AutoUtility currently tracks 234 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 GMC Acadia. Air Bags & Restraints issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 136 complaints (58.1% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 8 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 7 report one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
136 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
26 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
25 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
20 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The cable that attaches the front driver seatbelt to the base of the seat (left side), suddenly broke when simply buckling the belt."
"TRANSMISSION BEGAN HESITATING AROUND 1800RPM WITH ONLY 92,000 MILES SHOWING ON THE ODOMETER. IT FEELS LIKE A FLUTTER AS THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS INTO THE NEXT GEAR. I HAVE HEARD THE 2016 YEAR GROUP HAS HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. BELIEVE A RECALL IS JUSTIFIED."
"Without warning transmission overheated, blew out fluid and caught the front end of the vehicle on fire"
"The torque converter has been going since before I bought this vehicle. When the RPMs are between one and two, the entire vehicle starts shaking and there is no acceleration. This is a huge safety concern, especially with traffic."
"Hello. I got a recall and fixed in July 2021 for Blind Spot Sensors/Modules on my 2016 GMC Acadia SLT. Now 3.5 years later Im having the same issue with these sensors that are located in the rear bumper of the car, they get water damage, corrosion, and then fail. A very poor design. And seems like..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 GMC Acadia | 261 | 6 | 4 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 GMC Acadia Current Page | 234 | 8 | 4 | Current |
| 2017 GMC Acadia | 702 | 10 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 GMC Acadia | 390 | 8 | 2 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 GMC Acadia | 381 | 5 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 GMC Acadia | 98 | 4 | 6 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 GMC Acadia | 146 | 6 | 2 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 GMC Acadia | 48 | 3 | 3 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 GMC Acadia | 41 | 3 | 4 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 GMC Acadia | 55 | 0 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 GMC Acadia | 62 | 1 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 GMC Acadia | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 43 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 128 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OTHER/I AM NOT SURE,CHILD SEAT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2016 GMC Acadia
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2016 GMC Acadia is Air Bags & Restraints, appearing in 136 records (58.1% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Steering System (26) and Electrical System (25).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 234 consumer defect complaints and 4 safety recall campaigns for the 2016 GMC Acadia.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2016 GMC Acadia, 8 filings cite a crash, 2 cite smoke or fire, and 7 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.