2009 Gmc ACADIA - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2009 GMC Acadia receives high safety ratings in various crash tests, with a 5-star rating for both the front and side crash tests. The rollover rating is also commendable at 4 stars. Additionally, the Acadia is equipped with standard electronic stability control, which enhances the vehicle's stability on the road. Unfortunately, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

Despite its impressive safety features, the Acadia has had a significant number of complaints, totaling 329. Additionally, there have been 7 recalls on this model, highlighting the importance of addressing potential safety issues promptly. Overall, while the Acadia demonstrates strong safety performance in crash tests, the high number of complaints and recalls suggest that there may be some reliability concerns that drivers should be aware of.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

329

Recall Count

7

Investigation Count

3

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2009 GMC Acadia 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2009 GMC Acadia 4-DR. w/SAB

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2009 GMC Acadia 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2009 GMC Acadia 4-DR. w/SAB Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2007 Score 2009 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2007 Score 2009 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2007 Score 2009 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 Not Rated
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Complaints for the 2009 Gmc ACADIA

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact's daughter owns a 2009 gmc acadia. the contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel seized without warning. his daughter restarted the vehicle and resumed normal driving operation. the contact stated that the failure recurred while his daughter's boyfriend was driving the vehicle later on that same evening. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a defective rack and pinion. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 123,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-06
Complaint:
"slight pulse left then pulse right actually moves steering wheel but vehicle stays on track - unless driver is unaware - but drive becomes aware because it's a movement on a smooth road them is alarming - then it's always noticed"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-05-07
Complaint:
"steering wheel making a whining/rubbing noise. fluid leaking under the car. took to the dealer and was found to have tack and pinion is bad spraying out power steering fluid everywhere. was told that the steering will lose power and become either hard to turn or not turn at all causing danger to ourselves and others. this is a known issue that has not been recalled by gm."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-11-10
Complaint:
"steering locks up when you try to make a turn. has happened often over a few months. vehicle was in motion"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2018-07-12
Complaint:
"i just got my gmc 4 months ago and after every light and alarm has gone off the leak of power steering fluid has cause me to take to a dealer and i have been given a $2600 bill to replace the rack and pinion and pump. this is not just an issued with my gmc my sister has a 2011 acadia and had the same problem. this for sure needs to be recalled as there is something wrong with it."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-01-09
Complaint:
"bought a 2009 gmc acadia in february had it for 2 weeks and was pulling out of a fast food restaurant getting my 3 year old daughter some food as i was pulling out i lost all power steering. i could not get my suv to turn i barely bumped a car thank goodness it did not do any damage and no one was injured but this is definitely something gm needs to fix!! i am a single mother and can not afford to have this fixed especially after spend 10,900 on purchasing the vehicle."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2019-10-02
Complaint:
"at low speeds, the power steering intermittently cuts out. the steering wheel almost seems to lock up."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2018-02-07
Complaint:
"power steering went out when rpms are low. in my incident i was transitioning from one freeway to another making a right turn about 40 mph. i took my foot off the gas to take the turn slowly. as my rpm went down my vehicle would not turn right any more. the wheel got stuck in the last position before i let go of the gas. i had to give it gas to make the vehicle power steering work again. my concern with this is not that the power steering failed but that steering in general was locking. i have driven cars with out power steering and never have to worry my wheel will lock. the dealer says i need a new power steering pump. but again it should not lock my turn. i had to give it gas to get the rpm up and then it would turn. once of the freeway at the stop light i tried turning the wheel and it would not turn. once i gave it gas we were fine. i should not have to worry about getting stuck in the middle of the road turning. my research has found many issues with acadia steering pump. this is a safety issues that could of caused a major accident."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2017-06-01
Complaint:
"our 2009 gmc acadia was taken to gmc dealership on december 2, 2016 with noises coming from engine compartment when steering wheel was turned to the right or left, either standing still or moving. service technician advised that the steering gear needed to be replaced, and the bill was $1,466.00. the acadia has 31,068 miles on it, and my wife is now afraid to drive the car for fear the steering may go out again. *tr"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2016-02-12
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc acadia. while driving 10 mph or less, the steering wheel became difficult to turn without warning. the vehicle operates normally at speeds above 10 mph. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 77,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2016-03-08

Recalls for the 2009 Gmc ACADIA

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.
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.

Component(s) Involved: SEAT BELTS
Date of incident: 2014-05-20
Recall:
"general motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 chevrolet traverse, buick enclave, gmc acadia, and saturn outlook vehicles. the second row seat side trim shield restricts the upward rotation of the safety belt buckle when the seat back is returned to a seating position after being folded flat. if the buckle contacts the seat frame, additional effort is required to return the seat to a seating position. if sufficient force is applied, the buckle cover could be pushed down the strap, exposing and partially depressing the red release button."
Consequence:
THE SAFETY BELT MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE OCCUPANT AS INTENDED DURING A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT.
Remedy:

DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELDS. IF A SAFETY BELT BUCKLE IS DAMAGED, DEALERS WILL REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

Component(s) Involved: SEAT BELTS
Date of incident: 2010-08-12

GMC Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

GMC ranks 8 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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