2018 GMC Acadia Complaint Log

Shift to park warning when I’m in park when I turn off vehicle

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

SHIFT TO PARK alert popping up on. Car will not turn off.

Shift To Park appears on the dash display also with a chime warning, when the car is physically in park and the engine is cut off. The shift to park display and the chime stays on causing a complete drain of the battery.

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.....

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)

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)

All of this has been going on for a while but it's gotten to the point of dangerous. The Shift to Park keeps coming on preventing me from shutting the vehicle off even though it's, in fact, in Park. Then, "Steering Assist Reduced Drive With Care" keeps coming on. This will come on and off. Preventing the engine from heating up like it needs to be. Then the transmission keeps slipping. Was nearly rear-ended on the highway with my child in the car when it decided to start driving really rough and wouldn't allow me to shift to the next gear. This is also an ongoing issue. Another time I was almost hit in the side when this randomly happened on crossing the highway. This is absolutely absurd! I have had MUCH older vehicles without all these issues with many many more miles! I can't count the amount of times this has caused us serious hazards not to mention almost costing me my JOB! Interestingly enough, the same year/make/model has been recalled for the exact same issues yet for whatever reason GMC says MY model "was not affected by the recall". Funny how it's having the EXACT same issues as the ones on the recall list! GMC needs to fix this before they cause people to die! I'm a healthcare worker and this is disgusting!

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.

4 years ago I would get a shift to park error. This meant my vehicle did not recognize that it was in park. This meant that my vehicle would not lock, turn off the radio or headlights. My husband tried to fix it, but it turned out to be a part that only a dealership could obtain. So $500 later my vehicle was fixed. This was a KNOWN problem affecting multiple vehicles/years. Fast forward to the third week of February this year. I again am getting this same error. Took it to the dealership and there is a switch along with a transmission control harness and jumper harness that needed replaced. These parts have to do with the original shifter that was replaced 4 years ago, but of course not covered. So now $668 dollars later my vehicle is fixed. This is another KNOWN issue and my repair paper says “replace per bulletin #19-NA-206. Now I am pissed. I want to know why these are not a recall. Both times were a HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. I could not lock my car for Pete’s sake. If my car was stolen, what is the first question my insurance company is asking? It would be “ WAS IT LOCKED?” Not to mention MY PERSONAL SAFETY. Anyone could get into my vehicle and wait for me or me and my grandchildren to get in the car. Does human trafficking ring any bells???? What is it that needs to be done to make this a damn recall?

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)

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.

Leaving work on [XXX], my vehicle started sounding like a loud truck and it started to smoke. I immediately pull over because something smell like it was burning. That's when I call my insurance company to assist me. So, I had it tow to the nearest Mechanic Shop. It was a scary movement for me being along at night. I'm very upset about this had happen to my GMC 2018 Acadia, the Cadillac Converter left is defect. It is not drivable. It's at the shop for least a month. The Mechanic Shop have not received the parts because GMC has a back order. This is to long being without transportation. This is unfair where I continue to pay the monthly bill. Please, I asking to investigate on this matter. I called the Pep Boy Mechanic Shop today and the manager said it still on BACK ORDER. What happen to GMC products? Hope to hear from someone soon! Thanks [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The shift to park displays and will not allow the vehicle to shut off. This is the second time this has happened in this vehicle. I have 63822 miles and repaired this same issue about 20000 miles ago. Looked into it and it appeared to be a common issue in this year and model. Looking for some insight on what if anything can b me done.thank you

Whining noise from rear axle when 4x4 engaged.

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

Shift to park issue is getting worse. I couldn’t turn my car off for hours today. The recall is still pending for this and GMC is doing nothing after thousands of class action lawsuits and complaints. Keeping my car running for hours on end while in park because it won’t turn off is causing electrical issues and using tons of gas. I have to get with an attorney at this point because I can’t use my car lots of the times because I can’t leave it running and unlocked all day while I’m at work or at the store. It’s a MASSIVE safety issue. GMC needs to take accountability and fix these vehicles. This has been ongoing for 2 years now.

The “steering assist reduced. Drive with care” A/C turns off and fan kicks on high. Transmission temp flatlines. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

When I put my car in Park and go to shut it down, it is not recognizing that it is in park, and will not shut down. I have to spend 30 plus minutes messing with the shifter to try to get it to recognize it is in park when it is indeed in park. I have to start and stop my car a number of times to do so. There have been a number of complaints for this over the years and NOTHING has been done with this. This can be a costly repair as I have seen results in a new transmission.

I am communicating concerns about my 2018 GMC Acadia. I continue to have problems with the Park/shift to park. I have had this problem consistently escalating this year. It was occurring 2 or 3 times per month, now it is occurring weekly. I cannot turn off the vehicle when placed in park. I went to the dealer (FC Kerbeck) in New Jersey, where I was told I had to pay for this problem $515. This seems to be a manufacturer flaw. I think this is a recall part. This is not my responsibility, I did not do anything to my vehicle for this consistent problem. This “shift to park” is dangerous, as it can lock you in your vehicle.

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after shifting to the park(P), there was an audible warning alarm activated, and the message "Shift to Park" was displayed, and the vehicle failed to immediately turn off. After restarting the vehicle and jiggling the gear shifter, the failure was corrected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the gear shifter assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but while picking up her daughter from school, the gear shifter was shifted into park(P), and moments later, the vehicle started rolling backwards. The contact had to activate the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was later towed back to the dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 120,000.

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)

For the past 2 years I have been having a problem with the Shift to Park. It causes my vehicle to not turn completely off therefore draining the battery completely, I have gone through several new batteries because of this issue and has left me stranded needing to uber to purchase a new battery. Recently it started causing issues with my vehicles Antilock braking system and the stability control system although I don't know if they are all related but it is causing a hazard to drive around and it it the only vehicle I own.

When putting my car in park and turn the car off. the car dashboard says to shift the car in park and beeps. I repeatedly turn the car on and off until the car reads it as being in park. or the car will not turn off completely, it will continue to beep, and it will not lock the doors. I have called a GMC dealer about this issue. There is no warning message except to put the parked car in park!

While driving I got the alert in my cluster that “power steering assist reduced”. I also noticed there were many other individuals in gmc forums that have had the same issue.

Vehicle shifts hard from 1st and while driving when getting up to speed from 2nd gear and 3rd, etc. Happens every time it's driven.

Vehicle does not recognize that it's in park. Once parked a warning comes on telling you to shift to park. The vehicle does not completely shut off because it does not believe that it is in park.

After being driving vehicle will not shift into park. When shifter is moved into park position vehicle is not recognizing this and will continue to move. Gear shifter has to be wiggled around for vehicle to finally get into park or at all. Safety concerns - if vehicle is not in park mode vehicle can roll away or continue to move causing damage or injury to persons or property. Online research indicates this is a nationwide problem and there are several lawsuits against gmc concerning this issue. All instances seem to be associated with the Acadia.

Numerous occurences especially recently of shift vehicle to park when vehicle has been parked, turned off and already shifted into park position. Several occurrences where almost every time within 24 hours I use my cruise control and air conditioner at the same time my check engine light will come on as well as the stability trac indicator which then causes my air conditioner not to work and inability to start the vehicle due to having a check engine light on.

Power steering reduces and the temperature gage wont work and the fan is extremely loud so it decreases the steering and increases the fan so it can cool down the engine. Others have submitted a recall form for this same problem

The vehicle would intermittently display a "Shift to Park" message and sound alert chiming when moving shifter to park position. The car could not be parked until the chiming and message were dismissed by jiggling the shifter, sometimes after a prolonged battery-draining attempt to end the condition.

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the transmission was shifted into park(P) however, the "Shift to Park" message was displayed after the contact pressed the Auto Start/Stop button. The contact had to depress the brake pedal while pushing the Auto Start/Stop button to turn the vehicle back on and then shift the transmission from drive(D) to Park(P) approximately 3-4 times before the failure was corrected. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the gear shift assembly; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,211.

Vehicle does not shut off when shift to park. Must put vehicle in gear then shift to park numerous times in order to get the vehicle shut off. Vehicle will not start. Requires numerous attempts applying brake to start

We own a 2018 GMC Acadia Denali. Upon shifting the vehicle into park, we cannot turn off the engine. The vehicle gives us a "Shift to Park" message on the instrument panel. As a result, we are unable to shut off our engine and, to avoid the battery running out, are forced to attempt to move the shift lever in and out of "Park" to get the car to detect that the shift lever is in fact in ‘Park.’”

Suspension did not meet yearly state inspection standards. Service advisor/technician stated “control arm bushing deteriorated- excessive play”. Rear control arms could be moved with hand pressure excessive play. They stated that this is a very common problem with this make of car at this mileage (41,633).

The vehicle will not shift into park. This is a common problem with this vehicle, many lawsuits. When you walk away one has concerns that the vehicle is actually in park or not.

I shift the car into park but the vehicle tells me the car is not in park and won't shut off. GM charged me $656.00 to replace the switch and harness.

After shifting to park a message comes in screen that is telling me to shift to park I have put it in park so then I have to restart vehicle and move gear shifter back into park sometimes it works on 1st try then sometimes takes extra try’s to get it to clear

The toe links on my vehicle are bad and needs to be replaced. They broke as I was driving. Almost caused me to lose control and almost wreck. Thankfully there were no other cars around. I see this is a recall for GMC’s but for some reason not my vin number. Not understanding why if I have the same problem on vehicles that were recalled.

For months after putting car in park it displays a "Shift to Park" message. It won't let you fully shut down vehicle. Some times I can start it again, back up a little, put it back in park for it to shut off. Not one time though. You have to do it repeatedly. Maybe 6 or 7 times before it works. Most times I just finally have to walk away from the vehicle. Problem being it won't let me lock my car - which the police in our area keep warning us to do to prevent the vehicle thefts. It also continues to 'bing', running down the battery, which could leave me stranded somewhere. I looked this up on line assuming it would be a recall because it is a 'known defect' and there are thousands of complaints on line of people having the same issues and dealer won't take care of. There are lawsuits. This should be a recall.

When I put the car in park, I get the message "Shift to Park". It does not do it every time but it is happening more and more. I have to wiggle the gearshift or restart the car and shift to neutral to try it again. I am wondering about the safety issue and will the vehicle roll if I am not able to get the message to go away? I have researched this and it is happening on a lot of vehicles.

The thermostat stops working and my a/c stops blowing cold air, and driving assist stops and engine light goes on. It is a rampant problem among GMC Acadias with no reason or fix. Please advise.

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that intermittently when the gear was shifted into park(P) and the vehicle was turned off, the "shift into park(P)" message was displayed. The contact stated that she was unable to lock the vehicle and that the interior lights remained on. The vehicle was not yet taken to an independent mechanic or local dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V516000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.

CAR DOES NOT GO INTO PARK AND WILL NOT SHUT OFF. says shift to park when this happens the car does not shut off correctly and must be restarted and jiggle shifter to turn off. this seems to be a well known problem and is on many years of Acadia

The shift to park in my 2018 GMC Acadia was faulty. On many occasions and randomly, the car would be in park but would not turn off, saying I needed to shift it to park in order to turn the car off. This has left me unable to turn my car off resulting in dead batteries and missed appointments and being late for work. This defect is well documented by GM in TSBs PIT5616A, 18-NA-297, and 19-NA-206, which describes the exact symptoms and repair that I had to have completed. This problem has been on going and as a teacher I cannot continue to be late for school because my car, though in park, would not turn off. Given GM’s prior acknowledgement of this defect, I believe reimbursement is warranted. I have never been notified of a recall on this.

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear liftgate warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon inspection, the liftgate was closed. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the liftgate failed to latch securely and a bungy was used to keep the liftgate closed. The contact stated that the dome light illuminated indicating that the doors were open; however, the doors were securely closed. The contact stated that the roof light was turned off and the radio failed to operate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000. The VIN was not included.

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that on three separate occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the gears inadvertently shifted from second gear to third gear and then to neutral. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on three separate occasions where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was then taken back a fourth time where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

When turning off engine it displays "shift to park" and won't shut off. This has been ongoing since I purchased vehicle but is much worse now

2018 Acadia will display “Shift to park” warning along with an audible warning when the vehicle is shut off. This happens even though the PRNDL display is in the “Park” position each time. If I try to exit the vehicle, the audible warning continues (apparently indefinitely). This began at an odometer of about 59,200. Initially, the situation could be corrected by restarting the car and shifting in and out of Park or depressing the shift knob several times. Within a couple of hundred miles, it became consistent and eventually could not be corrected as described above. Unfortunately, this is not covered under warranty. I began driving for a few months without the shift knob, simply depressing the plunger on the shift rod coming up from the transmission. Doing this, the warning rarely occurs and, if it does, it’s easily corrected with one or two presses of the plunger. Some modifications of the shift knob have allowed the knob to be used with results similar to driving without the knob. I hope there will be a software update (deployed over OnStar) to use the PRNDL information and eliminate this failed system.

Shift to park and unlocked shifter knob, the shifter knob is capable of shifting from drive to neutral without pressing the unlock switch on the shifter while driving. Vehicle says shift to park when parking vehicle, car will not shut off or lock when code is up.