A GMC Acadia owner said his transmission died before he could even put 1,000 miles on the vehicle. Although several folks were scratching their heads in the comments section of his TikTok, others weren’t surprised.
Marc (@marcpz) posts about his experience in a viral TikTok that’s accrued over 186,000 views as of Friday.
A text overlay in Marc’s clip reads: “2024 gmc Acadia…Transmission failed at 950 miles.” The message is capped off with a sad face emoji, intoning the owner’s disappointment.
In the clip, Marc circles the car as the TikTok audio plays Notorious B.I.G.’s “Time to Get Paid.”
What’s up with GM transmissions?
Many Chevrolet Traverse owners are voicing their dissatisfaction with their new vehicle purchases. The Daily Dot has previously reported on a GM driver who warned of a specific early-failure transmission issue with their ride. Someone else uploaded a clip showing how their Traverse was taken to the dealership twice in two weeks.
You may be asking yourself: well what does a Chevy Traverse have to do with a GMC Acadia? Well, as one TikToker who responded to Marc’s clip put it, “GMC ACADIA, CHEVY TRAVERSE & BUICK ENCLAVE come down the same assembly line so this will happen a lot more unfortunately.”
Because these models all share the same platform, they also share a lot of the same components. In fact, GM Authority writes that the three models are all copying each others’ homework.
“There are several similarities between the 2024 GMC Acadia, 2024 Chevy Traverse, and 2025 Buick Enclave,” it states. “All three crossovers ride on the GM C1 platform, all three debut an all-new third generation for their respective nameplates, and all three cradle the turbocharged 2.5L I4 LK0 gasoline engine. But the similarities don’t stop there – in fact, all three crossovers also share the same doors.”
@marcpz Dropping her off for a new transmission with less than 1000 miles 🤬🤬 #gmc #2024 #acadia #2024gmcacadia #chevy #traverse #gm #gmcacadia #chevrolet #transmission #failure #newcar #lemon #lemonlaw #nicewhileitlasted #warranty #nightmare #transmissionproblems #newcarproblems #generalmotors @General Motors ♬ Biggie sickmix – Sickickmusic
While GMCs and Buicks are considered more feature-packed and luxurious than their Chevrolet counterpart, that doesn’t apply to what’s under the hood. Additionally, not only do the Acadia and Traverse share the same engine, but Bentley GMC states that the models also share the same nine-speed transmission.
Transmission woes
In a separate piece, GM Authority reports the Detroit, Michigan-based auto manufacturer acknowledges these transmission woes. The blog piece indicates that Chevy Blazer, Trailblazer, and Traverse crossovers are eligible for repairs. However, owners of these vehicles, including the Acadia, may want to act fast. According to the outlet, the eligibility for covered repairs ends on July 31, 2025. If you own one of these cars, it wouldn’t hurt to run a diagnostics test to see if your car’s transmission is affected.
GM Authority explains just how the transmissions are leaving so many drivers stranded. The piece states these rides “may have a condition in which the clutch backing plate retaining ring and/or the clutch piston retaining ring inside the transmission are of specification. Vehicles affected with this condition will need a replacement of the clutch piston housing, performed at a GM dealership.”
Moreover, GM specified that this fix is not a recall. However, affected vehicles must remain at a repair facility until the proper repairs are implemented. Although this Traverse owner says they’re having a heck of a time getting their vehicle back. The Daily Dot covered this dad’s Chevy woes after his family vacation was ruined. The culprit? Chevy’s faulty transmission. Currently, his vehicle is in Tennessee and awaiting transportation back to Texas.
Are all new cars just trash?
A slew of supply chain issues have affected various manufacturing operations globally. This great chip shortage turned vehicles into hot commodities that sold for astronomically high prices. Just look at what this dealership was trying to sell a Kia Telluride for.
But many have argued that while the prices of vehicles have gone up, quality sure hasn’t. Mechanics have called out once-dependable manufacturers for allowing poor-quality vehicles off their assembly lines. Heck, some are even questioning Toyota’s legendary reliability and QC in recent years.
Money reports that “new vehicle quality has been declining since 2021,” citing research from J.D. Power. The analytics group writes that “problems with driving experience are flat year over year.” However, JD also mentions that all other aspects of the car such as infotainment systems, horns, and even cupholders had a marked dip in quality.
The research collective states: “The continuing decline in quality can be attributed to multiple factors such as greater usage and penetration of technology; continued integration of known problematic audio systems into other new models; poor sounding horns; cupholders that don’t serve their purpose; and new models with 11 PP100 more than carryover models.”
So which car should you get?
Since other research groups, not to mention mechanics and consumers themselves, believe vehicle quality has dropped, what’s a car buyer to do? If you’re worried about post-COVID quality issues, then looking for a model year 2019-2020 vehicle could be a solution. You’ll probably be able to find plenty of vehicles delivered to dealerships before the pandemic wrought havoc on assembly lines across the world.
Again, sticking with a low-mileage, no-accident, dependable used car could very well be your best bet.
The Daily Dot has reached out to GMC via email and Marc via TikTok comment.
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