2009 GMC Acadia Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 72 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2009 GMC Acadia, 22% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 81,453 miles. The words owners use most often: “wave plate” (26% of reports).
- 72power train complaints
- 81,453median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $5,600typical repair cost reported by owners
- 41%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.
- Wave plate: mentioned in 19 of 72 complaints (26%)
- Transmission failed: mentioned in 8 of 72 complaints (11%)
- Water pump: mentioned in 5 of 72 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2009 GMC Acadia at $5,600, and half of them between $5,500 and $6,400.
Based on 9 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 power train problems happen?
Based on 65 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 72 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
GMC Acadia power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Acadia | 3 | 33% | 4,700 |
| 2025 Acadia | 4 | 6% | — |
| 2024 Acadia | 7 | 11% | 1,000 |
| 2023 Acadia | 12 | 27% | 24,749 |
| 2022 Acadia | 4 | 8% | — |
| 2021 Acadia | 17 | 11% | 4,063 |
| 2020 Acadia | 22 | 21% | 41,000 |
| 2019 Acadia | 154 | 40% | 49,800 |
| 2018 Acadia | 163 | 41% | 37,000 |
| 2017 Acadia | 236 | 33% | 36,000 |
| 2016 Acadia | 21 | 9% | 77,911 |
| 2015 Acadia | 18 | 7% | 69,000 |
| 2014 Acadia | 35 | 8% | 50,000 |
| 2013 Acadia | 27 | 20% | 99,250 |
| 2012 Acadia | 43 | 15% | 98,300 |
| 2011 Acadia | 33 | 12% | 71,796 |
| 2010 Acadia | 43 | 13% | 76,000 |
| 2009 Acadia | 72 | 22% | 81,453 |
| 2008 Acadia | 279 | 33% | 77,400 |
| 2007 Acadia | 184 | 43% | 79,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift
Problem: General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 buick enclave, chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, gmc acadia, pontiac g5, g6 and saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".
Risk: The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before march 24, 2009. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 and saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The stabilizer/traction control keeps going off and it will stay off.i can turn,hit a bump or start it up and the traction control/stabilizer system is off.i almost had a accident on the freeway in the rain because it turned off out of nowhere and I almost lost control. Also I was going down the…
The stabilizer/traction control keeps going off and it will stay off.i can turn,hit a bump or start it up and the traction control/stabilizer system is off.i almost had a accident on the freeway in the rain because it turned off out of nowhere and I almost lost control
The wire harness corroded , and it caused everything in my car to stop working my back passenger window wonât go down , my back driver side cannot be put up or down from the back , my airbag light is now on and now my car will not shift while driving to allow me to drive it over 30mph .. Iâve…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 GMC Acadias have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 72 owner complaints about power train for the 2009 GMC Acadia (22% of the 331 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 2009 GMC Acadia power train?
Yes: 1 safety recall list power train. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 81,453 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2009 GMC Acadia?
Owners report a typical cost of $5,600 (half paid between $5,500 and $6,400), from 9 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2009 GMC Acadia?
The most frequent phrase is “wave plate”, in 19 of 72 complaints, followed by “transmission failed” (8).
Other 2009 GMC Acadia problems
- Steering problems (112)
- Engine problems (67)
See all 2009 GMC Acadia problems or power train problems across all Acadia years.