a brand new one, which is very expensive, and that there was no guarantee that would fix the problem. Car can not be driven over 20mph without risking burning up the transmission. Car also jerks forward very hard when trying to gently accelerate.

36mo ago
Body 1

Airbag light on 24/7, ABS malfunction traction control system turns off randomly, wiper blade fluid not spraying (front, rear) engine misfire on idle, clear/white smoke from hood and burning smell.

37mo ago
Engine 4

The contact owned a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, a grayish-colored smoke as well as an abnormal sound emit from the engine without warning. The contact pulled over and exited the vehicle as the vehicle was quickly engulfed in flames. The contact called the fire department and they extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed(#23-046145) and no injuries were reported. The contact stated that the highway barrier was damaged as a result of the fire. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

37mo ago
Engine 1

Started losing power and had problems cranking. Now won't cranking at all. P0123 error code.

37mo ago
Engine 2

Head gaskets and engine default and ground wire system defaulted.

43mo ago
Engine 1

Turned key to start,it did not.mechanic said timing chain failed.

44mo ago
Brakes 2

The air bags light came on with no reason truck never being in a crash, the abs and the off road light is on too, the break lights are on while you don't step on the pedal and they go off when you step on it...

44mo ago
Electrical 2

Passenger Airbag warning light has been showing on my dash since I purchased the vehicle in October of 2021. I brought the vehicle to an auto repair shop to have it checked, and was told that the airbags would malfunction if I were to get into an accident that called for them to deploy.

45mo ago
Body 1

Liftgate Malfunction: When rear liftgate is manually opened on vehicle, it continues to make a noise after it is completely opened. This noise sounds as though the liftgate is still in the process of opening. There is also an issue when closing the liftgate. Although it is properly closed, it will show a warning sign moments later in the car saying it is opened. When the car is put back in park to check, the liftgate is closed, but the latch has released. So the liftgate is able to be opened without pressing the button to open it. Sometimes it can take a few times of closing the liftgate for it to stay latched and properly closed. The automatic opening function of the liftgate does not work as well.

45mo ago
Body 2

Warning message appears on dash showing windshield wiper fluid is low/empty when it doesn't need it. This warning message remains lit even when the fluid has just been refilled.

45mo ago
Electrical 4

It was in a front end Collision the airbags didn’t deploy my insurance said they totaled the car out due to needing a lot of money to fix it and I contacted gm about it they said there was no recalls and no repairs were don’t to it

47mo ago

856 total

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