Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 GMC Acadia owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist failed, and the steering wheel locked up. The contact's father, who is an independent mechanic, diagnosed that the power steering assist and rack and pinion were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 147,028.
I own a 2008 GMC Acadia I have had it used since jan 2015 I have had it in dealership almost every 3 months since I bought it. I was recently driving and had a fire in the passenger heated seat where my daughter was sitting and it burned a small hole in her jeans so far GMC is checking to see if its a defective equipment failure or not? In the mean time my sunroof has quit working and now my roof is leaking and my car smells like mold. The whole electrical system is going crazy with flashes of interior lights. I also had the vehicle stop on me in the middle of parking and found out the power steering pump needed to be replaced. They need to have a recall on these vehicles because our children ride with us and they are unsafe especially now that her jeans are burned and she has a small pink spot from the heated seat. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 GMC Acadia. While accelerating from a stop sign and making a left turn, the power steering failed. The contact crashed into a tree. There were no warning indicators illuminated, but a recurring noise could be heard in the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired for the power steering failure. The front end damage was repaired. Several times prior to the crash, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump needed replacement. The power steering pump was replaced. The driver was not injured and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 56,155. Updated 01/06/17 updated 7/5/18 the consumer stated safety defect was repaired.
2008 Acadia purchased new. Noticed power steering becoming more and more difficult at low engine speed over the last couple of years. Fluid level OK. Took to dealer to assess and quote. They said it was a common problem with Acadia, traverse, outlook, and enclave. They said it needed power steering pump, reservoir and steering rack, about 1,100 dollars to fix. They said GM had extended the warranty to 120,000 and my vehicle was not covered. 152,000 actual miles. I googled this problem and found out just how common it is, and that the warranty coverage actually was to 150,225 miles. I called the GMC customer engagement center after stewing over this for a couple of months. They said that since I was beyond the allowed mileage, there was nothing they could do. I was talking with my boss about this. He has a 2009 enclave with 60K miles. …
Takata recall- I purchased a 2008 GMC AWD Acadia about a year ago. While test driving the vehicle I noticed a whiny sound that I informed the dealer about upon return. The dealer checked it out and told me it just need power steering fluid. So he filled the fluids and I heard nothing for a month or so. I took the truck back for misc. Repairs two other times after that regarding sounds that I was heard coming from the vehicle. After that things seemed fine for a few months or so. Early September, the truck slowed down on the highway. The dash was reading 60mph but I was really going 30mph. Then while exiting to turn off the highway the power steering began acting up and was extremely hard to turn. I almost ran into the wall not prepared to use such force. August 29th I went to jiffy lube and had the fluids topped off and power steering fluid was full. …
As I was driving on the interstate, my power steering suddenly went out. I got to my destination and fluid was just leaking everywhere. I had my vehicle towed to a dealership after I researched my problem. I was aware there was a special notice out about this vehicle and the power steering issues. GM was initially only willing to fix the power steering pump, not the power steering cooling line and power steering gear. After complaining and questioning, the dealership was able to get the cost down, but GM would not cover the cost entirely to make my vehicle drivable again. This is a known issue and they have admitted to it being a problem, yet they aren't willing to foot the bill to fix it back to the condition it was prior to this issue. While they offered me a much better price to fix it, they should fix it at no cost to me. …
In light of the all the safety recalls by GM for ignition switch failures, I believe that my wife's crash in our 2008 GMC Acadia was the direct cause of the ignition switch failing. Driving north bound on az route 89 in the area of prescott, az called the granite dells, the car proceeded straight where the road turns slightly to the right. The cat proceeded into and partially up a granite stone out cropping on the opposite side of the road. The car then went air borne landing up side down on its roof in the middle of route 89. I believe that this accident happened due to ignition switch failure which in turn shut off the engine, power steering, and the entire air bag system which in this accident fail to deploy. My wife was air lifted to northern arizona medical center in flagstaff, az for sever head injure from which she has recovered. …
Received notice from GM re power steering, do not take to vehicle for service unless problem is known. I took vehicle for tire rotation and mechanic noticed power steering fluid leaking, caused damage to rack, pinion, etc. (estimate attached). Called GM dealer and GM cust service, will only cover defective power steering pump not the damage caused by defective pump. Since GM advised not to get fixed until issue occurs (I still have power steering, was not aware of the issue until tires were rotated) why should I be liable for the additional damage caused? Also, this morning 12/08/15, while taking my daughter to school, the car buckled and stabiltrak, check engine light came on with a message "power reduced", only able to drive 20-25 miles. The same issue occurred appx. A year ago and I filed a complaint. The light goes and off just like a year ago. …
Temporary and intermittent loss of power steering during maneuvering and turning causes safety and control issues. During the loss of power steering event the steering wheel requires a driver to apply more than normal amounts of torque to get the steering wheel to rotate. This is especially true (requires more than normal amounts of torque) when the speed of the steering wheel input is increased to perform sharp turns or low speed maneuvering. This is a known problem, but GM will not fix the problem based on reports from consumers who have had the problem. They will fix this safety issue if there a complete failure of the power steering pump that can be recreated in the garage by their dealer service department. …
Steering became very tight while driving almost causing an accident. Could not hardly turn the steering wheel at all. Had never been notified this vehicle had defective parts that could have been replaced under a warranty extension. My husband travels for a living in his vehicle so he puts a lot of miles on it and when it first happened he had 178,085 miles and we had to replace a power steering pump. Now at 184,624 miles we are putting our second power steering pump and finding out that now the gear will have to be replaced. Don't know why we were not notified not to mention this vehicle is a death trap and my husband or someone else could have been killed by this happening. Now I look online and there are hundreds if not thousands of people having the same issue. Why was a recall not done on this? …
Steering complaints in other Acadia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2008 GMC Acadia?
NHTSA has 133 complaints about the steering of the 2008 GMC Acadia, 16% of the model year's 854 complaints. The component named most often is rack and pinion (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 GMC Acadia steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2008 GMC Acadia, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 GMC Acadia steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 2 fires and 3 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.