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Total NHTSA Complaints
146
Owner filings recorded
#1 Reported Problem
Electrical System
37 reports (25.3%)
Crash Incident Reports
6
Filings citing a crash
Fire & Injury Reports
3
0 fire • 3 injury filings
Defect Investigation Analysis

Executive Problem Findings

AutoUtility currently tracks 146 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 GMC Acadia. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 37 complaints (25.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 6 filings cite a crash, 3 report one or more injuries.

Methodology Notice: Consumer complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Filings are not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and do not constitute an audited component failure rate.
Incident & Severity Profile
  • • Total Owner Reports: 146 complaints submitted under federal penalty.
  • • Primary Subsystem: Electrical System accounts for 25.3% of submissions (37 reports).
  • • Secondary Systems: Fuel & Propulsion System (27), Engine & Cooling (27).
  • • Crash Incidents: 6 filings cite an impact or collision.
  • • Thermal Incidents: 0 filings cite smoke or fire.
  • • Reported Casualties: 3 injury filings • 0 fatality filings.
Category Distribution

Reported Defect Categories for 2021 GMC Acadia

Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records

Electrical System
37
25.3%
Fuel & Propulsion System
27
18.5%
Engine & Cooling
27
18.5%
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
24
16.4%
Brakes & Traction Control
18
12.3%
#1 25.3% SHARE

Electrical System

37 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 3 Crash 🩹 1 Injury
#2 18.5% SHARE

Fuel & Propulsion System

27 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

✓ 0 Incidents
⚠️ 1 Associated Recall Campaign
#3 18.5% SHARE

Engine & Cooling

27 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 2 Crash
#4 16.4% SHARE

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

24 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 3 Crash
⚠️ 1 Associated Recall Campaign
Deterministic Text Analysis

Recurring Symptoms Identified in Owner Reports

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

Powertrain & Transmission 2.1%

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

3 complaint narratives describe this symptom.

NHTSA Narrative Match
Powertrain & Transmission 2.1%

Transmission Slipping, Hesitation or Shudder

3 complaint narratives describe this symptom.

NHTSA Narrative Match
Federal Oversight

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)

Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

ODI Action #PE22006 CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE)
Opened: 2022-07-22 • Closed: 2022-11-21
Subject / Subsystem
Rear-View Camera Failure
Affected Component
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Recall Linkage
On July 22, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE22-006) to assess alleged failures of the rear-view camera (RVC) in Model Year (MY) 2020-2021 Cadillac XT5, XT6, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The complaints report that the screen for the RVC is black, sometimes with a red triangle and a circle with a line through it. To date, ODI has received a total of 18 complaints and several EWR Field Reports with allegations of the RVC image failing to display when the vehicle is in reverse. The reports have been received over the past 28 months with most occurring with low vehicle mileage.During the investigation, ODI learned incorrect crimping specifications were utilized in the production of the coaxial cable connector. Improper crimping leads to loss of connection between the RVC and dashboard screen that results in failure of the RVC image to display. Failure or malfunction of the RVC image to display results in reduced visibility of the area behind the vehicle. This limited view may lead to an increased risk of incidents resulting in injury and/or property damage while the vehicle is in reverse.The improperly crimped connectors were only present on subject vehicles equipped with the optional RVC surround vision feature (UV2). Vehicles not equipped with the optional RVC surround vision feature were not affected by this failure. On September 28, 2022, General Motors (GM) filed a defect information report (NHTSA number 22V-709) recalling certain MY2020-2021 Cadillac XT5, XT6, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with the optional RVC surround vision feature (UV2). GM will replace the coaxial cables with properly crimped connectors.In view of the recall action being taken by GM, ODI is closing this preliminary evaluation. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov. The ODI identification numbers for the complaints cited above can be found below: 11343838, 11390254, 11406709, 11415261, 11415501, 11425365, 11429267, 11431846, 11446363, 11463278, 11463901, 11471702, 11475437, 11476809, 11477176, 11481806, 11484360, and 11484360.
Consumer Filings

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2021 GMC Acadia

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Steering System ODI #11754182
Filed: 08/01/2026
Defect Report

"No incident but steering assisted reduced could cause an issue. Also the fix is to reset the computer by detaching the negative pole on the battery. This could be an issue due to the heat in the car someone could get burned."

Fuel & Propulsion System ODI #11751305
Filed: 07/18/2026
Defect Report

"I have seen numerous complaints for this same issue. My 2021 Acadia with 31,600 miles failed to start when parked in garage. It turned over just fine but wouldn't fire as if it wasn't getting any fuel. I had it towed to my regular mechanic. He troubleshot it and told me it was the "Fuel Pump Power..."

Brakes & Traction Control ODI #11746671
Filed: 06/26/2026
Defect Report

"My brake pedal got stiff when I was driving. I had zero control of my brakes. I was informed by a GMC dealership that my BRAKE BOOSTER blew up causing my brakes to stop working and metal shrapnel to be sent into my engine. My 2021 vehicle is a complete loss. GMC has done NOTHING to help me."

Suspension ODI #11745670
Filed: 06/22/2026
Defect Report

"The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was unintendedly drifting to the right. The vehicle was taken to Dally Tire Company, where it was diagnosed with rear links failure and misalignment. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle..."

Brakes & Traction Control ODI #11743108
Filed: 06/10/2026
Defect Report

"I was driving and all of a sudden my break pedal was inoperable. It was stiff and unable to be used. Luckily I was only going 40 MPH. I pulled into a parking lot and my car started shaking and apparently the metal parts from the vacuum pump blew into my engine, which completely wrecked my engine. I..."

Multi-Year Trend

Complaint History for GMC Acadia

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 234 8 4 View 2016 Problems →
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 Current Page 146 6 2 Current
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 →
Exhaustive System Audit

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2021 GMC Acadia

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 61 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Injury Entries Fatality Entries
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 16 0 0 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 13 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 12 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 8 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 6 1 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 0 0 0 0
Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 3 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 1 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 1 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 1 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 1 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 1 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 1 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY/WIPER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
Search Intelligence

Quick Answers: Common Problems & Reliability Questions for the 2021 GMC Acadia

Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 GMC Acadia

What are the most common reported problems with the 2021 GMC Acadia?

In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 GMC Acadia is Electrical System, appearing in 37 records (25.3% of submitted filings).

Secondary reported categories include Fuel & Propulsion System (27) and Engine & Cooling (27).

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Is the 2021 GMC Acadia a reliable vehicle?

AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 146 consumer defect complaints and 2 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 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.

Source: NHTSA ODI & Safety Recalls Databases

Are there crash, fire, or injury reports associated with the 2021 GMC Acadia?

Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 GMC Acadia, 6 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 3 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.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Consumer Logs

Has NHTSA formally investigated defects on the 2021 GMC Acadia?

NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2021 GMC Acadia (all closed).

Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Registry
Official US Government Data Provenance

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.