2011 GMC ACADIA — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
372
Owner Complaints
5
Recalls
6
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2011 GMC ACADIA
The 2011 GMC ACADIA has received a total of 372 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 5 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS, STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE, SEAT BELTS. 6 technical service bulletins have been issued by General Motors, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Steering (64 complaints), Engine (52 complaints), and Electrical System (46 complaints).
Recalls for the 2011 GMC ACADIA
NHTSA has recorded 5 recalls for the 2011 GMC ACADIA, potentially affecting up to 3,254,860 vehicles.
Recall 21V246000 — AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
| 108 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Consequence: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service...
View full details →Recall 15V415000 — STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE
| 691,144 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected...
Consequence: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on November 15,...
View full details →Recall 14V266000 — SEAT BELTS
| 1,339,355 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through March 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the...
Consequence: If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice...
View full details →Recall 14V118000 — AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
| 1,176,407 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a...
Consequence: Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at...
View full details →Recall 12V151000 — VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES
| 47,846 vehicles affected
Defect: GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, BUICK ENCLAVE, AND GMC ACADIA VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, WYOMING AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA....
Consequence: IF THIS OCCURS, DRIVER VISIBILITY COULD BE REDUCED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE WIPER ARM NUTS, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 20, 2012.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2011 GMC ACADIA
372 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2011 GMC ACADIA. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
We purchased the vehicle on August 20, 2025. At which time we paid over $4,800 for the vehicle. I will be trying to submit all files pertaining to the vehicle. We are both disabled and on the fixed income from ssi. However, a week after purchasing the vehicle all issues began to rise up. There was no transmission fluid, the oil need changed, catalytic converter showed up on AutoZone print out, wheels to make a sound when turning, brakes needs fixed, electrical seems to have an issue. The reason I am submitting this is in prayer asking for any remedy with this situation through the recalls, bulletins, and whatever else maybe available for the vehicle. I thank you for your time, effort, and consideration in this matter.
Unknown
My air bag light keeps coming on saying to service it. I saw the recalled issues before with the other Acadias and was thinking maybe my year model would need to be looked into as well. I haven't ever had a wreck for them to come out but the light comes on frequently.
Transmission shudder from torque converter
Tailgate system has failed causing tailgate to force closed after opening halfway. Risk of being pinned between the car and tailgate. Similar to previous recall POWER LIFTGATE PROP ROD RECOVERY, gate is not being controlled or caught.
Safety Rating for the 2011 GMC ACADIA
The 2011 GMC ACADIA received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2011 GMC ACADIA
General Motors, LLC has issued 6 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2011 GMC ACADIA. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
14187B — AIR BAGS
Front Safety Belt Anchor
PIC5588B — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on the programming and activation of the OnStar system. For many 2008 and prior model year GM vehicles, the programming is performed using the Tech 2 and the activation is initiated by a Service Programming System. For the 2010 and UP...
PIC5428F — SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to diagnose and repair vehicles that may have the Antilock Braking System, Service Traction Control System, and/or Service Stabilitrak lights are on. The Electronic Brake Control Module may have one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes C0035-C0050...
SC-14823 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:CONCEALMENT DEVICES
GMC: TSB CONTAINS AN OWNER'S NOTIFICATION LETTER. SELECT DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON BELOW. THE BULB GASKET, ON SOME VEHICLES, CAN BECOME DEFORMED DUE TO DAYTIME RUNNING LAMP (DRL) GENERATED HEAT, CAUSING DAMAGE TO HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY. MODEL 2007-12 ACADIA. *PE
11-08-44-003A — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
This technical bulletin provides a revision of 11-08-44-003 to update the Sample Customer Notification Letter.
PI731A — LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2011 GMC ACADIA
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the GMC ACADIA
- 2007 GMC ACADIA — 641 complaints
- 2008 GMC ACADIA — 1,293 complaints
- 2009 GMC ACADIA — 485 complaints
- 2010 GMC ACADIA — 435 complaints
- 2011 GMC ACADIA (current)
- 2012 GMC ACADIA — 393 complaints
- 2013 GMC ACADIA — 189 complaints
- 2014 GMC ACADIA — 593 complaints
- 2015 GMC ACADIA — 299 complaints
- 2016 GMC ACADIA — 271 complaints
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