2009 GMC Acadia Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2009 GMC Acadia ranks 3rd worst out of 19 model years, with a complaint index of 89 and 331 NHTSA complaints, mostly steering. It carries an Avoid verdict due to steering, engine, electrical, and transmission problems plus 7 recall campaigns.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 89/100
- #3 of 19 Acadia years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 331
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 7
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 8
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 14
- Injuries
- 17
- Top issue
- Steering
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 19
- 16.5 city / 23.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 17 / 0
Top 2009 GMC Acadia problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Steering112 (34%)
- Engine82 (25%)
- Electrical System76 (23%)
- Transmission & Powertrain72 (22%)
- Structure & Body33 (10%)
- Other19 (6%)
- Brakes16 (5%)
- Airbags15 (5%)
- Fuel System15 (5%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires11 (3%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Owners report exterior lighting wiring harnesses burning or melting, cutting off headlights at night.
- Some vehicles caught fire from fuel system problems, including stuck fuel injectors that led to fuel line and engine damage.
- Engine ignition coils, spark plugs, and gaskets failed together in some cases, accompanied by shaking, stalling, and a burning smell.
- Sudden loss of braking response was reported at highway speed along with abnormal RPM spikes.
- Transmission issues included engine RPMs revving high while the vehicle lost power to the wheels, in one case traced to a reverse wave plate.
- Front tire blowouts led to loss of control and crashes in some airbag-related complaints.
2009 GMC Acadia recalls
7 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 14V266000May 20, 2014Seat Belts1,339,355 vehicles
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.
Risk: 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 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.
2009 GMC Acadia fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 16.5 MPG
- Highway
- 23.5 MPG
- Combined
- 19 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $3,400
- 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.
2009 compared with other Acadia years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2009 GMC Acadia reliable?
- Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2009 Acadia has a complaint index of 89 and ranks 3rd worst among 19 model years of the Acadia, earning an Avoid verdict.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2009 GMC Acadia?
- Steering is the top problem area, accounting for 112 complaints and 34% of all reported issues, with a median failure mileage of 70,311.5 miles.
- Does the 2009 GMC Acadia have recalls?
- NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2009 Acadia, covering seat belts, airbags, transmission shift cables, electrical systems, and structure/body components. None are do-not-drive recalls.
- How does the 2009 Acadia compare to other years?
- The 2009 model's complaint index of 89 is worse than most other Acadia years; only the 2008 (100) and 2017 (94) score higher, while 2013, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024 rate as Best.