2017 GMC Acadia Problems: 7 Known Issues

On the 2007-2023 GMC Acadia, gM customer-satisfaction bulletin 13079 covers certain 2009-2013 GMC Acadia vehicles with 3.6L High Feature V6 engines (RPO LY7 or LLT) that may experience leakage from the water-pump shaft seal, often after operation with low coolant.

On the 2017 GMC Acadia, a very small group of 2017 GMC Acadia SUVs built over a four-day window in April 2016 (April 19 through April 22, 2016) left the plant with front brake calipers whose piston seals were torn or misaligned. A damaged or out-of-position piston seal can let brake fluid leak past the caliper piston. NHTSA recall 16V802000 covers 1,844 vehicles campaign-wide across every model included in the recall, not the Acadia alone. GM's consequence statement is direct: if brake fluid leaks, braking performance may be reduced, which increases the risk of a crash. Because the build window is so narrow, only a VIN check will tell an Acadia owner whether their truck is in the population.

On the 2017-2019 GMC Acadia, gM bulletin 10251901 covers specified 2017-2019 GMC Acadia vehicles that can intermittently display a Shift-to-Park message even though the transmission selector is in Park.

On the 2017-2021 GMC Acadia, gM bulletin 22-NA-033 covers 2019 GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with IOS, IOU or IOT radios that can reset or reboot and display the GMC splash animation. Bluetooth-call or touch-input symptoms can occur immediately before the reboot.

On the 2017-2025 GMC Acadia, the second-generation Acadia (2017+) uses the GM 9T65 9-speed automatic transmission which shares known issues with the Chevrolet Traverse and Blazer. Common complaints include harsh 1-2 upshifts, hesitation between 5-15 mph, lurching on light throttle in stop-and-go traffic, and the transmission hunting between gears on hills. GM has released multiple TCM calibration updates. The transmission is extremely sensitive to fluid condition — extended intervals with aging Dexron HP fluid contribute significantly to shift quality degradation.

On the 2007-2018 GMC Acadia, the Lambda-platform hub bearing assemblies wear early — owners report failures well under 60,000 miles and, on the rear, repeat failures on the same vehicle. Two distinct symptoms come from one part: mechanical noise (a speed-dependent hum or growl that changes when the vehicle is loaded in a turn) and an ABS fault, because the encoder/tone ring on GM Lambda hubs is magnetically printed onto the bearing's inner race surface. When that magnetic layer degrades or sloughs off, the ABS module gets an implausible wheel speed signal and posts a wheel speed sensor code even though the sensor itself is fine — which is why replacing the sensor does not fix it.

On the 2007-2021 GMC Acadia, the dual-zone HVAC case uses several small plastic-geared blend/mode door actuators. The gear teeth strip or the door binds, so the actuator hunts for its calibration position and produces a repetitive clicking or ticking from behind the dash or glovebox. The classic complaint is full heat on the driver's side and ice-cold air on the passenger's side (or the reverse), often with the click audible whenever the temperature setting is changed or the ignition is cycled. It is one of the most common non-powertrain complaints on the Acadia across both generations because every part of the actuator drivetrain is plastic.