Home · 2018 GMC Acadia Denali · Complaints

What 389 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 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 (389)Crash / fire / injury (10)Transmission & drivetrain (162)Electrical system (108)Engine (32)Steering (24)Brakes (21)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (12)Fuel system (9)Lane Departure (6)Backup camera & sensors (5)Seats (5)

108 of 389 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters · page 5 of 5

Jul 29, 2019Electrical system

KNOWN DASH PROMPTING ME TO SHIFT INTO PARK WHEN THE INDICATOR LIGHTS SHOW ITS IN THE PARK POSITION SO THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF BUT DASHBOARD LIGHTS STAY ON AND WON'T STOP UNTIL BATTERY IS DEAD

NHTSA ODI 11240335

Jul 24, 2019Electrical system

AUTO DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THAT TRANSMISSION IS IN PARK.

NHTSA ODI 11234508

Jul 15, 2019Electrical system

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 GMC ACADIA. WHEN THE CONTACT TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND REMOVED THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION, THE VEHICLE'S WARNING SENSOR WENT OFF, THE RADIO REMAINED ON, AND THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO LOCK THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GREAT LAKES GMC BUICK (2824 N RIDGE RD E, ASHTABULA, OH 44004, (440) 319-3925) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A SENSOR FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE REMEDY WAS NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO A SHORTAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,000.

NHTSA ODI 11231937

Jun 25, 2019SteeringElectrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)

ON SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BOTH PARKED TURNED OFF AND RUNNING DOWN HIGHWAY, THE DASH LIGHTS LIT UP AND ALARMS CHIMED. CAR WOULDN'T START, NO COLD A/C. THE "SERVICE POWER STEERING" MESSAGE DISPLAYED. CAR DIDN'T TURN AS WELL. COULDN'T SHIFT. AFTER DOING SO FOR A ABOUT 2-3 MINUTES IT WOULD GO BACK TO NORMAL. THE ATTACHED PHOTO WAS WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD YOU'LL NOTICE IT DOESN'T MEASURE ANY RPM'S HOWEVER THE CAR IS MOVING ABOUT 40MPH

NHTSA ODI 11222601

May 24, 2019Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

1* PURCHASED MARCH 2018 (ACADIA DENALI) SINCE AUGUST 2018 IN MOTION WHEN I ACCELERATE IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOUD LAWNMOWER & CRACKLING SOUND IN REAR MUFFLER AREA. TOOK IT CHEVY PLACE IN GLENPOOL, OK. THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. 2* ON 2 OCCASSIONS, IN MOTION, THE CAR ACCELERATED WITH A LOUD NOISE & AS IF IT WERE GETTING POWER & NOT MOVING THEN JERKS & SPEEDS UP ABOUT 15MPH FASTER & I COULDN'T STOP IT. I KEPT SLAMMING ON MY BREAKS, BUT THE BREAK WOULD ONLY GO IN SO FAR. I WAS FRIGHTENED WITH MY 2 YOUNG BOYS IN CAR SCREAMING. IT'S LIKE RIDING A HORSE & IT TAKES OFF & YOU CAN'T CONTROL IT. 3* ON ABOUT 8 OR 9 OCCASSIONS STATIONARY I GET OUT OF MY CAR & IT MAKES A REALLY LOUD ANNOYING SOUND LIKE A MACHINE/ROBOT POWERING DOWN. MY KIDS ALWAYS SAY, IT'S GOING TO BLOW UP 4* THE MOST ANNOYING, FOR PAST MONTH...STATIONARY, EVERY SINGLE DAY & TIME I TURN MY IGNITION OFF. IT HAS LOUD BEEPING SOUND & CHECK REAR SEAT FLASHING ON SCREEN THEN SHIFT INTO PARK FLASHES. THIS OCCURS EVERY SINGLE TIME I TURN MY CAR OFF. SOMETIMES I HAVE TO JUST LET IT GO ON ALL DAY BECAUSE I CAN'T GET IT STOP. I TURN CAR ON & OFF SHIFT BACK & FORTH & IT STILL WILL NOT GO OFF. SOMETIMES IT DOES AFTER LONG PERIODS OF TIME. I DON'T HAVE TIME TO STRUGGLE WITH GETTING A CAR INTO PARK EVERY SINGLE TIME I TURN MY IGNITION OFF. I HAVE TO BEAT IT FORWARD HARD WITH MY HAND TO THE POINT MY WRIST IS BRUISED. NOW I HAVE TO USE MY FOOT TO KICK GEAR SHIFTER INTO PARK. I'M AFRAID T'S GOING TO ROLL OUT & OR DOWN AND HIT SOMETHING, SOMEONE OR EVEN ONE OF MY CHILDREN. WHICH WOULD NOT BE GOOD. I'VE SEEN SEVERAL OF SAME COMPLAINTS. THIS REALLY NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED & RECALLED ASAP. MY ELDERLY MOTHER HAD TO CALL MY BROTHER TO ANOTHER PART OF TOWN TO BEAT THE GEAR SHIFT INTO PARK. THIS CAR WAS BRAND NEW & I SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED ISSUES. IT'S FRUSTRATING THINKING GMC WAS TOP OF THE LINE & IT'S NOT.

NHTSA ODI 11209619

Apr 8, 2019Electrical system

"TAKATA RECALL" I HAVE A 2018 GMC ACADIA BEEN HAVING IT SINCE JULY 2018. TODAY I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND PUSHED TO THE BUTTON TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF BUT IN THE DASH IT WAS DINGING AND SAID "SHIFT INTO PARK". I TURNED THE CAR ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IT WOULD SHUT ALL THE WAY OFF. IT HAS DOWN IT EVERY TIME I WENT TO SHUT THE CAR OFF TODAY. COULDN'T LEAVE IT AT WORK IN THE PARKING LOT LIKE THAT SO I HAD TO KEEP TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF AND SHIFTING IT INTO REVERSE AND BACK TO PARK UNTIL IT SHUT OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11194785

Oct 11, 2018Electrical systemSeatsElectronic Stability Control (esc)

THE SERVICE STABILTRAK NOTIFCATION KEEPS COMING ON AND SHUTTING OFF ON ITS OWN WHILE IN MOTION ON A STREET AND IT HAS ALSO HAPPENED WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. IT HAS OCCURRED AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND SEVERAL TIMES WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE DRIVING.THE DEALERSHIP CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY AND IT DOESN'T SHOW IT EVEN CAME ON AT ALL. WHEN IN MOTION ON A STRRET GOING 46MPH THE CAR TRIED TO AUTO CORRECT PULLING ME OUT OF MY LANE BY ITSLEF. IT WAS A STRAIGHT STREET WITH NO CURVES WHERE THIS OCCURRED. THANK GOD THERE WASNT A CAR IN THE LANE NEXT TO ME. THE SIDE MIRRORS RESET THEMSELVES ALL THE TIME. IF I MOVE THE SEAT AND THEN HIT THE MEMORY BUTTON SO IT WILL GO TO THE SET POSITION THE SEAT DOESN'T MOVE AT ALL. I HAVE HAD RENTAL CARS MORE THAN MY ACADIA THE PAST 2MONTHS WHILE THE DEALERSHIP TRYS TO GET THESE ISSUES FIXED. I LOVE THE CAR BUT AM GETTING MAD WITH ALL THESE ISSUES.

NHTSA ODI 11139662

Sep 7, 2018Electrical system

I PURCHASED THE WIRELESS CHARGER. I RECEIVED THE GM DOCUMENT STATING WHAT VERSION OF PHONE I NEEDED FOR THE CHARGER TO WORK. I PURCHASED A PHONE AND THE CHARGER DOES NOT WORK. THE DEALER RESEARCHED THE PHONE AND THERE ARE ONLY SPECIFIC MODELS MANUFACTURED IN THE SAME YEAR THAT WORK FOR THE CHARGER. I HAVE TESTED WITH 5 DIFFERENT MODEL PHONES AND ONLY ONE WORKED. THIS OPTION IS A WASTE OF MONEY AND NOT ADVERTISED APPROPRIATELY NOR DOES THE GM BROCHURES OR WEBSITE PROVIDE ADEQUATE INFORMATION TO NOTIFY THE CONSUMER OF THE ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11128086

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Working with the data? Download all 389 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 2018 GMC Acadia Denali verdict →