The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while shifting the gear shifter into park(P), the "Shift to Park” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was forced to shift from drive(D) to Park(P) repeatedly before the failure was corrected. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would become sticky with the "Steering Assist Reduced - Drive with Care," message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the infotainment system glitched and performed independent functions, causing the driver to be distracted. The contact stated that the infotainment system was replaced when the vehicle was purchased due to the failure; however, the failure recently recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of several failures and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
2018 GMC Acadia complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2018 record →
Sold 2018 GMC Acadia by LEE GMC in auburn. Acadias shift to park was defective, dealership replaced before sale did not disclose, shift to park and transmission malfunctions occurred. I returned Acadia to the dealership several times and they would never properly fix or address my concerns now my vehicle is unsafe to drive. I have documentation to support the claims in my letter, I can send as well if you’d like. Thank you Will send attachment
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter was shifted into park; however, the gear shifter failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the “Shift to Park” message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed shift to park gear. The contact stated the dealer had not provided a cause for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
When vehicle is put into Park I keep getting a "Shift to Park" message and cannot turn off my vehicle. I cannot lock the door.
Shift to park msg appears randomly causing the car to not completely turn off even though car is in park. Have to turn car back on and shift to drive back to park couple of times before msg goes away. I see so many people with the same problem why isn't there a recall this is a safety issue. The 1st time my warranty covered the repairs , 2nd time around I have to pay of pocket.
The shifter, the shift to park displays and dings and stays on the dash after I've put it in park and turned off the ignition. It started the first of 2024 and has gotten worse and now it's almost every time.
Truck lost power randomly while driving on freeway spend so much money on fixing it this has to do something with the way the built it
Shift to park does not complete. System warning comes on and will not turn off until I restart vehicle and redshift to park. Multiple shifts are required to allow the vehicle to accept park. This has been happening for approximately 1 years.
While car is in park, I get the "Shift To Park" warning after driving the vehicle.
Shift to park. Dash stating shift to park when vehicle has been put in park. Unable to turn vehicle completely off.
Having shift to park warning and dinging after shifting the car into park and turning off the car. Cannot leave the vehicle. Then can’t move the shift lever so have to start the car And attempt to shift car into park again which does not always allow yu to shift to park and leave the vehicle again. If this is such an issue why is there not a recall? I have read many articles online about this issue.
When in park dash still say shift to park ....batteries died lights stay on staibility pops up on dash car have to be jumped then same issues
Vehicle shudders and jerks while accelerating. This caused a scary incident while driving on ice.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the cruise control feature failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle exceeded the set speed. The contact deactivated the cruise control feature; however, the vehicle failed to decelerate. The contact depressed the brake pedal, however the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact had to repeatedly depress the brake pedal before the vehicle finally stopped. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed by the independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
A thermostat failure displays a "steering assist" warning while driving. The thermostat housing has been replaced twice in 3 years after this warning.
We purchased our 2018 GMC Acadia, used with 15,798 miles on the odometer, on [XXX] from John Wiesner, Inc. On [XXX], with 20,344 miles on the odometer, we began experiencing a "Shift to Park" message when trying to turn the vehicle off, even though the vehicle shifter indicated that the vehicle was in park. Though the vehicle would turn off, we could not clear the "Shift to Park" message or stop the associated audible alarm without a great deal of effort. A Wiesner dealership confirmed the problem, determined that a switch in the shifter assembly was not grounding, and replaced the transmission control assembly under warranty. All was well until early 2024, at approximately 47,500 miles, when we began experiencing the same problem. The dealer said we must pay $500+ for a repair and that if we failed to get the problem repaired we risked being unable to get the vehicle into park and unable to turn off the vehicle. Being unable to stop the "Shift to Park" message or to stop the audible alarm at the very least will run the battery down and being unable to put the vehicle in park or turn it off risks an injury to us or others. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Car has started displaying a "shift vehicle into park" message when I have put the car in park. Even though the care is clearly in park this warning displays and I'm unable to turn the vehicle completely off. Have re restart and mess with the shifter several times in order to be able to turn the vehicle off and lock the doors.
The car is put in park but the it doesn’t detect that it’s in park and won’t turn off. You can’t get out of your car because the won’t turn off. There were no errors before this. I get an error message that says shift to park. I have to shift the car into drive and then park several times to make the car turn register that it’s in park The dealership has not looked at my car. Nothing has ever been wrong with my car. I have read online that it’s a problem for many people with Arcadia vehicles .
11/22/24 shift to park issue appeared. Happens constantly. I just bought car on 10/26/2024. I know by looking up shift to park issues there was a recall on 2017 an 2018 cars.
My steering assist is coming on an the thermostat play apart in this. The thermostat need to be change. 2018-GMC-Acadia are having problems with these parts.
Steering Assist is Reduced Drive with care. Everyone is have a problem with the 2018-GMC-Acadia thermostat is bad.
My wife was taking the children to school when she arrived she placed the car into park and attempted to shut off the vehicle. Once the power button was depressed a beep was heard and the dash said shift to park. She had to turn the are on and off multiple times. I contacted gm and they said there is a defective pin in the shift controls but this issue is not covered by a recall.
" steering assistant reduced, drive care" " power steering ,drive with care". My car has been properly maintained, and has no issues, but this messages that keep coming up out of nowhere. And when it comes out my steering wheel gets very hard and stiff, causing me to almost get in accident in highway. This is definitely a factory defect that needs to be recalled and taken care of.
Roof is leaking in vehicle without reason after seals and tubing replaced. Brakes lock up without warning!
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and restart daily and required to be jumpstarted. Additionally, while the transmission was shifted into park(P), the "Shift to Park" message was displayed, and the vehicle failed to turn off, causing the battery to become drained. Roadside Assistance was able to jumpstart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone and Firestone, where the battery and alternator were tested; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact purchased a battery jump starter to jumpstart the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to Pep Boys, where the alternator, battery, and starter were all tested, and it was determined that the engine switch had failed. Pep Boys advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 81,737.
When I try to cut my car off, it says "Shift to Park", but the car is in Park. Sometimes you can push the gear shift up hard and it will make the light go off, but othertimes nothing works and the car stays running and you can't get out. This is an ISSUE on lots of models and some even have recalls. Why are thy not recalled? I have to leave my car unlocked and running until it decides to turn off. Now I am stuck having to pay for this out of pocket, when GMC knows this is an issue.
Vehicle when being placed into park utilizing the gear shifter begins to say “vehicle not in park” when the vehicle is in park. This happens almost every time the vehicle is placed into park. In order to clear that notification, you have to put the vehicle in drive and park multiple times and hope that the computer recognizes the vehicle in park to unlock the doors and shut the vehicle off.
SHIFT TO PARK alert popping up on. Car will not turn off.
Vehicles does not recognize when the vehicle is parked and does not allow for vehicle to shut off. Gives shift to park error. Takes several tries for vehicle to recognize it is parked. Same issue in 2020 which was repaired by gmc since vehicle was still under warranty. Now that it is out of warranty it's my responsibility
My car seats (2nd row & 3rd row) seats are rattling really bad when I am on the freeway or highway roads; signs of loose seats. Very concerning to wear it loosens the seat belt strap securing my toddlers car seat. I thought it was the road but unfortunately it’s my seats.
I purchased this car in May 2024 and it has done this since the day I bought it. When I shift into park and turn the car off it alerts me that I need to shift into park but it already is, I have to squeeze/jiggle the button on the shifter to make it stop. I feel this could cause some serious problems
On July 26, 2024, I was driving my 2018 Acadia, with my cruise control set to 48 in a 45 MHP zone. Nearing a bad curve, I sneezed. When this happened, I tapped the brakes to disengage the cruise control, my passengers side tires exited the road and with both hands on the wheel I tried to slowly bring my tires back to the road. However, I was unable to gain control and totaled the vehicle. A witness stated that she heard a loud pop coming from the vehicle before the wreck happened. I later learned from my insurance that the vehicle had a Recall 17V516000 on it and I was never made aware of it. I believe that this was a factor in me not being able to control the vehicle.
I purchased my 2018 GMC Acadia in 2021. Two days after I purchased the "Shift to Park" error occurred. I contacted the dealer and they said that yes these cars are not recognizing they are indeed in park. After several phone calls back and forth they agreed to repair. Well now 3 years later it began to show the Shift to Park error once again. I looked up to see if they had recalled yet and GM has recalled on SOME vehicles but not sure why others like mine are excluded. I would assume this is a safety issue since the car cannot recognize its in park. I am also not returning to the dealership for repair since I don't believe it was repaired to begin with or the replacement parts are also defective. This seems to be that it will be an ongoing issue and additional costs to me every time this issue comes up.
Vehicle will not shift to park- The cars engine is off and will not turn on, while the car physically will not turn off. I have to move the shifter until vehicle recognized it was in park. resulting in me getting stuck in my vehicle. Multiple reports from other owners with no fix provided by GMC.
I have increasing issues over the last several months, most especially this last week or so, with the SHIFT TO PARK. Every time I place it in park the dashboard says SHIFT TO PARK and bings at me continuously. I try turning the vehicle off and on again numerous times and have to place in reverse and park again a few times before it "clicks" into park and allows me to leave the vehicle. I know my year and model are part of a recall for this issue, there are class action lawsuits about it as well as Lemon Law incidents in numerous states. I have called GMC and received no help, I asked to escalate it to a manager, I was told that would happen within 24-48 hrs yet no manager ever called me. I was left to place a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and a GMC "scripted" representative called me and told me that MY vehicle has not been recalled, yet my model and year has been -- this makes zero sense since MY vehicle is having the recalled issue. I asked again to escalate it, a supervisor is supposed to call me within 2hrs (July 9th at 4:10pm EST) but emphasized that the supervisor will also tell me that GMC will NOT pay for my recall because my VIN has not been recalled. This is how they get away with not paying for the vehicles issues. HOW is my vehicle now NOT part of their recall when it's a known issue and my vehicle IS having this issue?? I drive 2 toddlers around, my grandchildren, and now I have this issue on a vehicle that is barely a few years old and I've only owne
The transmission was failing to shift and jerking me forward in the vehicle. The check engine light came on. I was on the highway going at high speeds. Also, my vehicles Internet connection dropped. I pulled off the highway and turned off my vehicle. While starting my vehicle again and attempting to go into reverse, it would not reverse and it would not drive forward . It would just rev the RPMs. My vehicle has been sitting at the dealer for two weeks. They have not looked at it yet. The police were not called as there was not an accident, thankfully. The warning light came on as the vehicle was failing.
When I park the car it beeps and displays on the dash to please park the car. Even if I have it on park. Won't allow me to turn it off. Finally turned it off. Turned it back on. And it done it agian..
Shift to park error notice comes up on dash when car it turned off and in park. Car is clearly in park, but error code “shift to park” appears on screen. Beeping occurs until car is turned off and shifted to R or D and then shifted back to park and turned off. This error happens several times a week, including twice today 6/22/24. I have to restart my vehicle and shift it to R or D then back to park SEVERAL times before the error is cleared.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly accelerated and decelerated erratically, after which the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart, but the failure persisted, and the vehicle was unable to accelerate above 20 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
GM has acknowledged that there is a "Shift to Park" problem with 2017 and 2018 GMC Acadia's. This design flaw/ part failure does not recognize that the vehicle is actually in "Park" so you cannot shut off the engine. In addition, the dash lights remain on which eventually drains the battery. Sometimes the car will roll as if it's in Neutral. GM is very aware of this problem. However, they do not have a permanent solution. GM should be required to issue a nationwide recall to correct the situation by totally disabling the electronic part. In six years of ownership, I've encountered this problem 3 times: 5-14-19, mileage 13,266, 1-27-21, mileage 29,381and most recently 5-30-24, mileage 65,057. This 3rd repair cost me $721.88.
SHIFT TO PARK - I originally thought I was turning the car off too quickly. I would put the car in park and hit the button. Then I would get an error message (with Loud beeping) "SHIFT TO PARK." The car will not turn off completely or stop beeping until i turn it back on, and shift into drive and back into park. This last week the problem has escalated and keeps giving me the error message. I have had to leave my car with loud beeping and unlocked. I am driving with a battery charger hoping I will not have to use it. I am shocked this is NOT a recall.
Seemingly at random a warning will pop up on the driver dashboard “Steering assist is reduced at this time”. This will lead to a engine coolant temp reading of 0 degrees, no a/c and reduced steering functionality. Through further investigation the OBD code P0128 tells us it’s a faulty Thermostat or Thermostat sensor. Even if you get these parts replaced, the issue still comes back. I’ve seen these exact complaints at least a thousand times across multiple years of this model/make 2016,2017,2018,2019. This is clearly a manufacturers fault and needs a recall before people get hurt.
Shift to park warning when I’m in park when I turn off vehicle
The thermostat housing fails and is a known issue which causes the car to overheat and they said it will start of fire or shut down and loss of steering assist. The dealerships know about the issue and GMC does nothing leaving people with large repair bills or inoperable cars. the system won't let me upload my receipts here is the part #12678780 I was told by the dealership this is a known issue and they my emissions warranty only covers the thermostat but not the housing, but that they are 1 piece, playing games.....
Bad torque converter lead to transmission replacement bad torque converter inspected by dealer car stopped starting difficulty shifting and catching up to speed while driving gmc california denied goodwill help
The car needs an PCM upgrade because it’s lit up a code in randomly situation. Causing the vehicle to lose the water temperature gage, power steering wheel assistance reduced and ac stop working, gmc is aware of the problem even issued a technical bulletin in 2018, but instead of inform the clients about the defective part, they want the client with this problem to pay to upgrade a defective PCM that came out from factory with problem. Note the power steering wheel assistance is part of the safety of the car. The problem always existed in the car, it toke me 2 years to find the problem.
We purchased this vehicle New in 2018. Gear Shift Problem. The vehicle displays a persistent “Shift to Park” warning on the dashboard. This usually occurs even when the gear selector is in the “Park” position and I have difficulty in Turning Off the Vehicle. The ignition remains active despite the gear selector being in “Park.” We have to go through all the gears - Drive - Neutral then Park then try to turn it off over and over. May take 5 or 6 tries before I can leave the car safely. Unintended Vehicle Movement: We believe the car is safely in the “Park” position and have exited the car and then it rolled. We have to jump back in and try to turn it off. I'm [XXX] and husband [XXX] and this is causing us injuries. It rolled one time and hit the Handicap Parking Sign in my parking space. It just missed hitting another car in a parking lot when it rolled about 3 times now. Called around to get it fixed but everyone says "it's been a problem for years and GMC has NO fix for it." Only temporary fix is to install new gear shifter or full transmission replacement, which owner has to pay for $700 to $3000 repair! We don't have 30,000 miles as of yet. We are low income, on Social Security and this should be a Recall since there are many complaints online for years. Praying we do not have a collision or terrible injuries. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I have this 2018 Acadia where all of a sudden, at random, the radiator fan runs on high constantly, the AC stops blowing cold air, the thermostat gauge on the dash drops to the C, and the Power Assist is reduced and pops up as a message on the dash as well. Sounds like this may be a common problem among Acadia's. It resets at random and everything appears to be normal for a while. In addition, there are no check engine lights and no codes to check. I have had this happening for over a year and had a dealership service the car but never said mentioned it as a problem. So now that it's out of warranty my and has more frequent occurrences now I''m more aware but now it's out of warranty. It comes up on an Acadia Forum as a common issue. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Car does not recognize it is in park and has rolled into my garage door even though the shifter has been placed in the park position. Also it continues to alarm to "Shift to Park" and has caused 2 dead batteries.
I bought a used 2018 GMC Acadia in Oct. 2023. Initially the thermostat would go out and a check engine light would come on. This seems to be a common problem in GMC Acadia's and there are multiple blogs on this online (e.g. [XXX] ). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2018 GMC Acadia → · Every Acadia year → · How the figures are calculated →