NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 236 owner complaints for the 2016 GMC Acadia.
4Safety recalls
236Owner complaints
8Complaints citing a crash
2Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: air bags, seats, and visibility. Most-described problem: power steering problems or locked steering (10 complaints, 4%). Most-reported area: air bags (130 complaints, 55%).
4 safety recalls for the 2016 GMC Acadia
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
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.
The fix and full notice
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.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and 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.
The fix and full notice
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.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles.
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.
The fix and full notice
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.
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.
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.
The fix and full notice
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.
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.
NHTSA listing: ACADIA. GMC campaign 15780/15789.
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.
What owners report
Owners have filed 236 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 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 steering10 · 4%
Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting7 · 3%
Steering rack problems: sticking, play or pulling7 · 3%
Shaking, shuddering or vibration7 · 3%
Transmission failure or replacement6 · 3%
Air conditioning or heater failures6 · 3%
Stalling or shutting off while driving5 · 2%
Check engine light5 · 2%
Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these.
Areas named in complaints
Air bags130 · 55%
Steering26 · 11%
Median 53,600 miles at failure, from 18 reports with mileage
Electrical system25 · 11%
Powertrain21 · 9%
Engine13 · 6%
Lane departure systems9 · 4%
Most named: blind spot detection (9)
Seat belts5 · 2%
Unknown or other20 · 8%
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 2016 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 2016 drew 17.
Owner complaints
2016: 236 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, GMC Acadia
Model year
Complaints
2016
236
2017
703
2018
395
2019
386
2020
104
2021
149
2022
49
2023
43
2024
60
2025
65
2026
7
Safety recalls
2016: 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, GMC Acadia
Model year
Recalls
2016
4
2017
4
2018
2
2019
2
2020
6
2021
2
2022
3
2023
4
2024
0
2025
0
2026
1
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
GMC Acadia Denali SUV AWD
Rollover risk 15.5%
GMC Acadia Denali SUV FWD
Rollover risk 16.9%
GMC Acadia SUV AWD
Rollover risk 15.5%
GMC Acadia SUV FWD
Rollover risk 16.9%
Questions
What are the most common 2016 Acadia problems?
In the 236 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 GMC Acadia, the problems described most are power steering problems or locked steering (10), jerking, lurching or harsh shifting (7), and steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling (7). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2016 GMC Acadia safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 GMC Acadia earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Acadia has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at GMC dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 29, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 28, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: ACADIA.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.