Acadia roll back problem

[swimpool43]

I have a 2011 Acadia SLT all wheel. I have spoken to GMC and dealer about vehicle rolling backwards of grade and have been told that is how it works so live with it. Sorry I gave GM another try and thought maybe things have gotten better but.......... Any others with similar experiences I would apppreciate hearing from.

 

[Molson02536]

I have a 2011 Acadia SLT all wheel. I have spoken to GMC and dealer about vehicle rolling backwards of grade and have been told that is how it works so live with it. Sorry I gave GM another try and thought maybe things have gotten better but.......... Any others with similar experiences I would apppreciate hearing from.

Yes this is normal, on hills I "double foot" drive to minimize the roll back. Normal on the Traverse, Acadia, Enclave, Outlook. Your dealer is correct, there is quite a bit of rollback. Like I have said in the post just have to double foot as needed on steep hills while driving. Utilizing the parking brake when parked on a steep hill is always a good idea.

 

[hondo58]

2010 Acadis SLT rollback problem

Just drove my wife's 2010 Acadia SLT for the first time. Our driveway has a slight incline at the end and I was completely surprised by the rollback in D. I shifted to L ansd it still rolled back as if it was in N with no brake on. This is an alarming issue. My '04 Avalanche will climb the hill in D after I come to a stop without giving it any gas. I asked her about it and she said it has done it since the day she got it.

 

[kerensky]

I was always taught that you should never hold the vehicle on grade with the transmission. After years of GM SUVs I try to stress the transmission as little as possible.

Is the issue that when you release the brakes and press the throttle to pull away from a stop on a hill, that the car rolls backwards, like when driving a manual? Are we talking an inch or two, or more than that?

 

[hondo58]

I was always taught that you should never hold the vehicle on grade with the transmission. After years of GM SUVs I try to stress the transmission as little as possible.

Is the issue that when you release the brakes and press the throttle to pull away from a stop on a hill, that the car rolls backwards, like when driving a manual? Are we talking an inch or two, or more than that?

The car rolls back as if in neutral when you release the brake with no throttle just like when driving a manual with the clutch disengaged.

 

[hondo58]

I was always taught that you should never hold the vehicle on grade with the transmission. After years of GM SUVs I try to stress the transmission as little as possible.

Is the issue that when you release the brakes and press the throttle to pull away from a stop on a hill, that the car rolls backwards, like when driving a manual? Are we talking an inch or two, or more than that?

The car rolls back as if in neutral when you release the brake with no throttle just like when driving a manual with the clutch disengaged. It will roll back until you brake. BTW, no one ever said this was End Of The World. It's just a noticeable change from every other automatic transmission most of us have driven. If you are not aware of it prior to driving the vehicle it is a bit startling and takes some getting used to.

 

[kerensky]

The car rolls back as if in neutral when you release the brake with no throttle just like when driving a manual with the clutch disengaged. It will roll back until you brake.

Last night I took the wife's new Acadia to the drug store, and when I got home I tried it - pulled up behind the old Suburban, then with the car in drive let go of the brake. Sure enough, she rolled back out into the street, just as though she was in neutral.

BTW, no one ever said this was End Of The World. It's just a noticeable change from every other automatic transmission most of us have driven. If you are not aware of it prior to driving the vehicle it is a bit startling and takes some getting used to.

Well, swimpool43 sure sounded like it was a dealbreaker for them. I agree with you, it's definitely different from any other auto-equipped vehicle I've driven, but so long as it's 'working as intended' I don't see it as a huge problem /for me/. (For that matter, I'll feel at home since I generally only drive standards anyway)

I can't help but wonder if it was done intentionally to help in-city mileage or emissions output? Like maybe that was the easy way to hit some Federal regulatory break-point?

 

[Denali24]

My 2012 Denali's manual says you have a few seconds after taking your foot off the brake to step on the throttle, the brake stays on during these few seconds.

I tried it and I have three seconds that the brake stays on after removing my foot off the brake.

 

[dsnider]

2010 Acadia Rollback

After years of owning GM vehicles that have never rolled backwards after taking my foot off the brake on an incline, i was really surprised that our 2010 GMC Acadia SLT AWD did so. Even so, i was not worried about it until we were on a steep incline (at a stoplight) on 26 Dec 13. When the light turned green i took my foot off the brakes and tried to accelerate. The transmission gave way and i had to slam my foot on the brake pedal to prevent from rolling back into the vehicle behind me. After a few seconds and the vehicle behind me going around i tried it again and finally got going. I would like a good explanation as to why the Acadias do this. Even though we love the vehicle otherwise...i can't say that when the time comes to purchase a new vehicle that we will go with the Acadia because of this issue.

 

[UI-Philly-Guy]

I have a 2010 Acadia SLT AWD as well and I have the same roll back issues. Every stop I get to that is on an incline I dread!! I have had close calls. Is this something that can be fixed? Or is this just how these vehicles work??

 

[GMC Customer Service]

I have a 2010 Acadia SLT AWD as well and I have the same roll back issues. Every stop I get to that is on an incline I dread!! I have had close calls. Is this something that can be fixed? Or is this just how these vehicles work??

Hello UI-Philly-Guy,

I apologize that you dread inclines because of your Acadia rolling back. I do see that some people have stated that this is normal operation. If you do feel as though your vehicle is not operating normally, I would suggest reaching out to the dealership to diagnose this. If you would like to send me your VIN in a private message, I would be happy to reach out to an internal resource and ask them if this is normal operation of your Acadia. Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I hope to hear back from you soon.

Gregory W.
GMC Customer Care

 

[bray79]

I have the same issue with my Acadia as well. I have asked dealerships if it was normal but never officially tried to have them diagnose it. I have read numerous complaints about transmission problems with these models. It would be nice and reassuring to see if GMC customer service will let us know if its normal.

 

[GMC Acadia regret]

I own a 2016 GMC Acadia Denali and was surprised when it rolled backwards at an intersection that had a slight incline and almost hit the car behind me. I've had many GM's and other vehicles but never had the experience of this happening. I am very disappointed GM thinks this is "Professional Grade". Probably my last GM...

 

[Peter land]

Thanks for sharing.