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GMC Acadia Engine Problems

2

Comments

  • gmcwoesgmcwoes Member Posts: 4
    edited January 2013
    We purchased our 2007 GMC Acadia just over 2 years ago and it has less than 100K miles (74K). The truck was shifting gears w/o human intervention, and making rough jerking motions (like someone was pushing it from behind,)so we took it in to dealer shop that sold it to us. You guessed it, "no problem found!"
    Today, the truck will not reverse-- it just revs. It will drive forward but it will not go backwards, at all. Luckily, it was started in the garage. However, it was driven on a major highway earlier and this transmission issue, could have been the end of my life.

    Please provide link to info on any Class Action Suit for the 2007 Acadia. PLEASE!
  • mwasko73mwasko73 Member Posts: 3
    We are having a similar problem that I see others on this forum are having. We purchased our used 2009 GMC Acadia SLT in 2011. Our reason for buying this vehicle was that it accommodated our large family and had the remainder of the three year-36,000 bumper to bumper and 5 year-100,000 mile powertrain WARRANTY. We have put 26,000 miles on since then, changing the oil every 5,000 miles. A little while back there was a loud ticking noise in the engine. The oil was changed at 55,000 miles and the ticking continued. Three weeks ago today, we took the car to a GM dealer for service. We were told the next day that the engine needed to be replaced due to lack of maintenance and that we used an after marked oil filter (Fram Tough Guard). The service manager told us there was a bulletin put out regarding after market oil filters, but to this day we have not received any correspondence from GM regarding this. Since we change the oil ourselves, we do not keep the receipts. Both the dealer and GM say they have "no loyalty" to us because we did not purchase the vehicle from a GM dealership. At first, GM said they would pay 50% of the new engine cost. Now after three weeks, they will pay 65%. We do not feel we should have to pay any of the cost because it is under a warranty that GM will not honor! We keep asking for a specific problem with the engine and get the very general "lack of maintenance". We have contacted the regional directors and filed a complaint with GM customer care and our response is that as long as the service manager says it's lack of maintenance, we have no recourse. Why doesn't GM stand behind their vehicle and honor the warranties? Thank you for any input you all may have!
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    You should also file a complaint with the BBB online against both your dealer and GM. That should help you to at least identify the problem with the engine.
  • mwasko73mwasko73 Member Posts: 3
    Thank you. If we do not get any satisfactory conclusion from the dealer or GM that is our next step. Our engine has sludge all over it, it is a known engine problem for GM and they won't do anything about it. I have been without my vehicle for 3 weeks and have 4 children, 2who are in car seats. Our other vehicle is a pick up truck so we cannot even take our family anywhere. This has been a huge inconvnience for us and GM just doesn't seem to care. Again, they are telling us the engine problems are our fault but won't tell us what specfically is wrong. The BBB will definitely be our next call. Thanks again for your suggestion!
  • dna95dna95 Member Posts: 1
    Hi In Oct 2012 our 2011 Acadia caught on fire while parked. GM is trying to settle it as product liability instead of through the Lemon Law act. This way they get my insurance company to pay me market value and the want to give us a very small amount. We are extremely dissappointed on how GM is handling this they don't care about their customers at all. Our Acadia was totaled and we have been without our SUV since October of last year. Very dissappointing.

    Did they replace or take care of your matter in an acceptable manner?
  • sgttomsgttom Member Posts: 1
    My Wife and I bought our GMC Acadia SLT2 AWD in 2011 and have had nothing but issues since buying it. Fail #1, a complete transmission failure in which GM did a complete transmission replacement (not just fix but we got a brand new transmission). The "Certified" GM mechanic said there was complete gear failure. Oh, did I mention we had taken it in to a dealership prior to our trip we were taking and they said nothing was wrong with it. Fail #2, once again, taken to a dealership about the "CAT" sounding power steering. Again we were told that "All GMC Acadia's make that noise". After test driving almost every 2012 model GMC Acadia's on the lot and determining that none of them sound like mine they set out to replace the entire power steering system. That worked for about 3 months and the "CAT" was back! Fail #3, while on the way to our new home, the warning alarm chimed in and told us to service stabilitrack and traction control. Upon reading many blogs on the Acadia it seems that this issue exists in almost every Acadia. Hey what do you know, the dealership told us that nothing was wrong. (FACTORY WARRANTY EXPIRES) Fail #4, the low beam head light goes out and to my surprise you have to take it to the dealership to get it replaced due to the fact that you have to take the whole wheel well out to get to the head lights. Thanks GM! Fail #5, on a one hour trip on open/flat interstate our transmission (replaced less than 30,000 mile ago) is now over heating and the return of Fail #3. Oh and don't forget the "CAT" is still there. So here we are taking it back to the dealership to try to fix all three issues, but I'm sure nothing is wrong with it. Why is it that GM is still selling this chunk of crap and nothing has been done to fix all of these issues the 2013 Acadia has all the same issues as the '08?
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    sgottom,
    Have you already been in contact with Customer Assistance on these concerns?
    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • raberrones23raberrones23 Member Posts: 1
    hello everyone my name is Rick and my wife and i bought our acadia in 2007 right off the lot with no miles. we never had any problems with it, anytime there was a recall we would take it in and problem solved. But in december of 2012 with no warning my acadia started to shake and jerk while i was driving about 50 miles an hour. i got to my parents house and turned vehicle off then turned on and vehicle seemed fine so i left it alone. about three hours later i turned the vehicle on and it was hard to start when it turned on the vehicle started shaking real bad and turned off, tried to start again and that was all she wrote not one attemt to turn on. I knew there were issues with this car but i thought i was one of the lucky ones because my acadia had 125,000 mile on it so i knew i had no warranty. I knew i could not afford any engine work so i let the car sit until i got my tax return. I then went to dealership and explained what happened then the service rep told me there was a type off recall for the timing chain but it would omly be covered untill 120000 miles. So i called gm and the rep told me that if i took the vehicle in and it turned out to be the timing chain they would cover if the vehicle had 1000000 miles because it was a recall. So I saved money just incase it wasnt the timing chain and took the car in. 5 days later the dealer tells me it was the timing chain but that the tech said engine looked very bad on the inside and he did'nt know if a new timing chain would fix it. So i call gm and i offer them instead of paying for a timing chain to put that money towards a new engine i would pay the difference and they said it was more likely that the timing chain would repair the issue. so i tell them to replace the 3500 worth of timing chain and gm only covered 1000. now the dealer calls me the timing chain wasnt enough and that i will probably need a new engine, when i was trying to avoid this whole timing chain with a new engine to begin with. waiting to talk to regional service rep from gm but she hasnt called me back. I really hope they cover all the 3500 dollars for the timing chain and all pay for the new engine myself.
  • jpfjpf Member Posts: 496
    As they say hindsight is 20-20. Unfortunately, these engines are very complex. The engine has 3 timing chains. That's why it costs $3,500 to replace them and only about $1,000 for most cars with a single timing chain or belt. You would have been better off having the entire engine replaced and getting whatever you can from GM towards a new engine. Good luck.
  • kblack4kblack4 Member Posts: 1
    My wife and I had a 2012 denali acadia that caught fire, our ins doesnt want to pay because they think the fire wasnt an accident what was the cause of your fire and or do you know and how did you get into contact with gm?
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    We're sorry to hear about this incident, kblack4. If you would like for us to check into this further, please email us at socialmedia@gm.com with more information (including your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and a summary of the situation).
    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • rjrobinsonrjrobinson Member Posts: 1
    Hey

    We just encountered basically the same thing with our 2007 Acadia. Timing chain had jumped and GM is going to cover the new timing chain but are saying they will not cover the damaged Cylinder Head.
    I was just wondering if you got anywhere with them covering your engine repair?
  • 43cajun43cajun Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2013
    My wife got this message and shut the car down. Restarted and it ran fine for a while and then came on again. Took it to the dealer the next morning and they just called and said motor needs to be replaced. Want approval for 9 hours to tear down and think it may be sludge buildup from improper maintenance? If so, not covered under powertrain. Has 90,000 miles. After doing some research, it seems that sludge is an issue with this motor. What should I do? I have a call into my attorney.
  • 43cajun43cajun Member Posts: 2
    Gave the authorization to pull the motor and see what the issue is. Call GM customer service and opened a case file. 71-1178413754. May know by the end of the day what the issue is.
  • mwasko73mwasko73 Member Posts: 3
    After posting back in January and trying to resolve our issue (engine sludge), GM stated the problem was100% our fault and informed us that they voided the remainder of our warranty. We did further research with the original dealer and found out that the vehicle went in at 21,000 miles and the front half of the engine was replaced (cams, lobes, and timing chain) for the same issue. The dealer stated the back half of the engine was not touched as per recall/technical bulletin regarding timing chains (the back of the engine is what currently failed). This tells me that there is very obviously an engine problem with this engine. Our vehicle's engine worked when we dropped it off at the dealer for repairs. We had the vehicle towed from the dealer when there was nothing more they could do for us, the engine does not run. It just sits in our driveway as we pay monthly on our loan. We have tried numerous times to correct this matter w/ GM customer Care, they no longer take or return our messages. With driving around my 4 children, there is no way I would not keep my vehicle in perfect running condition. GM, however, has put my family at risk by refusing to fix THEIR KNOWN engine problem on a vehicle that was UNDER WARRANTY! The BBB was not able to help us. I feel our only recourse is to get an attorney involved. I need a reliable vehicle for me and children. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
  • magetromagetro Member Posts: 4
    edited June 2013
    Hello everyone! I am very upset and scared waiting on the dealership to get back to me on what the heck went wrong with my car. I was driving uphill on the highway yesterday when my wheel locked and the car shut off. Thankfully I had just barely hit the exit. Tried jumpstarting and the car made a rattling noise but would not turn on. Had to get it towed to my home. I find out I still have a limited bumper to bumper warranty (expiring in August) on this certified pre-owned vehicle (purchased October 2012). Which I'd thought of the Roadside Assistance last night and not paid out of pocket for towing. In any event, dealership instructed me to call GMC Roadside Assistance and car was picked up at my home and taken to dealership. Just got a call back this afternoon and they said 'your engine seized. We wont really know what caused it until tomorrow so can't get you a rental just yet. There was metal in the oil'. I hope this was not their way of implying that I could have somehow caused this to happen. They provide all the maintenance on my vehicle. It is up to date. Oil life was still at 80%. I am sick to my stomach as to what they are going to call me back with tomorrow. Anyone think they know what could have happened here? They just had my car in their shop 2 weeks ago for that recall (hose leak). Praying whatever it is is covered under warranty. :sick:
  • philncasphilncas Member Posts: 1
    The same thing happened to my wife and I on Thursday. GMC called today and said the oil had metal shavings in it. I too am afraid they are trying to imply owner negligence. Not sure what to do/feel. We had to prove that we had our oil changed regularly. We were told that we were 3 quarts low on oil. Just earlier in the week I checked to see that our oil life was at 51%. No oil light or check engine light came on at all. They told us that they would make a determination tomorrow on whether or not we would be covered by warranty. I do find it very odd that the same excuse/reasoning is being used with two different GMC customers on the same day. Ours is a 2011 and we did buy it from the dealership. This seems to me to be a very odd coincidence. :sick:
  • magetromagetro Member Posts: 4
    Exact story. I will circle back later with response from GMC dealer's service dept. please let me know what you are told. Something isn't right here. My car was just fine prior to me taking it in to them for that water pump recall repair. May be a coincidence but odd same thing happened to you. :mad:

    One thing I did do was send an email to GMC yesterday (socialmedia@gm.com) informing them of my issue and dealership response. I have yet to receive a confirmation or reply but perhaps you should do the same? Wouldn't hurt to log your issue with GM as well.
  • jpfjpf Member Posts: 496
    GM's 3.0 or 3.6 liter engines have severe problems after 50k miles. Check out Edmunds Cadillac CTS engine problem forum. The Cadillac CTS has the same engines as the Acadia. The 3.6 liter engine has 3 timing chains. The timing chains have a tendency to stretch leading to catastrophic engine failure. My guess is that it has something to do with the timing chains. Good luck.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello,

    I'm sorry to hear that you had to have your vehicle towed to the dealership. I understand that unexpected repairs can be extremely inconvenient. Please keep us updated on the vehicle prognosis.

    Sincerely

    Amber N.
    GM Customer Care
  • nnylidojnnylidoj Member Posts: 2
    On Saturday we were driving home from the beach when our 2010 Acadia with 61k miles died. The engine quite, the dash lit up and that was all she wrote. Lights still worked etc, but the engine would only click. We had it towed for $300 to our local dealership and they just called to tell us the engine has seized. I'm gathering all of our oil change records now (all have been done at the dealership or at the local Sunoco station) and then we find out where to go from here. How strange that there have been three of these incidents in less than a month!
  • magetromagetro Member Posts: 4
    edited July 2013
    My engine was replaced under warranty. I am not confident that all is well now. Got my vehicle back with new engine Wednesday evening. Saturday 'Service Stabilitrak' light comes on and off sporadically. Later 'check engine' light and low tire pressure indicators. In addition car is a bit sluggish starting up. I had OnStar run a diagnostics and was told an engine misfire was detected (Code P0300). They suggested I not accelerate too quickly, tow any heavy things (trailer or similar) and take it back to GMC for servicing within 7 days. I took it back today. They said whatever was causing the engine misfire must have pushed or cleared itself because trouble code was non-existent today. Hesitated starting is a result of battery. I now need a new battery and new tires. I've had this car 8 months. This is crazy. What else will I need to replace soon? I am at 55k miles and until 2 weeks ago all was well. Sounds like this is the mark where these cars start having issues (after 50k) :mad:
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hi nnylidoj,

    I am sorry to hear that your engine has failed. You should still be within your vehicle Powertrain Warranty-- so under normal circumstances, this would be fully covered. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to assist through this time.

    Amber N.
    GM Customer Care
  • nnylidojnnylidoj Member Posts: 2
    Thanks Amber. Just heard back from the dealership (love the service team at Jeff D'Ambrosio in Oxford, PA) and they found metal throughout the engine. We just had to show all maintenance records and the engine is being replaced under the Powertrain Warranty. A bit nervous about a new engine but fingers crossed all ends well.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Glad to hear that the dealer service team has been such a great help to you. We trust that the dealership will have your vehicle back to you in proper working order. If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We'll be happy to contact your dealership for you to get any extra details. Please keep us posted.

    Amber N.
    GM Customer Care
  • chuck1955chuck1955 Member Posts: 1
    july 5 2013 me and my wife were driving from ohio to Nevada and our 2010 acadia suddenly decided to quit running had acadia towed to dealership in Glendale az its been there since 07-05-13 service rep there told us that cam or crank shaft bearings was the problem they were waiting on gm response on what to do who do I notify at gm about this problem thanks
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hi chuck1955,

    I'm sorry to hear that your vehicle is currently experiencing issues. I would be happy to document your concerns and look further into this for you. If you are interested, you can email us your information at socialmedia@gm.com. Include your full name, mileage, contact info, and the name of the dealership. Feel free to also contact GM Customer Service by phone at 800-462-8782. Please keep us updated.

    Amber N.
    GM Customer Care
  • villegasfam3villegasfam3 Member Posts: 1
    We had the same issue as the others described here only our Acadia is a 2011 with 31k miles. There were absolutely no problems at all leading up to the engine going out. We had just driven about a 120 miles, made a couple of stops along the way. Arrived at our destination took a quick trip to the grocery store, again no issues. About 2 hours later following dinner, we were taking a short ride to the local Home Depot. Prior to leaving, we heard a clicking noise but didn't think much of it. A mile away, we heard a loud pop and then it was like I was driving on ice. Engine stopped, I lost power steering and brakes. Lights and interior display working fine. Engine would not click. Someone offered assistance by jumping battery but it wouldn't charge. Car was towed to a local Chevy dealership (Best Chevrolet, Easley, SC) as there wasn't a close GMC dealer and key left in drop box as they were already closed for the day. I arrived next morning 15 minutes after them opening at 7 AM. The service advisor was very nice and told me they would check the vehicle quickly as they were not scheduled to be very busy that day. He stated he would call soon with an update. When I had not heard anything by 11:30, I called him. He told me they were still trying to figure out what was wrong but they suspected it was the engine. I asked how much longer would it be before we knew what was wrong. The service advisor told me probably 2 hours, so I well why don't we say 2 PM. I never received a call and had a family member take me to the dealership. We arrived at exactly 2:52 and asked to speak with the service advisor. Of course he said he was just about to call me. I could see my Acadia out back, not being worked on and thought perhaps that was a good sign. Boy was a I wrong. They still didn't know exactly what was wrong with the car and to make matters worse, advised me they weren't sure why it was towed to them rather than a GMC dealer and we would need to have it towed to one. They gave me this line about they were told by their Regional Operations Manager, they could not work on it. I was also told we would need to drive to the GMC dealership to get a rental car. All this after they had my car for over 7 hours. I questioned everything they were telling me because it just didn't make sense. I agreed to having the car towed at no charge to me to the GMC dealership about 25 miles further away but I didn't understand why they couldn't give me a car rental. They said it was because they didn't use the same car rental company as the other dealership. I asked to spe3ak with the service manager. Suddenly 5 rental cars were available and ironically, from the same car rental agency as the GMC dealership uses (turns out they use the same company and fleet of cars). Given this was now 4:30 PM, the GMC dealer said they would have to call us on Monday since they were closed on the weekend. My husband called them today and guess what, they believe it's the engine and would be removing it to determine exactly what the problem is at this point. We have already filed a complaint with GM customer service regarding how the Chevy dealership handled the situation. Very concerned and confused.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello villegasfam3,

    We are sorry to hear that you are facing engine problems. Since you have already filed a complaint with GM Customer Service by phone, your agent should be working to get this resolved. If there is anything additional you are concerned about, please let us know.

    Amber N.
    GM Customer Care
  • melissatsmelissats Member Posts: 5
    edited August 2013
    We waited 9 weeks to get our 2007 Acadia. We finally got it March 3, 2007. Ever since then we have been living a nightmare!! This Acadia has had nothing but problems & also is a moving target. I have had my lift gate replaced over & over again. I was in a bad accident in 08 and had to have both of my front & rear end replaced, both mufflers, my air conditioner, my gas tank, ect... I have been 5 accidents all rear ended & once this year hit a deer & had my front end replaced again! Back to the problems it came with....my roof leaked. Rain water would pour in through the dome lights, sun roof, and just about everywhere else!! I paid over $400. Dollars to have it fixed! I had it fixed over 4 times. The dealer was nice enough to cover the last 3 repairs. From all the water it blew out my radio & blew my speakers, again the dealer was nice enought to cover the repairs. The radio & dome lights would not go off when the car was off, again paid to that fixed. Had to replace my second air conditioner, again paid to fix that! Then my dome lights would not go on when you opened the door, paid to have that fixed too! When we would put gas in the Acadia or go to start it after is sat for a while & it would not start. It would kind of start & then die, paid to have that fixed! My windshield fluid would not come out, paid to have that fix too! Now my radiator is leaking (& there is a recall for that but GMC will not repair that because again we are over the milage & have no warranty.), my windshield fluid will not come out again, my drivers side door panel will put down my passenger window but won't put it up, my air conditioner is broken for the 3rd time, when you go to start it it dies - happening again, and now my transmission is going! It has been acting up for a while now. It seems to jump when press the gas & doesn't shift. I was driving to work today, up a very steep bridge and the car would shift. The rpm's went all the way to 5 and it started to make this sound. It wouldn't go over 20mph. I was very scared!! I hate this car!! I called GMC today & they told me there is nothing they can do for me, I am over the milage & I have no warranty.
  • dhuntleydhuntley Member Posts: 2
    I have been reading a lot of the post here on this forum and I am seeing so many problems with almost the exact same issue. I got in my Acadia one morning, started it fine, no issues prior to this, and began to drive it to the store. On the way to the store it shut off, no warning what-so-ever. I ended up getting it to a parking lot, all within 1/2 a mile of my house. It would not start at all, thinking it was the battery I tried to get it jumped, no luck. I checked everything I knew, coolant, oil, terminals even thinking maybe there was something blocking the charge. Nothing wrong. I had to have it towed to the nearest dealership, where after almost 2 weeks I find out that what the issue "supposedly" is, is that the engine has seized from metal shavings in the oil. Mind you it has just over 37,000 miles on it, and less than 3 years old. We only got our oil changed once through GMC due to the fact I am in the military and have been moved around a lot and some of the places did not have a GMC nearby. Sorry but I will not drive my car 40 miles to a dealer, wait half a day, just to have an oil change that I can get done closer to the house.

    Now after all that I do get called frequently by GMC Customer Service, that is not an issue mind you. But when I talked to them last I was informed that they would only pay for 40% of the cost.....that is almost $6000 as I was quoted by the dealership it would cost almost $10,000. Mind you, this is not acceptable, I don't have that much money lying around for something that my warranty should pay for. I did ask some questions to this, like if I had taken my Acadia to the dealership every single time that I had oil changed and what not, would that be covered then. I was told that they would cover 40%.....wait what???, not it would be covered then, no that they would only cover 40% even if I had taken it to the dealer to have services done there. Now that was aggravating, top that off, I asked if I did pay the $6000 out of pocket and did get it replaced, would my 100,000 mile warranty still be good, since it would be through GMC, or would it restart, or what?? I was told that the new Engine would have a 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty on it, and that is it.....so wait, you are telling me that even though this is a common issue, and it has been noted above by several different people, that even if it was replaced my warranty would basically become invalid, and that it would only go up to 12,000 now. What happens if after another 37,000 miles it seizes again?? I would be out $10,000 instead???? REALLY!?!?!??!?!

    Needless to say I had read what others have done and I am not going to be taking this lying down. Thankfully I do have a legal office on my base, and I will be talking with them in the next few days in regards to this matter. And if I am not able to get help through them, you better be d*** sure I will get an outside lawyer. If you are not going to honor your warranties when something like this happens, then don't offer them to people. I am tired of being bombarded with the notion that if you purchase this warranty then it will be covered, ummmm, no it wont as this has clearly been demonstrated.

    And before I am asked about this, my service request number is 71-1228966695. I was informed today that my case would be closed and that any further correspondence is to be done through the dealership as to help mitigate the time issues having three parties involved. While I understand that theory, I will have to get a new third party involved, and that will be JAG office/Lawyer.
  • magetromagetro Member Posts: 4
    Hey there! I am shocked that your dealer is not processing this through your PowerTran Warranty. Mine did! The whole job was covered. In addition, a week or two later my starter went as a result of the 'trauma' the engine suffered. That too was replaced free of charge. I purchased my car through this dealership and only have good things to say about them (so far). Sad to hear that your dealership is trying to rip you off.

    This seems too common an issue with this vehicle after 30k miles. GMC should really recall them. They are nice looking and roomy but not dependable or safe. My engine seized on the highway and my teenage Son was driving. I can't tell you how thankful I am that he was near the exit to our home. Thankfully.

    I would definitely hire a lawyer. Keep us posted.
  • dhuntleydhuntley Member Posts: 2
    That is not totally the case, the dealership is working with me on this issue. This is the GMC Customer Service that is telling us the 40%, we are currently though trying to get all the paperwork together on the oil changes. Maybe once they are all together then the dealership can help us out more, but it has been two weeks that my wife has been without a vehicle. If they, GMC C/S still insist on the 40% then the lawyer will get involved and to top that off we will also be getting the lawyer to get us the months payment out of this too......sorry but we are paying ALOT to not be using it.

    Hopefully the Dealership can help us out. Mind you any amount I have to pay will piss me off, but something under a 1000 is more plausible than 6000. Will keep everyone posted though.
  • navynavajogirlnavynavajogirl Member Posts: 2
    I have had this same experience with my Acadia, and it is currently in the shop with an estimated (out the door) fix price of $3684.00!
  • navynavajogirlnavynavajogirl Member Posts: 2
    I have had my 2010 GMC Acadia for almost 3 years. I currently have 104,000+ miles on it. I recently took it to the dealership and was told that the whole engine needed to be taken out so they further examine the engine and find out what exactly the problem was.
    Come to find out I need new bushings on the steering, and I need to have the cham shafts replaced. right now I am looking at a $3,684 from the dealership.
    I'm so upset that this has happened, and I will never buy a GMC again.
  • lmathewslmathews Member Posts: 1
    I'm having the same sludge issue with my '09 Acadia but am being told GM will not help because I'm past my warranty period (118K miles). I'm wondering if any of you have considered a class action lawsuit against GM? I'm not sure what it takes but will be seeking an attorney for my own personal situation. In light of all the recent findings with GM that they have been very negligent with many of their vehicle models.
  • dolphin8227dolphin8227 Member Posts: 1
    I have had the same engine problems and sludge issues as all the rest and am
    starting the process of a class action suit for anyone who would be interested I joining me. I have several media outlets willing to cover the story. 
  • memory2370memory2370 Member Posts: 1
    Do not, do not, do not buy an Acadia!!! GMC will not honor their warranty! I have an 08 that needed a new engine and they told me the acid levels in my oil were too high!?!?!? Acid levels? I couldn't get anyone to explain what that meant. The engines in the 07 and 08 were not good engines and gmc had a lot of problems, more than they wanted to fix obviously! 
  • buyamerican8buyamerican8 Member Posts: 3
    Bought a new 2011 GMC Acadia with a 100,000 mile / 5 year power train warranty. After 60,000 miles / 1,840 days (5 years + 15 days) we experienced a "catastrophic engine failure". First told by GMC to be patient while they gather data requesting assistance. Originally told $0 assistance due to improper maintenance, we then provided copies of our maintenance records. We were told the oil filters were not AC Delco filters and were told by a GM Service Manager that this caused the problems and this states this in our owner's manual. We pointed out in the manual it states or equivalent. The Chevy dealer then said GMC would split the cost 60/40 for a new engine. We did not accept this offer since our vehicle is less than 1% outside the time frame but still well within the mileage frame. We countered GMC pay 100% for new engine or buy our vehicle back at fair market value before the engine failed. After 3 weeks of being patient, the Chevy dealer recommends to have the vehicle towed 22 miles to a GMC dealer. My patients are wearing thin, I believe this is GMC's plan.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    edited January 2016
    What oil and filter were you using when servicing the engine? Specifics are important, if you can provide them. What was the mileage and time interval for the services?
  • buyamerican8buyamerican8 Member Posts: 3
    We never had the "CHECK ENGINE OIL SOON" come on but monitored the engine life based on the car's computer system and consistently changed the oil and filter regularly. We are in the process of getting the specifications of the oil and filter. This vehicle has a computer system that indicates when to change the oil and filter based on revolutions and engine temperature not mileage.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Who did the oil changes?
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742

    We never had the "CHECK ENGINE OIL SOON" come on but monitored the engine life based on the car's computer system and consistently changed the oil and filter regularly. We are in the process of getting the specifications of the oil and filter. This vehicle has a computer system that indicates when to change the oil and filter based on revolutions and engine temperature not mileage.

    The big question is whether the oil used was specifically noted as a GM dexos approved product or if it was just a conventional 5W30. The filter part numbers will be necessary to prove if they were an equivalent or not.

  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    stever said:

    Who did the oil changes?

    That is one of the most important questions.

  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    edited January 2016
    @buyamerican8 Did you come up with the details of the services yet? What were the specifics of the engine failure?
    This might come down to one of those hard lessons to learn but the details could save someone else from a similar fate.
  • gdbrindleygdbrindley Member Posts: 1
    2008 Acaida with 93k miles in the shop with a burnt cylinder. $2,700 bill to replace it and no explanation whatsoever as to what caused it!  Started out getting a message saying Traction Control off and Service Stablitrack. Reading the  same issues and complaints over and over again regarding these vehicles and no help from GM!  They extended the warranty for the transmissions but what about these major engine issues??!!!!  Rest assured I will never buy another GM ever!
  • etphalletphall Member Posts: 5
    I wrote a few weeks ago about having problems w/the dealer working on our 2009 Acadia's engine and know there are 100's and 100's of problems w/it. I know that several said that they hired an attorney to help but need to know if the attorney helped if the SUV was used and we will have had it for 3 years in August.
  • rayabloorayabloo Member Posts: 3
    This little web search for Acadia engine problems lets me know that I’m not alone. Our 2009 Acadia AWD SLT-2 had been decent to us until we hit about 110,000 miles, got it paid off and invested $800 for new tires. Three weeks ago a factory recall on some tensioner thing on the timing chain got us into the dealer shop. The local dealer fixed it and in the process damaged our struts. Then before we could get in for the dealer to fix the struts the engine seizes up and trashes out. The dip stick shows metal in the oil so they say we need a new engine and in general numbers that’s $6,000. So I got a hold of GM and they are “looking into the issue”. I can see a swearing match between GM and the dealer while I’m on HOLD. I doubt it has much trade in value now and if I did get them to fund another engine what’s next? After reading all the horror stories I don’t know about another Acadia. If I remember right I looked at some government agency registered complaints and 2008-2010 models had the most complaints. Are the days gone when you could put 100,000 + miles on a car? Now I’m really getting mad.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    So how long after the timing chain was done did the engine seize up? How many miles after?

    By "struts" I presume you mean hood struts.
  • rayabloorayabloo Member Posts: 3
    Well this little web search on Acadia problems if very interesting and I can see I'm not alone. Our 2009 Acadia AWD SLT-2 HAD been good to us. UNTIL a factory recall on some tensioner for the timing chain. Local dealer performed the work and screwed up our struts. Before we could come back for them to fix the struts two weeks later the engine trashed out without warning.
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