2010 GMC Acadia Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 343 owner complaints for the 2010 GMC Acadia.

Recalled components: body structure, seat belts, and air bags. Most-described problem: power steering problems or locked steering (82 complaints, 24%). Most-reported area: steering (148 complaints, 43%; median mileage when it happened: 70,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

4 safety recalls for the 2010 GMC Acadia

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 2 investigations that name the 2010 GMC Acadia; both are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. A recall query is a review of whether a recall covered the right vehicles or whether its fix works. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 343 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Acadia. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Power steering problems or locked steering82 · 24%
  Median 72,700 miles at failure, from 75 reports with mileage
• Timing chain or belt problems57 · 17%
  Median 94,500 miles at failure, from 42 reports with mileage
• Check engine light39 · 11%
  Median 89,000 miles at failure, from 30 reports with mileage
• Steering rack problems: sticking, play or pulling28 · 8%
  Median 71,300 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
• Headlight or exterior light problems18 · 5%
  Median 58,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off16 · 5%
  Median 104,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
• Smoke or a burning smell14 · 4%
• Won't start9 · 3%

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Steering148 · 43%
  Median 70,000 miles at failure, from 138 reports with mileage
• Engine74 · 22%
  Median 103,000 miles at failure, from 58 reports with mileage
• Electrical system45 · 13%
  Median 67,600 miles at failure, from 38 reports with mileage
• Powertrain43 · 13%
  Most named: automatic transmission (5) · Median 76,000 miles at failure, from 32 reports with mileage
• Exterior lighting24 · 7%
  Median 60,000 miles at failure, from 21 reports with mileage
• Air bags16 · 5%
  Median 62,400 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
• Engine and cooling10 · 3%
• Unknown or other11 · 3%

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

GMC Acadia recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2010 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2017 Acadia drew the most (229) and the 2010 drew 32.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2010 Acadia MPG

Questions