Problems with 2008 GMC Acadia ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Have to replace evaporator core because of leaks. seeing lots of complaints about this issue on message boards. *tr

I backed into a parking spot and put it in park. the car seemed like it lost a little bit of power and when i turned the key off the engine turned over again and the car was running even though the key was in the off position. when i turned it over the car lost power and wouldn't start and my key was stuck in the ignition. after 15 minutes or so it started up again with no problem. later when i drove it it did it again and now it starts when i stick the key in the ignition without turning it over and my car stalls out and loses power and i lose power steering. *tr

While driving on the interstate the stabilitrak, traction control and reduced power lights came on. the car was running really rough and i had to cross traffic to pull over. i turned it off and sat for 5-10 minutes. i started it and it acted like nothing had happened. i drove it directly to a chevy dealer and they said the only thing they could find was that it appeared that the throttle body had moisture in it and the moisture had frozen. they dried it out and its been fine, until last week. i was on my way to chicago, again on the interstate, and the all the lights started coming on, then the engine light, but i did not lose power this time. i'm really afraid to drive my car and unfortunately i have several more trips to chicago in the near future. i would take our other vehicle, but it is also a gm product and is having the same issues. i have read many forums where the same situation has been happening for as far back as 6 years and appears to be a major problem for a lot of gm owners. people are having sensors changed out, throttle body replaced and other work done on their vehicles and nothing is solving the problem. gm needs to find out what the problem is and fix it! its very dangerous to be driving along in wall to wall traffic and lights start coming on and there is the possibility of losing power in the middle of all that! unfortunately, since we have two gm vehicles with the same problem, there is no way to avoid driving one of them. fyi - i also read that there are problems going on with leaks in the rack and pinion and sway bar issues. i had a leak in my rack and pinion and had to replace the sway bars last fall.

Locked up making a turn going slow, pump getting noisy, just got back for water pump replace. *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

We purchased our 2008 acadia in 2011, it had approximately 30,000 miles on it at the time of purchase. less than thirty days after purchase we had to replace the front rotors. at 40,000 miles we had to replace the front brakes; the air conditioner backed up, which required maintenance to the blower motor; and the head lights went out, which required replacement. at 45,000 miles the rear struts went out, which required replacement; and we had to replace two tires. at 60,000 miles the water pump went out and needed to be replaced. at 55,000 miles the front struts went out, which needed replacing, along with four new tires, and a new set of headlights. at 60,000 miles the rear brakes and rotors needed to be replaced. at 70,000 miles the transmission went out, which also required replacement. the final incident happened on 6/10/13 at 74,000 miles, while i was driving with all three of my children. i was going 50 miles an hour on a highway, and the entire car shut down. the steering console locked with the keys in the ignition, i had no ability to steer the vehicle, the brakes did not function either. i had to use the parking brake to slow the vehicle down, barely avoiding a collision with another vehicle.

I have a 2008 acadia and it just stalls out for no reason. this is a very unsafe problem and gmc -according to the dealer does not stand behind this wide spread issue. the dealer and gmc can't tell me what is causing it and they give me the vehicle back and say if it happens again bring it in and we will look at it but they can never find anything wrong. i fear getting in this vehicle because i never know if it is going to just stall out on me while in traffic on a major highway. there are numours posts on many web sites about this vehicle and how gmc will not help anyone. some of the web sites are www.topix.com and www.edmunds.com. i think this vehicle needs to be on a total vehicle recall. *tr

8/26/2011 - 71,309 miles - water pump went out and had to be replaced. 5/07/2012 - 86,885 miles - transmission shuttered when coming to a stop in traffic. would not start and had to be towed to mechanic. transmission assembly replaced with gm reman transmission due to broken reverse wave plate that damaged the carrier, sun shell and metal throughout. also detected an oil leak in the engine front cover that needed to be repaired and heard power steering noise so bled power steering system. 12/31/2012- 100,947 miles - headlight switch fell inside dash panel. 7/26/2013 - 112,506 miles - power steering has never worked properly. it has always made noises and has been stiff. had it bled several times with no improvement. power steering went out while making a left hand turn into a busy intersection. at shop now to determine if it needs a new power steering pump, rack, and/or serpentine belt. i have read many complaints with the same issues as those that i have experienced. i am disappointed that gm isn't more concerned about the safety of their consumers and the reliability and quality of their vehicles. i have never owned such a lemon! i personally will never own another gm product. going back to lexus. *tr

My power steering groans and moans when turning at low speeds. turning the wheel is very difficult even for me being a male. the noise is very annoying and may affect the steering. the car is for my family of three kids and wife --- not sure they should be driving this anymore. i called the a gmc service dealer and they said they have heard of "very similar issues" waiting back to hear if they will repair this. i've had too many repairs lately for a car with only 58k miles -- one sway bar, another sway bar, transmission issue, headlamp issue, faulty thermostat, limited life brake pads, now power steering issues! ugh! *tr

2008 gmc acadia slt has serve water leakage inside the cabin that cause significant damage to interior carpeting and panels. electrical problems also begin to happen such as back up assist disabled, air bag light flashing, rear windshield wipers not shutting off and more i am sure will happen as water enters the cabin and areas that you cannot see. this is a potentially dangerous condition that needs to be recalled and addressed by general motors. fire hazards and injuries due to malfunctioning equipment might occur. there are videos and plenty of complaints from other owners on the internet of this same issue and i am shocked that no actions have been made by gm. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. the contact stated that after replacing the evaporated core, coolant leaked onto the ventilation system and as a result, fumes were emitted into the vehicle causing the passengers to become ill. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who verified that coolant had leaked onto the carpet pad and they could smell the fumes entering the vehicle. the dealer decided to detail the vehicle and used foam cleaner to clean out the engine. the remedy failed to repair the problem. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 35,687. updated 07/08/11 *bf updated 07/20/11

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. while driving approximately 45-60 mph the vehicle stalled. he stated that the vehicle stalled and within a couple of seconds the vehicle started moving in reverse. the following day, the vehicle would not start and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the failure occurred twice after the dealer could not duplicate the failure. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the dealer repaired the air bag light. the failure happened again on december 22, 2010 and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the vehicle had not been repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 27,000 and the current mileage was 30,200.

on aug 9th after leaving san bernardino ca.. i was driving up the cajon pass to return home. i had the car in cruise & gave it some gas so that i could get up the grade because there was a car behind me that was fairly close. as soon as i gave it gas the car lost engine power & i had to move over to the shoulder. the car came to a stop & i was unable to get it restarted. i thought it had overheated but looking back on the situation. i don't think that was the problem .i attempted to start the engine again after sitting for several minutes & it stalled again. i sat for several more minutes, tried again & it started . i stayed on the shoulder until it gained speed, & i was able to drive home. on tues. i called the dealership & they had me tow the car in. they were unable to find anything wrong with it. this is the only time i had a problem with the car. *tr

Spontaneous car fire started inside engine compartment of 2008 gmc acadia causing total loss to vehicle. parked next to 2009 gmc sierra and caused this truck to catch fire and causing total loss to vehicle. both parked next to home and caused fire damage to garage. 2 days prior car wouldn't start in driveway, gmc determined it to be from gas tank being low. 1/4 tank noted to be in car at the time. *tr

The car's air condition pump, filters, and hoses they had major contaminants. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the camshaft was failing. there was no acceleration power within the first 100 miles of driving. the contact consulted the gmc dealer and they stated that nothing could be done. on another occasion, when the vehicle was started, the engine light illuminated. the gmc dealer was called again and they offered free maintenance/service (which was included in the contact's extended warranty), but there was no remedy for the failure. the contact stated that the light eventually dimmed, but illuminated again at least 3 more times. the current mileage was 938 and failure mileage was approximately 800.

Exhaust fumes entering vehicle. when vehicle is running and at a stop, exhaust fumes enter the passenger compartment. all windows are in the up position, and all doors are properly closed during the event. results in nausea and headache. occurs every time vehicle is driven. dealer has not resolved the problem. *tr

Exhaust fumes entering vehicle. when vehicle is running and at a stop, exhaust fumes enter the passenger compartment. all windows are in the up position, and all doors are properly closed during the event. results in nausea and headache. occurs every time vehicle is driven. dealer has not resolved the problem. *tr

Gmc acadia was bought in january 2008. has been back 4 times for propane smell that comes into the car from through the vents. it mostly happens when i stop for a red light. the fumes seem to back up into the car. catalytic converter and exhaust system was switch out but it continues to happen even after 7000 miles. have called gm corp as well as dealer to complain that the smell is making me sick. doctor notes have been sent to dealer and corp but still not resolved. i drive with my windows open even if it 20 degrees. *tr

Similar to complaint # 10224804, i have also had an issue with my gmc acadia. check engine light illuminated, and took vehicle to the dealership. i was told that the gas cap wasn't fully tightened, and that's what the problem was. this happened twice. after the third time the check engine light came on, the dealership "magically" discovered that it wasn't the gas cap. there was a bad sensor, a bad solenoid, the camshaft was incorrectly fit to the engine block, and now a bad cylinder. no resolution from gm other than the technicians are looking into the matter. the dealership has been working on the vehicle for over 30 days now with no repair, and no idea when the repair is going to happen. gm tech support has no idea what the problem is, according to the dealership. vehicle purchased 12/13/07. first check engine light on 01/07/08, second 01/17/08, third 5/20/08. mileage: 994. current mileage: 4,334. *tr