Most common 2009 GMC Acadia problems
Share of the 331 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
GMC Acadia complaints by model year
Best Acadia years: 2013, 2022, 2020. Years to avoid: 2025, 2017, 2024, 2019, 2018. Compare all years →
2009 GMC Acadia recalls (7)
Structure › Body › Hatchback/liftgate
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge.
Seat belts
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles…
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available.
Air bags › Side/window
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014.
Seat belts
General motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Chevrolet traverse, Buick enclave, GMC acadia, and Saturn outlook vehicles. The second row seat side trim shield restricts the upward rotation of the safety belt buckle when the seat back is returned to a seating position after being folded flat.
Remedy: Dealers will modify the second row seat side trim shields. If a safety belt buckle is damaged, dealers will replace it free of charge. The safety recall began on August 18, 2010.
Electrical system
GM is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Buick, lucerne; Cadillac dts; Hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 Buick enclave; Cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 Cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; Chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; GMC acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; Saturn outlook; and model year 2009…
Remedy: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently…
Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Column shift
General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 Buick enclave, Chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, GMC acadia, Pontiac g5, g6 and Saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge.
Show 1 more recall
Seat belts › Rear/other › Buckle assembly
GM is recalling 16,667 my 2009 Buick enclave, Chevrolet traverse, GMC acadia, and Saturn outlook vehicles for failing to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the safety belt buckles in the second and third rows, and replace them if necessary. The recall began on November 26, 2008.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2009 GMC Acadia:
Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
On May 19, 2014, General Motors LLC (GM) notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that it would conduct Safety Recall 14V266 to address fatigue and separation of the flexible steel cable that connects the front outboard seat belts to the seat-mounted belt pre-tensioner in 1.4 million model year (MY) 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook, 2009-2014 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse (Lambda Platform)…
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
On August 31, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) EA20002, as an upgrade of Recall Query (RQ) RQ19003. This investigation, related to recall 14V-266, was opened to investigate instances of detachment of the flexible steel seat belt anchor cable attached to the outboard side of the front seats in vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM).
Loss of Headlamp Illumination
As of July 16, 2014, out of a population of 248,453 subject vehicles, NHTSA received 473 consumer complaints of inoperative head lamp. Many of these complaints indicated that the head lamp harness suffered damage from overheating. After reviewing the complaints, ODI found: -69% (328) alleged that a single head lamp was inoperative. -18% (86) alleged that both head lamps were inoperative but not at the same time.
Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three…
What 2009 GMC Acadia owners say
Steering all 112 →
The contact's daughter owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel seized without warning. His daughter restarted the vehicle and resumed normal driving operation. The contact stated that the failure recurred while his daughter's boyfriend was driving the vehicle later on that same evening. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a defective rack and pinion. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.
The vehicle tire system lights came on the air bag sensor light Car did not fill safe driving no control on the road unstable on turns car was sold one lug muissing front tire ,returned car several times last time I took the vehicle was due to drivesrs back wheel wobbling so bad , Someone followeing said it looked like tire was coming off . the owner said it was fine , put it on the rack let me drive off , I drove it and it was very unstable to drive and took it to Nor cal Tires Ukiah Ca they informed me it was not safe to drive .
Engine & cooling all 75 →
The contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after purchase of the vehicle, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled while driving at 45 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. Despite the failure, the contact was able to coast the vehicle to a stop as the vehicle failed to restart after multiple attempts. The contact's husband inspected the engine and had the vehicle towed to the residence. The contact's husband replaced the crank shaft position sensor, purge valve, high pressure tank, fuel pump, and battery; however, the failure persisted. The contact then towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it diagnosed with engine failure due to the timing chain, and a cylinder #1 and #5 defect. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle related to the engine. …
Got code po0008 crank sensor/cam did resurch said timming chain replaced complete chain still noisey changed cam phasers and sensors still making noise it is so frustrating bee going on 3 weeks I'm disabled not easy to work on myself being I'm a master technician and this has really been mind boggling
Transmission & drivetrain all 72 →
The wire harness corroded , and it caused everything in my car to stop working my back passenger window won't go down , my back driver side cannot be put up or down from the back , my airbag light is now on and now my car will not shift while driving to allow me to drive it over 30mph .. I've paid the dealer almost $1400 to fix wiring. I've owned the car exactly a year now
The stabilizer/traction control keeps going off and it will stay off.i can turn,hit a bump or start it up and the traction control/stabilizer system is off.i almost had a accident on the freeway in the rain because it turned off out of nowhere and I almost lost control
2009 GMC Acadia engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 24 / 19 |
| 3.6L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 16 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 GMC Acadia a good car?
Based on 331 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Acadia rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the Acadia at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 GMC Acadia?
The steering — 112 complaints, 34% of all complaints for this model year, most often about hydraulic power assist › pump. Next are the engine & cooling (75) and transmission & drivetrain (72).
How many recalls does the 2009 GMC Acadia have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2009 GMC Acadia, the most recent from June 30, 2015 (hatchback/liftgate). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the GMC Acadia?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2013, 2022 and 2020. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2025, 2017, 2024, 2019 and 2018. See the full GMC Acadia years comparison.
At what mileage do 2009 GMC Acadia problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 75,000 miles; 20% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.