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
- 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.
- Transmission & Powertrain279 (33%)
- Electrical System187 (22%)
- Engine167 (20%)
- Airbags150 (18%)
- Steering133 (16%)
- Structure & Body98 (11%)
- Brakes83 (10%)
- Other72 (8%)
- Visibility & Wipers34 (4%)
- 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 recalls
5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
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.