NHTSA Complaints · Active Recalls · California Lemon Law Data
The NHTSA tracks consumer complaints, manufacturer recalls, and safety investigations for every vehicle sold in the United States. These publicly available records are a critical resource for California lemon law cases because they establish patterns of recurring defects.
As of June 2026, the NHTSA has logged 44 complaints against the 2025 GMC Acadia. Each complaint is filed by a vehicle owner or lessee through the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline or online portal at SaferCar.gov. You can review all 2025 GMC Acadia complaints directly on the NHTSA complaint database.
The 2025 GMC Acadia has generated 88 NHTSA complaints on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If your 2025 GMC Acadia has experienced a defect that the dealer has been unable to repair after multiple visits, you may qualify for a full repurchase or replacement under California lemon law. GMC pays all attorney fees when we prevail. You pay nothing.
Brake defects affecting safety may qualify for California’s two-repair threshold under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, which applies to defects likely to cause death or serious bodily injury. The 2025 GMC Acadia has generated 26 NHTSA complaints related to braking, including ABS failures, grinding, reduced stopping power, and warning lights. Owner reports include: “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.” (NHTSA Complaint #11717292)
Brake defects affecting safety may qualify for California’s two-repair threshold under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, which applies to defects likely to cause death or serious bodily injury. The 2025 GMC Acadia has generated 18 NHTSA complaints related to braking, including ABS failures, grinding, reduced stopping power, and warning lights. Owner reports include: “We had complete brake system failure while driving the car on the highway. The brakes went all the way to the floor when applied and we came inches going into fast moving oncoming traffic before the vehicle stopped. I had to push the break with both feet with all the strength I had to get the brakes to respond at all. The brake assist failure warning light came on and another warning light came on that said SERVICE ESC. I have this on video. This was the first time the warning lights have ever come on. It’s a brand new 2025 car with only 800 miles on it. We were advised by the dealership who sold us the car to get OnStar to tow the vehicle to our local GMC dealership where we bought the car. When the car was hooked up to the diagnoses machine it said brake system failure. I have not received any invoices or paperwork to send you at this point. All I can upload is a video of the warning lights that were appearing on the dashboard after the incident.” (NHTSA Complaint #11693689)
The 2025 GMC Acadia has generated 10 NHTSA complaints for this defect category. If your vehicle has experienced recurring issues in this area that the dealer has been unable to repair after multiple attempts, you may have a qualifying lemon law claim under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. Owner reports include: “Approximately 2 months after purchase, the sunroof spontaneously shattered/exploded while driving on the interstate. We had it fixed and about 3 months after that, the same exact thing happened.” (NHTSA Complaint #11706386)
Brake defects affecting safety may qualify for California’s two-repair threshold under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, which applies to defects likely to cause death or serious bodily injury. The 2025 GMC Acadia has generated 4 NHTSA complaints related to braking, including ABS failures, grinding, reduced stopping power, and warning lights. Owner reports include: “Bought new 2025 GMC Acadia in March of same year. At ~4500 miles I started getting Brake Assist, Forward Collision and Electronic Stability Control warning messages on dash. Upon researching, this is an increasingly common issue with this vehicle that can render the brakes unusable. I no longer feel safe in the vehicle and want it refunded. Car is now in the shop. Taken in on 9/11. Problem has been confirmed by dealer.” (NHTSA Complaint #11687148)
The 2025 GMC Acadia has generated 4 NHTSA complaints for this defect category. If your vehicle has experienced recurring issues in this area that the dealer has been unable to repair after multiple attempts, you may have a qualifying lemon law claim under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. Owner reports include: “My 2025 Acadia Denali's Main tablet sized screen is impossible to view in bright daylight. This screen has controls for most of the vehicle's settings…”
As of the date of this review, no active recalls have been issued specifically for the 2025 GMC Acadia. Recall status can change at any time. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls for the most current information. The absence of a recall does not mean your vehicle is defect-free — many lemon law claims proceed without a recall on file.
California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1790–1795.8) is one of the strongest lemon laws in the United States. It protects buyers and lessees of new and certified pre-owned vehicles that develop substantial defects the manufacturer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts.
Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, a lemon law presumption is triggered when any of the following apply to your 2025 GMC Acadia:
Once the presumption is triggered, the burden shifts to GMC to prove the vehicle is not a lemon. Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1794(d), GMC must pay your attorney’s fees if you prevail — meaning qualified representation costs you nothing out of pocket.
If your 2025 GMC Acadia qualifies as a lemon under California law, GMC may be legally required to:
Step 1: Document every repair visit. Keep all repair orders, work orders, and dealer invoices. Each visit counts as a repair attempt, even if the dealer says nothing is wrong.
Step 2: Keep returning for repairs. You must give GMC a reasonable opportunity to fix the defect. Visit different authorized GMC dealers if needed and ask for written documentation of each visit.
Step 3: Contact a California lemon law attorney. Once you believe the threshold has been met — 4 attempts for non-safety defects, 2 for safety defects, or 30 days out of service — contact an attorney for a free case evaluation. Under § 1794(d), GMC pays your fees if you win.
Step 4: Send a demand letter. Your attorney will send GMC a formal demand letter. Most California lemon law cases resolve through negotiation without going to trial.
Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, four or more repair attempts for the same non-safety defect, or two attempts for a safety-related defect, triggers the lemon law presumption. Additionally, 30 or more cumulative days out of service qualifies regardless of the number of repair attempts.
Yes. Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1794(d), GMC is required to pay your reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs if you prevail in a lemon law claim. This means qualified lemon law representation is free to you if your case succeeds.
Yes. A recall is not required to file a lemon law claim. The Song-Beverly Act covers any substantial defect that impairs the use, value, or safety of the vehicle that the manufacturer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts. NHTSA complaints support the claim by establishing a pattern, but are not a prerequisite.
California lemon law claims are generally subject to a four-year statute of limitations from the date you discovered or should have discovered the defect. However, you must still be within the manufacturer’s original warranty period when the defect first appears. Contact an attorney promptly to preserve your rights.
If your 2025 GMC Acadia has a recurring defect, California’s Lemon Law may entitle you to a full refund, replacement vehicle, or cash settlement — at no cost to you.
Our attorneys answer the questions we hear most from California vehicle owners — fully updated for 2026.
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