Home · 2017 GMC Acadia Limited · Complaints

What 639 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 GMC Acadia Limited

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 1 of 26

Nov 5, 2025Backup camera & sensors

Every time I park it show up “ shift to park and it takes long to remove the code. battery keeps dying because of it since the car won’t turn off all night.

NHTSA ODI 11697799

Nov 3, 2025Electrical system

Backup camera often does not have a clear picture. Very grainy and static.

NHTSA ODI 11697295

Aug 4, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

I have gotten a alert on my vehicles dashboard after parking saying "shift to park" my car won't turn off until I can wiggle the shifter just right or have to take it out of park, back to drive back to park. I didn't have my radio on once and I didn't notice it wasn't all the way off and my battery went dead.

NHTSA ODI 11678382

Aug 1, 2025Steering

We were receiving a message stating steering reduction. Turns out the thermostat sticks open and the electronic control module reset was a temporary fix. We had the thermostat replaced and the issue hasn’t happened again. Steering issues should be a safety issue and be considered for recall. Your thoughts please.

NHTSA ODI 11677759

Jul 31, 2025

Shift to park. Car will not register as in park. Have previously had issue fixed and has started again. Was told this is a common reoccurance and would likely happen again over time even if I pay to have it fixed again. Yesterday I spent 45 minutes trying to get the car to turn off. If it says shift to park the car will not shut completely down and there is nothing that can be done. I spoke with gmc for 30 min and was finally told to unhook the battery because they have no way to make it shut off without going to a dealership which was closed at the time.

NHTSA ODI 11677683

Jul 28, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The transmission failed at 90k miles, causing shuddering and stalling on acceleration. This has occurred several times on major highways and is very dangerous.

NHTSA ODI 11676840

Jul 23, 2025

I get a warning whenever the car is placed on park with the shifter telling me to shift to park even though it’s already on park. This causes the car to not be able to turn off

NHTSA ODI 11675510

Jul 23, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping while attempting to change gears. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

NHTSA ODI 11675553

Jul 6, 2025Electrical systemSeats

Cannot shift out of park. AC stops blowing also. Electric seats stopped working. Replaced BCM modular, solenoid , entire shifter and more. It worked for two months. -Happening again. Cannot shift out of park and the AC stops working. Seat are working at moment. It’s all intermittent. Currently dealer will not help me. No warranty anymore. Im on a site where thousands of gmc’s have this same problem. Im gonna have to bring back to another dealer but no one can figure it out how to fix this. I sent my last bill. I also had one before that with the shifter assembly and solenoid replaced. I cannot find at moment

NHTSA ODI 11671449

Jul 3, 2025Transmission & drivetrainTiresEngine

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10-15 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud blower motor sound while accelerating, before the vehicle lost motive power. The transmission was shifted to neutral(N) and pushed to the side of the roadway. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the transmission clutch had failed, and the transmission needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no recall coverage or warranty coverage on the VIN for the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

NHTSA ODI 11671086

Jun 29, 2025

Shifting car into park and the car does not register that it is in park. Display reads "shift to park" and lights do not shut off. Car will sit for 15 or more minutes before the car registers it is actually in park. I try to start it, shut it off, of start it, put in gear and then switch back to park and shut it off but still reads "shift to park". Battery is going to die if this keeps happening. GMC should be responsible for doing a complete recall on this, especially since they are aware of the problem. I have been stranded in parking lots waiting for this car to correct itself. this has been going on for over 4 years.

NHTSA ODI 11670080

Jun 28, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Drive shaft has excessive play

NHTSA ODI 11669905

Jun 20, 2025Electrical system

My vehicle won’t shift into park

NHTSA ODI 11668045

Jun 4, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The vehicle would not recognize the truck was shifted to park. The gear shift was replaced in 2024 and the same problem occurred 9 months later. The first GMC repair location did not connect the shifter cable correctly, causing the problem to persist. I had to pay twice to resolve an issue seen in many of the 2017 GMC Acadia models. This problem should be considered a recall, and charges for repair should be covered by GMC.

NHTSA ODI 11664830

Jun 2, 2025Steering

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the warning light then turned off independently. In addition, the contact stated that the air conditioning failed to function as intended and the interior of the vehicle became extremely hot. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to the dealer in 2024 for the failure, and the contact was informed that the power steering assist feature had failed, and the software needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test, and a case number would then be provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11664292

May 29, 2025

When I turn off the car it says required "shift to park" the car stays on and I can not exit the car it will not lock doors and it stays on.

NHTSA ODI 11663825

May 23, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to shift into park, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced Technical Service Bulletin: PIT5616; as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11662861

May 3, 2025Electrical systemSpeed controlFuel system

I’m just reporting several known issues. First, with code P2138, which I got today at Oreilly after my car started throwing warnings. I used my parking brake briefly and afterwards got the following warnings on my car: “Steering Assist is Reduced, Drive with care”, “Engine power reduced” , “Propulsion Power is reduced” , “Service Parking Brake”. I’ve never even had one of these warnings. I’ve only gotten “shift to park” which is another known & common issue. With this P2138 code, it can affect acceleration and essentially loss of control over it, but seems I suddenly have several issues. Recently the infotainment system is possessed, touch screen stops working, it calls people by itself, beeps and scrolls by itself and is essentially useless. Might as well be driving at 1997 something or other, at least I could play a tape or CD. This is Denali trim at 87K miles. Primarily though I’m concerned with this code, if it’s legit, it is very dangerous. How unreliable and unsafe to not know.

NHTSA ODI 11658720

Apr 29, 2025Driver assistance

As i am driving it flashes the warning sign like if I was going to hit another vehicle when there is no car in front of me, this has happened since I purchase the care 1/2024, this has happen around l7 to 8 times already.

NHTSA ODI 11657479

Apr 29, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while attempting to shift into park(P), the vehicle failed to turn off, with the "Shift to Park" message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle eventually turned off. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V516000 (POWER TRAIN). The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11657510

Apr 24, 2025Electrical system

After shifting to park and attempting to turn off my vehicle, I receive an “Action Required Shift to Park” error message. I’m assuming the vehicle is in park but I’m not certain and worry about it moving or rolling. It is difficult to get it to turn off by jiggling the shifter and turning the vehicle on and off. At times, I am not able to get it off and then the vehicle will not lock and the battery goes dead. According to my VIN there is not an active recall but brief internet search states there has been numerous reports, recalls, and lemon law returns due to this.

NHTSA ODI 11656658

Apr 8, 2025Brakes

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brake pedal was firm. The contact applied full pressure to the brake pedal, and the vehicle stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with brake vacuum pump failure. Additionally, the contact was informed that the brake vacuum pump had fractured, and a part of the brake vacuum pump had lodged into the engine. The contact was informed that the brake vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,911.

NHTSA ODI 11653538

Apr 6, 2025Electrical system

When placed in park a message appears to Shift To Park and the vehicle electrical system stays energized.

NHTSA ODI 11653070

Apr 1, 2025Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemLatches & locks

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact shifted from park (P) to drive(D) and was eventually able to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that the letter P(park) was outlined in yellow and was illuminated on the instrument panel. Additionally, the contact stated that while attempting to close and lock the driver's side door, the door failed to lock securely. The contact stated that the failures occurred simultaneously. The contact stated that the failures were intermittent. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

NHTSA ODI 11652105

Mar 29, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The vehicle keeps shaking specially at the first and second gear, up to 40miles/hr and at any up hills roads. I took it to the mechanic and he said that it’s an issue in the transmission and needs to be replaced. Also the engine fan randomly turns on automatically, and a warning message stating “Steering assist reduced. Drive with care”

NHTSA ODI 11651496

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Working with the data? Download all 639 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 2026

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 Limited verdict →