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2016 GMC Acadia problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2016 GMC Acadia has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 4safety recalls
- 236owner complaints
- 8crash reports
- 2fire reports
- 16injuries reported
236 complaints, against an average of 225 for the other 14 GMC Acadia model years.
Every GMC Acadia model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2016 GMC Acadia?
The components named most often in the 236 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
Has the 2016 GMC Acadia been recalled?
4 U.S. safety recalls. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
Air Bags: Frontal: Driver Side: Inflator Module 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags: Critical Fasteners 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.
Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Seats 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.
Risk: If the seat frame is not welded in the correct places, the seat may not perform as intended, and in the event of a crash, the seat occupant could be at an increased risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Visibility: Windshield Wiper/Washer: Motor 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.
Risk: A wiper motor that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
What do 2016 GMC Acadia owners report?
12 of the 236 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
Transmission torque converter required replacement
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 traveling for Easter and were stranded on the side of the highway. I had a private repair shop (Greenville Auto Clinic LLC) confirm as well as the local dealership Greenville Chevy. The vehicle required an engine replacement. I did contact GMC's Zone Manager out of Atlanta, GA for assistance, he reduced the bill from over 10,000 down to 6098. There was no error messaging, only an…
The cable that attaches the front driver seatbelt to the base of the seat (left side), suddenly broke when simply buckling the belt.
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 PROBLEMS. BELIEVE A RECALL IS JUSTIFIED.
Hello. I got a recall and fixed in July 2021 for Blind Spot Sensors/Modules on my 2016 GMC Acadia SLT. Now 3.5 years later Im having the same issue with these sensors that are located in the rear bumper of the car, they get water damage, corrosion, and then fail. A very poor design. And seems like the recall didn't fixed the issue either. This must to be a common issue for this car, lots of complaints online even after the recall. And the car dealership wont cover it because it was already fixed at that time and my warranty on my car expired not to long ago. They said it would be about 2000 to…
Safety recall that has not been addressed by the dealership in over 4 months
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 GMC Acadia on February 28, 2026. After purchasing the vehicle, the contact obtained a Carfax report and discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the vehicle was purchased at an auction. The dealer agreed to refund a portion of the cost of the vehicle. The contact attempted several times to contact the dealer afterwards but was unsuccessful. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 92,400, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was…
I have a recall on this vehicle that GMC has failed to provide me parts/repair and this recall will be 3 years old in June. I have emailed the local dealer, the manager of the local dealer, GM corporate, and no one has followed through. The best I came to getting the repair was that Corporate made sure I had an appointment and dealer had my part, I went to that appt at my local dealer in Jan 2025 (Premiere GMC of Carlsbad, CA) and waited 2 hours with cars ahead of me (even thought I had an appt) only to be told the part was not there, they would order it and get back to me. Happy to [provide…
While operating my vehicle, the power steering suddenly failed without adequate warning. The steering became extremely difficult, creating a significant safety hazard for myself, my passengers, and other drivers on the road. A sudden loss of steering assist increases the risk of collision, especially at lower speeds, during turns, or in emergency maneuvers.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 GMC Acadia. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 180,000. The contact stated that it was later discovered upon checking the vehicle information settings, that the mileage was 300,000.
Rack and pinion sudden failure. I lost control of the vehicle almost going off the road .
THE TRACTION WARNING SUDDENLY COMES ON THEN THE STABILITY SERVICE WARNING JUMPS ON....AUTOMATICALLY LOWERING MY SPEED WHILE I'M ON THE FREEWAY DRIVING. WHEN I PULL OVER AND TURN THE CAR OFF THEN TURN IT BACK ON...THE LIGHT GOES AWAY. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. DEALERSHIP CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. IT HAPPENS WHEN I HIT A POT HOLE OR SPEED BUMP
2016 GMC Acadia: questions owners ask
Is the 2016 GMC Acadia reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 236 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 GMC Acadia; the most common categories were air bags (130, 55.1%), steering (26, 11%), electrical system (25, 10.6%). There are 4 safety recalls. 8 complaints mention a crash, 2 mention a fire, 16 injuries were reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 GMC Acadia?
Across 236 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are air bags (55.1% of complaints), steering (11% of complaints), electrical system (10.6% of complaints), power train (8.9% of complaints), engine (5.5% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2016 GMC Acadia have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2016 GMC Acadia; the most recent (campaign 23V334000, 2023-05-10) concerns Air Bags: Frontal: Driver Side: Inflator Module. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Check your own Acadia
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2016 only; combines NHTSA's entries for ACADIA and ACADIA DENALI.