Problems with 2008 GMC Acadia POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while traveling approximately 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly failed to respond to acceleration attempts. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000. also, the check engine light illuminated. updated 06.19.14

Transmission wave plate issues....the car shifts into different gears and about caused an accident. took it to a mechanic and it is a transmission wave plate that needs replaced. going to cost us around $4000. just spent 1000 dollars to fix the power seats that quit working also. *tr

While driving car bucked and shifted irregularly, transmission slipped, no power, no reverse. *tr

While traveling a busy highway going uphill, my transmission began to have what felt like slipping clutch issues, and finally failed - leaving me stranded on a very busy stretch of highway 80 east bound. it was very scary to be just barely off the roadway (was lucky to make it all the way off the road) with huge trucks whizzing by. i have had it diagnosed and the clutch waveplates on these acadia gmcs have a well known and common failure issue. a $3500 bill is not what i need right now, it's going to really hurt. this transmission needs to be recalled before someone gets killed on a busy freeway. the problem is there was not much warning of an eminent failure before it basically left me dead in the water - i was just fortunate this time that i was traveling in the right lane. if i had been in the left lane or middle, i am not sure i would have been able to get over before it would just leave me in the middle of the road. it's definitely a safety issue. who could make an argument that it is not unsafe? *tr

Driving the vehicle that had 7 people. i turned onto a street in town and the vehicle started shaking like the transmission was slipping. so i turned to head to the nearest parking lot. stopped at a stop sign and again the vehicle shook from a take off. didn't even make it into the driveway before the transmission completely failed in the middle of the busy intersection and we had to push it into the parking lot. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the clutch had failed. the vehicle was being repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000. the vin was unavailable. updated 5/27/14*cn

Wife driving along and transmission dropped out. car is vary well taken care of. in 5 years and ten months of owning the vehicle the tranny goes? car only has 49000 miles, and apparently there is a none problem with the tranny. vehicle repairs cost 4000, completely unacceptable. code on vehicle wasp0776.00, just like every other complaint i have seen on the internet. something must be done. would not recommend this car to anyone. my father is a gm employee and he is disgusted with this. *tr

Tl- the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. while traveling about 30 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to increase speed despite the accelerator pedal being depressed. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be rebuilt or replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 94,000.- ll

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle the transmission would intermittently became stuck in gear and the vehicle would not drive forward or in reverse. the vehicle was restarted and operated as normal. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission and warmer plate needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,000.

After exiting the interstate while driving my 2008 gmc acadia, i stopped at the end of exit ramp and while trying to accelerate, i lost power and unable to reach posted speed limits. the car lost power and had to be towed to a gmc dealership and was told that the 3-5 wave plate failed and caused further damage to the transmission. the dealership stated that no signs of operator abuse were observed and it appeared that the wave plate failed on its own. the costs of repair was approx. $4700 since the car was out warranty by 8 months and had 60,400 miles. i have called gmc customer service and waiting for resolution on my claim that my costs to repair should be mitigated since it appears that the wave plate failure was a design or manufacturing issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate over 20 mph. the stabilitrac and several other warning lights illuminated. additionally, the vehicle shook violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be diagnosed. the manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 92,000. the vin was unavailable.

Transmission failure while traveling on interstate. only to find out this is only one of multiple acadias with this few miles to have this happen and leave us stranded miles from home. and unfortunately we are now finding out that a lot of people have had this happen but noone bothered to tell us about it or warn us that this might be a problem. and of course our warranty has expired because we have owned it 5 years and have taken very good care of our vehicle having the oil changed every 3000 miles and tires rotated and balanced routinely and you could look at it and it looks brand new.. but now we are out $4000.00 + which should not be happening with this vehicle.. we are very disappointed and angry that we could have been in a very dangerous situation had my husband not been the one driving that day. *tr

Transmission went out on turnpike. causing family to miss a family members college graduation. car was stuck on side of turnpike for 3 hours with little kids in car while high speed vehicles drive by. when i took car to mechanic for repair they had identical problems with another acadia. this car is very dangerous and expensive for families. *tr

Engine light came on took it in to get checked the gmc dealer said it was purge valve and may be my timing chain belt! and my master cylinder was leaking into my booster, and they had to replace a sensor for the tire and service the track/stabilitrak! services came to $1000 now come 2 months later to jan 2014 engine light is on service stabilitrak is on take it back, my timing chain needs replaced@ 74000 miles which is about a $2000 job and my transmission platelets need changed! transmission is now slipping we called gm and there is nothing they will do as i was informed these are "command problems " in these vehicles!! what!! i feel like i've been sold a lemon and no one are gm cares because these are command problems for them! never again will i buy a gm and i'm confused on how so many people have these same issues and gm is doing nothing about it! oh did i mention you can't park on a slant or an incline with a 1/4 tank of gas because your acadia won't start! this car has been a nightmare! *tr

Driving on interstate at 75 mph. car suddenly lost power and slowed immediately. had to cross lane in heavy traffic to get to side of road. luckily did not get hit. had wife and dog along. stuck on side of road in cold weather for over an hour. sudden loss of power on busy interstate was very dangerous. in reading forums on internet, this appears to be common problem. gmc needs to take responsibility for this common defect. *tr

Complete transmission failure. fluid was checked and full after feeling the transmission slip moments before. turned to go back home and the vehicle lost power. thankfully we were not yet on the interstate and coasted off the road. vehicle was towed to dealership where it was confirmed that the transmission was ruined and total replacement was required at a cost of $4200. after reading about the many issues with this vehicle and speaking to a mechanic who said they were always fixing major issues with this model/year we opted to trade instead. didn't want to invest that amount of money and always be waiting for the next issue to arise. *tr

Started car and it would not go into gear. no issues with the transmission prior to this. mechanic says the transmission needs to be replaced. contacted gm and was told my warranty expired a couple of months ago and there was nothing they would do. now i see that this is a common occurrence for the acadia. *tr

I was merging onto highway when the rpm's on my vehicle went to 5 (or above) and the vehicle lurched into gear. after that happened, the vehicle would not go above 45mphs. every time the vehicle would need to change gears after this the rpms would climb before changing gears. the vehicle was taken to the dealership and i was advised it was the transmission. *tr

The transmission in our 2008 acadia has begun slipping and first gear shifts engage with a very noticeable clunk (thump); there is also a delay when the car is shifted into drive (~3 to 5 seconds); gm needs to perform. *tr

I was driving home when my transmission suddenly started to lurch and hunt for gears, then hesitate. my car then wouldn't move forward nor would it go into reverse. two codes showed up when i had the vehicle scanned, p2715 and p0700. after doing research i concluded the wave plate in my transmission had failed. my vehicle is no longer drivable. thankfully i wasn't on the freeway when this incident happened because once the transmission quit the vehicle came to a stop rather quickly. in reading reports online it appears transmission failure of this particular model is highly probable and that gm knows it's an issue but has refused to recall the vehicle. *tr

Transmission wave plate failure a few months out of warranty now i am stuck with repairing it when it is a known part defect. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly failed to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 59,000...updated 12-30-13 *bf updated 1/22/2014 *js

I purchased a used 2008 gmc acadia in december 2012. at time of purchase, the vehicle car fax report was clean and indicated one previous owner. the vehicle mileage at the time of purchase was approximately 81,000 miles. my personal mechanic inspected the vehicle prior to purchase and also gave the vehicle a clean report. for the first 11 months of ownership, this vehicle ran like a champ. today, at 99,728 miles (mostly highway mileage on my behalf) i find that i am having to replace the entire transmission (rebuild) at an out-of-pocket expense of $4,300. i called the gmc dealer where i purchased this vehicle and they advised that there were no recalls/warranties available on the transmission. they also advised that in the event the entire transmission needed replaced, that the cost would be in the vicinity of $4,500 and they were able to provide this estimate with certainty because "they had just completed a rebuild on another '08 acadia last week". i find it highly disturbing that at only 99,728 miles, and 5 years of age, a transmission completely gives out. i am also disturbed that with the number of complaints out there on various internet chat forums regarding this vehicle and specific model, that gmc, to date, has yet to issue any recalls or extended warranties. i felt it necessary to report this matter as soon as possible. i will be getting in touch with a class action lawsuit attorney to look into this matter further because i genuinely am concerned that gmc should be held accountable if the number of people out there with the same issue have found there checkbooks much lighter as a result of this. *tr

While driving our gmc acadia we had lost our transmission with no warning. we were 300 miles from home and had to have the vehicle towed back to our home so we could figure out what had happened. upon doing research we had learned that the wave plate inside the transmission had broke and destroyed the transmission with know warning sign. fortunately enough i had just exited the freeway to pull into a shopping center for rest. the potential for this problem to happen while on the freeway would have had a much worse outcome and had the potential to be very dangerous to me and my family. i have learned through research that gm is aware of the problem and has refused to recall the vehicle to repair this issue. this is negligence on gm's part as they were advised by their own engineers to use a $30 wave plate, but do to cost effectiveness and negligence decided to select the $1.50 part that breaks down over time costing their consumers thousands of dollars in repair. to repair the wave plate is not costly, but when it breaks it destroys the transmission and it needs to be completely replaced at a cost between $4000.00 - $6000.00. this is completely uncalled for and gm needs to own up to their deficiencies. i have contact gm and advised them of my displeasure with their product and choice of parts. i was told that they are aware of the issue, but will not do anything to help their consumers. *tr

Transmission went while driving. gmc aware of transmission problems with this truck. will not fix problem because my 5year 100,000 mile warranty expired in august. dealer where truck was brought will not help nor gmc is helping. this is not right. this is usa, i want justice!!!! can't afford to get this fixed. truck needed to take my son to school and for work, church. my whole life has been disrupted. they use tax dollars to bail out auto makers. but the auto makers (gmc) will not honor the customer. *tr

So the window switches don"t work, when i'm trying to open the window it will open but then it won't close back, the steering wheel makes squeaking noises and most important the most costly thing to repair was the transmission. we purchased the car used with 53,000 miles on and after driving another 20,000 miles the transmission broke i had to pay out of my packet about 4,000 dollars for the repair i have two small children and when it comes for safety im not sure if we should keep the vehicle. when i'm reading all those recall issues i'm getting worried about my kids safety. *tr

I had started noticing slipping of the transmission, this primarily occurred when reversing and then when trying to gain speed like on the on ramp trying to get on the highway. i made an appointment to have it looked it with our local mechanic who preceded to tell me they could find nothing wrong and to bring it back if the check engine light came on that way they could hook it up and get the code. i had an upcoming trip out of state and prayed the vehicle would make it and it did. i continued to notice the slipping of the transmission and approximately 2 weeks later i was driving in town, going about 35 mph and my check engine light popped on. i parked the vehicle and dropped my daughter at daycare, got back in the car to leave and the vehicle would not go into reverse or move forward. i had to have the vehicle towed to the dealership where i was informed it was a problem in the transmission with a broken wave plate and 3-5 reverse clutch plate. my vehicle was out of warranty by time however still under the mileage so i was offered the repair at a "discounted" rate. i then researched to find out what a common problem this has been with this vehicle. *tr

I was driving on a major highway. the car would not change gears to accelerate. when i got home the car would barely move when i tried to back into my driveway. the engine revved as if the car was in neutral. this transmission failure could have caused a serious or fatal accident, as the speed limit was 55 and i had no warning that the car would not accelerate when expected. *tr

Vehicle rpm's would start going up and down. then there would be hesitation when you accelerated. i pulled out from doctor's office and it would not move in reverse or forward. car had to be towed to a local mechanic. *tr

I just had my transmission fail on me yesterday. luckily it still had 1st & 2nd gear, unfortunately i'm 5yr-8months into it at 58xxx miles. sounds like i'll be paying for this one. if there is any info out there on recalls . from what i've been reading online, it seems there is a real problem with this transmission (6t70) in the early years. i imagine as more and more '07 - '09 acadias (traverse, enclaves & vues) get into the 50k+ mile range the transmission problems are really going to start spiking up. it would be a real shame if gm chooses to ignore the obvious and push this problem back on to their customers. *tr

While merging onto the highway the vehicle was revving up, but not speeding up. i would take my foot off the accelerator for a second and then try to accelerate again. the gear would sometimes "catch" and sometimes not "catch". the mechanic discovered that the one cooling line was corroded and another was "sweating". the transmission, torque converter, and cooling lines all had to be replaced. i think its a premature time for my vehicle to need a new transmission with only 76k miles as the vehicle is well maintained. *tr

Transmission went out while driving on the interstate. we were able to pull-over and get out of the way of the high speed traffic. no accident occurred, but it could have been a serious situation that caused several accidents. *tr

I was turning left at stop light. the transmission failed to shift and stalled causing me to be struck. this could have been a fatality if traffic were heavier. i have since researched and found that gm has had thousands of complaints regarding the transmission problems. this could have been prevented had gm recalled a defective valve located in the side box (according to mechanic at gm dealer this is why i stalled out). i am seeking an attorney for a class action lawsuit. *tr

Wave plate transmission failure 2 months after purchase and 5 months after warranty. so disgusted!!! *tr

I was driving by myself with my 3 children when my transmission went out. i have kept up with all maintenance and even had a transmission flush done 4 months ago, just to have the transmission go anyway. gmc customer service will not help (the car is only 5 years old) but said it was in service in 2007, so no warranty coverage. there are several hundred complaints on the same issue with no one willing to do the decent or right thing. there should be a recall. we have had several issues with this vehicle. we have four children so we need this car. we cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars to have something fixed that is an obvious ongoing issue with these vehicles. please consider investigating this. this truly is an issue that gmc should be accountable for. *tr

I noticed that the gears felt like they were slipping. rpms would go up by 1000-1500, then the vehicle would engage in gear. i noticed this very sporadically a few days before i took the car in, but it steadily got worse. i called the dealer and parked the car until my service appointment even though there were no warning lights on the car. after making the service appointment, i researched acadia transmission issues on the web, and found lots of complaints about the 35r wave plate. turned out this was the source of my issue as well. transmission had to be completely dis-assembled to clean out the debris. totally unacceptable for a 5.5 year old car with less than 80k miles to need its transmission rebuilt. given the number of complaints about the 35r wave plate, please open an investigation for a recall. *tr

Had a complaint with the transmission not downshifting adequately on 10-25-2010 and courtesy gmc reprogrammed it ... under warranty. for about a week prior to 10-22-13 the car was not driving right with the shifting acting up so i brought it in and as i was in the process of getting my car to a service car center it would quit running, but i got it in the shop in time before it stopped for a third time. it acted up on highway 90 while doing 57mph and again at doing 45mph and when i slowed down to turn into the service center. the service center (dave's), after checking it out, brought it in to a-abal transmission for me since i was afraid to drive it in case it didn't make it. my transmission had to be completely rebuilt ($4205) at my expense (had multiple broken parts) since my warranty was up in march. calls were made to gmc with no aid in helping me with this problem. upon research i found out that the acadia's transmissions have been known to breakdown between 50,000-70,000 miles in cars purchased in the following years ... '07, '08 and '09 (a problem they knew about). the complaint list is long. i don't understand why gmc has not stood behind their product since it has placed consumers in dangerous situations (read multiple complaints). *tr

I was driving during daylight hours on the highway and i pressed on the gas to accelerate because there was a slight incline on the route i was traveling. when i pressed on the gas pedal, there was no acceleration and i got nervous that it might be the alternator. however, i was still able to drive the vehicle although it did not want to pick up speed. i exited the highway and noticed that the vehicle was having difficulty shifting gears and was making what sounded like a whirring noise from under the hood. i drove the vehicle straight to my mechanic's shop. he was surprised to find out that it was the transmission as the vehicle is routinely serviced. it appears that the wave plate failed and there was debris inside the transmission. *tr

Transmission failure - wave plate broken forcing vehicle to be stuck in one gear and fail in reverse, 3rd and 4th gears. automatic transmission slips in reverse, 3rd and 4th. multiple owners report same issues and recall is needed by gm on the acadia transmission. *tr

My acadia (which i just bought in march) began shifting harshly between the 3rd and 5th gears and my check engine light came on. the next day i took it to an auto repair shop where i had the codes read and was told i had a problem with the 35r waveplate and the transmission control module. i was told i would have to pay $600 just to have my transmission taken apart to diagnose the extent of the damage. i was told that a drum came apart causing "extensive damage" and that i would either need a complete transmission rebuild for $3600 or a brand new transmission for $4000. this car has less than 100,000 miles on it (although i know that is high for the year, a brand new transmission for a fairly new car is extreme). i was told by the mechanic that this is extremely common for the 08 acadias and it was not uncommon for this particular car to go through several transmissions before reaching the 100,000 mile mark. this is a joke. gmc needs to recall the car and pay the costs of the many owners who are having to pay thousands of dollars to repair a part that should not have been put in the car in the first place! *tr

My wife was driving her 2008 gmc acadia on the freeway when the transmission suddenly gave out and slipped out of gear. the vehicle would not accelerate. she was in the fast lane traveling 70 mph in the fast lane. she had to fight through traffic to get over to the shoulder so she could pull off the freeway enough to avoid getting hit by other cars traveling the freeway. she then had to exit the vehicle with our children during high traffic time. very unsafe situation for a vehicle with only 69k miles on it. this is a known issue with the 2007 and 2008 lambda platform vehicles. gmc knows about the 3-5-r wave plate that was not heat treated during the building of these transmissions. search the web or even forums for 3-5-r wave plate failure and see what comes up. i feel they should atleast extend the warranty if not recall this transmission before somebody gets hurt or killed when one goes out in traffic. *tr

We bought vehicle from hendrick toyota on 6/15/2013. my wife began driving to work when it completely stopped in the middle of the road. she was frantic because of the busy street and thankfully, our kids were not in the vehicle. car was towed to hendrick where it was determined that transmission failed. it was told to me that the wave plate in these vehicles was known to fail and after research and a technicians affirmation, apparently gmc never tempered this particular part and have known about the issue for quite some time. again, after researching, i've seen countless complaints/issues of people with the same thing happening and that gm and their service and customer satisfaction departments quite simply explain it away as "well, there's nothing we can do" despite, what appears to be, clear evidence that this major power train problem has been completely ignored. now, i'm looking at a bill of $3000+ (dealer cost) to repair and from what i've seen, others are having the vehicles fixed at least the $4000. i will do whatever i can to recoup any repair costs that this major issue has caused. it is beyond frustrating that i only had the vehicle for about 100 days and not even 3000 miles on it (after the 90 day/3000 mile warranty had expired) to only fork out thousands of dollars for an issue that a major automobile company should have recalled. i can tell you that through this experience, i will never purchase another gm vehicle again because of their incredible lack of consideration to make this right with all that have had this issue. i hope to hear from someone very soon in regards to this matter. it's unfortunate that many people have suffered a great financial loss because of a clear decision by gm to avoid correcting this powertrain problem. i appreciate your time and efforts. *tr

2008 gmc acadia slt-2 with 42,300 miles; not yet 6 years old. "service stability control" and "service traction control" warnings received periodically. this week, transmission started to shift unevenly; not correctly upshifting/downshifting while driving at 30mph. car now only operates in 1st gear. no higher gears, no reverse.....engine just revs. car has complete service rec no longer safely drivable. appears to be part of the known waveplate issue. why no recall with the great number of similar acadias with the same problem over and over? thanks for your attention. *tr

Driving gmc acadia to my sons baseball game and the car jerked forward, so i immediately slowed down. continued to drive and the car basically would not get out of 1st gear. the rpm's kept going up and never came down and the car would not go over 40 mph while the engine was gearing up. the transmission was completely shot. took to the dealership to have repaired. gmc has tons of 2007 and 2008 acadia's with the same problem and are forcing customers to pay for the repair. the wave plate was shot along with everything else in the transmission. on my bill they put n/c in all the parts and labor and then just plugged in an amount in a line item called " misc customer deductible" no one will explain the charge. dealership told me the gmc calculates the charge and gmc told me to call the dealership. they are giving people a "discount" of some sort so they clearly know they have an issue but they should be footing the entire bill. my car is 30,000 miles under the warranty and 28 days over the 5 years and it cost me over $1,200 to fix it when they put in a defective part and they know it. *tr

My 2008 acadia transmission failed as i exited a highway (70 mph) and was going up the exit ramp. it began bucking like a horse. once i pulled over and parked, i could not go in reverse. the car had to be towed and a new transmission had to be put in it after only 56k miles. also have had the sunroof / moon roof trays overflow because the drainage tubes are not large enough to drain all the water from the trays. the dealership stated it was a poor design and nothing could be done to replace it. now water has entered my vehicle causing the electrical box to become wet causing the horn to blow randomly and the car to continue running after turning it off and removing the key. *tr

While accelerating at a light, the transmission started to jerk. within 5 miles, could not drive faster than 30 mph. could not get into reverse. appears that the transmission is totally shot. 57,000 miles and 5 years 10 months.

I was driving 45pmh and all of a sudden i didn't seem to have power so i pulled over and called my husband where he asked me my rpm and if i could manually shift, etc. i could manually shift and only had 2nd gear. i called and had it towed to the dealer where they charged me $4400 to replace the transmission due to faulty wave plate. no help from gm due to out of warranty because i've had it over 5 years. *ln

Check engine light came on. had onstar diagnose it and it came back as transmission codes. the transmission solenoid is clogged up, could be from contaminenents in the fluid or could be my clutch wave plate is coming apart like so many others have experienced. out of warranty 5 months. contacted gmc customer care, they were no help.

Transmission stopped working and wont let the vehicle move. this vehicle only has about 57,000 miles! by reading on the internet it seems i'm not the only one with this issue. gm has not issued a recall on this yet. *tr

While driving, the vehicle suddenly lost power and would not accelerate. the vehicle could only be driven 20 mph. when the vehicle was taken to the dealer, the customer service manager immediately diagnosed the problem and said he had recenly seen several gmc acadia's with the same issue. he stated the problem is the wave plate inside the transmission which are faulty in several generations of gmc acadias. he further stated the wave plate could only be replace with another one that is also succeptable to failure. upon repair of the problem, the dealer confirmed the transmission wave plate was cracked however said there was nothing they could do about it. *js