2011 GMC Acadia: engine and transmission complaints
ELEVATED COMPLAINT SIGNAL
37%
81 of 217 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
37% of relevant owner complaints on the 2011 GMC Acadia are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is elevated. Worth an independent inspection before you commit to one.
Better than 58% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 63 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 29%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
ENGINE01/31/2020FIRE1 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE AS IT TRIED TO ENTER THE INTERSTATE FROM A RAMP. THE CONTACT AND HER PASSENGER QUICKLY EXITED THE VEHICLE AFTER SHE PULLED OFF TO THE SHOULDER. THE COMPLETE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED BY THE FIRE. A POLICE RE…
POWER TRAIN12/30/20131 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER EXITING THE VEHICLE WITH THE ENGINE OPERATING, THE DRIVER SLIPPED ON AN ICE PATCH AND FELL. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS GROUNDED, THE VEHICLE ERRONEOUSLY ROLLED AWAY AND OVER HER LEGS. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MUSCLE AND NERVE DAMAGE TO BOTH LEGS. THE VEHICLE…
POWER TRAIN03/07/2025
Transmission shudder from torque converter
Three of 81 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (5)
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 m…
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 manufacture…
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 …
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2011 GMC Acadia
Ask the seller whether the engine has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown stalling, loss of power, rough idle, oil consumption or a check-engine light.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many engine faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the engine.
5 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A engine already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.