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2018 GMC Acadia: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
49%
187 of 392 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

49% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2018 GMC Acadia are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 62% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
187
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
392
this model year
Fires reported
1
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
2
8 crashes · 12 injuries

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN163 · 42%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER117 · 30%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM108 · 28%
ENGINE32 · 8%
STEERING24 · 6%
SERVICE BRAKES21 · 5%

The years either side

2010
40%
122 of 348
2011
37%
81 of 280
2012
37%
91 of 302
2013
45%
46 of 140
2014
45%
94 of 467
2015
34%
44 of 261
2016
33%
32 of 236
2017
48%
286 of 702
2018
49%
187 of 392
2019
55%
202 of 382
2020
48%
46 of 100
2021
47%
64 of 148
2022
55%
23 of 48
2023
55%
21 of 42

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other midsize SUVs with no elevated signal in 2018

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

SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE03/22/2019CRASH4 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT RENTED A 2018 GMC ACADIA. WHILE THE CONTACT'S FRIEND WAS DRIVING 40 MPH, THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE DROVE THROUGH A PARTITION AND CRASHED INTO A BRICK WALL. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. ALL FOUR OCCUPANTS IN THE VE…
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SY09/24/20252 INJURED
Shifting to park and vehicle stating the vehicle is not in park, won't let me turn the vehicle off. Transmission going out, brought to many shops letting me know that the transmission is not working properly but won't give an engine light if anything is wrong with vehicle, Wont show on readers what is wrong with vehicl…
STEERING,SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN08/01/2024CRASH1 INJURED
On July 26, 2024, I was driving my 2018 Acadia, with my cruise control set to 48 in a 45 MHP zone. Nearing a bad curve, I sneezed. When this happened, I tapped the brakes to disengage the cruise control, my passengers side tires exited the road and with both hands on the wheel I tried to slowly bring my tires back to t…

Three of 187 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 (2)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaC…
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles and 2017-2018 GMC Acadia vehicles. The right front intermediate driveshaft …

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2018 GMC Acadia

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.

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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.