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 3 of 26

Dec 4, 2024Fuel system

GM issued Special coverage N192210240 for repair/replacement of the evaporative emissions purge valve because it may not fully close. The special coverage states that the dealer is to replace the part at no cost to the customer as necessary until 150,000 miles or 11/12/2026 whichever occurs first. Since owning the vehicle in question I have had this particular part replaced three (3) times, approximately every 20,000 miles. Each time this particular part fails my check engine light is illuminated, my vehicle stalls immediately after refueling, my garage and home quickly fill with emission fumes upon starting the vehicle, and the vehicle idles rough when stopping. The GM dealership replaced the part the first 2 times it failed at no cost to me stating that it was covered under GM Special Coverage, but the third and most recent time refused to honor the special coverage. They, instead, stated that I had to pay $189.99 for a diagnostic in addition to the cost of the repair despite the fact that my vehicle was still within the special coverage parameters and the special coverage bulletin states "as necessary" . The dealership stated that the special coverage was only a one-time use, and I was to pay for repairs each additional occurrence. There is clearly an issue with this part, and GM has acknowledged that by offering the special coverage. This coverage should be valid for the entire time stated because this is clearly a faulty part.

NHTSA ODI 11628850

Nov 21, 2024Brakes

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while coming to a stop, the contact heard a loud screeching sound when the brake pedal was depressed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the brake pedal was very loose, and the brake pedal was going to the floorboard while depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

NHTSA ODI 11626706

Nov 19, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon parking and turning off the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed while the gear shifter was in park(P). The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle and shifting out of park and shifting back into park(P) several times, the vehicle responded as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing, and the dealer charged a fee for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11626136

Nov 17, 2024

When putting my car into park and turning the engine off. The car will not turn off and displays a shift to park error. The car has to be turned back on and shifted to a different position then put back in to park to try to turn engine off again. Often times this needs repeated several times before the engine will actually turn off.

NHTSA ODI 11625762

Nov 14, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while in reverse occasionally the vehicles rearview cameras do not function properly as they should. The steering assist is not fully functional warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,900. The contact referenced an unknown NHTSA campaign number as probable cause for the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11625205

Nov 14, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

My car on has 54,000 miles on it. For the last two weeks it has started showing that it is not in park when it actually is and continues the warning until I have shifted back and forth at least 4-5 times to clear the message and then able to exit the vehicle. It will roll forward or back to some degree even though it seems to be in park but it messages that it is not. When calling our dealership they do not show a recall and state it will be $180.00 just to look at it, not counting repair for this. there have been no other warning in the system and no accidents at this time. I do have children that ride in this car and could cause a serious situation if the car were to roll or be in gear.

NHTSA ODI 11625289

Nov 8, 2024Engine

Steering assist reduced. No parts available and vehicle is not safe to operate.

NHTSA ODI 11624161

Nov 4, 2024SteeringEngine

Within a day of taking possession of the car, September 20, 2024, with odometer reading 76,352 , warning message in instrument cluster appears stating action required “steering assist is reduced, drive with care”. Following day, A/C stop working while driving. When park, I can hear radiator fan, running full speed (louder than normal). While driving at night, headlights are not bright, specially the high beam. On September 23, 2024, took it back to dealership I purchased the vehicle. They have the vehicle in the shop to fix the issues. Vehicle was ready for pick up September 27, 2024. September 29, 2024. Message in instrument cluster screen re-appear stating “Action required, steering assist reduced drive with care”; check engine light came on, remote start key not working, A/C stop working again, radiator fan running full speed and loud , Headlights are still not bright, Infotainment screen glitching, will not stay in home button and making clicking sound. Went back to dealership so that they can fix it. Diagnostic code : P0128. They were able to have A/C working when I left the shop. and no messages on the instrument cluster. Following day, I have all the same issues I have before. My appointment to come back in to the shop to fix the thermostat issue I was October 10, 2024, on October 9, additional problems occur on top of the issue I am having. While driving and accelerating multiple lights on the instrument cluster screen appears on top of other issues and car decelerates. The check engine light came on, steering assist reduced drive with care , parking brake, car stability comes on and message stating engine power is reduced. This happened while driving on a highway at night on my way to work. I had to have the vehicle towed to the dealership..

NHTSA ODI 11623544

Nov 3, 2024

My Gmc although not listed on the recall list has been effected by the "shift to park" issues that plague these vehicles. I was out of town and was unable to shift my vehicle safely into park without warnings that my vehicle wasn't secured. I had to disconnect my battery when I had to park in order to prevent roll back and endangerment to other. I took my vehicle for repairs and was told it was a common problem and nothing can be done but pay out of pocket. Why? It has the same issues as the others? Why can't I be recompensated for a recall issue? I have records to show it was the gear shift control and all other.

NHTSA ODI 11623317

Oct 29, 2024Airbags

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. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11622503

Oct 29, 2024Transmission & drivetrainDriver assistance

Transmission shutters, shakes and jumps while accelerating. Forward collision warning will come on at any point even if there is no vehicles in front of me. I have contacted GMC but was told that it’s a normal transmission issue

NHTSA ODI 11622603

Oct 15, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

The "shift to park" warning light comes up every time I put my car in park. I have to move it back and forth multiple times to get it to acknowledge that its in park or the vehicle will not shut off. This is a dangerous situation in that the car could easily roll when I am not in it. I know that this is an ongoing issue with the 2017-2018 GMC Acadia and don't understand why GMC won't issue a recall for this. If this were to cause injury or an accident then they are 100% liable. I started having these issues about a week ago. My husband took it to the dealership and they told him that its not a recall or under warranty. I cannot afford to fix this myself at this point.

NHTSA ODI 11619909

Oct 9, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the gear shifter acknowledged while shifting to park and activated the Press-to-Start button to turn off the vehicle. The message to shift to park was displayed on the instrument panel while the gear shifter was already in park. The dealer was contacted and confirmed there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA ODI 11618836

Oct 9, 2024BrakesAirbags

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 contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, there was a delay in stopping the vehicle. The contact applied more than normal pressure on the brake pedal and allowed more time to stop the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11618889

Oct 9, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

Car will not shut off. Shift to park problem

NHTSA ODI 11619016

Oct 8, 2024Airbags

GMC has been unresponsive in servicing the recall for this vehicle as of 10/08/2024. Local dealers indicate they are waiting for parts - related airbags for servicing the recall. As a result, the car is not able to be sold for a fair market value. It is a 2017 model and we are being impacted financially by the issues with this recall and parts that are still unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11618691

Oct 5, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

The transmission in the car failed. These failures are a known problem with this vehicle and while attempting to get assistance from GM, they refused to offer any assistance, compensation or otherwise. I understand the transmissions in these models are part of a larger inquiry. I would like to be compensated for having to have the transmission completely rebuilt after less than 7 years of ownership. GM has known and willingly decided not to repair these. While outside of warranty, this is clearly a design and manufacturing flaw.

NHTSA ODI 11618242

Oct 3, 2024Airbags

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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11617957

Oct 2, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

THE ERROR 'SHIFT TO PARK' CONTINUOUSLY SHOWS UP ON THE DASH AREA AFTER I HAVE SHIFTED TO PARK. ALL ELECTRONICS THAT I CAN SEE STAY ON. I AM NOT SURE IF OTHER ELECTRONICS THAT I CAN'T SEE STAY ON. THE VEHICLE ENGINE WILL TURN OFF WITH THIS MESSAGE LIT, BUT I CANNOT LOCK THE DOORS.

NHTSA ODI 11617708

Sep 28, 2024

After putting the car in Park and shutting off the engine, the message “SHIFT TO PARK” appears on the dashboard display and will not allow the vehicle to be locked. This has occurred numerous times since buying the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11616974

Sep 26, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

While parking, cannot turn off the vehicle because of a warning to shift the transmission to park, even though the shifting mechanism is in the park position. Happens very frequently where sometimes up to 10 minutes trying over and over to safely park the car. Has been happening for all of 2024 but getting increasingly more difficult to park.

NHTSA ODI 11616716

Sep 13, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

The car will not shift into park from drive. When trying to park I have to shift from drive to park several times before it will finally go into park. It is getting worse.

NHTSA ODI 11614425

Sep 11, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, with the shift to park message was displayed. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to shut off when the contact attempted to engage the parking brake. The contact forcefully engaged the parking brake to shut off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.

NHTSA ODI 11614019

Sep 10, 2024Electrical system

Shift To Park. Vehicle does not turn off completely after pressing the stop button, while parked. The car horn alarms you the vehicle is not shut down. The vehicle will not allow you to lock the doors with the remote control.

NHTSA ODI 11613789

Sep 10, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

Violent shifting in the transaxle when vehicle is shifting between lowers gears. Transaxle causing a shuddering vibration on inclines. It feels like the engine is misfiring, but it is the torque converter/transmission/transaxle failing.

NHTSA ODI 11613796

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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 →