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 2009 GMC Acadia owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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 .
Car stalls as I am turning into parking spots, turning or going around significant curves in the road, while im in a round about etc. Luckily I have been able to put the car in neutral and it starts back up and off I go. I am the second owner of this car and I bought it from a non GM dealer. My mechanic is at a loss as to what is wrong because a) there are no codes that are coming up and b) the stalling is very sporadic, it will do it twice in one week and then not do it again for 3 weeks. I have had this car about 5 months and it has happened about a dozen times. I pulled the carfax and called the dealership that did all the work on it with the previous owner. After speaking with the service department, I was told that the previous owner had the same problems and the dealer could not get the car to malfunction while they had it in for servicing. …
April 26, 2016 - my wife was at a gas station and said the wheels on the GMC were very hard to turn either way. Shortly thereafter, she started to hear a whining noise when she would turn left or right. A day later, the noise was more pronounced so I went out for a test drive. The steering seemed OK and the whining noise didn't seem that bad too me. April 28, 2016 - my wife said the noise was louder so I test drove it again, this time, I experienced a momentary loss of steering power on low speed. One time I overcompensated when it was hard to turn the wheel but avoided having an accident. I performed the owner's manual checks, power steering fluid level was good. I then goggled for more information online about steering issues and how to resolve on GMC 2009 Acadia and then I ran into the GMC service bulletin sb-10056459-3388 online. …
My son was driving down a residential street which has a right turn/merge over a canal. Upon reaching the right turn the power steering failed and he was unable to navigate the turn. The Acadia drove forward into a large pipe which crosses over the canal. The front of the Acadia was crashed including the front bumper, radiator, head lamps, engine, driver side front panel, passenger side panel, and the frame. None of the air bags deployed during this crash. There is a recall on the side airbags at this time but not the front airbags. There is no recall on the power steering on this GM model. I have had experienced the power steering intermittently fail when turning both left and right. My daughter also experienced power steering failure one week prior to my son's accident. I was in the vehicle with her. This power steering failure is not exclusive to my GMC Acadia 2009. …
Last June during a routine inspection the dealer told me I had a slight leak in the rack and pinion. I questioned him on why a vehicle with approx 48K miles could have a problem. I was told that GM allows some leakage. Shortly there after I noticed an occasional ratcheting feel in the steering wheel. I then would experience several occasions where I momentarily would lose power steering,the beginning of this year I received a letter from GM stating that there May be a problem with the power steering pump and to bring it to the dealer.I brought it to the dealer and was told there is a charge of $130 to determine if it is the pump and no charge if it was bad. I was told the pump was in fact bad and that the rack also needed to be replaced at a cost of $1400. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia. While driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a sudden loss of engine power and the vehicle was unable to be driven over 40 MPH. The stability traction control warning indicator illuminated. The dealer was unable to replicate and diagnose the failure. In addition, while driving highway speeds, "engine hot" and "A/C off" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact noticed smoke under the hood. The vehicle was coasted over to the shoulder of the road and turned off. The vehicle was unable to be driven due to the failure and was towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the part. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and indicated that they also had campaigns that needed to be addressed. …
Vehicle was purchased from union park GMC dealership in wilmington delware on 7/24/15. I took it to my local mechanic on 7/27/15 after noticig a whinning noise when steering at low speeds. He recommended returning oit to the dealer for repair. The dealer made no repair and claimed "all these acadias have this whining noise". I then took it to maryland state inspection where it failed inspection due to "moisture on rack", indicating a leak and replacement of rack required to pass inspection. Dealer service department claims it viewed the boot and found a stain and referred me to TSB # 3352321. However, it was not made clear if they actually pulled the boot and inspected the rack and inside of boot to determine if fluid was accumulating inside the boot. They also claimed they do not guarantee vehicle will pass inspection. …
An intermittent steering issue developed whereby steering input would become restricted and prevent the driver from adding or subtracting steering. The issue presents during turning and cornering and resulted in numerous hazardous situations and one serious near miss. Upon inspection by a mechanic, I was advised that the entire rack and pinion assembly would need to be replaced. It is not clear whether the rack and pinion were inherently defective, or the consequential damage of other steering defects which is very concerning. Upon further review, I have found that this model year along with several others have been plagued with defective steering issues. Given the apparent incidence rate and the high risk nature of the issue, I am surprised and disappointed this has not culminated in a recall.
Brought it to the GMC dealer to replace the power steering pump which was on recall notice only if there were problems. Loss of power steering at low speed so I took it to dealer. As a result, pump was replaced as well as rack and pinion. Pump covered, rack and pinion not, $1700. The day after I picked up the car, the transmission failed. As I got on the highway, motor revved but transmission did not engage. Was able to make it into the breakdown lane. Had to have a flatbed pick it up and bring it to the transmission shop recommended by the dealer. Transmission replaced...$3,140.00. I feel that I was lucky to have been in the lane closest to the breakdown lane when this happened. Dealer offered no assistance. Eight months past warranty.
Steering complaints in other Acadia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2009 GMC Acadia?
NHTSA has 112 complaints about the steering of the 2009 GMC Acadia, 34% of the model year's 331 complaints. The component named most often is hydraulic power assist › pump (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 GMC Acadia steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2009 GMC Acadia, though it has 7 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 2009 GMC Acadia steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 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.