Home · 2017 GMC Acadia Denali · Complaints

What 639 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 GMC Acadia Denali

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (639)Crash / fire / injury (14)Transmission & drivetrain (221)Electrical system (169)Airbags (75)Engine (53)Brakes (33)Steering (26)Lights (25)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (13)Lane Departure (11)Seat belts (11)

Newest first · 639 complaints · page 8 of 26

Aug 24, 2023Airbags

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11540590

Aug 15, 2023Airbags

UNKNOWN. The recall came out in May, there has been no remedy made available yet. The recall lists potentially fatal outcomes, and there is no resolution to be had.

NHTSA ODI 11538706

Aug 15, 2023Airbags

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11538718

Aug 10, 2023Airbags

Nothing happened. GM sent a letter telling me that the airbag COULD rupture and call serous injury or death. I am not driving the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11537595

Aug 7, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

This is a known issue with GM 2016-2019 various models including my 2017 Acadia . the shift mechanism does not know that it is in Park position and so indicates "shift to park" on dashboard lights. Therefore ignition switch stays on and accessories that are on will run battery down in a couple of hours. Sometimes the engine will not cut off until you turn it on and off many times. The dealer estimates cost to fix of between $500 and $700. They want an additional $125 for diagnosis, which they already know problem. I found the Service Bulletin on it (19-NA-206) which calls for $42.43 in parts and 1.4 hrs labor. Many people are being ripped off on this problem, which should be a manufactor's recall ! They continued to use defective parts for years after they were aware of this hazard. Please HELP ! I don't think that I should have to pay for this repair!

NHTSA ODI 11536959

Jul 30, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

My Wife and I purchased the 2017 GMC Acadia All Terrain in August 2017. It always had some low gear hard engagement issues. It also had issues of not locking into park when placing in Park. If we released and re-shifted it would engage. On two occasions we had the GMC dealership Durand GMC Leominster MA. check the transmission. Around 34,000 miles and again around 55,00 0 miles On both occasions they claimed they could not recreate the incident I complained about. I told them I believed that to be impossible as it was common, especially going up hill. The service manager was adamant that their was no issue. As I was close to my powertrain warranty expiring I asked again with the same response. In May we started having serious transmission slippage, It became dangerous so we took it to Durand and they found a hole in a fluid tube caused by wear from a support clip. Their repair cost was high, I took it to a respected mechanic. He repaired the tube, unfortunately, the slipppage got worst and we will replace the transmission. My internet research shows many incidents like mine. I want to make it known that my vehicle concerns were swept under the rug. GMC repair video link Please watch the video of YOUR vehicle at this website: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11535355

Jul 25, 2023Tires

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia equipped with Bridgestone Tires, Tire Line: Dueler H/L Alenza Plus, Tire Size: P255/55/R20. The contact stated that rear driver’s side tire had continually experienced the loss of air pressure. While the vehicle was in for service, the mechanic stated that all the four tires were dry rotted and might continue to experience the failure. The contact stated that the tires were purchased new in 2021. The local dealer was contacted regarding the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11534394

Jul 25, 2023Airbags

Nothing has failed on the vehicle, nor are there any apparent problems. My GMC Acadia is a second vehicle for my household (not a primary vehicle). I also have it listed on Turo to make some additional income. With the recall, Turo un-listed my vehicle for safety reasons and I also had to cancel a reservation that was already made. The safety recall already identifies the airbags need to be replaced, but it also says parts are not available. The delay in getting a remedy for this recall is causing me to lose income.

NHTSA ODI 11534465

Jul 24, 2023Airbags

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11534047

Jul 24, 2023Airbags

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11534050

Jul 24, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The shifter does not always engage and the car will remain in gear and can't be turned off. The safety issue is the vehicle rolls forward and backwards at times. I have hit my riding lawnmower under my carport because it continued to roll when in park. I have reported an issue in 2018 and in August 2019 a repair was performed and again in 2019 a gear shift assembly was replaced, It has been confirmed there is an issue with the shifter by a tech servicing my car when he drove it. It is at the dealer now 07-24-2023 to determine the issue and repair. Shift to park will come on inconsistently, however it will roll forward without the message.

NHTSA ODI 11534152

Jul 20, 2023Airbags

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11533443

Jul 18, 2023Airbags

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11533080

Jul 12, 2023Airbags

Safety recall on the airbag. Called the Dealership and manufacturer and they stated that they can not fix the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11531833

Jul 11, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

Ever since I bought this vehicle 75% of the time I put the vehicle in park and turn the car off the “shift to park” warning light comes on and I have to jiggle the gear shift until it goes off and allows the car to turn off. This can take up to 10 min or sometimes starting the car and turning it off works but that is less times than not. This has been ongoing since I have owned the car.

NHTSA ODI 11531552

Jul 5, 2023Electrical systemLane DepartureDriver assistance

I bought my vehicle in 2020. In 2019, there was a special coverage notice (N172097060) with part repair because of known service side detection issues for water module intrusion. My understanding is this is due to the poor design and placement of the item in the rear of the vehicle that is known for getting water in it when driving, which then impacts the entire electronic system (not just service side detection). Beginning in spring 2023, I began to have these issues, starting with service side detection first. I then had other major electrical issues connected to this issue I believe are a safety concern. I have had very scary episodes at high speeds of my entire car electronic system shutting down, speedometer going to zero, gas going to empty, glitching and not starting multiple times. It got to the point my entire car was not drivable due to this issue - the dealer has a temporary fix on it to allow it to continue to be drivable until parts are in. The dealer has confirmed the issue I am experiencing is this safety special coverage issue from 2019. I contacted the dealer I bought my car from and they stated they did the special coverage fix in 2019. They confirm this issue is occurring again. However, they claim that because it was fixed in 2019, I am responsible for paying and fixing it this time around. The issue was not resolved and I believe this is a huge safety issue that should be a recall, not just a special coverage. It was very scary driving on a highway with my children in tow and having my entire system go out at a high speed. It has been inconvenient, parts are supposedly on backorder and being told it's my responsibility to cover it when it's a known issue. I have also found online many other owners having this issue. The special coverage did not fix it if water continues to get into the module and continues to generate these issues again. I appreciate any assistance on this matter and thank you for your time!

NHTSA ODI 11530444

Jul 3, 2023Airbags

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11530112

Jun 28, 2023SteeringElectrical system

Vehicle will randomly drop into a lower gear which causes the engine to rev up, then a warning light comes on indicating that the steering assist and ABS system are offline. Not what you want to have happen when driving 70MPH on the highway. Problem has been ongoing for ytears and GMC insists it is a transmission problem but another thing I have noticed whenever it happens is that the battery voltage increases. Seems like GMC shipped these cars with weak alternators which would explain the myriad electrical problems this vehicle and others like it have had.

NHTSA ODI 11529431

Jun 14, 2023Transmission & drivetrainEngine

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the camshaft and timing chain however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was later taken back to the dealer who later replaced the transmission. After replacing the transmission, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. A diagnostic test was performed, and it was determined that the camshaft and timing chain was faulty. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 78,588. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11526943

Jun 13, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

Shift to park issue

NHTSA ODI 11526776

May 15, 2023Electrical system

Shift to park issue, car wont recognize its in park and wont turn off unless you shake the gear shifter around to get it to realize its in park. Parking break issue as well, "service parking break" error popped up on my screen now I can no longer turn it on.

NHTSA ODI 11522080

May 11, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that on various occasions after shifting into park(P), it was not recognized and the "Attention Required, Shift to park(P)" message was displayed. The contact stated that multiple attempts at shifting the gear into neutral(N) or reverse(R) were needed for the park(P) to be recognized and for the contact to be able to turn off the vehicle. The contact also stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11521585

May 4, 2023AirbagsCrash4 injuries

We had a head on collision on 4/26/23. The other at fault vehicle airbags did in fact deploy and we believe ours should have also deployed but Didn’t. We have dash cam footage to see the impact and at that speed, one would anticipate airbags deploying.

NHTSA ODI 11520363

May 3, 2023Transmission & drivetrainBackup camera & sensors

When parking my car "The Shift To Park Light COMES On" cannot shut the car off- Not sure if its in park-You have to restart the car and keep trying to turn the car off--also all interior lights stay on--can not lock the car---This should be repaired by GM.

NHTSA ODI 11520197

Apr 29, 2023Crash

When shifting into park, getting a Shift to Park error. Have to jiggle the shifter to get the car to turn off. Sometimes it won’t turn off. About a month after purchasing used in 2020 my wife put the car into park in our drive way, the car rolled backwards with my son in it and the passenger side door open. The passenger side door hit a tree and folded the door backward toward the body. Door had to be replaced. Luckily no one was injured. At the time we did not know about the shifter issue. Secondly our transmission has now gone out with only 80k miles on the car. This is another reoccurring issue that GMC has ignored with a know manufacturer default in the transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11519577

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How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2017 GMC Acadia Denali verdict →