2022 GMC Acadia: What to check before buying

A cooling fault leads the reports. The temperature gauge stops reading, the fan roars for 5 to 15 minutes after shutdown, and warnings about reduced driver or steering assist appear. Camera failures come next, with backup and surround views turning grainy, flickering, or going black. Owners also report dash and infotainment screens blacking out several times a week, a blind spot monitor that misses cars, and locks cycling while driving. Some cars shut off suddenly on the highway with no warning. In one case the radiator fan quit and the engine nearly overheated.

Stalling at speed is the most serious report. One car quit at 75 miles per hour, and the dealer said a fuel system module needed replacement. An electronic thermostat failure also shows up. The temperature gauge drops to cold, a steering assist warning appears, and the air conditioning stops working. Some owners describe repeat repairs for an engine leak and the purge pump. A dealer traced one front exhaust pipe problem to a special coverage program that does not include this model year. Another car had a check engine light and wheels that felt unbalanced at about 18,000 miles.

The fuel pump control module fails and strands the car. Some cars crank but won't start. Others buck as if the engine is cutting in and out, then stall in traffic and won't restart. Owners report towing and stalls in the roadway. Before one failure, warning lights flashed and the fuel gauge showed the wrong amount. A separate check engine fault was traced to the evaporative emission purge pump, and the replacement part was on back order.

The "steering assist reduced" warning appears together with a temperature gauge stuck on cold, a check engine light, and a fan that blows hard after shutdown. Owners connect it to a thermostat or temperature sensor fault, the same pattern reported under other headings, not to a failure in the steering itself. One owner says the trouble began after 60,000 miles and brought hard shifting, no cold air from the AC, and stability and traction control warnings.

Rear seat belts lock up partway out, so passengers have to let them retract and pull again. In one report, a retractor would not lock while a child seat was being installed, which left the belt loose. Another describes a buckle receiver that jams and won't latch. One new vehicle arrived with a second-row belt latch missing. Most of these reports come from families with young children.

The transmission can fail to engage park at shutdown, and the car drifts forward. One owner reports this at about 22,000 miles. Another failure leaves the car unable to shift or go faster than about 18 mph while the engine revs and the dash shows only L. That car needed a transmission rebuild and waited weeks for parts. A third owner had front-end noise and sputtering that the dealer blamed on transmission bearings, with no warning light.

Smoke filled the cabin during braking, and flames came from the front brake rotors at 15,000 miles. Afterward the unoccupied car rolled down a slope while in park and hit a tree. The cause was never determined. In the other report, the front brakes and rotors failed soon after purchase, with damaged linings and an abnormal noise. Only two complaints are on file, but one involves both a fire and a crash.

The automatic emergency braking can trigger with no hazard ahead. One owner reports it nearly stopping the car in the middle of an intersection during left turns at 4-way stops, then chose to drive with the system off. In the other report, a "Front Assist Blocked" message pointed to a failed camera at about 73,000 miles. The fault came back an hour after the camera was replaced, and coverage was disputed.