There are 4 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2016 GMC Acadiain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
While starting to drive. It seems like the transmission goes into 2nd shift and the car jerks a little and I have to press the gas pedal to get it to stop.
While driving my 2016 GMC Acadia Denali home from work I noticed my speed getting faster so I let off my gas pedal. My engine then abruptly revved to the highest rpm and accelerated ON ITS OWN. My speed increased to almost 100 mph and I am going up a steep incline. I did not have my foot on the pedal and this car accelerated on its own and was only going faster and faster. I tried to brake but it would not slow my car down. I am in rush hour traffic and I feel like this is where I am going to die today. I continued to slam on my brakes to a point that I felt the brakes grinding but ultimately was able to slow the car down enough to get to the side of the road. However, I am unable to fully stop my car. After I was able to slow it down to a slow crawl (even with the engine rpms revving extremely high still), I was fumbling for my phone to call my husband and inadvertently took my foot off the brake and the engine jerked me again and caused my car to take off again with such force my whole body hit my seat back. I then slammed the brakes again and pushed the gear into park with such force to automatically stop the car, which was hard to do because the car was still moving. Once the car was in park, the engine continued to rev at the highest speed and I then turned my car off. I was such an emotional wreck after this I got out of my car and refused to get back in it to this day. This vehicle is possessed. I looked up this same issue with other GMC Acadias and found it has happened to others yet AGAIN GMC does not recall these vehicles. This is the second serious issue I have had with this vehicle and I want GMC to take my car back and I will NEVER own another GMC!
AC MAKES NOISE UNDER HOOD AND DOES NOT GET COLD. MECHANIC SAID AC VERY LOW AND REAR EVAPORATOR IS LEAKING. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 31300 MILES. CHECKED ONLINE AND OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE ACADIA. *TR
A/C COMPRESSOR LOCKED UP AND HAS BURNT THE BELT TO ALL PULLEYS. WAS BEING DRIVEN DOWN HIGHWAY WHICH CAUSED POWER STEERING TO STOP MAKING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER ALMOST IN A CRASH.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026