YearToAvoid

2008 GMC Acadia Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Avoid The 2008 GMC Acadia ranks worst of 19 model years, with a complaint index of 100 and 854 complaints. Transmission & Powertrain problems lead at 33% of complaints, followed by Electrical System issues at 22%, with a median failure mileage of 82,280 miles.

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
100/100
#1 of 19 Acadia years
Verdict
Avoid
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
854
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
5
distinct NHTSA campaigns
Crashes
22
reported in complaints
Fires
13
Injuries
38
Top issue
Transmission & Powertrain
Best nearby year
2013
rated Best
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
18.5
16 city / 23 hwy
Injuries / deaths
38 / 0

Top 2008 GMC Acadia problems

Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Transmission & Powertrain279 (33%)
  2. Electrical System187 (22%)
  3. Engine167 (20%)
  4. Airbags150 (18%)
  5. Steering133 (16%)
  6. Structure & Body98 (11%)
  7. Brakes83 (10%)
  8. Other72 (8%)
  9. Visibility & Wipers34 (4%)
  10. Suspension, Wheels & Tires22 (3%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

What owners report

  • Headlight wiring harnesses melt and cause low beam or both headlights to stop working, sometimes recurring on the opposite side later.
  • Engine compartment fires occur both while parked and while driving, in some cases spreading to nearby vehicles or structures.
  • Power steering hoses reportedly separate, cutting off steering assist and, in one account, preceding a vehicle fire.
  • Front airbags fail to deploy in crashes despite direct impact to the vehicle.
  • A rear seatbelt reportedly failed to hold a child restraint in place during a crash after the vehicle hydroplaned.
  • A suspension rod issue was described as causing a wheel to detach or lock up while maneuvering at low speed.
2008 GMC Acadia complaints: complaints filed per quarter582007 Q42010 Q12012 Q22014 Q32016 Q42019 Q12021 Q22024 Q1
854 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2007 Q4 to 2026 Q3; peak 2013 Q3 (58).

2008 GMC Acadia recalls

5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 15V415000Jun 30, 2015Structure & Body691,144 vehicles

    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.

    Risk: 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.

  2. NHTSA 14V118000Mar 17, 2014Airbags1,176,407 vehicles

    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.

    Risk: 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.

  3. NHTSA 10V240000Jun 4, 2010Electrical System1,365,070 vehicles

    Electrical system

    Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.

    Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.

    Remedy: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

See all 5 recalls for the 2008 GMC Acadia →

2008 GMC Acadia fuel economy and fuel cost

City
16 MPG
Highway
23 MPG
Combined
18.5 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$3,500
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2008 compared with other Acadia years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2007Caution61428518.5
2008Avoid100854518.5
2009Avoid89331719
2010Caution67343419

All GMC Acadia years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2008 GMC Acadia reliable?
Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2008 Acadia has the highest complaint index (100) of all 19 model years covered, ranking worst overall and earning an Avoid verdict.
What is the biggest problem with the 2008 GMC Acadia?
Transmission & Powertrain issues are the top problem area, accounting for 33% of complaints (279 of 854), with a median failure mileage of 77,400 miles.
Does the 2008 GMC Acadia have recalls?
NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 2008 Acadia, covering Structure & Body, Airbags, Electrical System, and Visibility & Wipers components, none of which are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2008 Acadia compare to other Acadia model years?
The 2008 Acadia has the highest complaint index (100) and is ranked worst of all 19 years, compared to years like 2013 and 2022 which score 6 and 0 and earn Best verdicts.
What fuel economy does the 2008 GMC Acadia get?
The EPA rates the 2008 Acadia at 18.5 mpg combined (16 city / 23 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,500.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.