Reliable Auto DB

2013 GMC Acadia reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 140 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 GMC Acadia over 14 years — 4 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 Acadia years on this site. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Critical fasteners, Seat belts, and Side and window.

2012 GMC Acadia
Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

140

Per year

4

Recalls

3

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (39 of 140), then Air bags (32) and Powertrain (27). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 8 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 Acadia has 302 complaints, 12 per year, and the 2014 has 467 complaints, 25 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 GMC Acadia. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall air bags, critical fasteners 2021-04-08 · NHTSA campaign 21V246000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.
Recall Seat belts 2014-05-20 · NHTSA campaign 14V266000
Summary 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 manufactured April 14, 2008, through March 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue and separate over time.
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. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). General Motors recall number for this campaign is 14187.
Recall air bags, side and window 2014-03-17 · NHTSA campaign 14V118000
Summary 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 seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.
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. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.

Complaints by component (140 total)

Electrical system
39
Air bags
32
Powertrain
27
Engine
21
Exterior lighting
10
Steering
8
Electronic stability control (ESC)
6
Speed control
6
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Structure
5
Lane departure
4
Seat belts
4
Service brakes
3
Seats
2
Back-over prevention
1
Equipment
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Suspension
1
Traction control
1
Visibility
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 13 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

8

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

2201362014420154201616201722201825201917202011202112202282023320244202562026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Sunroof shattered driving on the interstate. Never saw a rock or anything. I think it shattered due to pressure and temperature changes."
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-08-16
  • "I think my vehicle is apart of this recall: March 17, 2014 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V118000 Side Impact Air Bags Wiring Connections Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-07-30
  • "Transmission causes problems in can be on interstate and be switching lanes and it loses power and wont go takes forever to shift out. It will cut out and you can barely get pulled off side of rd in time. Electrical the…"
    Electrical system, Service brakes, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-07-12
  • "The windows stopped working. Only the driver’s window still goes down and if it does go down, it often won’t go back up. If there was an accident and windows were the only escape option, you would probably be trapped in…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-04-21
  • "The contact owns a 2013 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V118000 (Air Bags); and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer was contacted but the…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-04-13

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 GMC Acadia Denali SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2013 GMC Acadia Denali SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2013 GMC Acadia SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2013 GMC Acadia SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Acadia all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 16 23 18 MPG $3600
Acadia front-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 17 24 19 MPG $3400

Specs and fitment

1st generation (Lambda), 2012–2016
Body styles SUV
Oil dexos1 5W-30 (V6 per manual) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 255/55R20, 255/65R18, 255/60R19 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 5,200 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 15V609000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that general Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured August 18, 2015 to September 24, 2015. Due to a manufacturing defect, the windshield wiper motor may overheat when used. A wiper motor that overheats increases the risk of a fire. Remedy: GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor cover assembly, free of charge. Owners are advised not to use their front windshield wipers until the wiper cover has been replaced. If weather conditions prevent operation of the vehicle without using the windshield wipers, GM will make arrangements to pick up the vehicle for servicing. The recall began on September 30, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15780. When NHTSA lists multiple GM nameplates in one campaign, the published unit count is shared across them.

Compare

Previous year 2012 GMC Acadia Next year 2014 GMC Acadia See every GMC Acadia model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 GMC Acadia reliable?

Owners have filed 140 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 GMC Acadia over 14 years — 4 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 Acadia years on this site. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Critical fasteners, Seat belts, and Side and window.

What are common problems with a 2013 GMC Acadia?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (39 of 140), then Air bags (32) and Powertrain (27). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 8 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2013 GMC Acadia more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 Acadia has 302 complaints, 12 per year, and the 2014 has 467 complaints, 25 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 GMC Acadia been recalled?

The 2013 GMC Acadia has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 GMC Acadia?

Owners have filed 140 complaints about the 2013 GMC Acadia with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 GMC Acadia get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 GMC Acadia is 18.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a GMC Acadia use?

US Acadia manuals specify dexos-approved oil viscosity for your engine.

What does NHTSA recall 15V-609 cover on the GMC Acadia?

NHTSA safety recall 15V609000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that general Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured August 18, 2015 to September 24, 2015.

What generation is the 2013 GMC Acadia?

1st generation (Lambda) (2012-2016).