A mechanic was surprised to be working on a 2022 GMC Acadia that had to be towed in. The driver couldn’t get the car out of the driveway. The fix turned out to be relatively simple, but highlighted a potential issue with the Acadia and other newer cars.
The video unpacking the mystery came from creator Royalty Auto Service (@royaltyautoservice), based in St. Mary’s, Georgia, providing a number of instructional videos about car repairs they do in their shop. This video, released Saturday, already had drawn nearly 146,000 views.
In it, the mechanic and person behind the smartphone camera set the scene. It’s a 2022 GMC Acadia with about 50,000 miles on it, and it had to be towed in, because the driver couldn’t get it to start after it shut off when he was backing out of the driveway. They ran diagnostics on the fuel pump control module and determined what the issue might be.
More common than expected for GMC
“Basically, the module is getting everything into it,” he assesses. “We looked on the scanner, we verified that the command was being told by the engine control module to go to this module and turn the fuel pump on, which it did. We had zero fuel pressure on the scanner. This has got a low-side fuel pressure sensor, which is fantastic. It makes it a lot easier to diagnose. We don’t have to hook up a manual fuel pressure gauge to it to be able to be able to tell if it’s got fuel pressure or not, so as long as the sensor’s working.”
It just so happened they had a new module on hand to put into the car. The mechanic, with a little bit of effort, slid the new piece on. Without bolting it down first just to make sure it worked, he ran the test again.
“It starts to run beautiful,” he said, with the engine revving like normal and the video display showcasing engine activity where there had been none before.
He then notes, “Evidently, this is a really common issue with these. So, I mean, I guess for a while the modules were out of stock. Hopefully GM has updated the module.”
The caption to the video, hinting that this might go beyond this particular make and model, observed, “So many newer vehicles breaking nowadays.”
@royaltyautoservice So many newer vehicles breaking nowadays… 😏 #automotive #gmc #gmcacadia #chevy #mechanic #cartok #tools #diy #viral #fyp #foryou #technician #tooltok #stitch ♬ Pop beat BGM / long version(1283324) – nightbird_bgm
More about the Acadia
A Car and Driver review of the 2022 GMC Acadia only gave it a 5.5 out of 10.
“Hiding its family friendliness behind a veil of ruggedness, the 2022 GMC Acadia does its best to avoid the minivan-alternative status,” the review begins. “Families will like the Acadia’s spacious first and second rows, but those relegated to the third row may feel the pinch. A host of infotainment and driver-assistance technologies are offered as standard, which will satisfy those seeking modern amenities.”
However, it assesses, “Despite its long list of positives, the Acadia still gets outranked by many other mid-size SUVs that simply provide more value, better driving dynamics, more cargo space, or heightened capabilities.”
The reviewer assessed its performance as adequate when driven in the manner that SUVs are normally driven, and was generally positive about the interior of the car. It did not give any hints about failing modules or any other obvious flaws that would send it to the mechanic shop so relatively early in its life cycle.
What commenters thought
One school of thought in the comments section was that newer cars are getting too sophisticated for their own good.
“I never understood the point of adding a module in the middle of a circuit,” someone observed. “What was wrong with having a switch turn things on and off?”
Another commenter noted, “Just way [too] much electronics on vehicles today.”
Someone responded, “Good brands don’t have issues, it’s not electronics, it’s a GM issue.”
That commenter answered back with, “LMAO. They all have issues because of electronics just to much on vehicles today and no need for it.”
“I miss the days when you could just look down the carburetor to see if it was getting fuel,” another reminsiced. “Ten minutes to replace the mechanical fuel pump if not. lol”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Royalty. And to General Motors via email.
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