2008 GMC Acadia Engine Problems
Owners have filed 124 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2008 GMC Acadia, 15% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 97,970 miles. The words owners use most often: “timing chain” (15% of reports).
- 124engine complaints
- 97,970median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $4,150typical repair cost reported by owners
- 36%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Timing chain: mentioned in 19 of 124 complaints (15%)
- Traction control: mentioned in 15 of 124 complaints (12%)
- Wave plate: mentioned in 8 of 124 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2008 GMC Acadia at $4,150, and half of them between $3,500 and $5,250.
Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013–2015), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 106 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 124 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 3 an injury.
GMC Acadia engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Acadia | 1 | 11% | — |
| 2025 Acadia | 6 | 9% | — |
| 2024 Acadia | 10 | 16% | — |
| 2023 Acadia | 13 | 29% | 13,125 |
| 2022 Acadia | 14 | 29% | 18,000 |
| 2021 Acadia | 29 | 19% | 34,573 |
| 2020 Acadia | 29 | 27% | 31,850 |
| 2019 Acadia | 53 | 14% | 39,998 |
| 2018 Acadia | 34 | 9% | 23,465 |
| 2017 Acadia | 62 | 9% | 38,538 |
| 2016 Acadia | 13 | 6% | 31,300 |
| 2015 Acadia | 18 | 7% | 19,430 |
| 2014 Acadia | 45 | 10% | 65,000 |
| 2013 Acadia | 21 | 16% | 77,697 |
| 2012 Acadia | 35 | 12% | 95,500 |
| 2011 Acadia | 52 | 19% | 80,637 |
| 2010 Acadia | 74 | 22% | 103,000 |
| 2009 Acadia | 67 | 20% | 98,500 |
| 2008 Acadia | 124 | 15% | 97,970 |
| 2007 Acadia | 46 | 11% | 86,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2008 GMC Acadia. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The car would not shift causing me to pull over on the side of a highway to restart the car this happened 5 times in a row b4 the car would shift into proper gear
The traction control turns on and then the shifts donât work and I canât drive since there is no speed also the rpm and the gas the speed and the battery gages start flickering up and down then I turn off the truck and it continues to work fine but after 40 miles or so it does it all again
Deer hit me on the highway at 2am on December 26th. No air bags deployed.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 GMC Acadias have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 124 owner complaints about engine for the 2008 GMC Acadia (15% of the 854 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 GMC Acadia engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 97,970 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2008 GMC Acadia?
Owners report a typical cost of $4,150 (half paid between $3,500 and $5,250), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2008 GMC Acadia?
The most frequent phrase is “timing chain”, in 19 of 124 complaints, followed by “traction control” (15).
Other 2008 GMC Acadia problems
See all 2008 GMC Acadia problems or engine problems across all Acadia years.