Reliable Auto DB

2016 GMC Acadia reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 236 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 GMC Acadia over 11 years — 6 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Acadia years here — under the median of the other years, which is 15. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator, Critical fasteners, and Seats.

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

236

Per year

6

Recalls

4

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (130 of 236), then Steering (26) and Electrical system (25). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Acadia has 261 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2017 has 703 complaints, 76 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

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 2016 GMC Acadia. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2023-05-10 · NHTSA campaign 23V334000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Remedy Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. GM began mailing final owner letters February 23, 2024 and will continue mailing through December 2025. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N232404980.
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 Seats 2015-12-11 · NHTSA campaign 15V833000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured November 6, 2015, to November 12, 2015. The affected vehicles have a the third row left lower seat frame that may have welds that are not in the correction location.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third row left side lower seat frame, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 21930.
Recall visibility, windshield wiper, motor 2015-09-29 · NHTSA campaign 15V609000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (236 total)

Air bags
130
Steering
26
Electrical system
25
Powertrain
21
Engine
13
Lane departure
9
Electronic stability control (ESC)
5
Seat belts
5
Service brakes
4
Exterior lighting
3
Seats
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Speed control
2
Structure
2
Tires
2
Back-over prevention
1
Child seat
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Other or not sure
1
Traction control
1
Visibility
1
Wheels
1
Show 15 more Show less
Crash-flagged

8

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

7

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

72016520175201824201917202092021122022622023662024172025122026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Transmission torque converter required replacement"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-09-05
  • "Technician told me the engine "grenaded itself". "Cylinder #4 melted into the side walls of the cylinder wall caused by air to fuel mix ratio controlled by the ECU failure to mix appropriately." My family and I were…"
    Engine · filed 2026-08-28
  • "The cable that attaches the front driver seatbelt to the base of the seat (left side), suddenly broke when simply buckling the belt."
    Seat belts · filed 2026-07-14
  • "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…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-06-27
  • "Without warning transmission overheated, blew out fluid and caught the front end of the vehicle on fire"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-06-06

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 GMC Acadia Denali SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 GMC Acadia Denali SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 GMC Acadia SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 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 15 22 17 MPG $3800
Acadia front-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 15 22 18 MPG $3600

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 2015 GMC Acadia Next year 2017 GMC Acadia See every GMC Acadia model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 GMC Acadia reliable?

Owners have filed 236 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 GMC Acadia over 11 years — 6 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Acadia years here — under the median of the other years, which is 15. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator, Critical fasteners, and Seats.

What are common problems with a 2016 GMC Acadia?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (130 of 236), then Steering (26) and Electrical system (25). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 GMC Acadia more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Acadia has 261 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2017 has 703 complaints, 76 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 GMC Acadia been recalled?

The 2016 GMC Acadia has 4 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 2016 GMC Acadia?

Owners have filed 236 complaints about the 2016 GMC Acadia with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 GMC Acadia get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 GMC Acadia is 17.5 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).