GMC Acadia vs Mitsubishi Outlander: which is more reliable?
The GMC Acadia and the Mitsubishi Outlander are level on the federal record — 68/100 against 68/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
GMC Acadia
- 15 model years scored
- 4,249 owner complaints on record
- about 39 complaints per year on the road
- 50 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (87/100) · worst 2017 (36/100)
Mitsubishi Outlander
- 14 model years scored
- 1,105 owner complaints on record
- about 14 complaints per year on the road
- 67 recall campaigns, 23 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (88/100) · worst 2022 (34/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Acadia against Outlander
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
| Year | Acadia | Outlander | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 CAUTION | 76 BUY | -20 |
| 2024 | 81 BUY | 74 BUY | +7 |
| 2023 | 87 BUY | 62 CAUTION | +25 |
| 2022 | 86 BUY | 34 AVOID | +52 |
| 2021 | 75 BUY | — | — |
| 2020 | 81 BUY | 85 BUY | -4 |
| 2019 | 49 AVOID | 83 BUY | -34 |
| 2018 | 53 CAUTION | 76 BUY | -23 |
| 2017 | 36 AVOID | 77 BUY | -41 |
| 2016 | 77 BUY | 34 AVOID | +43 |
| 2015 | 74 BUY | 38 AVOID | +36 |
| 2014 | 51 CAUTION | 87 BUY | -36 |
| 2013 | 84 BUY | 84 BUY | +0 |
| 2012 | 76 BUY | 88 BUY | -12 |
| 2011 | 79 BUY | 79 BUY | +0 |
What owners actually complain about
GMC Acadia
- Power Train — 1,017 complaints
- Electrical System — 949 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 759 complaints
Mitsubishi Outlander
- Power Train — 256 complaints
- Electrical System — 156 complaints
- Engine — 145 complaints
Both nameplates have Power Train as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
GMC Acadia — avoid: 2017, 2019.
Mitsubishi Outlander — avoid: 2015, 2016, 2022.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used GMC Acadia prices at about $40,800 and a Mitsubishi Outlander at about $40,800 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 21.0 against 27.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the GMC Acadia or the Mitsubishi Outlander more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the GMC Acadia scores 68/100 against the Mitsubishi Outlander's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which GMC Acadia and Mitsubishi Outlander years should I avoid?
GMC Acadia: 2017, 2019. Mitsubishi Outlander: 2015, 2016, 2022. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the GMC Acadia and the Mitsubishi Outlander?
The largest complaint group on the GMC Acadia is Power Train (1,017 complaints); on the Mitsubishi Outlander it is Power Train (256).
Is the GMC Acadia or the Mitsubishi Outlander cheaper to own?
A recent used GMC Acadia prices at about $40,800 and a Mitsubishi Outlander at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.