These Are The GMC Acadia Years You Might Want To Avoid (According To Owners)

The GMC Acadia has experienced quite the decline in sales in the last few years. In years past, the crossover SUV would consistently sell close to 90,000 units per year, and in the 2020s, it can barely get above 70,000. In fact, that would be on the high end of the spectrum, as it hasn't even crossed 60,000 a couple of times in this period. That is actually too bad because some of the more recent model years for the Acadia are the best rated among drivers. For example, the 2023 model was the best rated in the SUV's history by Consumer Reports when it comes to reliability and owner satisfaction. While it may be a step behind the GMC Yukon – a full-size SUV that should probably be avoided on the used market – in overall popularity, there are Acadia models worth your money, particularly in recent years with its improved ratings.

However, if you are entering the used car market and have your sights set on a GMC Acadia, there are quite a few model years that you will want to steer clear of. Overall, the Acadia is not necessarily one of the most esteemed crossovers during its lifespan, but there are several years that are particularly dreadful. This is coming from the opinions of actual Acadia drivers themselves. With this list, we will look at some of the lowest rated and most problem-prone years for the SUV so you know exactly what to walk right past when you get to your local used car dealership or browsing online.

[Featured image by Kevauto via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

First off, we go back to the very first years of the GMC Acadia. Right off the bat, the 2007 model year should be avoided at all costs. It is the model with the second most submitted issues from drivers on CarComplaints out of any Acadia year, and the biggest culprit of them all was the SUV's transmission. The most common issue drivers found was a total failure in its transmission, typically leading to it needing to be completely replaced. CarComplaints estimates that people were spending on average $3,000 to fix this. That is almost as much as the average price of a used 2007 Acadia to begin with, which typically runs between $4,300 and $5,000.

If you thought that was bad, the 2008 model is arguably even worse. Not only were the complaints of transmission failure up from the previous year's model, but there were also numerous reports of the transmission failing a second time. The average repair cost for this model is also a little higher at $3,750 too. This is why CarComplaints rates the 2008 Acadia as the worst model of the SUV.

Other customer sources aren't particularly kind to these models either. J.D. Power gave the 2007 Acadia a 70 out of 100 quality and reliability score, and an even lower 68 for the 2008 model. J.D. Power is a routinely favorable source of consumer ratings, where numbers below 75 are quite rare. Even the notoriously positive Cars.com audience couldn't go over 3.5 out of 5 stars for the 2008 Acadia. Stay away from these early years.

[Featured image by order_242 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]

We jump a few years into the future for the next avoidable GMC Acadia on the list. By the time the 2012 model came along, the transmission issues of the past were seemingly gone, but that doesn't mean that there weren't plenty of other problems to leave a bad taste in owners' mouths. This was the first year that Consumer Reports was able to have a consensus score for the Acadia, and that debut was a complete and utter thud. The reliability score was a truly abysmal 16 out of 100, and that was paired with a 1 out of 5 owner satisfaction score. The quality and reliability score from J.D. Power was a 73 out of 100, but to reiterate, that is a low score from a typically favorable collection of drivers.

The range of issues that affect the 2012 model year are vast. Consumer Reports drivers have reported numerous instances of everything ranging from exhaust leaks to steering fluid leaks to needing to replace its struts. One of the more common complaints with this Acadia has to do with a malfunctioning or failing compressor for the air conditioning system. The drivers submitting on CarComplaints concur with this problem, as it is the most reported issue for this model year. The 2012 Acadia also has the distinct honor of being the lowest rated model year for the SUV by customers on Edmunds with an overall average of 3.3 out of 5 stars.

[Featured image by IFCAR via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]

Just as the 2007 and 2008 models dropped the ball on the SUV's introduction, the 2017 and 2018 models did the very same for the GMC Acadia's second generation. Let's start with the 2017 Acadia. On CarComplaints, we see a massive spike in the number of reported problems from drivers compared to the previous 2016 model, which had been the least problematic model for the SUV until that point. The biggest culprit was the transmission (again). Namely, there would be a malfunction in the system where it would not recognize that a vehicle is in park, leading to people being unable to turn their vehicles off or properly shift gears. Consumer Reports gave this a dreadful 24 out of 100 reliability score as well, along with a 1 out of 5 owner satisfaction score. SlashGear may have given the vehicle a decently positive initial review, but clearly, time has amplified its faults.

The Consumer Reports reliability score may be terrible, but it doesn't hold a candle to the 11 out of 100 score earned by the 2018 model, making it the least reliable model year for the Acadia and the least reliable SUV in its class in 2018 from drivers. Needless to say, it also received a 1 out of 5 owner satisfaction score from Consumer Reports. While the CarComplaints submissions are less than in 2017, the transmission parking error is still as persistent as it was in that year. This Acadia generation ended well but started horribly.

[Featured image by Bull-Doser via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]

Selecting which model years would represent the least liked years for the GMC Acadia was a somewhat difficult challenge. This is not because there are so few down years, but because there are so few universally admired ones. To determine what was the worst of the worst, the opinions of drivers were taken from a variety of different sources. 

There are sites such as Edmunds and Cars.com where drivers can submit ratings and reviews for their vehicles. If the customer averages for a model year was particularly low, it had a great shot of ending up on this list. Alongside those sites are ones like Consumer Reports and J.D. Power. These are publications that actively survey owners of these vehicles for their detailed opinions, giving specific scores to things like reliability, driving experience, and overall satisfaction. 

Lastly, there were the number of specific issues a particular model year faced, and these were determined by what drivers submitted to CarComplaints. Model years that either had plentiful amounts of complaints or issues that were incredibly costly to remedy were given a higher priority. 

[Featured image by Bull-Doser via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]