NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 GMC Acadia. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
my arcadia shift to park appears when i park my car beginning to happen all the time now .started last month and getting worst i have contacted the dealership and was told no recalls .my car is a 2018 with 34,000 miles on it . i am very disappointed with this vehicle . if you can't stand by your product i can't see myself buying another one. thank you a very disappointed customer [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the reduced engine power message was displayed. The RPM increased to high, and the engine revved. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V358000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the high-pressure fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
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.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon arriving at her destination, the contact shifted into reverse to park the vehicle; however, after parking and shifting to drive(D), the vehicle failed to respond. The contact became aware after several attempts that the transmission was stuck in park(P). The blank warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the inline shifter wiring harness. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 19-NA-206. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 111,000.
While I was driving the vehicle started jerking and not changing gears. Several times it almost caused an accident with me and my son in the car. I turned the car on/off and restarted it at the red light, the exact same thing happens. Lucky a GMC dealer ship was near by. I was able to get there still jerking and not changing gears. No warning signs appear during this whole time. No prior issues with the transmission. Once I made it to the dealship then engine like came on. Really now! The dealer checked vehicle and stated the transmission is gone out. I was flabbergasted, almost $10,000 had to be replaced.
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.
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
I have a 2018 GMC Acadia that is now displaying " shift to park " while the vehicle is in park. Upon extensive research I see GMC did issue a recall however, my particular VIN was not included. Its NOW displaying the error message which would lead me to believe it IS part of the recall. I called my local GMC dealership (Langhorne, PA.) and they said this was not covered since my VIN was not issues a recall.
It's a problem that occurs when my Acadia fails to recognize that the gear shifter is in the park position. As a result, the car doesn't fully shut down, leaving the engine running. Unable to shut down vehicle if shift doesn't fully activate brake notice, and could be a safety issue if it truly doesn't park. I have not taken the vehicle to a dealer or services to have the problem reproduced yet. It also has not been inspected yet, however, after doing research online, GMC did put a recall notifying owners that this may be a problem in vehicles from years 2017-2021. When I place the shifter into park, the car does not recognize it, and alerts me to put it into parking. It started appearing 2 months ago.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon parking the vehicle and attempting to release the key from the ignition switch, the key seized inside the ignition switch. The contact stated that either the “Parking Assist” or the “Steering Assist” warning light was illuminated during the failures, and the A/C system became inoperable. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with Parking Assist and Steering Assist failures. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000. The VIN was not available.
Vehicle shudders and jerks while accelerating. This caused a scary incident while driving on ice.
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
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
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.
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.
My car will not recognize when it is in park. The shifter will say park but the panel says on and all accessories are staying on. It started out doing it every once in a while but now it does it nearly every day. At work I have had to just leave it like that in the parking lot to keep from being late for work and the accessories stay on. Once I had to call for a jump start after work because my battery was dead. I’m not sure if it can be stolen or not when I have to leave it like that but I don’t think it could possibly be safe. And I can’t afford to call for jump starts all the time. Thank you and please help.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that on several occasions while shifted to park(P), the message "Shift to Park" was displayed with an audible chime. The vehicle was turned off and after the contact depressed a release button under the shifter knob, the vehicle recognized the gear selected and was able to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
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.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the "Shift to Park" message was displayed on the instrument panel. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission control harness needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,187.
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.
I have been having issues with shift to park message for a yr now and it just gets worse and do not have the funds to pay for it myself bu5 see that it is a recall and gm is covering cost for other makes models of my same yr for same issue takes sometimes 20 minutes to mess with my shifter until I can finally park my car where it shuts completely off. This is a safety risk as 1 it could roll away if it isn't 2 my car could drain and die leaving me stranded by not turning off fully one time. This is ridiculous I called gm and all they just pushed me off I don't understand how this is not being taken serious especially knowing this is a known problem!
Steering Assist is Reduced Drive with care. Everyone is have a problem with the 2018-GMC-Acadia thermostat is bad.
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.
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.
thermostat and temp sensor issue
" 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.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and shifting to park, the vehicle failed to turn off. During the failure the message "Shift to Park" was displayed even though the gear shifter was in park(P). After several attempts, the vehicle was able to be turned off. The contact also stated that during the failure, the vehicle would roll backwards. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 70,000.
The vehicle has experienced repeated electrical and engine-related malfunctions, including random engine shutdowns while driving and random no-start conditions. The thermostat and cooling system failed and were replaced in 2024. Multiple sensors have failed. The braking system remains noisy even after brake replacement. The lane detection safety system does not provide audible alerts. The vehicle is currently operational and available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle has randomly shut off while driving on both highways and city roads in Azle, Texas. This occurred while my two children were in the vehicle. When the engine shut off, there was a risk of losing power steering and braking assist, which could have caused an accident, especially at highway speeds and in traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The thermostat and cooling system failure were confirmed and repaired by a service center in 2024. Electrical and sensor issues have occurred repeatedly but have not been fully diagnosed or resolved. Brake noise persists despite replacement. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? UNKNOWN. The vehicle has been serviced by repair facilities, but the manufacturer has not provided a definitive diagnosis for the engine shutdown and electrical failures. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure? When did they first appear? Yes. Various warning lights and symptoms appeared prior to failures, including cooling system warnings and sensor alerts. Electrical issues and battery failures have occurred repeatedly, with batteries lasting only 2–3 years. Symptoms began after purchase and have continued throughout ownership. Additional details The brakes have been noisy even after replacement, and the lane detection system does not produce audible warni
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 while parking the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted into park(P); however, the “Shift to Park” message was displayed. The contact shifted the gear shifter back and forth and then shifted into park(P) before the proper gear was recognized. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
My 2018 GMC Acadia is experiencing an issue with the "Shift to Park" feature. When the vehicle comes to a stop and is put into park an alert comes up on the dashboard says "Shift to Park" even though the car is fully parked. This keeps the vehicle from being able to be turned off. Often times this issue is not fixed by turning the car on and re-shifting to park and i have to drive the vehicle and try again. This happens over 50% of the time I try to park this vehicle.
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 owned for 3 years. Again, my YEAR & MODEL vehicle has known issues with this SHIFT TO PARK and GMC is refusing to remedy it.
A warning popped up on my dashboard stating "Power steering reduced. Drive with care." multiple times. Whenever the warning popped up, my air conditioning would stop working and my engine fan would run very loud. The warning would go off and back on over the course of a year. This started in the beginning of summer, 2024. On 4/3/25 I took it into an auto mechanic shop and after they looked at this warning, they confirmed that the thermostat has an issue where it gets stuck in the "open" position, therefore the thermostat isn't working properly and my car thinks it's over heating, when it's really not. If my car were to overheat while this thermostat wasn't working properly, my engine could overheat or worse. The thermostat part is being replaced today so after today, it won't be available for inspection upon request.
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 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.
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 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.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026