Power Steering Fluid problems of the 2016 GMC Acadia

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Acadia. The contact indicated while driving at various speeds the vehicle had experienced random jerking and hesitation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine control module was faulty. The engine control module was replaced but the failure continued to occur. The vehicle was then taken the local dealer who diagnosed that the rack and pinion and power steering pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

Failure of power steering system - at low speeds, power steering assistance is not active. Very difficult to turn steering wheel from a stopped position or moving at low speed. This presents a safety risk in the ability to avoid pedestrians, vehicles or other objects while driving at slow speeds, most notably parking lots. Condition started around the 50,000-mile mark. After further examination, fluid appear to be leaking from the vehicle. Had vehicle taken to gm-certified dealership for service, and was advised that the power steering system required immediate attention. After further research there appears to be concerning history of power-steering related failure on the GMC Acadia. Prior model years (2007-2011) had the warranty extended on the system upwards of 10 years and 150,000 miles. In addition, a variety of technical service bulletins have been issued on the power steering system of the 2016 GMC Acadia. Nhsta database also points to a number of similar incidents, typically occurring around the 50,000 mile range. This indicates a latent manufacture defect in which further action must be taken to address this ongoing safety issue.

My 2016 GMC Acadia was brought in for a basic car inspection. �the car has 54,000 miles. �I was told it failed inspection due to the leaking of steering fluid. �I needed a new gear assembly. �the car had no issues prior to this and I take the car regularly to GMC. Fortunately, I did not get into an accident, but I drive 60 miles a day to work and this could have been much worse. The total cost to have it fixed was almost $3,000. �I did not have the extended bumper to bumper warranty, so I had to pay out of pocket. ��after reading many complaints about this specific problem, I called GMC corporate to make an official complaint with them. �if you own this car and are anywhere from 40-70k miles, please have this checked out. �I have 2 small children and I could have easily crashed if I didn't have my car inspected. �this needs to be a recall immediately. �people buy this specific car, because they have children and want a safe vehicle. �the fact that they have not recalled this issue is awful. �I love american cars, but I am losing faith in them. �please report this problem, so that maybe GMC will be forced to recall the issue and save lives.

Power steering pump failure. While driving my 2016 GMC Acadia on a trip of about 350 miles (mostly highway) everything seemed to be working fine until near the end of the trip. As I exited the highway and started slowing down the steering became very stiff and by the time I came to a stop light I could not turn the steering wheel at all. When the light turned green I pressed the gas pedal and as the rpm increased the power steering pump worked good enough to make the turn and get me home. Luckily I only had about a mile to go. I checked the fluid and it was low so I topped it off and raised the front tires off the ground in order to turn lock to lock to try to get any air out of the system. After lowering the vehicle I tried to drive it and I still could not turn the steering wheel without pressing the gas. As I looked further I noticed that the hose that leads to the power steering pump has fluid all over it where it goes through a grommet attached to the rear of the engine. The grommet in the metal bracket was falling apart and the hose appears to be chaffing on the metal bracket. The leak is very small and there's no telling how long it has been rubbing the bracket. The vehicle is out of warranty but only has 50k miles on it and has never been wrecked or had any repairs done that could have caused this. It appears to be an improperly installed bracket/grommet that caused the problem.

On Saturday (8/31/2019), I noticed that the ac in my 2016 Acadia (about 79,000 miles) wouldn't turn on. My vehicle has two evaporators, one in the front for the front ac, and one in the rear for the rear ac. They are connected by an aluminum tube (gm part #23199274). When I took the vehicle into the GMC dealer, they showed me that a connector on the power steering fluid (psf) line, which runs beside this aluminum tube (see photo 1), had rubbed up against the aluminum and worn a hole in it, allowing all the refrigerant to leak out (photo 2). There is supposed to be a little rubber piece that fits over and protects the coolant line (you can sort-of see it in the pictures), but that piece is small and slides down, exposing the aluminum tube. The technician then told/showed me how he usually bends or moves the psf line so that it doesn't rub against the aluminum coolant tube. This indicates that gm is aware of the issue and has done nothing in an attempt to fix it, even though this inherent design flaw allows the entire coolant charge to leak into the atmosphere. Needless to say, since refrigerant is not exactly environmentally friendly, I find it concerning that gm is apparently aware of this issue and hasn't taken the necessary steps (like a voluntary recall) to fix it. I called the gm customer service line and made them aware of the situation, and they said "there is nothing they can do. " I'm hoping this complaint forces them to resolve the issue and stop leaking full refrigerant charges into the atmosphere. Note that this would also be an issue if the situation were reversed and it was the ac coolant tube that chafed through the psf hose. If the psf connector was even 1 cm off, then hypothetically the coolant tube could rub through the psf hose and cause a failure of the power steering system. It is also desirable to avoid this as well, for obvious reasons.

Power steering fails while driving due to sudden substantial fluid leakage. Complaints to gm are unresolcved while gm continues to sell flawed vehicles.