GMC TruckAcadia2018Overview/gmc-truck/acadia/2018/base/

2018 GMC Truck Acadia

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2018 Acadia.

Body SUV

The 2018 GMC Acadia is a front-wheel-drive SUV that utilizes 5W-20 or 0W-20 viscosity engine oil. This model year recorded 389 total owner complaints and two recalls, with the power train emerging as the top complaint area. When viewed across the model's 2007-2026 history, these figures place the 2018 version well below the 857 complaints reported in 2008, though above the 2026 low of five.

Model year2025202220192018

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacityFWDOEM · verified
Engine oil type5W-20 / 0W-20OEM · verified
Lug nut torque140 ft-lbsOEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI Start Stop: 94R · 730 CCA battery, OE oil filter 25206377. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI Start Stop: 94R · 730 CCAOEM · verified
Tire sizeP235/55R20OEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter25206377 alt 12731742
Engine air filter23321606
Spark plug12680074 alt 12646780
Battery88864542 alt 88866309
Front wiper blades84580859 alt 84586337
Serpentine belt12649097 alt 12664598
Thermostat12630780 alt 25201447
Cabin air filter13508023

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds FWD of 5W-20 / 0W-20 engine oil, Use Dexron LS Gear oil Part number 88862624 in the differential, DOT 3 brake fluid. Torque lug nuts to 140 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-2-7-8-4-5-6-3. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission FluidUse DEXRON(R)-VI GM P/N 89020661
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity5.3-7.3
Brake FluidDOT 3
Differential Gear OilUse Dexron LS Gear oil Part number 88862624
Differential Gear Oil Capacity0.8-1.7
Engine Oil5W-20 · 0W-20
Engine Oil5W-30 · 0W-30
Engine Oil Capacity6.0 qt

Engine torques

Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)7.4 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)7.4 ft-lbs
Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)7.4 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)7.4 ft-lbs
Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s)43.0 ft-lbs
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper BoltsDiesel: 24.0 ft-lbs
Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Sensor Bolt(s)16.0 ft-lbs
Oxygen (O2S) Sensor Bolt(s)30.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Lug Nuts140 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-3-4-2
Cylinder Firing Order1-6-5-4-3-2
Cylinder Firing Order1-2-3-4-5-6
Cylinder Firing Order1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3
Cylinder Firing Order1-2-7-8-4-5-6-3
Spark Plug ManufacturerAC Delco
Spark Plug Gap.037 - .043 in
Spark Plug Torque15 ft-lbs

Battery & A/C

RefrigerantR134a
Refrigerant Capacity2.50 lbs
Oil GroupPAG
Oil Type46
Oil Capacity7.80 oz
Standard BCI Group NumberStart Stop: 94R
Standard BCI Cranking Performance730 cca
Standard BCI Group Number48

Service checks

Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)50.0-94.0
RPM43.0-58.0 @ Idle rpm
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)50.0-100.0
RPM43.0-58.0 @ Idle rpm
Engine Compression100

Brakes

Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier TorqueFront: 53; Rear: 30
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt TorqueFront: 111 ft-lbs; Rear: 74 ft-lbs
Vented Rotor Minimum Thickness for ReplacementFront: 1.063; Rear: .827
Vented Rotor Minimum Thickness after RefinishFront: 1.102; Rear: .866
Variation from Parallelism Thickness VariationFront: .001; Rear: .002
Maximum Rotor Runout.002

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Front Wheel Hub — tightening sequence 1 stages
1111.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: Back off 45.0 degrees, Step 3: 199.0111 ft. lbs
Rear Wheel Hub — tightening sequence 1 stages
1111.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: Back off 45.0 degrees, Step 3: 199.0111 ft. lbs
Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs — tightening sequence 3 stages
171.0 inch lbs.71 in
2Back off 360 degrees360 degrees
389.0 inch lbs.89 in
Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s) — tightening sequence 1 stages
122.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 10022 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 2 stages
118.0 ft. lbs.18 ft. lbs
2110.0
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
174.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 150 degrees. Use new bolt.74 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 2 stages

Prep Do not re-use old bolts.

122.0 ft. lbs.22 ft. lbs
2190 degrees190 degrees
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 2 stages

Prep Do not re-use old bolts · M8 Bolts

111.0 ft. lbs.11 ft. lbs
275 degrees; M11 Bolts75 degrees
144.0 ft. lbs.44 ft. lbs
2150 degrees150 degrees
Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 2 stages
122.0 ft. lbs.22 ft. lbs
240.0
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 2 stages
18.8 ft. lbs.8.8 ft. lbs
28.8
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 3 stages
115 ft. lbs.15 ft. lbs
215 ft. lbs.15 ft. lbs
315
Main Bearings — tightening sequence 2 stages

Prep Lower crankcase crankshaft bolts

115.0 ft. lbs.15 ft. lbs
2140 degrees; Lower crankcase perimeter bolts140 degrees
118.0 ft. lbs.18 ft. lbs

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 7,500 mi; spark plugs every 97,500 mi; coolant at 150,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 150,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 miAccelerator Pedal (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake Shift Interlock Solenoid (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (inspect) · Engine Oil (inspect fluid level)
Every 22,500 miCabin Air Filter (replace)
Every 45,000 miFuel Evaporative Emission Control System (inspect)
Every 97,500 miSpark Plug Wires (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace)
At 150,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 2018 GMC Truck Acadia lead in one area — the power train, 113 of 389 reports (29%), well ahead of the next concern. That matters, because the power train are also the target of recall 17V-516 on this vehicle — so the single most useful check before buying or servicing one is confirming it was actually performed. 8 of the reports describe a crash and 1 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the power train pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

2
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
1068
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
389
Owner complaints
8 involved a crash · 1 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★★
Frontal★★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 389 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Power Train113
Unknown Or Other88
Electrical System47
Power Train,Electrical System17
Service Brakes8
Electrical System,Unknown Or Other8
Steering6
Power Train,Engine5

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 2 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

18V358000Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel PumpReported 31/05/2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick…

17V516000Power Train:Driveline:DriveshaftReported 22/08/2017

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles and 2017-2018 GMC Acadia vehicles. The right front intermediate driveshaft may fracture and separate while driving. Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right front intermediate drive shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2017. Owners may contact GMC…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1068 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
PIT3271Q2026-04-01Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel…
PIP61042026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and…
PIP4902V2026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIP4902U2026-01-08Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIT5214G2025-11-20Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Acadia. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2018 Acadia take?

FWD of 5W-20, 0W-20 Use GM Dexos 1 Oil or equivalent, per the factory manual.

Does the 2018 Acadia have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.