2020 GMC Acadia Owner Complaints

TWO DAYS AFTER PURCHASING A NEW 2020 GMC ACADIA I GET AN ERROR ON THE DISPLAY "SD CARD REMOVED" ALONG WITH VARIOUS OTHER ERROR MESSAGES. DEALER TALKS TO GMC TECH LINE AND THEY ADVISE TO REPLACE RADIO. RADIO WAS REPLACED AND ERRORS BEGAN SAME DAY I PICKED IT UP. DEALER IS REPLACING RADIO AGAIN, BUT UNSURE IF THIS WILL FIX THE ISSUE. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT WORK AS INTENDED AS WHEN YOU PRESS THE NAV BUTTON VARIOUS ERROR MESSAGES POP UP AND NAVIGATION DOES NOT WORK.

11/26/2019

WHILE IN MOTION- BLIND SPOT SENSORS TURN ON WHEN THEY SHOULD NOT AND VICE VERSA. TRACTION CONTROL HAS FAILED MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE DRIVING. PREDICTIVE BRAKING HAS ACTIVATED IMPROPERLY MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE DRIVING. CAMERAS WENT OUT AND THEN BATTERY COMPLETELY DIED. WAS TOLD FIXING BATTERY WOULD FIX VEHICLE. THIS HAS PROVEN TO BE UNTRUE. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN FOR SERVICE FOR THIRD TIME. REMAINS UNDER WARRANTY, AS I HAVE HAD IT THREE MONTHS. MOST RECENT DATE HAS BEEN USED BUT I'VE HAD PROBLEMS SINCE LITERALLY THE FIRST FULL DAY I HAVE HAD IT.

8/7/2020

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS ALREADY IN MOTION, IT AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTS OUT OF DRIVE AND I AM LEFT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD UNABLE TO ACCELERATE FOR A FEW SECONDS UNTIL THE VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTS BACK TO DRIVE. THIS HAPPENS AFTER PULLING OUT OF MY GRAVEL DRIVEWAY WHICH IS A SLIGHT INCLINE, AND ONTO A HIGHWAY. THE CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. *TR

5/14/2020

2020 GMC ACADIA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO LOSS OF POWER AT LOW SPEEDS AND JERKING WITH BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. *LD *JS

12/2/2020

I noticed for months it was downshifting hard but transmission department was backed up I scheduled in September for an appointment October 26 and that morning I received a call to reschedule because they were still behind and had another appointment for November 10th. The morning of the incident 1st it did not want to start it would only turn over. When it started the check engine light was on (I called service he asked if I could drive it and told me to bring it in). Within 10 miles of driving, the car started to slow down. When I pressed the gas the RPMs would go up but the car would not accelerate. I was on the interstate so I started to coast to the side. When I got to the other side of the rumble tracks the fuel gauge warning came on saying no fuel (even though I had half a tank which was verified through the service department) and the car came to an abrupt stop. Had I not gotten over when I did the car would have stopped on the highway. I tried to turn it on to move it farther off the road and it would not. It started to just turned over like it did when I originally tried that morning (all over the occurrences happened while I was on the phone with Adrienne who i contacted through the gm help line).

11/8/2021

AUTO STOP enabled while stopped at a stop sign on an uphill incline, there is enough of a delay on restart that it lurches and jerks upon restart, cant be good for transmission and passengers. very much a nusiance.

3/22/2022

PURCHASED NEW 2020 GMC ACADIA DENALI IN DEC 2019. VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH SEVERAL DEALER ACCESSORIES INCLUDE ROOF RAIL CROSS-BEAMS. THESE WERE NOT IN STOCK AT TIME OF PURCHASE AND RETURNED AFTER 1 WEEK TO INSTALL. AFTER PICKING UP THE VEHICLE ON MY DRIVE HOME, I HEARD A WHISTLING/HUMMING NOISE COMING FROM THE EXTERIOR AT ABOUT 30 MPH. AS I ENTERED THE HIGHWAY AND TRAVELING AT 65 MPH, THE NOISE WAS DEAFENING AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT HANDLE VERY WELL, VIBRATION IN THE STEERING. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND DETERMINED THE NOISE WAS FROM THE ROOF RAIL CROSS-BEAMS. SERVICE TEAM THAT THERE COULD BE SOME NOISE BUT IT WOULD NOT AFFECT THE VEHICLE HANDLING. I HAD THEM REMOVED AND THE DRIVE HOME HAD NO ISSUES. BUYER BEWARE IF YOU ARE ONLY GETTING THE CROSS-BEAMS AS AN ADDED ACCESSORY AND WILL NOT UTILIZE TO CARRY ANY ITEMS, IE; KAYAK, BIKES, ETC.

1/7/2020

SQUEAKING NOISE FROM THE FRONT END DRIVER SIDE JUST APPEARED WHILE DRIVING. DRIVER SEATBELT WILL NOT LATCH ON THE FIRST COUPLE OF TRIES.

7/15/2020

DRIVING ALONG NO ISSUES, CAR SAYS 60 MILES TO EMPTY NO FUEL WARNING LIGHT OR ANYTHING, WHEN CAR JUST SUDDENLY LOSES POWER, WAS ABLE TO GET TO SIDE OF ROAD. TOLD ME TO RESTART ENGINE, AND IT WOULDNT FIRE BACK UP. PUT A GALLON OF GAS IN AND IT FIRED BACK UP. OWNED CAR FOR ALMOST 3 WEEKS CANT BELIEVE THERE WAS NO INDICATION FUEL WAS APPARENTLY THAT LOW. 60 MILES TO EMPTY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FINISH THE 2 MILES I HAD ON MY DRIVE TO WORK AND TO GET GAS.

1/28/2020

FUEL GAUGE READS AT 3/4 OR 1/2 TANK AFTER REFILLING FUEL.

3/24/2021

While driving, the power steering went out and a service power steering message appeared. I turned off the vehicle and waited a few minutes and when the car was turned on it went away and the power steering came back.

1/3/2022

My steering assist is reduced drive with care message is on. The AC is no longer working and the fan is constantly running and sounds horrible. The temperature gauge has not come off of cold. After researching this issue online-it looks like this is a constant problem with Acadias from 2017-current. People are talking about the cost being between $1100-2400 to fix. There is a service bulletin out about this issue(17-NA-158) May 2017 If GMC knows that this is a problem why are they not recalling them?? My car was purchased brand new and of course is out of warranty like most others(the extended warranty doesn’t cover it either) GMC needs to recall these vehicles and fix this issue!!!!!

6/27/2023

RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2020 ACADIA DENALI. WHEN PARKING AT ANY INCLINE THE PARKING BRAKE AUTOMATICALLY TURNS ON. DEALER IS NOT SURE WHY, BUT NO WHERE IN THE MANUAL DOES IT STATE THIS IS NORMAL. TO DISENGAGE BRAKE VEHICLE HAS TO BE PUT IN GEAR WITH FOOT ON BRAKE TO TURN OFF. THE PARKING BRAKE SHOULD TURN OFF WHEN VEHICLE IS IN PARK WITH FOOT ON BRAKE BUT IT DOES NOT. DEALER IS UNSURE OF ISSUE AND HAS AN OPEN CASE WITH GMC TO INVESTIGATE.

11/26/2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 15 MPH, WITHOUT WARNING THE PARKING BRAKE ENGAGED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT MANUALLY RELEASED THE PARKING BRAKE AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS INTENDED. DEALER RUSTY WALLACE KIA LOCATED AT (300 KING AVE, MORRISTOWN, TN 37814, (800) 458-0302) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED WHICH WAS STILL PENDING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,276.

3/3/2020

BRAND NEW VEHICLE. PURCHASED ON 10/30/2020. FRONT COLLISION KEEPS FLASHING A RED LIGHT IN THE TOP OF DASH THAT SHOWS UP IN WINDSHIELD. THIS HAPPENS WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD AT RANDOM TIMES. WHEN THE VEHICLE NEEDS TO STOP OR WARN YOU IT WILL NOT. IT WILL JUST LET YOU HIT A PEDESTRIAN OR ANOTHER CAR. WE NOTICED THAT THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING WITH THE REAR SAFETY CROSS TRAFFIC.

12/15/2020

The vehicle was purchased brand new from Serra GMC in Washington Michigan in April 2020. It has been back to the dealer 5 times for the same issue, with another 4 times that it was not taken into dealer! Reoccurring issue involves the instrument cluster, All gages and visual indicators go to zero (speed, tach, fuel, temp, etc...) as well as getting a notification that the traction control is disabled, the ABS is disabled, cruise is disabled, and other electronic aid. This happens at highway speeds and to loose all function is a safety concern, it is not repeatable and happens randomly but it is the same issue. The dealer claims to fix the issue but it always comes back. GM has told me to accept the issue as its not detectable however this is unacceptable as it puts my family at risk. I have videos of the instrument cluster going to zero but its to big to attached - I can provide it if you contact me or tell me how to share it

9/29/2021

BRAND NEW VEHICLE. PURCHASED ON 10/30/2020. FRONT COLLISION KEEPS FLASHING A RED LIGHT IN THE TOP OF DASH THAT SHOWS UP IN WINDSHIELD. THIS HAPPENS WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD AT RANDOM TIMES. WHEN THE VEHICLE NEEDS TO STOP OR WARN YOU IT WILL NOT. IT WILL JUST LET YOU HIT A PEDESTRIAN OR ANOTHER CAR. WE NOTICED THAT THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING WITH THE REAR SAFETY CROSS TRAFFIC.

12/15/2020

Twice this vehicle has exhibited this behavior. The collision avoidance system would flash a red warning on the HUD showing that a pedestrian was in front of the vehicle with the vehicle brakes 'hard' engaging causing the vehicle to 'nose dive' even though there was no pedestrian in front of the vehicle. This is disconcerting to those inside the vehicle and potentially be a crash issue with any vehicle following to close behind my Acadia. This may be an issue with the sensors/software used by GM and thus a safety issue that should be reviewed.

9/5/2022

WHILE IN MOTION- BLIND SPOT SENSORS TURN ON WHEN THEY SHOULD NOT AND VICE VERSA. TRACTION CONTROL HAS FAILED MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE DRIVING. PREDICTIVE BRAKING HAS ACTIVATED IMPROPERLY MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE DRIVING. CAMERAS WENT OUT AND THEN BATTERY COMPLETELY DIED. WAS TOLD FIXING BATTERY WOULD FIX VEHICLE. THIS HAS PROVEN TO BE UNTRUE. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN FOR SERVICE FOR THIRD TIME. REMAINS UNDER WARRANTY, AS I HAVE HAD IT THREE MONTHS. MOST RECENT DATE HAS BEEN USED BUT I'VE HAD PROBLEMS SINCE LITERALLY THE FIRST FULL DAY I HAVE HAD IT.

8/7/2020

The ACADIA 2020 while in slow motion approaching my private condominium parking spot, accelerated autonomously and then slammed into the cement wall. Airbags deployed, no warning of collision, seriously damaged both car and cement wall. No bodily injuries. I researched the possible cause coded P2138 which involves the drive by wire sensors which connect the throttle pedal and the CPU that controls the mechanical throttle gas system. That might be the cause of the autonomous acceleration like explained about the P2138 sensors issues.

6/7/2021

The ACADIA 2020 while in slow motion approaching my private condominium parking spot, accelerated autonomously and then slammed into the cement wall. Airbags deployed, no warning of collision, seriously damaged both car and cement wall. No bodily injuries. I researched the possible cause coded P2138 which involves the drive by wire sensors which connect the throttle pedal and the CPU that controls the mechanical throttle gas system. That might be the cause of the autonomous acceleration like explained about the P2138 sensors issues.

6/7/2021

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that she was rear-ended by another vehicle at a high rate of speed while attempting to make a left turn. As a result, the front passenger seat fractured. The air bags failed to deploy upon impact; the contact hit her head and was knocked unconscious during the incident. The contact was taken to the hospital by ambulance and was treated for a hematoma on her forehead above her right eye. Her husband, who was driving the vehicle, was later treated for muscle pain in his back. A police report was filed at the scene. The vehicle was towed from the scene to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had to be notified of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle sustained significant damage; however, it had yet to be examined or deemed a loss. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

8/11/2021

The backup and surround view cameras repeatedly fail. I took it in once and they replaced the head unit. The problem reappeared within days after this repair. The design of this truck makes visibility without the cameras difficult at best and dangerous at worst.

7/18/2021

Rear view camera stopped working as I was backing up and ran into a pole damaged my right rear wheel well and panel.

1/4/2023

SIDE BLIND ZONE SYSTEM TEMPORARIALLY UNAVAILABLE message displayed in DIC, and system does not function. I can not rely on the system as it very often does this. This issue started on 12/08/2022. I feel that I am at risk of a crash as I rely on this system for blind spot detection. There are MANY forums that state that MANY other 2020 GMC Acadia's have this issue. I feel like this is a GM issue, and the consumer should not be left with the cost of any repair, if necessary. This is a safety risk and could result in death from a crash due to a failure of a safety system.

12/15/2022

Service indicator on the driver information center stating to service vehicle detection AKA blind spot alert the system has failed once already was taken in for repair to GM was repaired and it has now failed again and is going in for service on April 4th 2023

4/3/2023

SQUEAKING NOISE FROM THE FRONT END DRIVER SIDE JUST APPEARED WHILE DRIVING. DRIVER SEATBELT WILL NOT LATCH ON THE FIRST COUPLE OF TRIES.

7/15/2020

Unknown

3/8/2025

The ACADIA 2020 while in slow motion approaching my private condominium parking spot, accelerated autonomously and then slammed into the cement wall. Airbags deployed, no warning of collision, seriously damaged both car and cement wall. No bodily injuries. I researched the possible cause coded P2138 which involves the drive by wire sensors which connect the throttle pedal and the CPU that controls the mechanical throttle gas system. That might be the cause of the autonomous acceleration like explained about the P2138 sensors issues.

6/7/2021

Rear view camera stopped working as I was backing up and ran into a pole damaged my right rear wheel well and panel.

1/4/2023

TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND HAD A CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF AIR SUDDENLY AND WENT FROM 40PSI TO 0 PSI IN ABOUT 15 SECONDS. OCCURRED ON PASSENGER SIDE REAR. UPON INSPECTION OF TIRE NOTHING WAS FOUND IN EVIDENCE TO HAVE CAUSED THIS FAILURE. TWO DIFFERENT AGENCY'S EXAMINED TIRE AND SAID IT WAS IRREPARABLE. IN DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THIS FOUND THAT THIS BRAND OF TIRES - CONTINENTAL CROSS XL SPORT CROSS CONTACT MODEL HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH A RECALL FOR OVER CURED TIRES CAUSING SUDDEN LOSS OF AIR. BOTH THE DEALER AND GM STATED THAT OUR TIRES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. WE WERE DRIVING ON THE PARKWAY AND HAD NOT HIT ANYTHING OR RAN OVER ANYTHING TO CAUSE THIS. WE FEEL THAT THESE TIRES SHOULD BE ALSO PART OF RECALL. WE ARE REPLACING THE OTHER THREE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE AS WE DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING WITH THOSE TIRES.

4/5/2021

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that she was rear-ended by another vehicle at a high rate of speed while attempting to make a left turn. As a result, the front passenger seat fractured. The air bags failed to deploy upon impact; the contact hit her head and was knocked unconscious during the incident. The contact was taken to the hospital by ambulance and was treated for a hematoma on her forehead above her right eye. Her husband, who was driving the vehicle, was later treated for muscle pain in his back. A police report was filed at the scene. The vehicle was towed from the scene to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had to be notified of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle sustained significant damage; however, it had yet to be examined or deemed a loss. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

8/11/2021

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake was applied independently. The contact mentioned that the brake was operating when there was nothing in front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the cause of the failure was undetermined. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was not repaired. in addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started slowing inadvertently. The contact stated that the vehicle was locked and needed to be in the park to operate however, once the accelerator pedal was depressed the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic experienced the failure with the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer however, a diagnostic test was not performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000. The VIN was not provided.

9/29/2021

After driving 5 miles up the road and 5 miles back home, I put the vehicle in park and it automatically went into neutral and the neutral button started flashing! Along with that I got an alert sent to my iphone (through the GMC app) and in the car saying “shift to park”. The car wouldn’t go into park! The vehicle hadn’t had any error codes or messages before this at all! It was out of nowhere! I drove it earlier that day and it didn’t do it! We also noticed after doing the update on July 7th, 2022 that the vehicle started shifting very hard! I was in the vehicle alone with 2 small babies and I couldn’t cut the vehicle off because it wouldn’t go into park! We had to wait for my husband to leave work and come home to unhook the battery just so we could get out of the car safely and so the battery wouldn’t go dead over night! The following morning we hooked the battery up and the vehicle wouldn’t turn over at all! We just bought this vehicle from a dealership in October 2021! We haven’t had it even a year yet and after researching our year make and model to see what was going on.. we have realized that almost every year from 2019 back had a recall concerning the “shift to park” error! I have been almost 2 weeks without a vehicle while it’s been at the Chevy dealership and it took 5 days for anyone to even contact me! It makes no sense and now they are saying that they can’t tell if it’s covered under my power train warranty because they can’t crank the vehicle to see if I’m within my 60k miles of the warranty! (Which I am.. my mileage is 47,204) This happened to my vehicle on 7-12-2022! I would love some feedback! I am glad I was home and not somewhere stranded with two babies on my own with this heat being so hot!! My email is [XXX] My phone number is [XXX] Thank you so much! I appreciate everything-needless to say I am not a big fan of GMC right now! [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

7/24/2022

Center console display does not start when you start vehicle. Stays blank! This happens occasionally. Sometimes restarting will fix, other times not. There is no rear view camera when this happens. Not sure what else is affected, such as backup warnings.

8/2/2022

Twice this vehicle has exhibited this behavior. The collision avoidance system would flash a red warning on the HUD showing that a pedestrian was in front of the vehicle with the vehicle brakes 'hard' engaging causing the vehicle to 'nose dive' even though there was no pedestrian in front of the vehicle. This is disconcerting to those inside the vehicle and potentially be a crash issue with any vehicle following to close behind my Acadia. This may be an issue with the sensors/software used by GM and thus a safety issue that should be reviewed.

9/5/2022

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V709000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.

8/22/2023

front and rear camera not working blind spot indicator not working side mirrors warning of oncoming vehicles not working radio not working

10/21/2023

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the front driver's side and front passenger’s side seat belt locking mechanism failed to remain latched. The contact stated that while driving, the seat belts would erroneously become unlatched. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the seat belts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 35,000.

3/18/2024

While trying to reinstall the evenflo car seat, the latch to lock the car seat into place failed. The metal on the car seat is broken. The car seat has been used in the vehicle for less than a year, and if I had not noticed this upon trying to move the car seat it could have caused a serious injury should my child have been involved in an accident.

1/13/2025

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed at an intersection, the failure recurred, and the vehicle stopped in the middle of the intersection. The vehicle failed to restart, and the driver was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer, but was not diagnosed because the contact declined to pay the diagnostic test cost. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was purchased, and the fuel pump module was replaced; however, the failure recurred 2-3 months later. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

9/22/2025

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Acadia. While the vehicle was at the dealer for maintenance, the contact was informed that the radiator was leaking and needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact was advised that there was coolant intrusion. The contact stated that it was not specified if the coolant intrusion had gone into the engine. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact was informed that the fueling system needed cleaning service, as well as the brake fluid and transmission fluid needed to be serviced. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics, and no leaks were found with the radiator. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000. The VIN was not available.

11/10/2025