2019 GMC Acadia Complaint Log

A week ago my car started having an alert on the dash saying “shift to park” when I was already presumed to be in parked. I was worried because the car wouldn’t turn off and stayed on dinging. I couldn’t leave my car because it was on (possibly having battery die or doors won’t lock, etc.) I researched it and it showed many GMC Acadias have done this and previous models has recalls. As a result, the vehicle could roll away once you get out of it, putting you and the people around in great danger. Also, you may not be able to restart the vehicle once the 'Shift to Park' message is displayed, making it a terrible inconvenience especially when you're in a hurry. I took my car in to be serviced and they said it was that I needed a “new shifter assembly” so $670 later and after reading that this is what mechanics first step is, but essentially may not even fix the problem kind of terrifies me. A recent recall report says that GM does not currently have a fix for the Shift to Park issue just yet, however, it does have fixes for "Shift to Park" messages that can appear in affected Acadia vehicles that are already in PARK On October 3, 2018, GM released a TSB entitled "Message Displaying Shift to Park When in Park" which instructed technicians to correct the defect by replacing the transmission control shift assembly. While there are some fixes for "Shift to Park" messages, GM still has no fix for the actual Shift to Park issue. What do we do? Pay a large fee for a possible half fixed issue?

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate with the "Steering Assist Reduced, Drive with Care" message displayed. Additionally, the temperature gauge remained on cold. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no failure was found. The failure recurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was determined that the thermostat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000. The VIN was not available.

Vehicle refuses to turn off due to "Shift to Park" error being displayed. Vehicle also gives "Driver assist unabled. Drive safely" message and AC will not cool and vehicle coolant gauges will not work.

While driving the all the the service lights came on on the dashboard and the system as well as the stabilitrak notification. The car begin to not want accelerate and I had to put on the hazard lights on a drive very slow home. Upon arrival home the car would not start but would not power off either and the a "Shift to Park" warning message is displayed.

While driving the temperature gauge shuts down completely to C - the check engine light comes on and a message appears on the dash saying "Steering Assist Reduce Drive With Care". Any air conditioning goes from cold to hot and the fan under the hood goes to high automatically and wont shut off. We have been informed that this is a known error that has existed for a long time now, with no recalls to date. I cannot schedule my vehicle for repairs yet because I do not have the money to pay for the repairs. They are saying that the placement of the thermostat and sensor, which need to be replaced in order to fix this problem, are located in a very difficult spot to get to. Saying that it will take upwards of 4-5 hours to get everything fixed, which increases the amount of money to fix this issue. My 2019 GMC Acadia just started doing this about 2 months ago and I have 54000 miles.

Every time I go to turn off the engine it say shift to park and then I have to restart the truck and keep putting the shifter into park a couple of times for it to not happen.

When trying to turn car off, shift into park, and a message is on the driver screen to "shift to park". The car is already in park. The car will not stop running unless the "shift to park" message is gone. After looking on internet, was able to toggle the shift gear button to remove the "shift to park" message. This started about 4 months ago, it did not happen all of the time. At first, I would have to attempt to restart the car, and then try to turn car off. After investigating this on the internet, was able to turn car off by toggling the gear shift button. This problem was not a surprise to the car dealership. Apparently it is a common problem, and a recalls have been made by GMC for this issue, but not for the year of my car. My car was no longer under warranty, so had to pay $348.04 to fix this.

Check engine light comes on, engine temperature gauge stops working engine fan runs on high only. I have replaced the thermostat/sensor once already and now it needs to be replaced again.

In November 2022, I started getting a dashboard "shift to park" on my 2019 Acadia after I had parked and shut the vehicle off. At the time I took it into service to have it looked at/repaired, they told me there would probably be a recall on this issue,as it seemed to be a frequent problem, and I would get a refund for the repair. That recall never happened, and now my car is once again displaying the same issue. The dealership will not cover the repair, and I will be responsible, as it is out of their 2 year warranty window. I can't just ignore this issue and keep driving, as with the "shift to park" display, there is a constant alarm that doesn't stop unless the park switch recognizes the car is in park, even when it is shut off. I feel this issue needs to be placed under a recall, and I should not have to pay AGAIN for it to be repaired.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would not start. After several attempts, the contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the battery was replaced. On another occasion while the contact shifted the vehicle into park, the contact heard a beeping sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 28,000.

My car would not shift into park. The indicator in the center console would say that it was in park, but when I would shut it car off I would get a warning on the dash that said that I needed to shit to park. I started chocking the tires when I parked out of fear of the car rolling away or run over somebody. My wife would not always chock the tires. I took the car to the dealer today and they confirmed my issue. The dealer replaced a part on the transmission. The dealer has my old part. It cost me over $400.00 to repair. The dealer and manufacturer are aware of similar circumstances with this model. I started having issues two months ago without warning and the problem got steadily got worse. The car has 43300 miles on it. I have owned it since new. It has never been in any accidents.

Vehicle will have a message on the dash that says “drive with care steering assist is reduced”, the fans will come on and stay on, and the temperature hand will quit working along with air conditioner. It has not been inspected, I am not sure if the steering assist being reduced could cause any harm to myself or others.

Shift knob stuck. Car will say shift to park after turning off car. Ended up draining battery. Needed to replace it after 34000 miles.

Can not fuel vehicle properly. Fuel nozzle continues to shut off unless you hold it at the slowest delivery possible. This is with all stations. Dealer says fuel tank has failed internally causing this problem. Cost to repair $1500.00. 51k miles

The vehicle intermittently fails to recognize that it has been put into park, flashing a message on the dash instructing the driver to “shift to park” even when the gear lever have already been moved to the ‘P’ position. I find it amazing that GMC even has a Service Bulletin No.: 19-NA-206 to address the situation (Intermittent Shift to Park Message Displayed While Vehicle in Park) but yet I had to pay $561.47 for the repair to ensure I don't injure my passengers and/or others.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the entertainment center changed and moved through all channels without touching the screen. While in park, the vehicle failed to turn off as desired. The shift-to-park message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the entertainment center needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

With the vehicle shifter in park and the dash indicating in is in park I get an error message stating to "Shift into Park." This has happened serval times in the last few weeks intermittently. I am very concerned this will strand my wife and child or lead to the vehicle unintentionally rolling away while unattended. While talking to several technicians at a GM test facility I have been told this was/is a common issue. While searching the NHTSA complaints multiple multiple complaints for this issue have bee submitted.

Car wont shut off..displays shift to park. Had to turn car off a handful of times before i got it to turn off.

2019 GMC Acadia started producing error code of “shift to park” around 32,000 miles. This malfunction is directly connected to a know a non manufacturer flaw in the shifting mechanism shifter switch an faulty grounding. The error code “shift to park” will not allow you to properly shut off or start the car causing potential safety threats to individuals involved. This error code is a know issue with the shifting mechanism GMC has been putting in Acadia models for the last 5 plus years with no proper resolution to correct potential hazard for consumers. Recall Bulletins are in place for some 2009-2017 models currently,but only a temporary fix. Consumers are expected to pay for repairs for a manufacturer defective part that doesn’t meet nhtsa requirements. I would like to add the 2019 models to this list. Vehicle was inspected by GMC dealership and master mechanic.

I’ve had 2 issues with the thermostat going bad. The official part is called the water outlet assembly that includes the thermostat. I’ve also had several others tell me they have had this issue.

Gmc acadia keeps flashing the lamp that says to !shift to park, when the car is in park and will not turn off. Does not go off when I turn the car off and does not go off when I reshift the car to park. It takes several trys of putting it back in park then goes off, now it does this every time I park and turn the car off. I'm not the only one with this issue. Its been going on for over week now 38k-ish miles.

"Steering Assist reduced drive with care" displayed on screen when I was driving. The temp gauge stayed on C, the a/c did not work and engine fan came on full blast. After a couple days of this, it went back to normal. Coolant was checked and full at correct level.

Intermittent shift to park message displays on the dash. Had to turn the automobile back on to start the engine then moved gear selector to drive then to park. At this point the message disappeared allowing me to turn off the automobile.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The low oil message was displayed. The contact added oil to the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil gasket and plate needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 72,885.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the battery, the steering, and the brake warning lights were illuminated. The contact contacted Triple A, who tested the battery, the starter, and the alternator and jumpstarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the battery had discharged and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that diagnostic testing could be performed after the battery replacement. The contact stated that the battery was replaced four times; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

I am constantly getting a “shift to park” warning after putting my car in park. My car sometimes will not shut off because of this. It’s a safety issue for me because the car is not registering that it’s in park and my battery could very well die while I’m out with my children. This is a common complaint from what I’ve researched and needs to be fixed by GMC.

My 2019 GMC Acadia is now undergoing the same repair for at least the second time. This is the common issue known as the Shift-To-Park issue. You can read about it here - [XXX] Below are the commonly affected years: 2017 – Acadia 2018 – Acadia 2019 – several models (I own a 2019 GMC Acadia) 2020 – several models 2021 – Acadia and Traverse Despite falling into the year, make, model and issue - When I look up my VIN - No recall or warranty information is available, saying that my vehicle is NOT affected by this issue. However, this is now the 2nd (maybe 3rd) time I am having to come out of pocket to have this issue repaired. It originally happened in July of 2022 with around 40-44k miles on the vehicle. It is now happening again May of 2025 with around 72k miles on the vehicle. If I search further back, I imagine the first owner may have had the same work done too. Clearly this vehicle is affected by the issue buy according to my VIN it is not. GM (General Motors) told me that they offer no sort of help or reimbursement unless my VIN is associated with the issue. Can you guys please either add my VIN or extend out the warranty / recalls to ALL - Because this is absurd. My car doesn't recognize that it is in Park and stays on, preventing me from shutting down the vehicle / engine. Asking me to "Shift-To-Park" INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2019 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 failure caused the battery to drain. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

When parking the suv and placing the gear shift in park, the notification system states “shift to park”. This has been happening daily for the last 3 weeks. Sometimes I can get the notification to go away when I push the button on the gear shift. Other times, I have to cut the car off and then back on for it to clear the notification.

The Shift to Park warning message when shifter is already in park shows up on the dash information center. The gear assembly is not working properly, and the artificial intelligence does not recognize park when you are in park. You cannot turn the car off without repetitive turning car off and on and shifting back and forth between drive and park. I was going to live with this aggravation due to costly repair ($656.67), but I went online and found that the car may roll forward if it is not fixed in a timely manner and you don't know if it is in park causing danger if it rolls. Others say put the emergency brake on always. This is a safety issue. Jim Ellis said to bring it to your attention and also write a letter to GMC Corp. I also noted that there is a lawsuit against GMC as they have profited selling the Acadia with this defective gear assembly since 2012. This is the second generation 2017-2019 with the same safety issue problem. Also, you have to replace the battery due to the excessive usage it drains the battery ($219.12)

'Shift to Park' appears on the dashboard after the vehicle is turned off and in Park. This issue can deplete the battery. The problem was confirmed by the dealer.

When parking the suv and placing the gear shift in park, the notification system states “shift to park”. This has been happening daily for the last 3 weeks. Sometimes I can get the notification to go away when I push the button on the gear shift. Other times, I have to cut the car off and then back on for it to clear the notification.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after the transmission was shifted into park(P), the “Shift to Park” message was displayed. The contact shifted the gear shifter into several other gears and was able to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

About five months ago, my GMC Acadia started displaying a warning when I would put the car in park, and try to turn it off. The engine would shut off, but the electrical portion of the car would stay on, and would not turn off, because the warning displaying said "SHIFT TO PARK". I have tried every conceivable way to try to get this to go off, but nothing works. My car has stay on for upwards of two and a half hours, to the point where my battery died in the car and left me stranded. There have been numerous accounts of this, as I had read them on forums, yet still no resolution has been published. I have tried taking it to be inspected, but nothing ever comes up. I have two very small children, and if I were to be in public and be stranded because my car wouldn't turn off.... I would be livid.. Also, because of this warning, it prevents the doors from being locked. That is another major concern for me, considering the day in age we're in.

The electrical and gear shift failed, causing a problem that GMC calls “shift to park.” Even when the car is placed in park, the car does not recognize that it was placed in park and cannot be turned off, preventing the driver from leaving the running car. This is a known problem that multiple dealers are aware of and there even appears to be a recall and lawsuits on the 2018 Acadias. However, on my 2019 Acadia, which has the same problem as the 2018 vehicle, this is a problem that costs hundreds of dollars to fix. This should be recalled because it renders the vehicle a safety hazard because it cannot be turned off and it is a known GMC problem that they refuse to fix.

After vehicle is shifted into Park, "Shift into Park" message comes up. It requires you to restart vehicle, put in R, back into Park, sometimes jiggle the button, sometimes the entire shifter, sometimes drive around the block and start the process again. The message does not go away even if you exit the vehicle. 2017 Acadia had a recall for same issue, 2 years later still occurring but no recall. The repair is $600! GM offering nothing. Needs to be a recall, if you have an appointment it is sometimes 10-15 minutes of messing with the shifter ro driving around until you can shut your car off. I have been carrying tools and just disconnecting the battery if it won't shut off. Can't be 10-15 minutes late for work every day waiting for my car to agree it is actually in Park!

When you go to park the car and put it in park the car says shift to park with it already being in park. It is concerning that the vehicle is not recognizing it being in park

Constant issue of doors not locking or unlocking with key fob. Doors do not lock when put in drive or unlock when put in park. Buttons on the door to lock/unlock do not work. Have had at the dealership 4 times and still the issue hasn't been fixed. They replaced BCM and Harness and the issue still comes and goes.

My vehicle would not turn completely off, I would have to start it about ten times before the warning sounds and the yellow light on the ignition switch would go off. I took my Acadia to Rod Hatfield Chevrolet Lexington, KY. I was told that there was an internal short with the transmission shifter, the shifter and harness would need to be replaced. considering that I purchased this vehicle new, and it has 39,793 miles I feel like it should have been covered under the warranty however, it cost me $903.3. I have an open case with GMC who suggested that I contact you to see if my Vehicle Identification Number could be added to for recall.

2019 Acadia will be shifted into park and parking break applied. Vehicle will then be turned off. When opening the door a message appears on the dash stating "Place vehicle into Park". It takes multiple times of turning on the car, Shifting into another gear, then shifting back to park for the vehicle to realize it is in Park to allow vehicle to shut off. It has happened multiple times. We then received an email from on-star there is a diagnostic code SAC001 (Battery Service) needs to be addressed. This is unacceptable for a vehicle to be this new and have electrical issues.

The headlights barely light up enough roadway to be of any use at night. Obviously can't drive with high beams constant. The only help is to use the fog/driving lights. However, that only lights up about 30 feet in front of the vehicle. Driving at night is hazardous to one's health as you cannot see far enough down the road to avoid anything that is imminent on the side of the road, you can not see to avoid anything on the side. PLEASE HELP. Also, the manual is explicit about not using aftermarket headlamp bulbs to try to correct the problem.

I’m not sure but a warning came on that said steering assist reduced drive with care and my temperature gage and AC weren’t working all of a sudden when it happened

Intermittent Shift to Park Message Displayed While Vehicle in Park, as detailed in NHTSA Bulletin 19-NA-206.

My 2019 Acadia often will not turn off because it has a Shift to Park issue. Apparently it is caused by a faulty microswitch in the shifter assembly that fails to signal the Body Control Module when in park, leading to a persistent warning message, inability to turn off the vehicle and battery drain. It has been going on for at least 4 years. It appears there is a recall for this problem but when I search my VIN number a recall does not come up. There are many posts that say "certain" models in years 2017-2019 but why not mine? It is definitely a safety issue because it does not turn off.

Once vehicle is in park and ignition is shut off, a message will show to "shift in park" when it is in park. When this message appears, it takes several times to shift the car back and forth in order for it to register that it is in park. This occurs occasionally...sometimes more frequent than other times. It just did it today and it hadn't done it in a couple of weeks. The vehicle will not turn completely off or lock until you can get the stick to register it is in park. Sometimes it takes me a second to get the message to go away, other times it takes several mins. Really aggravating! These models are not cheap. This has occurred for well over a year now. I purchased the car November 2019.

After shifting the car into Park and pressing the start button to stop the engine, the message "Shift to Park" appears, and the engine does not shut off. This issue happens intermittently, but it has sometimes taken several minutes of shifting and re-shifting to get the car to turn off.

Headlights are so dim that it makes driving difficult and unsafe, particularly in rain and on rural, unlit roadways. Virtually unnoticeable change in lights when changing from dim to bright, and no side lighting whatsoever to allow visibility of deer/wildlife, etc. in ditches. Even turning from a highway onto a side road in rural areas is difficult and dangerous. I have found numerous complaints from others regarding this model, but no recalls or solutions.

When I put my 2019 GMC Acadia in Park shut the car off get a message to put the car in park. The radio does not go off, not able to lock doors. Displays that message. Have to keep putting it out of the park and after 5 or 10 minutes message finally goes off and it will let me lock doors. These last couple days it had done it every time I drive it

Shift to park message appears post vehicle being in park! Vehicle has been inspected per Jeff Schmidt auto group (formerly Valentine Buick GMC, Inc! I was told shifter needs replaced as well as harness! Very disappointed do to the fact I brought this vehicle in 2019 off the showroom floor and 3 yrs later there’s a problem with my shift gear with 36k miles on vehicle..

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed however the vehicle failed to increase in speed and started to jerk. The “service stability track” warning message was displayed. The failure was intermittent. The contact took the vehicle to an auto store where there were no codes reported by the diagnostic tool. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,600.