Problems with 2009 GMC Acadia STEERING

Steering wheel making a whining/rubbing noise. fluid leaking under the car. took to the dealer and was found to have tack and pinion is bad spraying out power steering fluid everywhere. was told that the steering will lose power and become either hard to turn or not turn at all causing danger to ourselves and others. this is a known issue that has not been recalled by gm.

Dec 2018 my acadia was left at the service department of whitmore chevrolet in west point va 23181 for a diagnosis. my vehicle ran when i left it there. over a month later including illegal activity in the service department i get my vehicle back and it is dead. i would start my vehicle and drive away sometime stopping soon or randomly on the road. it's done that several times. i have three children too. i need my vehicle looked at and the possible recalls fixed. i am without transportation and it's unbearable. i am a mother of three wonderful sons and we need our vehicle to run please!!!my review is in the pictures as well

Steering locks up when you try to make a turn. has happened often over a few months. vehicle was in motion

I just got my gmc 4 months ago and after every light and alarm has gone off the leak of power steering fluid has cause me to take to a dealer and i have been given a $2600 bill to replace the rack and pinion and pump. this is not just an issued with my gmc my sister has a 2011 acadia and had the same problem. this for sure needs to be recalled as there is something wrong with it.

2009 gmc acadia. consumer writes in regards to loss of engine power, steering wheel power and faulty brakes. *ld the consumer the liftgate and lamp were repaied under recall, but the failure continued. the consumer did not recieve notification for the recalls concerning the engine, transmission, and timing chain. *js

Bought a 2009 gmc acadia in february had it for 2 weeks and was pulling out of a fast food restaurant getting my 3 year old daughter some food as i was pulling out i lost all power steering. i could not get my suv to turn i barely bumped a car thank goodness it did not do any damage and no one was injured but this is definitely something gm needs to fix!! i am a single mother and can not afford to have this fixed especially after spend 10,900 on purchasing the vehicle.

At low speeds, the power steering intermittently cuts out. the steering wheel almost seems to lock up.

Power steering went out when rpms are low. in my incident i was transitioning from one freeway to another making a right turn about 40 mph. i took my foot off the gas to take the turn slowly. as my rpm went down my vehicle would not turn right any more. the wheel got stuck in the last position before i let go of the gas. i had to give it gas to make the vehicle power steering work again. my concern with this is not that the power steering failed but that steering in general was locking. i have driven cars with out power steering and never have to worry my wheel will lock. the dealer says i need a new power steering pump. but again it should not lock my turn. i had to give it gas to get the rpm up and then it would turn. once of the freeway at the stop light i tried turning the wheel and it would not turn. once i gave it gas we were fine. i should not have to worry about getting stuck in the middle of the road turning. my research has found many issues with acadia steering pump. this is a safety issues that could of caused a major accident.

Our 2009 gmc acadia was taken to gmc dealership on december 2, 2016 with noises coming from engine compartment when steering wheel was turned to the right or left, either standing still or moving. service technician advised that the steering gear needed to be replaced, and the bill was $1,466.00. the acadia has 31,068 miles on it, and my wife is now afraid to drive the car for fear the steering may go out again. *tr

There is an ongoing and unresolved issue concerning the power steering rack and pump on gm lambda chassis vehicles. the vehicle will intermittently and unpredictably lose power steering assist creating an incredibly dangerous situation. while under warranty the factory quietly supported multiple repairs of the same components- rather than recall this situation gm chose to continue to use their supply of deficient components while they seemed to "wait out" the warranty and thus no longer be liable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while driving approximately 65 mph, there was a sudden loss of engine power and the vehicle was unable to be driven over 40 mph. the stability traction control warning indicator illuminated. the dealer was unable to replicate and diagnose the failure. in addition, while driving highway speeds, "engine hot" and "a/c off" appeared on the instrument panel. the contact noticed smoke under the hood. the vehicle was coasted over to the shoulder of the road and turned off. the vehicle was unable to be driven due to the failure and was towed to the dealer. the dealer diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. the dealer replaced the part. the manufacturer was notified of the failures and indicated that they also had campaigns that needed to be addressed. the timing chain needed to be replaced, there was a loss of power steering assist, and the transmission cutlet leave plate failed. there were no recalls. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 78,000.

While driving it's like the steering goes out and you can not turn the wheel have almost gotten into several wrecks because of this issue, it does not do it all the time but lately a lot more often the past few weeks, to the point that i'm almost scared to drive it. this is my means of transportation to and from work so i must drive it..

April 26, 2016 - my wife was at a gas station and said the wheels on the gmc were very hard to turn either way. shortly thereafter, she started to hear a whining noise when she would turn left or right. a day later, the noise was more pronounced so i went out for a test drive. the steering seemed ok and the whining noise didn't seem that bad too me. april 28, 2016 - my wife said the noise was louder so i test drove it again, this time, i experienced a momentary loss of steering power on low speed. one time i overcompensated when it was hard to turn the wheel but avoided having an accident. i performed the owner's manual checks, power steering fluid level was good. i then goggled for more information online about steering issues and how to resolve on gmc 2009 acadia and then i ran into the gmc service bulletin sb-10056459-3388 online. the bulletin described the intermittent power loss we experienced. the condition is described as follows "vehicles may develop a power steering pump wear condition that can cause an intermittent drop of power steering hydraulic pressure that will cause reduced or loss of steering assist. the vehicle may revert to manual steering which requires greater driver effort, particularly at low vehicle speeds". i called our local gm's service department for an evaluation but have not received a callback yet. i am concerned because i believe, if not resolved, may turn out to be a safety issue for us.

I own a 2009 gmc acadia. while trying to turn my power steering will go out. i have almost hit 3 different vehicles due to this and barely made it in to a parking lot off of a busy street. this is a very dangerous and serious problem that gmc needs to address. i have a daughter that i am worried about letting ride in the car with me due to this.

While driving my power steering will go out. i have almost hit several vehicles due to this issue. i think this needs to be addressed asap. i travel with my kids in my vehicle on a daily basis and i am scared to put them in my vehicle due to this issue and i am still paying on my car and can't afford to buy a new one. please fix this issue,

I have continued to have issues with the steering in my acadia. we called the dealership and described the noise it was making and they said it was normal and it was just the 4 wheel drive kicking in. now the steering is completely out. we were in a busy parking lot when it happened and almost hit a pedestrian as the steering went out as we were turning left. the car was moving slowly at the time. i am now seeing several forums where others are having the same issue. there is even a pending lawsuit. there is also an issue with the electric where the safety power locks do not work. my son has opened the door when the car was moving because of this. i have had 5 recalls on this vehicle, so it's hard to keep up with all the issues.

Headlight out 1.5 mo ago, then other side went out. mechanics have to remove bumper to get to bulb!!! $300-400 minimum labor and parts. struts if shock absorbers stuck down after up on rack after 2 different tire changes repairs. car road wobbly until it was fixed at my e pensr. is this beautiful car a lemon or what?

I took my 09 gmc acadia to the gm auto to fix the transmission and they told me they can not fix unless i pay the $2043 to fix my power steering, but i believe its all related to that power steering failure that is cover under the gm policy. and its the same problem to all the acadia that are out there so i suggest the gm to fix all gmc acadia without any cost to all the owneri if they fix it right we wouldn't complaint at all

At low rates of speed when making a left or right turn the car loses power steering for a couple seconds then reengages. this causes you to over steer once the power steering reengages which on several occasions causes near accidents with other cars on the road. the problem is occurring much more frequently now and we are taking it to the dealer tomorrow. we have had the rack and pinion looked at and replaced by the dealer on several occasions because of low whining noises at low speeds and other problems.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while driving 10 mph or less, the steering wheel became difficult to turn without warning. the vehicle operates normally at speeds above 10 mph. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 77,000.

At low rates of speed, my 2009 gmc acadia temporarily looses power assist steering. it occurs off and on (not predictable). when the power assist fails, i struggle to turn the wheel while in traffic. at a couple times, the power assist kicked back on suddenly, causing me to overcompensate and almost get into an accident.

Vehicle was purchased from union park gmc dealership in wilmington delware on 7/24/15. i took it to my local mechanic on 7/27/15 after noticig a whinning noise when steering at low speeds. he recommended returning oit to the dealer for repair. the dealer made no repair and claimed "all these acadias have this whining noise". i then took it to maryland state inspection where it failed inspection due to "moisture on rack", indicating a leak and replacement of rack required to pass inspection. dealer service department claims it viewed the boot and found a stain and referred me to tsb # 3352321. however, it was not made clear if they actually pulled the boot and inspected the rack and inside of boot to determine if fluid was accumulating inside the boot. they also claimed they do not guarantee vehicle will pass inspection. i did notice that when the delaer returned the vehicle it had added power sterring fluid, rasing the level from just below min to just above max level.

Having steering problems with my gmc acadia. vehicle has appox. 75k miles and i have had several incidents of where it was hard to steer my vehicle. i took to the gmc dealership service dept. and it's the same issues everyone else is having with this make & model vehile. rack & pinion is leaking & i need a new power steerling pump. there is clearly a defect with this gmc make and model and the customers should have to bare the cost of these reparis. i also noticed this occurs after the warranty ends too. cost of repairs & labor - around $2,200. of course the repair guy also noticed 3 other things that needs to be repaired too. the cost of those recommended reparis cost $1,600.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the second row rear driver side seat belt failed to latch in place without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. in addition, while making a left at approximately 15 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering pump, steering gear, the front struts, and the driver and passenger side front axles needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 10v375000 (seat belts). the failure mileage was 120,800.

i have a 2009 gmc acadia. was purchased in february 2015 from barker gmc dealership. first problem i had was in the first month of me having the vehicle it started to misfire so had to get the coils changed. then my a/c is not working. in may it started making a clicking noise when i turn the steering wheel. then end of june sometime and is still occuring it starts when i am going to turn after slowing down it's like my steering wheel gets stuck and is hard to turn. when i am driving at a slow rate or slowing down to turn somewhere that when my steering wheel wants to get stuck. therefore most definitely poses a danger to family when they are in the vehicle to myself when driving and to others on the rode. this is my family vehicle! i have 3 daughters and 8 month old twin boys in there and i feel unsafe driving it. but i definitely do not have the funds to get these problems fixed and definitely don't feel it is my responsibility to pay for problems that gm knew about for what 3 years now! this vehicle should have never been on the gmc delearship car lot for sale with them knowing of these unsafe problems. i bought this acadia 2-3 years after this lawsuit was put against them and the people at gmc didn't even bother to tell me about it's unsafe problems with the steering nor did it come up with me checking on this vehicle. if i knew i could go after them to get my 5,500 that i put down on this vehicle and my money back for my car notes i have been paying since march of this year, i would!!! if they cared about the well-being of human life they would not still be selling any of the vehicles that are having these problems til they resolve them!!! there most definitely needs to be a recall. this is causing a safety risk for children, women, and men. actions definitely need to take place on this matter.

Last june during a routine inspection the dealer told me i had a slight leak in the rack and pinion. i questioned him on why a vehicle with approx 48k miles could have a problem. i was told that gm allows some leakage. shortly there after i noticed an occasional ratcheting feel in the steering wheel. i then would experience several occasions where i momentarily would lose power steering,the beginning of this year i received a letter from gm stating that there may be a problem with the power steering pump and to bring it to the dealer.i brought it to the dealer and was told there is a charge of $130 to determine if it is the pump and no charge if it was bad. i was told the pump was in fact bad and that the rack also needed to be replaced at a cost of $1400. i politely told them that the rack should not leak at 56k miles and the pump caused the problem and that gm should pay the entire bill after i was told that a certain amount of leakage was ok. they said gm would only cover the cost of pump. i also replaced 4 low beam head lights in the past year.

I purchased this vehicle on april 20, 2015. a few days later when making a left hand turn at approximately 20mph, the steering wheel locked up and the vehicle was extremely hard to turn, almost causing a head on collision with an oncoming vehicle. we were told that this is a common problem with these vehicles as the steering rack is faulty. we continue to have difficulty turning the vehicle. i am truly surprised that this issue has not become a recall after reviewing all of the complaints regarding this very same issue.

Car stalls as i am turning into parking spots, turning or going around significant curves in the road, while im in a round about etc. luckily i have been able to put the car in neutral and it starts back up and off i go. i am the second owner of this car and i bought it from a non gm dealer. my mechanic is at a loss as to what is wrong because a) there are no codes that are coming up and b) the stalling is very sporadic, it will do it twice in one week and then not do it again for 3 weeks. i have had this car about 5 months and it has happened about a dozen times. i pulled the carfax and called the dealership that did all the work on it with the previous owner. after speaking with the service department, i was told that the previous owner had the same problems and the dealer could not get the car to malfunction while they had it in for servicing. although she didn't tell me everything that they did to try and resolve the issue, i do know that they went as far as to replace the cylinder head hoping that would solve the issue, but clearly it did not. this is a very dangerous safety issue, i have almost hit several cars due to the fact that when the car stalls, everything locks up and you have no control over anything.

While exiting garden state parkway, vehicle was coasting going through the off ramp turn with brakes applied. engine rpm was at low idle and the power steering suddenly and with out warning stop working. it was near impossible to turn the wheel and vehicle began to leave the roadway and drive onto the grass. it took an incredible amount of strength to turn the wheel and stay on the and avoid crashing into the trees. gmc and the nhtsa knows about this problem. this should be recall, not an advisory or a service bulletin. nhtsa id number: 10056459. *tr

An intermittent steering issue developed whereby steering input would become restricted and prevent the driver from adding or subtracting steering. the issue presents during turning and cornering and resulted in numerous hazardous situations and one serious near miss. upon inspection by a mechanic, i was advised that the entire rack and pinion assembly would need to be replaced. it is not clear whether the rack and pinion were inherently defective, or the consequential damage of other steering defects which is very concerning. upon further review, i have found that this model year along with several others have been plagued with defective steering issues. given the apparent incidence rate and the high risk nature of the issue, i am surprised and disappointed this has not culminated in a recall.

Rack and pinion seizes up while turning. gm knows about this issue. happens on most of the acadias. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 10 mph, an abnormal loud sound emitted when turning the steering wheel. the problem recurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 81,286.

Brought it to the gmc dealer to replace the power steering pump which was on recall notice only if there were problems. loss of power steering at low speed so i took it to dealer. as a result, pump was replaced as well as rack and pinion. pump covered, rack and pinion not, $1700. the day after i picked up the car, the transmission failed. as i got on the highway, motor revved but transmission did not engage. was able to make it into the breakdown lane. had to have a flatbed pick it up and bring it to the transmission shop recommended by the dealer. transmission replaced...$3,140.00. i feel that i was lucky to have been in the lane closest to the breakdown lane when this happened. dealer offered no assistance. eight months past warranty. *tr

Power steering rack is leaking, power steering pump is whining. gmc dealer refused to replace eventhough gm has sent letters to owners regarding power steering problems. the problem could result in the loss of power steering thus causing unsafe driving conditions. *tr

My son was driving down a residential street which has a right turn/merge over a canal. upon reaching the right turn the power steering failed and he was unable to navigate the turn. the acadia drove forward into a large pipe which crosses over the canal. the front of the acadia was crashed including the front bumper, radiator, head lamps, engine, driver side front panel, passenger side panel, and the frame. none of the air bags deployed during this crash. there is a recall on the side airbags at this time but not the front airbags. there is no recall on the power steering on this gm model. i have had experienced the power steering intermittently fail when turning both left and right. my daughter also experienced power steering failure one week prior to my son's accident. i was in the vehicle with her. this power steering failure is not exclusive to my gmc acadia 2009. consumer reports as well as the acadia forum also has mentioned this power steering failure in other gmc acadias. the airbags not deploying during this incident is also very concerning. this air bag failure could have caused major injury given another scenario. *tr

I was driving the vehicle when i came to an intersection to turn. when i turned the steering wheel it was making a rubbing noise. i notified the dealer, and they said to bring it in. the vehicle was passed its warranty. i was told the issue was that the steering gear was going bad and needed replacing. i was told that if i did not replace it at that time, in the future there would be a catastrophic failure to the gear which would also damage the steering pump and i would not have power steering. the quote was $1,600 to replace the steering gear and bushings. i was told it would have been double that if i also had to replace the steering pump. the steering gear should not have failed at 63k miles! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated while stopped at a traffic light attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel seized and excessive force on the steering wheel was required. the failure caused the vehicle to independently drive onto a curb and no warning lights illuminated. the contact was able to resume driving the vehicle. however, the failure recurred multiple times intermittently. the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic for diagnosis. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while driving approximately 20 mph, the power steering failed without warning and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. the vehicle operated normally after it was restarted. the dealer stated that both the power steering pump and steering gear needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 91,972..updated 10/14/2014 *bf the consumer stated his/her vehicle was fixed. updated 10/21/14

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while driving various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the dealer stated that the power steering pump and steering rack needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 42,000.

My wife drives this car. she and my son who had borrowed it claimed that "the steering isn't working properly". on 16 august i was driving the vehicle and attempted to make a right turn into a side street. as i was doing so the power steering failed and i was unable to negotiate the corner without crossing into the on coming lane. i was traveling at about 3-5mph. at that moment a car approached in the adjacent oncoming lane and to avoid hitting that vehicle i hit the breaks suddenly and stopped the vehicle. i was able to complete the turn after the other vehicle moved on from the stop line and (conjecture) i was accelerating. since that incident i have driven the vehicle and have had numerous similar incidents - today's date is 8/17/2014.. *tr

I have a 2009 acadia slt2. i was entering the highway and accelerating when the car would not increase in speed as i was merging onto the highway. i was nearly hit by a semi-tractor trailer truck. the same problem has occurred multiple times after this. i have taken the car in for service and was told by a gm authorized dealer that they could not replicate the issue and they replace a coil. the car still does the same thing intermittently. this car has had other safety issues, like water leaking into the cabin and nearly shocking me while trying to drive. *tr

The vehicle has slowly become harder and harder to steer at low speeds and low rpm. after some research, the power steering on the acadia seems to be a very common problem that has not been recalled. i fear that if this issue gets worse and starts happening at higher speeds, an accident could occur. currently, the problem is only obvious at speeds between 0-25 mph. *tr

The steering column randomly locks at speed while turning. locking column caused impact to curb while driving vehicle. *tr

Incident (first big symptom): braking and slowing to yield sign from offramp/ steering felt as if ignition turned off and car became much less stable in steering with a stiffening and rattling/tapping noise somewhere just left to the center of the steering wheel. once trying to turn realized there was no power, thought the engine had stopped running and then hitting the gas the steering suddenly pops back into assist. this is a very unsettling first occurrence that i see on multiple internet sites has been happening since at least 2011 in many different versions of this chassis. it would have been nice to have known this before two things: 1. before i had my four daughters and the neighbors kid in my car to put at risk of killing them ( gm shame on you as you this problem exists for 4 years) 2. before the warranty was one month out of contract. the dealer states this is "unusual to them', they have not heard of it happening and do not think it is unusual that a vehicle with only 58000 miles on it has the entire steering pump, gear, and rack assembly blow seals. repair costs are quoted at 2000.00. need to replace rack, pump and something else. additionally, there are 56 posts relating to steering alone. some of us driving these vehicles feel that being able to have a chance of piloting the car safely may be important. i used to think my dad was silly when he would say something is a poor design, but did the engineers actually do any testing on these vehicles? do you test the problem or just keep saying it's not happening? thank goodness this is all low speed and no one has died yet ( at least that we know of). *tr

Most common at slower rates of speed, the power steering goes out & the vehicle becomes extremely hard to steer. however, this has also happened to me on the highway while traveling at 65+ mph. that was extremely scary. more than once, i have been forced to turn into an oncoming lane b/c the steering is too stiff to turn properly. the issue was intermittent, but is now constant. have flushed/replaced power steering fluid, replaced power steering pump & reservoir. the vehicle is at my local dealer now (as of 8/22/14) & they are telling me the new pump is bad & that the steering gear is leaking...although there is no evidence of it leaking externally on the ground & the dip stick consistently shows the reservoir as full. approximate repair cost is $1500 as of now... this is a highly dangerous & apparently common situation that gmc should be rectifying with a recall of the acadia. *tr

Loses power steering at low speeds such as pulling out of a parking area or any time low speed. very hard to turn until you accelerate. *js

As my wife pulled out of the driveway, she heard a "clunk" noise, and she had to apply a lot of effort to straighten out the vehicle. my wife has stated that this is almost a common issue with the steering and many times she has to use a lot of force to steer the vehicle in a straight line. we took the vehicle to the dealership who stated that this is a common occurrence and that it would cost $400 to repair this problem. we declined the repair and felt that this was as safety issue and that it should be repaired without any costs to us. we have filed a complaint with the general motors company however we have only received a form type e-mail indicating that our complaint is in their files. we have also information from other web sites that this is a common issue, however nothing has been done at a federal level. we only have 35,000 miles on this vehicle and now we are really afraid to take any kind of long highway trips for fear that this would happen at highway speeds and that this may result in serious injury and or death of ourselves and our loved ones. please advise as to what other actions we can take to resolve this safety issue. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) *js

Acadia has become increasingly difficult to turn both left and right. my wife can't drive the car anymore because she can't turn the steering wheel enough so that she can park at work. really dangerous and scary. *tr

I have had the car for 1.5 years, the power steering went out making it impossible to get the car out of parking spots or even turn at a light. the transmission went out, the ignition went bad, the steering column went out. the car has been recalled 6 times & in the shop countless more. serious problems with acadias. *tr

We have had issues that are getting more serious with our 2009 gmc acadia regarding loss of steering control at low speeds and when turning. the wheel will lock up and become extremely hard to complete the turn. it has gotten so bad that i will not allow my daughter to drive it as the issue could cause a serious accident. our mechanic has been calling other dealers and nobody seems to know if it is the steering rack or pump. both will cost around $1000 to fix and we still done know if the issue will be fixed. what is gmc doing about this. steering issues could cause them more problems than getting this issue fixed. *tr