Reliable Auto DB

2019 GMC Acadia reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 386 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 GMC Acadia over 8 years — 17 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Acadia years here — over the median of the other years, which is 11. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Tires and Automatic transmission.

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

386

Per year

17

Recalls

2

Years on the road

8

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (154 of 386), then Electrical system (105) and Engine (53). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 Acadia has 395 complaints, 51 per year, and the 2020 has 104 complaints, 9 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2020.

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 2019 GMC Acadia. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall Tires 2021-02-25 · NHTSA campaign 21V115000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212329050.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2020-10-29 · NHTSA campaign 20V668000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.

Complaints by component (386 total)

Powertrain
154
Electrical system
105
Engine
53
Steering
33
Service brakes
16
Exterior lighting
10
Forward collision avoidance
6
Lane departure
6
Engine and engine cooling
5
Suspension
5
Fuel and propulsion system
4
Air bags
3
Back-over prevention
3
Seat belts
3
Speed control
3
Wheels
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Latches, locks, and linkages
2
Structure
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Parking brake
1
Seats
1
Tires
1
Show 16 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

920191920202320212920226720237420241032025622026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "While attempting to turn vehicle off, the message shift to park was given. Could not shut vehicle off! Has happened multiple times in the past, then disappears for awhile. Comes back again at will. Have seen multiple…"
    Powertrain, Electrical system · filed 2026-09-19
  • "I own a 2019 GMC Acadia equipped with the 3.6L V6 engine. VIN. See form above In 2025, the engine coolant thermostat failed on my vehicle and required replacement at my expense. I am submitting this complaint because I…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-18
  • "The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the fuel gauge displayed an inaccurate fuel level. The fuel sending unit was replaced twice; however, the failure persisted. The contact became aware of the…"
    Fuel system, gasoline · filed 2026-09-15
  • "I am submitting this complaint to request that NHTSA investigate a potential safety defect involving the engine coolant temperature monitoring system, thermostat/engine coolant temperature sensor system, and its…"
    Steering, Engine · filed 2026-09-14
  • "Vehicle continued to have Shift to park message when car was already in park. This is a known issue in some other GMC vehicles. Safety issue that the battery could drain or the car could roll unexpectedly. This message…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-08

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2019 GMC Acadia SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2019 GMC Acadia SUV FWD 4 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 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 21 25 22 MPG $2950
Acadia all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 17 25 20 MPG $3250
Acadia front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 21 26 23 MPG $2800
Acadia front-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 18 25 21 MPG $3100

Specs and fitment

2nd generation (C1XX), 2017–2023
Body styles SUV
Oil dexos1 5W-30 (V6 per manual) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 235/55R20, 235/65R18 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 4,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 21V702000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that general Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2022 GMC Acadia vehicles. The sensing diagnostic module (SDM) may have been left in "manufacturing mode" and not activated at the assembly plant prior to shipment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection.". The air bags will not deploy with an unactivated SDM, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. Remedy: The vehicles will be returned to the assembly plant for SDM activation. Both affected vehicles are still in dealer inventory and therefore no owner notification letters will be mailed. Owners may contact GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212344261. When NHTSA lists multiple GM nameplates in one campaign, the published unit count is shared across them.

Compare

Previous year 2018 GMC Acadia Next year 2020 GMC Acadia See every GMC Acadia model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 GMC Acadia reliable?

Owners have filed 386 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 GMC Acadia over 8 years — 17 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Acadia years here — over the median of the other years, which is 11. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Tires and Automatic transmission.

What are common problems with a 2019 GMC Acadia?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (154 of 386), then Electrical system (105) and Engine (53). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2019 GMC Acadia more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 Acadia has 395 complaints, 51 per year, and the 2020 has 104 complaints, 9 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2020.

Has the 2019 GMC Acadia been recalled?

The 2019 GMC Acadia has 2 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 2019 GMC Acadia?

Owners have filed 386 complaints about the 2019 GMC Acadia with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 GMC Acadia get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 GMC Acadia is 21.5 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).