Your vehicle report
2012 GMC Acadia
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 296
- Received Apr 2012 to Aug 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Tailgate or trunk latch fails27 complaints · 9.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Headlights dim or fail at night19 complaints · 6.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Power steering rack leaks fluid17 complaints · 5.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #21V246000General 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.
- Recall #15V415000General 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 vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 8 crashes, 2 fires, 17 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
- Tailgate or trunk latch fails
- Rear door latch fails to open or close
- Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail
1 more problem
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 7 |
| 2013 | 6 |
| 2014 | 23 |
| 2015 | 31 |
| 2016 | 39 |
| 2017 | 31 |
| 2018 | 37 |
| 2019 | 38 |
| 2020 | 23 |
| 2021 | 17 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 10 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 12 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 6 |
| Total | 296 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tailgate or trunk latch fails | 27 | 9.1% | – | NHTSA recall #15V415000 |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 19 | 6.4% | – | |
| Power steering rack leaks fluid | 17 | 5.7% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 15 | 5.1% | – | NHTSA recall #14V118000, #21V246000 |
| Transmission shudders during acceleration at low speeds | 13 | 4.4% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 12 | 4.0% | 14.2× | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 10 | 3.4% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 7 | 2.4% | – | NHTSA recall #12V151000 |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 7 | 2.4% | – | NHTSA recall #14V266000 |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 7 | 2.4% | – | NHTSA recall #14V118000 |
| Timing chain fails and destroys engine | 7 | 2.4% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 6 | 2.0% | – | |
| Chevrolet Silverado loses power and hesitates | 6 | 2.0% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 6 | 2.0% | – | |
| Fuel gauge reads erratically or incorrectly | 5 | 1.7% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 5 | 1.7% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 5 | 1.7% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 5 | 1.7% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 4 | 1.4% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 4 | 1.4% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #21V246000April 8, 2021108 vehicles affected
air bags: critical fasteners
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.
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 at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.
NHTSA recall #15V415000June 30, 2015691,144 vehicles affected
structure: body: hatchback/liftgate
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 vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.
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, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.
NHTSA recall #14V266000May 20, 20141,339,355 vehicles affected
seat belts
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 flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue and separate over time.
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 will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). General Motors recall number for this campaign is 14187.
NHTSA recall #14V118000March 17, 20141,176,407 vehicles affected
air bags: side/window
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 crash.
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 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.
NHTSA recall #12V151000April 9, 201247,846 vehicles affected
visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkages
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. Snow or ice buildup on the windshield or on the wiper may restrict the movement of the wiper arm, causing the wiper arm to loosen and cause the wiper to become inoperative.
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2012 GMC Acadia.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN