Problems with 2008 GMC Acadia AIR BAGS

Pps module-passenger presence system- detects front seat passenger presence to activate restraint system, the dealer found to have a short and was sending signal to dashboard alert-- "service airbag" dealer also found front sensors also bad. however, no warranty coverage even though an extended gm warranty was purchased when vehicle was new. appears from other complaints with nhtsa dealing with airbag issues on same model vehicle there is a safety issue gmc needs to address, or nhtsa needs to get gmc to issue a recall..see my prior submission case #[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Gmc is aware of the problem with the acadia that the car leaks water from the roof, and i mean pours in. this water also enters the electrical system of the vehicle and affects the airbags. this is a huge safety concern for me. there is no telling what other safety features will be compromised with this water leak issue. any help concerning this issue will be greatly appreciated. *tr

Our vehicle has had the air bag service light on for a very long time, when we got the recall notice, we took it in to the dealership and they stated that our vehicle was fine and our light was caused by a different problem. as time has gone by, it has done the rest of the items listed on the recall such as on/off light remaining off with a passenger in the seat and now it actually flashes back and forth with or without a passenger. our power steering has been making a whine sound since 2009. it has only worsened over time and now has depreciated our vehicles value for a trade-in. we are completely dissatified with the quality of vehicle we have gotten. i would not recommend an acadia based on the reliability of gmc and the lack of responsibility to fix problems that are obviously on the manufacturing end. we know several others having the same problem with 2008 acadia and have found many forums of people discussing their issues and it appears that the 2008 has the greatest amount of issues. we have been advised to seek legal action. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. while accelerating from a stop sign and making a left turn, the power steering failed. the contact crashed into a tree. there were no warning indicators illuminated, but a recurring noise could be heard in the vehicle. the air bags failed to deploy. the vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired for the power steering failure. the front end damage was repaired. several times prior to the crash, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump needed replacement. the power steering pump was replaced. the driver was not injured and a police report was not filed. the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. the failure mileage was 56,155. updated 01/06/17*lj updated 7/5/18*jb the consumer stated safety defect was repaired. *tr

In 2011, our acadia electrical system started to malfunction. first the driver's side headlight wiring burnt. we had that replaced. after the headlight, we started noticing the engine light was coming on and the air bag sensor was notifying us that the air bags will not deploy. none of the sounds where coming on in the car. for example, if you were not wearing your seatbelt the "dinging" did not happen. i took the acadia in for service and they told me it was my cell phone that triggered the defect. i thank god i was not in an accident however if gmc knew of the defects why not be up front with us. my family and i travel plenty. safety is the number one concern, we bought the acadia faithfully and hopes gmc provides the best service possible. *js

1. accelerator pedal stuck to floor at 60mph and continued to pick up speed until driver threw car to neutral as brakes would not engage 2. air bag system has not been functional 3. tpms is inoperable light always on 4. seats are composed of polyurethane molded foam causing an array of health issues for myself and 2 children as car gets extremely hot 5. brakes engage during high speeds randomly causing car to slide 6. heavy metals/air plane parts found in many places of car 7. fumes inside constantly improperly routed fuel/emission system? 8. transmitters, ignition will not turn over unless fm transmitter in key is attached, should not be a hybrid or grid operated vehicle. spray foam and welded metal composed much of vehicle. medical white packing in much of gaps with a contaminated smell 9. lots of money trying to repair damage, owner filed bankruptcy lots of medical bills. dealers and manufacturer do nothing, i have wrote letters and many phone calls. 10. microwave effect on anyone in car along with magnetic pulls. i myself have had this car since feb 2011. i have lost some nerve function on left side of my body leaving me with multiple scars for life down left side of body and center forehead resembling radiation burns but i never underwent radiation. i lost my hair in 2012 along with joint damages. please do something, i am not an experiment and never agreed to be one! *tr

The passenger sensing system is not working properly. sometimes it will indicate that it is on and other times it will indicate that it is off even when someone who weighs over 140 pounds sits on the passenger seat. it won't indicate that the person doesn't have their seatbelt on. even if driving and person has been sitting, it won't turn on. if an accident occurs the airbags will not deploy because it doesn't sense correctly. i have taken the vehicle into the local dealer while a passenger was in the seat and the service manager saw the problem. the vehicle has been worked on several times and the dealer has not been able to correct the problem. there is an active gm safety recall (14030, nhtsa campaign id: 14v11800), and the vehicle was serviced, but the problem still exists. the local dealer (flow gmc, fayetteville, nc) is telling me that i must pay $500 of the $568 to have the part replaced based on guidance from the general manager ([xxx]). i should not have to pay for a part replacement that i have complained about before the recall and pay for something that has an active recall on. this is bad business for a consumer and gmc should be held liable. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

When first starting engine a loud pop would occur. signals, clock,stereo, dome light, battery gauge stopped working. chevrolet dealer replaced the stereo and amplifier ($1500 ). then if i left acadia in the rain i would find a small puddle of water on the floor under the emergency brake and a drop of water on the air bag on the driver side in front of the vehicle. was told it could be the sun roof tubes were blocked so i took it to the auto glass place and had the tubes cleaned out. very concerned about the water because i do not want to loose power in vehicle again. just went on a trip and had to park outside in parking area and had a real puddle on my mat and underneath the mat. today i called an auto windshield repair shop to see if the windshield could be leaking and was told that if the car was not in an accident or if it has not had the windshield replaced, they didn't think it would be the windshield leaking, that gm was good about installing and sealing the windshield. my car is kept in the garage and i am the only driver. it has never been in an accident and i am afraid that the wiring will short out, cause a soft spot in the floor, or start a fire. this automobile has only 69,285 miles and has been very well taken care of by only general motors dealerships. serious problem involving wet elements and electrical problems here. please let me know what to do! *tr

I have a check airbags on my display panel when ibrought my car to the gm dealer they told me i had to replace the harness under my seat. i inquired if there was a recall on this and the dealership told me no. i see now that there is a recall on this but that my vehicle is not covered by it. i am hoping that you could direct me on how i can get gm to correct this problem under your recall order so i would not have to pay to correct their mistake.

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. while the vehicle was parked, the airbag light illuminated stating the air bags needed to be serviced and would not detect anyone sitting in the passenger seat. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis but was not diagnosed or repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 29,000.

My 2008 gmc acadia has had a recurring issue with the passenger airbag sensor. a notification in the dashboard says "service air bag". i took it to the gmc dealership where i purchased it in richmond va soon after purchasing. they said they could not recreate the problem. it continued to be a problem. the gmc dealership in manassas va said they fixed it when i took it to them later. i took it back a month later because their "fix" did not work and the "service air bag" indicator still comes on. before it would come on periodically, but now it is on almost all the time. my car does not pass inspection now and the gmc dealership wants $1000 to replace the sensor even though this has been a problem with the car since i purchased it from the dealer.

Repeated (at least 5 times) leak along the airbag driver and passenger side. dealer says they fix it and the problem reappears on the next rain event. causing electrical problems and mold problem in the car. *tr

For the third time in less than a year the airbag warning light has come on with a message to "service airbag." today while stopped at a stoplight my wife smelled something burning but couldn't determine the origin. 15 minutes later after picking up our 5 year old from kindergarten and starting the car, the service airbag light and message came on. we will again go to the dealership for repair (our deductible is $200 on the warranty). i have three children age 2, 5, and 12 that ride in this vehicle. previously, the dealership told us that when this light comes on the airbags may not work or may discharge involuntarily even without a collision. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc arcadia. the contact stated the air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. the dealer advised that the passengers side air bag had a coil fan that was on high resistance on stage one and that it was not a common failure. the dealer had to order the necessary parts to make the repair. the manufacturer was contacted but would not provide any assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 49,000 and the current mileage was 49,500.

Adult passenger seated in the passenger front seat with an approximate weight of 120lbs and a height of 5'3" does not enable the airbag sensor to turn on. the system does not enable the airbags even though an adult is seated in this position. we have taken the vehicle to the dealer twice and they have not been able to repair the issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. while driving approximately 55 mph with a passenger in the front passenger seat she noticed that the air bag light was not illuminating, which indicated that the front passenger side air bag would not deploy in the event of a crash. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where she was informed the passenger must be at least 70 pounds for the front passenger side air bag to function; therefore, it was not repaired. the failure continued to recur whenever smaller passengers would sit in the front passenger seat. the failure would also intermittently recur when average sized adults would sit in the front passenger seat. the vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer where she was informed the vehicle was functioning properly and it was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 60,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the side air bags suddenly deployed after turning the vehicle at approximately 2 mph. there were no warning indicators prior to the failure. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that it would take two weeks to repair. the contact was on a trip at the time, so she pushed the air bags back in and continued driving the vehicle. she took the vehicle to her local dealer and had it repaired. the manufacturer has not been notified. the current and failure mileages were approximately 23,000.

In light of the all the safety recalls by gm for ignition switch failures, i believe that my wife's crash in our 2008 gmc acadia was the direct cause of the ignition switch failing. driving north bound on az route 89 in the area of prescott, az called the granite dells, the car proceeded straight where the road turns slightly to the right. the cat proceeded into and partially up a granite stone out cropping on the opposite side of the road. the car then went air borne landing up side down on its roof in the middle of route 89. i believe that this accident happened due to ignition switch failure which in turn shut off the engine, power steering, and the entire air bag system which in this accident fail to deploy. my wife was air lifted to northern arizona medical center in flagstaff, az for sever head injure from which she has recovered. it is my belief that the ignition failures that have shown up on other gm cars is also a problem for the 2008 gmc acadia and possibly other like models of gm vehicles. in my opinion it has to be ignition switch failure that shut down the engine, power steering and air bag system causing this accident. *js

Our 2008 gmc acadia was purchased in october 2008. a few months later we took the car in for service because the passenger side airbag would intermittently go off when an adult was in the seat. the light would never come on when our son, then 100 lbs, sat in the seat. because of him, we were able to duplicate the problem. had the car in for service four more times over these past two years for the same reason. at one point, the dealership even had one of their employees, 27 year old man, approx. 125 lbs., sit in the seat - light never came on. they had him sit on a board, straight up, get out, turn the car off then on, get back in etc. (it was ridiculous) . .light never came on. we have been told "cannot duplicate the problem," "don't have people who don't set it off sit in the seat." the light will be on for some people and then shut off while you are driving down the road. you can bounce up and down and shift around, but the light does not come back on. our son, today 112 lbs, 5'7", still never turns the passenger seat airbag on and we are still told "there is no problem." we have spoke to gmc headquarters and they will not help because the dealership says there is no problem. we asked what would happen if we took the car to another dealership at this point and they found a problem. headquarters said they would not cover the cost of repair because it could be a new problem. we intend to take it to another dealership, but wonder why we have to. we have other problems with this car as well, but not as serious as this one. we do not feel safe in our supposed 5 star safety rating car. we no longer want this car and will never buy gmc again. *tr

i was taking my daughter to florida for cheer leading competition; i was just outside of illinois when the check airbag light and message screen came on thankfully the light went off but came back on on our way back to chicago and kept coming on and off. took it to dealer but they only said that the harness was tight they only wiggled it and light went off but came back a couple of days later. then the power steering started making noise dealer said they didn't hear anything and didn't do anything and noise is getting louder. then suspension stared it making noise. took it to dealer and had tie rods replaced. then the service airbag problem came back and this time didn't go away. took it to the dealer and they said that the harness was to tight and they rerouted it so it wasn't tight anymore. worked for a couple of days and its on again but i didn't take it back and now is past its warranty.then head lamp went out. had to pay dealer $180 (rip off) next the other head light went out. my nephew replaced it in less than 10 min. now there is a recall for that head light problem. then wipers arm came loose from motor i had my cousin fix it for me. now i have had the check engine light on for a couple of weeks took it to autozone came back with the code to replace the canister purge solenoid now i have the transmission problem, it started to act funny shifting pretty hard some times and then a few days ago i was driving on the freeway coming home when i notice the rpms at about 45000 and it wouldn't change gears and the fuel gauge started going nuts i don't know why and had to drive it home on the same gear. took it to autozone and came back with the same code for the solenoid plus p0700/p0716/p0717 for the transmission. now my acadia is just sitting on my driveway no money to fix it and driving my 15 year old truck hoping gmc does something about this nightmare

I have had problems with this car for the last 5 years. first the airbag light came on when we were going on vacation i took it to the dealer and was told it was fixed but it kept coming on and off took it again and same thing happened it kept doing that so i took it to the dealer and they said they had to reroute the airbag harness to fix the problem. again it only lasted for a few weeks and it came back on. by that time the car was over 60,000 miles and it was past the extended warranty so i'm stuck with that problem. the transmission had to be repaired a few months ago and it needs to be repaired again but don't have money to fix it and gmc won't recall the 2007 and 2008 acadias knowing that the acadias of those 2 years were made with a faulty transmission and a lot of people are having problems with them. they fixed the problem for the 2009 and later models but won't do anything about the 2007 and 2008 models and a lot of people don't have money to pay for a very expensive repair that is gm's fault. my acadia is sitting on my driveway because i don't have money to fix itand i'm stuck using a 16 year old car that is more reliable that our new car. i have had the following problems since a few months after i purchased what i thought it was a good and reliable family vehicle. air bags light on and never got fixed suspension repaired about 3 years ago lighting problems a couple of times and now there is a recall for that transmission problems for the last 6 months the car has only 70,000 miles and it should not be having all this issues please look in to this i know there is a lot of people having the same problem and gm won't do anything to fix the problem. they knew they had a problem with the transmission's the 2007 and 2008 models that's why they fixed the problem for the 2009 and later models. please do something about it. thanks. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator continues to illuminate on the instrument panel. the vehicle has been to the dealer four times, but they could not duplicate the failure. on the most recent visit to the dealer, they ordered new air bags in hopes that this would remedy the failure. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 1,500 and current mileage was less than 6,000.

Own a 2008 gmc acadia that has been to the dealership 5 times since i bought it in august for the air bag system. the light first came on in oct. of 2008, after driving only 4000 miles. the problem was unable to be diagnosed by gmc service as the light came on intermittently. the first thought was that it was the result of faulty wiring, but light still came on after wiring was repaired. after the second trip to gmc, , the front seat air bag was replaced on driver side in order to correct the problem. i had to wait three weeks for the part to come in though, as they were back ordered. as soon as i drove off the lot with the driver's seat air bag replaced, the light came on again. this was the fourth time now, and the very same day! this time i was told it was the passenger seat airbag. it too was replaced in hopes of solving the problem. one month later the light is on again. i once again notified gmc of the issue as i feel the air bag system is defective, and don't feel safe driving my family in the car. i have stated this to the dealership and gmc, something has to be wrong when the service air bag light comes on every month. i have read many similar complaints and also one of the air bags not deploying during a crash. this is my biggest fear, and now will be pursuing other avenues to return this vehicle to gmc. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. while driving at an unknown speed, the air bag indicator illuminated. the contact called an auto repair shop and was advised to bring them the vehicle. she took the vehicle to the shop, but the indicator was no longer illuminated. as a result, no error code could be found and nothing could be done. when she returned to the repair shop, the indicator was illuminated. the mechanic adjusted a component after inspecting the inflator module and seats, which both appeared to be okay. however, when the contact started the vehicle, the air bag indicator illuminated again. the repair shop was notified and they ordered the parts for the repair, but did not know when the parts would be available. the repair shop could not guarantee maximum protection with the side air bags in the event of a crash. while waiting for the parts to be shipped, the contact was provided with a rental vehicle for one day. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified. the current mileage was 12,304 and failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia xlt2. the contact stated the passenger air bag would intermittently shut off while the passenger seat was occupied. the contact stated the failure would occur most frequently in warmer temperatures and less frequently during winter months. the dealer advised the contact that the passenger would have to be over 100 pounds in order for the air bag sensor to register the seat as occupied and for the air bag to engage. the vehicle was taken to the dealer three times in regards to the failure yet the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was 25,000. updated 09/27/10 *bf updated 10/04/10

Air bag light keeps coming on. third time in three months. first service date: 6/23/08, again on 7/23/08 and again on 8/20/08. dealer still attempting to repair. *tr

This is the second time, within two weeks, i have taken my gmc acadia slt2 awd 2008 to be serviced for a leaky sunroof. i am getting major water damage in the wiring system, and airbag holder. i have more miles on my rental van, then my brand new acadia. *tr

2008 gmc acadia has had continuous service problems. *nj the consumer stated a few months into owning the vehicle, the air bag light illuminated. the dealer stated they couldn't find anything wrong. a couple of months later, the air bag light illuminated again. the dealer kept the vehicle for a week to order parts and then fix it. the light came on again and the dealer stated they received a letter from corporate who stated there was an issue with something under the passenger seat that caused the light to come on and go off. *jb

Mva 2/2/08, no injuries. air bags did not deploy, front passenger side hit. complaint #1, gm would not release parts for repairs to be done in a timely fashion. as of may 1, 2008, vehicle is still not repaired. gm engineer checked vehicle due to no airbag deployed and states no sensors hit. however, on april 30 the body shop states they removed front dash and found an air bag sensor to be "fried". we notified consumer safety division at gm and was told case was closed and no further investigation would be performed despite the new finding. i find gm to be very negligent from the beginning of this incident. we have made car payments and paid insurance on a vehicle that we cannot drive and now i do not feel safe putting my family in a vehicle that i am not sure is safe. the vehicle is a 2008 gmc acadia. thank you. *tr