There are 7 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2013 GMC Acadiain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I bought a 2013 gmc Acadia with a 3.6l engine and I was driving it home, and the engine locked up on me, and it didn’t throw a code or anything, it just shut off and wouldn’t start back up, and later I find out that it had an oil leak from somewhere and now I have to have the engine replaced, which is 13k dollars, the vehicle is located at walker Chevrolet in nitro wv, I’m a single dad of 5 children and I can’t afford to fix this vehicle at that price, I asked if they could take payments to replace it, and they said not and that they would NOT Release the vehicle back to me until it is paid for, and now I’m stranded with 5 children with no way to go to the store or anything. The engine locked up on me in the middle of the four lane in st albans wv, and I almost got hit by vehicles that were behind me and everything.
Unknown. Engine blew. Was determined by independent service provider. Vehicle wouldn’t start and blew white smoke from the exhaust.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2013 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IN FOR SERVICE THE MECHANIC NOTICED THE ODOR OF SMOKE AND FUEL INSIDE THE VEHICLE. LATER WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED A FIRE HAD STARTED FROM WITHIN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. DURING THE INCIDENT, THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER STEP ON GMC (5651 PENSACOLA BLVD, PENSACOLA, FL 32505) WHO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY WHO WAS ALSO UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.*DT CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE HAD ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT.*JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 GMC ARCADIA. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS AND MAKING A TURN, THE VEHICLE STALLED. ALSO, THE STABILITRAK DISABLE AND TRACTION CONTROL DISABLE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO TEAM ONE CHEVROLET BUICK (1616 LANSING RD, CHARLOTTE, MI 48813, (517) 543-0200) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE AN ENGINE WAS ORDERED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER:[XXX]. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,393. CONSUMER STATED ENGINE WAS REPLACED. ('PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).')*JB
PISTON CONNECTOR ROD PUT A WHOLE IN THE ENGINE AT ONLY 62700 (2700 MILES AFTER OIL CHANGE THAT WAS ALWAYS CHANGED AFTER OIL CHANGE LIGHT CAME ON AROUND EVERY 4500 TO 5000 MILES)MILES ON THE VEHICLE. WE WERE DRIVING AT 70 MPH ON MAJOR HIGHWAY AND SUDDENLY STOP RESPONDING AND WOULD NOT START IN AN AREA THAT ONLY HAD HALF OF EMERGENCY LANE(SO THE CAR WAS TAKING PART OF TRAVEL LANES) .THIS WAS DECEMBER 27,2018 AT 11:30 PM WITH ME, MY WIFE, OUR 2 KIDS, OUR NEPHEW AND THEIR FRIEND (8, 12,13 AND 14 YEARS OLD) WE WERE COMING BACK FROM A SKI TRIP 1 AND HALF HOUR FROM HOME, IT HAPPENED ABOUT 40 MINUTES AWAY FROM HOME .WE COULD NOT COME OUT THE CAR, IT WAS NOT SAFE PLACE OUT OF THE CAR. STATE POLICE DROVE BY AND DID NOT STOP, I CALLED THEN TO SEND SOMEONE UNTIL TOW TRUCK COME.TOW TRUCK CAME FIRST AFTER AROUND 45 MINUTES.CAR COMPUTER CLUSTER START TO SHOW BATTERY WAS DYING, IT WAS PIT BLACK WITH 18 WHEELER AND CARS FLYING BY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE - DRIVERS WITH FAMILIES SHOULD BE MADE AWARE.I WENT TO THE LOCAL GMC DEALER TO ASK WHY IT HAPPENED SINCE CAR HAS 62700 MILES AND THEY ASK ME IF MY WIFE DOES OFF ROAD I SAID NO.BUT I ASKED MY WIFE TO MAKE SURE SHE SAID NO.BUT TO MAKE DOUBLE AND TRIPLE SURE I ASKED MY 8 YEARS OLD DAUGHTER AND MY 12 YEARS OLD IF THEIR MOTHER DRIVES ON MUD, WATER,BUMP HILLS, WET LAND, SHAKING PLACES AND POT HOLES. THEY SAID NO BUT THAT WOULD BE FUN (LOL). THANK YOU GMC FOR A NICE HOLIDAY GIFT.
PISTON PUT A WHOLE IN THE ENGINE AT ONLY 40,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. WE WERE DRIVING AT 70MPH ON MAJOR HIGHWAY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE - DRIVERS SHOULD BE MADE AWARE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 GMC ACADIA. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND INSTRUCTED THE CONTACT TO CALL NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 95,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026