Model Year Index

Which GMC Acadia years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2017, 2018 and 2014 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · GMC Acadia Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2017 vs model median 3.4×
Model median3× median
Drivetrain 143
Electrical 121
Brakes 26
Avoid

2017 · 2018

Best

2013 · 2016

What the record shows

Written from this model’s own complaint and recall history.

The 2017 Acadia opens the second generation and is the model’s worst year at 3.4 times its own median — against 70 complaints for the 2016 car that preceded it, and 522 for 2017 itself.

Drivetrain leads at 143 reports and electrical follows at 121. The accounts in both centre on the gear selector and the systems around it: the vehicle not registering that it has been placed in park, an alarm sounding as the driver leaves, and in a number of reports the vehicle rolling after the driver believed it was parked. Stability control warnings appear across the same years.

The pattern continues through 2018 and 2019, with drivetrain leading both, then stops. The 2020 car returns to 0.55 times the model’s median.

The first generation reads differently. Steering leads 2010 at 80 of 160 reports — power assistance failing at low speed, the same complaint that dominates the Chevrolet Traverse’s early years, which shares its platform — and the median odometer readings across 2010 to 2012 run from 40,000 to 56,000 miles.

2013 and 2016 are the strongest years here, at 44 and 70 complaints. The 2013 car records no crash allegations at all.

Reviewed Claude, 11 August 2026, against the model's own record and NHTSA campaign filings

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.98× 160 C
2011
1.02× 143 C
2012
0.79× 121 C
2013
0.43× 44 B
2014
1.21× 155 D
2015
0.60× 95 B
2016
0.50× 70 B
2017
3.43× 522 F
2018
1.99× 280 D
2019
1.26× 196 C
2020
0.55× 77 B
2021
1.16× 145 C
2022 P
0.49× 72 B
2023 P
0.54× 65 B
2024 P
0.42× 80 A
2025 P
0.59× 106 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2017 F 522 reports · median 33,000 mi

  1. Drivetrain 143

    The contact owns a 2017 gmc acadia. While driving the vehicle, the wheels locked up in 4wd mode. The dealer diagnosed that the wheel differential needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 121

    The contact owns a 2017 gmc acadia. The contact stated that it took a tremendous amount of force to engage the horn. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Brakes 26

    Stopped at an intersection for a red light, upon green light, accelerator tapped to enter intersection and forward collision braking system applied brakes. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

10 crash · 1 fire · 9 injuries

2018 D 280 reports · median 29,050 mi

  1. Drivetrain 81

    When you put the shifter in park it does not recognize & cabin alarm starts to beep. The vehicle will also leave its headlights on overnight & drain your battery. Took to dealer and they couldn't do anything about it. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 61

    I purchased the wireless charger. I received the gm document stating what version of phone I needed for the charger to work. I purchased a phone and the charger does not work. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Driver Assist 19

    The service stabiltrak notifcation keeps coming on and shutting off on its own while in motion on a street and it has also happened while on the highway. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

9 crash · 2 fire · 23 injuries

The best year for the Acadia

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2013 is the best-scoring Acadia model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 81.7 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2013 0.43× 44 B
2016 0.50× 70 B
2015 0.60× 95 B

Recalls

31 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
14V266000 SEAT BELTS 2010–2014 1,339,355
14V118000 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW 2010–2013 1,176,407
23V334000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2014–2017 995,085
15V415000 STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE 2010–2012 691,144
10V375000 SEAT BELTS 2010 207,210
20V668000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 2019, 2020 194,105
14V614000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2014 106,307
22V709000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2020, 2021 95,231
14V223000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2014 51,640
12V151000 VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES 2011, 2012 47,846
21V115000 TIRES 2019, 2020 33,838
15V609000 VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR 2016 29,295

+ 19 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2017 were reported at a median of 33,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which GMC Acadia years should you avoid?
2017, 2018, 2014 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any GMC Acadia model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the GMC Acadia?
2013 is the best-scoring GMC Acadia model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 81.7 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the GMC Acadia have?
31 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored GMC Acadia model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2017 Acadia
Complaints in window
522
Severity-weighted
719.5
Model median (weighted)
210
vs model median
3.43×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
4
Open investigations
0
Score 15 F