Service Brakes Problems of GMC Acadia - part 1

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway at 2-3 mph, the brake pedal became firm for 3–5 seconds. The contact was able to depress the brake pedal after several attempts. The messages “low engine power” and "service esc" were momentarily displayed after the failure. The vehicle was shifted into park(p), and the check engine and traction control warning lights illuminated. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle at the residence and retrieved dtc: c05cc. The dealer was notified of the failure via a voicemail message. The failure mileage was 80,606.

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While driving my 2023 GMC Acadia, I experienced intermittent abnormal brake pedal behavior. When applying the brakes normally, the pedal would travel partway and then suddenly encounter resistance/catch accompanied by a click, causing the vehicle to brake abruptly and unexpectedly. The vehicle remained straight, but the braking action was significantly harder than intended. This problem has created a serious safety concern. On one occasion, the unexpected braking behavior nearly resulted in my vehicle being rear-ended. I had the vehicle inspected at a GMC dealership, as well as by the dealer that I purchased the vehicle from. The problem was initially intermittent and was not reproduced during the first two inspections. I recorded a video of the braking behavior to document the issue. The vehicle has now been evaluated by GMC for a second time, which states that a failure has been diagnosed and that the vehicle requires replacement of gm part number 85718957. The estimated total repair cost is approximately $3,030. I contacted general motors regarding assistance with the repair, but gm declined to provide goodwill assistance despite this sounding like a broader issue. I am concerned that this may represent a safety defect involving the vehicle's braking system and/or brake assist system. I am submitting this complaint so NHTSA has a record of the failure and can consider it along with other reports involving similar braking-system issues.

While driving my 2025 GMC Acadia, the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe failure of the brake master cylinder assembly, causing a significant loss of hydraulic pressure and braking assistance. Multiple dashboard warnings illuminated simultaneously, including abs and brake system alerts. The brake pedal feel altered abruptly, drastically increasing the required stopping distance and creating an immediate collision hazard. The vehicle is currently grounded at a certified gm dealership awaiting a total replacement of the defective master cylinder assembly under factory warranty. Mileage at the time of failure was 19,000.

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When backing into my driveway the brakes failed. I was nosing the car across the street towards the neighbors driveway so I could put the car in reverse and back it into the driveway. I applied the brakes while traveling at about 3-4mph when the brakes had little resistance and went straight to the floor and the vehicle continued moving forward. Attempted to apply brakes again and the same result. Ended up hitting the neighbors parked car in their driveway. Luckily it was a very low rate of speed so there was minimal damage and nobody was hurt. There were no warning lights present before, during, or after the incident. The vehicle got towed to a local GMC dealership who could not replicate the issue. Insurance is still looking into the issue.

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While driving my 2020 GMC Acadia slt awd turbo with my young daughters in the vehicle, the brake pedal suddenly and sporadically lost all hydraulic pressure and sank nearly all the way to the floorboard. The vehicle would only gradually roll to a slow stop. Simultaneously, the dashboard illuminated with abs and service esc notifications. After turning the vehicle completely off and restarting it, the braking system temporarily reverted to normal function before randomly failing again on a subsequent drive. The vehicle was brought to a local brake shop where it was dangerously misdiagnosed, and it is currently at a GMC dealership for an emergency teardown. Previously, without any warning, the vehicle would also experience a brake failure upon backing out of my garage. Once the brake was immediately pressed again, it would work. This intermittent loss of total stopping power constitutes a severe, life-threatening manufacturing defect.

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Dropping my children off at school, 4 lights came on on the dash. Two messages came across my dash as well. Service esc service abs. Ebcm master cylinder needed to be replaced at local GMC dealership. My brakes were failing…this is a known safety issue by GMC and there’s no recall!.

While driving the brake vacuum pump exploded leading to catastrophic brake failure. My husband was driving and was able to stand on the brakes to get the car to stop, but had I been driving, I am not strong enough to have stopped the car. I have 3 children with my youngest being 1. If this had happened with me and my kids, we could have had a major wreck and/or died! gm is aware of the brake vacuum pump issues but does not have a recall on the part. The braske assist light did not come on the dash until brakes were lost.

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I was driving my 2025 GMC Acadia denali on [xxx] with cruise on. Suddenly sound and banner notifications were telling me that I had no brakes. I immediately hit brake to break cruise and vehicle went faster. I managed to get cruise off from steering wheel. Put flashers on and took foot completely off gas. I was very fortunate that I didn’t hit someone or that no one hit me. After about 2 miles, I was able to pull in an empty church parking lot and get stopped. After getting stopped I was 2. 4 miles from [xxx]. I was towed to GMC dealership in montgomery, al and diagnosed with defective master cylinder and no brakes. Very concerned because GMC has not issued a recall because the master cylinder failure has occurred many times before. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Purchased new 2026 GMC Acadia on xxx xxx - fastened seat belts, started vehicle in a driveway, switched into forward gear and vehicle lurched forward while depressing the brake with no braking action occurring (brake pedal went to the floor). Shut off engine and depressed the emergency brake button to stop the vehicle. Vehicle struck another vehicle upon stopping causing several thousand dollars damage. Xxx - notified [xxx]/[xxx] the dealer, no help. Called gm and filed a case #xxx. Vehicle inspected by gm on xxx. No response forthcoming from gm or the dealer yet after 6 weeks since the incident. Xxx - called for a wrecker to have vehicle towed to the dealer where it was purchased. While awaiting the tow truck I completed a video of damage to both vehicles, before starting the vehicle (first time after the accident) the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floor. Started vehicle and brakes regained some braking ability to drive onto a roll back tow truck and delivery to the dealership above. Fortunately, this brake failure happened in a private driveway and not within a busy intersection where major injuries likely would have occurred. Still waiting on general motors!! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Something inside the wheel started smoking and my GMC app displayed low break fluid. I pulled over and had someone come out two days later. The breakpad had uneven wear and the caliper had a broken seal on it which in turn tore the caliper up! this was not a safe situation to have with 4 kids in the car. This car has been one problem after another !.

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Today, June 11, 2026, my wife and 9 month old baby were on their way home from running errands in town when the vehicle started to violently shake, becoming frightened my wife tried to apply pressure to the brakes. When she pushed down on the brake pedal nothing happened and the pedal hit the floor. Our brand new 2025 GMC Acadia at4 had just suffered catastrophic brake failure. So she pulled off onto the side of the road in hopes the uneven terrain would slow her down just enough to put it into park. Luckily enough it did. If it would have been 10 seconds later she would have been on a one way bridge where the speed limit is 60mph with no brakes. Four days prior to today on June 07, 2026 I sent a message to the individual that I bought the car from at the GMC dealership and told him that we had warning lights come up on the dash. He had me try and reset the screen but nothing happened. I asked when we could get it into a shop so it could be looked at he said that he would have someone reach out and schedule a time. I proceeded to ask if we were ok to drive the vehicle until then. To which he responded "if the vehicle isn't giving you issues mechanically, you should be good". Fast forward to today June 11, 2026 my wife is driving and has catastrophic brake failure. The vehicle was then towed by roadside assistance to the GMC dealership.

I was driving and all of a sudden my break pedal was inoperable. It was stiff and unable to be used. Luckily I was only going 40 mph. I pulled into a parking lot and my car started shaking and apparently the metal parts from the vacuum pump blew into my engine, which completely wrecked my engine. I nearly could have died and now my 2021 car is completely destroyed.

My brake pedal got stiff when I was driving. I had zero control of my brakes. I was informed by a GMC dealership that my brake booster blew up causing my brakes to stop working and metal shrapnel to be sent into my engine. My 2021 vehicle is a complete loss. GMC has done nothing to help me.

When backing out of a parking spot of a store , I went to stop and pressing on the brakes nothing happened and I kept rolling backwards. I looked down to confirm I was pressing the brakes and my foot was on the brake pedal pressed firmly. I rolled to a stop put it in drive and checked the brakes and they worked like normal. I made an appointment at the dealership and had an appointment the next day. The said it did not have any codes, it preformed normal and passed inspected so there was nothing they could do about it.

Brake module malfunction codes: “service esc” “break assist failure. Press hard to break. Speed limited”.

Telematic modular control is not working properly and part is on backorder. Dealership and GMC have refused to put into writing that my vehicle is safe to drive; however, they are refusing rental vehicle while awaiting arrival of part. Several of my safety features are not working correctly, my left turn signal went out randomly and my auto breaking has activated when there has been nothing near my vehicle.

The master cylinder failed under 10,000 miles. I was at 5000 miles. I am reading a lot of people have had issues with the master cylinder in the 2024 early 2025 models. Luckily I was in the driveway barely moving, but man if I were on a highway and it happened it could've been fatal!.

While backing out of a parking place my husband noticed he couldn't stop the 2025 Acadia and almost hit restraunt behind us, while pusing on the break. He then started to go forward and kept saying "I can't stop it, it won't stop, I'm pushing on the break. " the vehicle then went forward and couldn't stop even pushing on the break. I tried pusing the button to turn off the 2025 Acadia a couple times (possible turning back on and because he foot was on the break restarted the vehicle) and then pushed park to see if that would stop. We hit the building in front of us and stopped. The air bags did not deploy so not going that fast. I pushed the button for 911 and they came on to assist and call police and asked if everyone was all right and other questions. Lucky no on was hurt and thank god for that. Tow truck was called and taken to local tow yard.

We filled a report on 04/04/2026 with NHTSA at 12:16 pm but can't find a copy of the whole report. My husband john chandler was driving our 2025 GMC avadia elevation. He was backing out of a parking place when he noticed it wouldn't stop while putting his foot on the break. He was able to put it into drive and it lundged forward and wouldn't stop. He kept pushing with both feet on the break and wouldn't stop. I tried pushing the start button to stop but because his feet were on the break it would restart so then pushed the park button and it stopped as we hit the building. The air bags did not depoy so not going that fast. I pushed the button for 911 and they came on to assist and call police. They asked if everyone was al right and other questions. Lucky no one was hurt and thank god for that. Tow truck was called and taken to local tow yard. The 2025 Acadia was transported to the repair shop but has not been inspected by the insurance company or GMC yet. After repairs are complete it will be taken to the local GMC dealer ron smith in merced, CA for inspection. We did not notice andy warning messages prior to the accident.

My complaint does not involve an accident. The brakes on the 2024 Acadia elevation are squealing very loudly, and have been doing so for the past six months or so. I have approximately 18,000 miles on it. I took my vehicle to the dealership twice for this issue, and I was told this time that the brakes are still good (still 8mm of pads) - even though it was showing 22% brake pad. They told me about the malfunctioning sensor and they fixed that, but the squealing is still there. I was told that it was the metal composition of the brake pads that is making that noise, and gm does not cover brakes past 7,500 miles (this 7,500 warranty is pointless because who would need brakes replaced in that short time frame, anyway?). That means I would have to pay out of pocket for the brakes! there is clearly something wrong with the structure of the brakes and I see on the Acadia forum that this is a common complaint. If the brakes are good, then why are the brakes squealing? why am I being told that I just have to deal with the squealing sound? what can be done about this issue. It seems unfair to me that I have to come out of pocket to fix something that should not be "broken".

On March 27, 2026, I experienced a complete brake failure while driving a 2021 GMC Acadia in a school zone at approximately 3:00 pm. When I pressed the brake pedal, the vehicle did not respond. I attempted multiple times, including using the emergency brake, which did not activate immediately. The vehicle remained in motion for several minutes in an area with children and parents present. The emergency brake only engaged after approximately 30–45 seconds of repeated attempts. I was forced to steer off the road to avoid a collision. The vehicle had been inspected at a gm dealership on March 16, 2026, just eleven days prior, where the brake system was evaluated and no issues were identified. After the incident, the dealership diagnosed a leaking vacuum pump, which is a component that supports the brake booster system. This failure occurred without warning and created a dangerous situation. I am concerned this may indicate a broader safety defect.

It has the abs lights on and tire traction light on check engine light on and given signs of failed transmission slow to takeoff shuttering of transmission.

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On multiple occasions the car will suddenly brake or like throw on the parking brake and stop suddenly no warning.

The contact owns a 2024 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes made an abnormal squealing sound. Additionally, brake pad dust was frequently visible on the rims. The dealer was contacted and advised that the brake issue was caused by driving through a car wash. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 25,312.

2/10/26. Driving down the highway behind a truck and horse trailer at 60 mph, electric brake system stopped working, couldn't stop, a turn lane saved me from rear ending the horse trailer. I thought I was going to die and kill or injure animals and people in my path. Police came and tow truck. 2/10/26 vehicle was towed to the closest GMC dealer. Merit GMC duncan, ok vehicle is at service department. There has been 3 events of complete power failure with the vehicle. It had to be towed three times before. All within the last 6 months. It had never happened while driving! when it happened, a brake light appeared on my dash with the message "electric brake failure" and "speed limited". I slammed the brake pedal to the floor repeatedly with nothing happening. I had many emotional breakdowns to the police officer, at the dealership, at work when I finally got there hours later and am terrified to drive again. I could have died and hurt others.

Warning message appeared stating "service brake assist" and "service esc". Took vehicle to dealer, they found faulty master cylinder. Multiple parts involved, some on back order, could take weeks to a month or more for repair. Vehicle is less than 1 year in service with approx. 6k miles.

Front left brake was locking up. Happened 1st a couple months ago. Happened again recently and was towed to dealership. Burning smell from brake and hot in wheel area. Left front brake caliper was locked, pads overheated, rotor warped. Replaced front left caliper, front left brake hose, front pads, and front left rotor. Road tested, brakes operate properly. Brake life on monitor shows 18%, brake pads are at 8mm out of calibration, reprogrammed brake system control module and performed brake percent calibration per bulletin #25-na-282. Warranty code is 28yz314171448.

Since we bought the 2024 GMC Acadia in November 2024 when we would get the oil changes we have to dealership to check the brakes because the brakes were always squealing. They inspected and gave us a vehicle back chalking it up that the brakes are fine. They did a multiport inspection three different times and didn’t find any issues with the brakes. The last multipurpose inspection was done in September 13 2025. On December 8, 2025 I took ivehicle to another mechanic. I had to replace all four brake pads. The front brake pads were down to below 20% and the back brake pads were right at 50%. On January 7, 2026 I had to take the vehicle in to the dealership because another brake problem after a week of half. They found out that the electronic brake control module was faulty on the master cylinder. The dealership had to replace it.

Unknown. Brakes still squeaking after getting them changed with the bulletin notice. Engine surges and idles rough- dealership could not diagnose. Not accelerating randomly, pedal goes in and it does not engage. Gas tank not filling up all the way. Rear cross tracking warning turned off when it is not turned off. Ac smells rotten and musty.

I am submitting a complaint regarding premature front brake wear on my 2024 GMC Acadia. At approximately 16,000 miles, sewell Buick GMC of midland inspected my vehicle and measured the front brake pads at 5 mm. Despite the pads not being at the replacement threshold and the vehicle being safe to drive, the dealer is already recommending brake replacement. The dealer also advised that the brake parts are currently on backorder due to the high volume of repairs needed for the same issue with no estimated time of arrival. I am concerned that requiring brake replacement at such low mileage indicates a potential design, material, or manufacturing issue with the braking system on this model year. I am also concerned about the lack of parts availability should brake wear progress more quickly than expected. The vehicle is driven under normal conditions (no towing, no aggressive driving), and routine maintenance has been followed. Given the low mileage and early wear measurement, this is abnormal for a new vehicle. I am submitting this complaint so NHTSA can track similar reports and determine whether further review or investigation is warranted. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, olivia garcia.

I experienced the brakes squeaking on and off for a few weeks this past summer. When at the dealership for an oil change, I was told the brakes pads were still good and the squeaking is common, especially during hot humid weather. Since then, I have lost the brakes twice. Both times, the pedal went all the way to the floor without resistance and after a few seconds, they came back like nothing happened. There was no warning at all. I have also experienced a complete blackout on my dashboard for about 30 minutes without known reason. On a separate occasion, the battery died for no reason. There have been times that a message is displayed on the dash to service rear turn signal lights. They flash fast as if they were out, then the next time I drive the car, they are completely normal. From what has been reported, there are some serious concerns with the 2024 Acadia. I have leased 3 Acadia's before this one and have never experienced anything like this. The brakes failing completely could have ended very badly for myself and/or others. There are several other reports of this nature. Please look into recalling this vehicle to prevent fatalities!!.

Purchased the vehicle in good faith, unaware that the check engine light was illuminated at the time of purchase and not informed that this indicated a serious mechanical or emissions-related issue. After purchase, the dealership repaired an emissions-related problem, and the check engine light was no longer present when the vehicle was returned to me. However, within three days of having the vehicle back in my possession, I began experiencing additional issues, including electrical malfunctions and abnormal noises coming from the front wheels. These problems caused the vehicle to feel unsafe to operate and raised serious concerns about its reliability and overall safety. Due to these concerns, I returned the vehicle to the dealership immediately.

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Breaks are squeaking awful. Have had front brakes and rotors replaced which cost $380. Did not fix the problem. Have also saw where a lot of other 2024 GMC Acadia owners are experiencing the same problem.

Brakes have failed now three separate times. The brake pedal becomes firm and the car will not stop or slow at all. I am pregnant and also had my toddler in the car with me. No warning symbols on the dash. Taken to dealership after several weeks of communication saying this was a safety issue and received a loaner vehicle. However, they have said if they cannot reproduce the issue, we will just get our car back. This is unacceptable. This is one of five issues we have already had with this vehicle.

At low speeds the brakes squeal horrendously. We have taken the vehicle to the dealer multiple times and each time they state that the brakes are fine. A vehicle with this low of miles should not have squealing brakes since new.