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Problems with 2011 GMC Acadia ENGINE

On average, the 2011 GMC Acadia starts to “feel” problems with the ENGINE and its various aspects after 73 700 miles.

Recently reported ENGINE problems on 2011 GMC Acadia

While driving 70 mph, i was just about to pass a semi when the engine quit, as if i turned off the key, no power steering...nothing. i notice the "traction control" light come on for a second. i pulled to the side of the road. i attempted to restart and the "check engine" light would just flash yet the engine was not turning over. the vehicle was towed to gmc dealer and preliminary reports (incomplete) was it was computer/electrical related. i also noticed the rear lift gate would not open (although this has happened once before two years ago and gmc dealer found "fretting at the lgcm terminals." possibility related, my wife told me only the passenger door window would roll down a few days before but only happened one time. she said she turned off the car and restarted a few minutes later all windows rolled down fine...just another electrical issue with this vehicle. this vehicle also has been having radio issues for years. 1/2 of the radio screen randomly disappears (left). tapping it sometimes helps and sometimes is flickers wildly on and off. gmc dealer told us the radio needs replacing...like that's going to happen.

While the car was being driven, it was noted that the power steering system became very hard to steer while driving on a side street. the car was stopped and the engine was turned off. when the engine went to be restarted, the engine would not restart. the car was towed, and was noted after investigation by the gmc dealer that the engine had a catastrophic failure with approx. 120,000 miles. it was fortunate this occurred on a side street with no traffic verses on a highway. also it should be noted that the engine timing chain had to be replaced about 6 months ago due to being stretched.

Under 100k miles and engine just blew up with out warning only had the car for 3 yrs prior when we first got it we had issues with the dvd cd player had to replace it and after 1 yr it went out again. had issues with headlight bulb being replaced then blowing out. the big problem now is the engine and the car not running

Takata recall traction contro,l service stabilitrak, engine speed reduced light turned on in my 2011 gmc acadia. wouldn't go no faster then 15mph on a 55 mph road and the engine got really loud and rough. was going 40 when the lights all came on driving down the road. this is very dangerous to drive when it keeps doing this. i'm scared to drive it now. specially when i have a baby in the vehical with me. i'm not sure what causes it to do this. some people say it's a glitch in the main vehicle computer, read it's a glitch in several different vehicals. this is something that seriously needs to be recalled and diagnosed and fixed immediately!

I took our 2011 gmc acadia, mileage 80,637, to the dealership on 12/16/2017 because the display showed "service air bag." the service technician reported that he found dtc b0022 and b0015 stored in sdm, tested circuits, good. he found excessive resistance in both front seat belt anchor pretensions and recommended replacement of both front anchor pretensioners, cpa connectors with leads and reprogram the sdm. repair estimate of $1,164.51. charged $125 to diagnose. it was explained to me that the pretensioners are connected to and communicate with the air bag. in addition, the service technician found the front engine mount weak. repair estimate of $447.85. the seat belt pretensioners and "service air bag" appear to be significant safety issues. i contacted gmc on 04/23/2018 to request repair assistance and to inquire if there was a recall, case # 8-4111443314. i was advised that i would have to pay out of pocket.

I was driving my 2011 gmc acadia and all of a sudden the car started to decelerate. i pulled over and turn the car off and then the car would not start again. i had it towed to the dealership. the dealership is saying there is an issue with the timing chain. the dealership said that the timing chain failed. upon doing research, i see that this is a common issue with gmc models, especially the acadia model. the dealership is saying that the repair is going to cost me $7500. given that this is well-known issue with the acadia model, i feel that this issue should be recalled for the safety of consumers.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc acadia. while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine stalled. the failure occurred several times. the vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine cylinder head failed. the contact stated that oil penetrated the cylinder head, spark plug tube, and timing chain, which caused the engine to fail. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 95,000.

The car has 77,000 miles and had to replace the timing chain and all components involved. the service manager said they had recalls on 2007-2009 vehicles buit had since fixed the problem but apparently not. i had my machanic fix this the cost was $1636.00 which was way cheaper than the dealer. i think that gmc should resolve this problem as i heard this is a common problem still.

The 2011 gmc acadia vehicle at 38k miles suffered a major leak in the cooling system.per nhtsa id number 10052213 & pb-13079, the fix did not stop the coolant leakage around the water pump seal. with the vehicle at 38k miles the dealer tested and charged for the replacement of the water pump. this should not have happened with this low mileage. the manufacturers safety issue in my part was unsatisfactory do to the replacement of the defective part not under warrenty.

I was driving down the road with almost 1/2 a tank of gas, and i lost power suddenly, and had no control over my vehicle because the power steering and everything quit. because i am fairly strong, i was actually able to turn off the road into a safe place, and not be stranded on a very busy two lane road. after having the car towed to paul's automotive garage, i was advised that the vehicle was out of gas.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the vehicle had drastically reduced speed with no warning. various warning lights flashed on the instrument panel, the service traction control light, the service stability traction control light and then the engine reduced speed warning indicator as the vehicle drastically reduced speed to less than 15 mph. the contact had to coast the vehicle over to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for further inspection and diagnosis. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 55,675.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc acadia. while driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled and several warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. after pulling over and attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle restarted on the initial attempt. the failure occurred intermittently on several occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

My 2011 gmc acadia would not start one morning. we put a battery charger on it. it started but has a pinging sound. we checked the oil. the oil was reading low. we added 3 qts of oil. we had auto repair shop change oil and install new battery. i still noticed the pinging sound. that evening, as i was driving the engine started making terrible sounds and loosing power. i stopped driving and had it towed to dealer. they said the engine was blown. i had no warning lights come on at all. the dealer is telling me it is most likely the timing chain. the acadia is only 5 yrs old with 116k miles. this should not be happening to this new of car. i have spoken to several mechanics and they all say this is a known issue with the acadia and this should be a recall or warranty issue. equally frustrating, i bought a warranty that i was told was an "extended warranty" that i thought would lover it now i'm being told the warranty was from the date of purchase which is not what the salesmen told me when i bought it. i feel totally taken advantage of as a women.

Motor stops running while in movement in gears of forward and reverse. driver has no control of the car. steering works but no breaks or power to power train. motor just shuts down with out any notice. this happens while in movement on public roads, freeways and while parking.

My vehicle has 136,000 miles and the timing chain is out, i have had to have the front passenger axle repaired, there is an oil leak. i had the vehicle checked while under warranty because the check engine light would come on, the service department said it was because the gas cap wasn't tightened. now i have no warranty and the timing chain needs replaced. the first day i drove my vehicle the brake system failed, it was brand new. it had had several recalls.

Stopped at stop sign making right turn excellerate to 10-15 mph notice gargling sound or like a muffler explodes power reducted...with in a hundred yards or so engine light go on power (engine) failure not breaks or stearing available coast to curb try to start vehicle again...dead as a door nail. flat bedded to kerbeck gmc dealership by 1:00pm 09/12/16 ...service mgr. call at 6pm no news still being diagnosed, will call in the am...later that day called to tell me that it sucked a valve and has broken rocker assembly and seems to be damage in the lower end of the motor! need new engine...vehicle is in the hands of the dealer! no written report has be given to me, just verbal! passange in vehicle at time of occurance...

Can started to smoke. panel stated reduce engine. couldn't go over 20mph. car broke down with two kids in car.

While driving this morning i had a series of messages appear : "traction control off" , then "service stabilitrak" and then very soon after "reduced engine power". the car would still run, but would not go above approximately 20mph and struggled to maintain speed. at one point had to pull over and turn engine off to almost "reset" car to be able to continue driving to destination. this is the third time that this has happened and have had to take to the shop. i have small children that are typically in the vehicle when this happens and am concerned for their safety if this issue cannot be resolved.

While driving this morning this message appeared : "traction control off" , then "service stabilitrak". very soon after message "reduced engine power" appeared. the car was still running, but would not go above approximately 2k rpm's or 15mph. this is the second time that this has happened and have had to take to shop and have throtle body inspected and recalibrated. this is my wifes car and i have a small child that was in car when this happened. this happened in an area that is heavily traveled to include school buses.

Tamara recall. i received several notices. initially auto dealership denied recall existed. now claims it doesn't apply to my car. original owner and live in south florida. what engine the heck is going on? do we have to have a fatal injury to get their attention? engine mounts keep breaking, 16,000 mile intervals. first time dealership replaced. now at 33,000 miles my phone problem? guess we need catastrophic failure before manufacturer engineers better engine mounts?! low mileage vehicle, careful driver on good roads. please send feedback. *tr

The car would not speed up. i was driving on a heavily trafficked road (pendleton pike) in indianapolis, in. after passing sunnyside road, it went from 40 mph to 25 mph in a matter of seconds. i hit the accelerator multiple times, but it would not speed up. i turned my hazard lights on. i panicked! i was barely able to pull into a starbucks parking lot and shut the car off. i waited ten seconds exactly, and then turned it back on. it was fine after that procedure.

When traveling at about 35 mph, all systems failed -- steering, braking, electrical. the dealer indicates that this is a "catastrophic engine failure."

Ses light came on, trac control light came on/ vehicle lost power. traveling southbound on state route 83 near wooster, ohio two lane highway with nearly no pull offs. lost power going up hill. went from 55mph to barely 20 mph within seconds. *tr

I'm the 2nd owner and so far i've had to have a motor mount & 2 catalytic converters replaced. the ac started having issues with the controls not working & then the ac completely broke and leaked all the refrigerant which made a huge mess. there's a horrible oil leak that can't seem to be stopped. the brake pedel makes a loud squeaking noise. and now there is some strange noise coming from behind the dash, uncertain if it's the radio, cd player or ac/heat. all these problems at under 80,000 miles!!! *tr

June 11th 2014, it was a wednesday. i drove over a set of railroad tracks and all of a sudden my car starts beeping and flashing all of these lights at me. the park assist off , the traction control off, the service stabilitrak? and the ?check engine? lights all come on. we are in town and not going very fast so i don?t notice the car driving any differently at first. i stop and still everything seems fine, except for all these lights flashing at me. when i try to go again is when i realized that there is a problem. my car will not accelerate. i have the gas pushed all the way to the ground and my car is moving at like snail speed, i?m trying to make a left hand turn, up a hill, to get to the parking lot but my car literally will not move! vehicles are swerving to avoid crashing into us, i call a tow truck and my finance. when we do hear back from the gmc dealership they basically tell us that we?re idiots. they test drove the car and looked it over and hooked it up to their fancy machines and there?s nothing wrong with it. august 16th. my fianc is driving,on a highway at 65 all of those same lights come on and my fianc announces, ?omg [xxx], i think it?s happening again. ? sure enough he is unable to accelerate and the vehicle stalls out in the middle of the road. luckily for us this time we are on flat terrain and we are able to coast into my mother?s driveway. because it is so late we decided to just go to bed and deal with it in the morning. in the morning, though, we get into the car and it drives perfectly fine. we drive 6 hours back to rapid city, with no issues, although we are sick to our stomachs. saturday, september 27, 2014 the exact same thing happens. dash reeds as this traction control off park assist off service traction control service stabilitrak *tr parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

While driving at speeds ranging from 30 mph to 60 mph, the engine begins to miss, especially uphill. the vehicle begins to shake terribly. when i contacted the dealership regarding the issue, i was asked if the check engine light was on. it was not but the dealership had me bring it in anyway. this vehicle has been in the shop three or four times now. i have paid to have the fuel system cleaned as well as the spark plugs and plug coils replaced. these are expensive processes not covered by extended warranties. in the end, i have been told by the dealership that unless a check engine light comes on to 'map' the problem, they can't help me. *tr

My son in law was driving, i was in passenger seat, all of a sudden engine raced, tack needle went very high and vehicle began slowing down all at the same time. son in law remove foot from gas peddle and vehicle acted normal. this has happen to me approximately 20 times prior to this. two or three times i took it to dealer who stated the computer didn't 'register' anything. it has happened on interstate when i attempt to pass 18 wheeler in heavy traffic, very scary. *tr

Tl* the contact owns 2011 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the stalled without warning. the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road and was restarted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 43,595. updated 09/02/14*lj updated 09/11/14

Driving vehicle, temp gauge got over 240 degrees stopped and found water pouring out of from the front of the engine.after further inspection found the water pump to be leaking badly. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc acadia. the contact stated that the passenger side running lights malfunctioned and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the contact was informed that the headlight assembly melted and cracked, which causing the running light to malfunction. the light bulbs were replaced but the same failure recurred on the driver side light assembly. while driving in the rain, the vehicle suddenly began to hydroplane and the traction control light and check engine light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that water was present inside the engine and the number five coil was damaged. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 32,000. ...updated 05/14/15 *bf

For two weeks leading up to the 3/27/14 incident, every time we started the car the air would not come on and we would have to manually turn the air on. when we turned the car off, the air would stay on. two weeks later, when i was operating the vehicle, the gauges on the instrument panel started going haywire displaying dozens of messages, and the all of the gauges would shoot up, then bottom out at 0, then shoot up again, etc.. i turned the car off, and when i came back later to start it, the car wouldn't start but the electrical stuff came on. after several attempts to get the car to start, i roll down my windows and then try it again, and the car started. i drove it straight to the dealership. the dealership replaced the body control module and some wires and said they fixed the problem. less than 48 hours later, the same thing with the gauges and warning lights happened. we immediately sent an email to the service department since it was the weekend and they were closed. on monday, the car died again, but the radio kept coming on/off....i fiddled with the radio and the car started. i drove it straight to the dealership. they can't get the car to "mess up" again, and are waiting for it to do the same thing it did for me, so they can figure out how to fix it. i am concerned that the car is showing significant electrical problems that include safety equipment, yet gmc is ready to turn the car back on the road. note: all recalls are up to date and the dealer has been in communication with gmc. *js

Service stabilitrak, and the engine power low warning lamps illuminated followed by the vehicle slowing to 20 mph. vehicle taken to the repair facility where the technician diagnosed that the throttle body was defective and needed to be replaced. this same incident occurred several times previously. engine reverting to low power is a hazard and safety issue. *tr

I was complaining about the performance of this vehicle to the dealer for the past three years. now that the warranty is expired, i had to change the driveshaft, fell out while transporting passengers; transfer case, the transition from drive, the automatic shift would jerk; a passenger i had in the car told me one day i would not make it up a hill. one week later it happened. transmission, the vehicle wouldn't move even when gas was applied; 6 coils and plugs, the bad smell of something burning was scary. i had to pull off the road because the reduce power light come on. yesterday, 12/26/16, i went through this again!!! there is a rubbing sound in one of my wheels, don't know what that is yet. i also changed the axels and about to change the tie rods for a clunking noise while making turns on uneven surfaces. i made numerous complaints to gmc hq and the dealer here in the vi from 2013. the dealer changed parts that were irrelevant and told me it was fixed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the motor needed to be replaced. on a separate occasion, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the same failure and was diagnosed that the fuel injector needed to be replaced. also, the technician mentioned that the ecm needed to be updated. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 13,000 and the current mileage was 40,000. *tr

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