What 389 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 GMC Acadia Limited

The shift leaver when putting in park has an error code that the vehicle is not in park when it shows it is. The dealer said this is a common problem and replaced the shift leavers wire harness for 600.00. When this happens there is no way to turn the veh power off and it rolls a little before it engages.

NHTSA ODI 11472839

I own a 2018 GMC Acadia and sometimes after shifting the vehicle into park and turning it off I get a message that says "shift into park" even though it is in park. This happens intermittently and but it is a bit of a pain when it does. I have to either jiggle the shifter or start the car up again and shift into park again. I just called the GMC dealer where I purchase the vehicle new, Mark Porter in Pomeroy, OH, and they said there is a bulletin from GMC on it and the fix is to replace the shifter harness which would cost me around $300. And they said if that doesn't fix the problem the next step would be to replace the shifter which would cost me another $500. In looking online it seems to be happening to a lot of 2018 GMC Acadia's and am wondering why there is no recall on it.

NHTSA ODI 11471980

Shift to park error when turning off vehicle, which would not allow the engine to shut off. Had to have shifter and harness replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11470235

In 2019 my GMC Acadia had the “shift to park” issue in which my vehicle would not shut off and I would have to repeatedly start and shift the gear shift before it would shut off. The problem was “fixed” at the dealership in June 2019. In May 2022, the “shift to park” issue started again. At the dealership now and was informed that since the vehicle is out of warranty, I would be responsible for repairs this time. This is a safety issue that GMC is well aware and should not happen to begin with let alone after repairs. In no way am I going to be held responsible for repairs that obviously were done with either defective parts or parts that were limited to only 3 years without my knowledge. If I knew I would have to do the same repair in 3 years and I would be responsible for it, I would have argued for better parts to begin with. GMC needs to know that this is a real problem that needs to be dealt with immediately.

NHTSA ODI 11468143

“Action required Shift to Park” indicator comes on when trying to park vehicle. Vehicle does not recognize that it is in park. Vehicle will continue to move a short distance before recognizing that it has been placed in park and then comes to an abrupt stop. Vehicle sometimes has to be shifted between drive and park several times before it will recognize that it is in park.

NHTSA ODI 11467105

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after shifting into park(P), the gear shift indicator showed the vehicle was in park(P) however, while attempting to turn off the vehicle, the "Shift to Park" warning light remained illuminated. The contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that after shifting between drive(D) and park(P) several times the contact was able to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,200.

NHTSA ODI 11463618

After parking the car and putting transmission in "Park" car would start rolling forward and display message " shift to park" Luckily i was able to jump back into the car and apply brakes before car caused any serious damage to property or people around.

NHTSA ODI 11450814

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and shifting the transmission to the Park, the vehicle would either roll forward or backward. An audible warning "Shift to Park" was also activated. The gear shifter was jiggled to correct the failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 25,000.

NHTSA ODI 11441912

After putting the vehicle in park, I get a "shift to park" error. The car does not recognize it is in Park, so it will not shut off completely. It takes several attempts of restarting the car and putting back into park before it will recognize it is actually in "Park". This has been happening for several weeks.

NHTSA ODI 11434450

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon depression of the brake pedal, the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where she was informed that the brake pads and all four rotors needed to be replaced. The contact then called Brad Deery Motors (112 N. 2nd St, Maquoketa, IA 52060) and was informed to take the vehicle in to be diagnosed. The contact was then informed that only one of the rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The contact also stated that upon attempting to park the vehicle, the shift to park warning message would illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact had to repeatedly shift the vehicle in and out of the park before the vehicle would recognize the shifter in the park position. The manufacturer had been notified of the failures but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

NHTSA ODI 11430980

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted to the park position however, the gear shift indicator failed to show that the vehicle was in park. There were several attempts made before the shift indicator showed that the vehicle was in Park. The vehicle was diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

NHTSA ODI 11423086

Shift to park not happening. Stop the car and then the shift to part indicator shows up in the driver information center. So far I have been able to clear it out. Going into the dealer first thing in the morning. I have looked and there appears to be a class action on this issue and a TSB. I just bought this vehicle and was not told about this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11422498

WHEN I PUT MY CAR IN PARK AND TURN OFF IT WILL RANDOMLY SAY "SHIFT TO PARK" IT STARTED DOING THIS IN AUG OR SEPT 2019 THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND I BROUGHT IT TO A DEALER TO "FIX". FAST FORWARD APRIL 2021 IT STARTED TO SAY SHIFT TO PARK AGAIN AND CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. CALLED DIFFERENT DEALERS EVEN THE ONE I BROUGHT THE CAR TO FIX PROBLEM (THAT WAS A JOKE), THEY KNOW ITS A PROBLEM AND SAYING SINCE THAT PART GOT FIXED IN 2019 WITH A BAD PART AND NOW THERE IS A A NEWER FIX THAT SHOULD WORK BETTER, BUT I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND PART AGAIN. AGAIN THEY KNOW IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS AND IT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. I HAVE TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND ON RESHIFT, PUSH THE SHIFTER HARDER, ETC TO GET THE MESSAGE TO GO AWAY SO I CAN TURN MY CAR OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11414503

VEHICLE WILL NOT SHUT OFF AS IT SHOWS SHIFT TO PARK. REOCCURRING PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11408404

THE SIX SPEED TRANSMISSION ALWAYS EXHIBIT BUCKING/HESITATION WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST GEAR TO 2ND GEAR. ALSO, WHEN SPEED BETWEEN 40MPH TO 50MPH, THE TRANSMISSION EXHIBIT SEVERE HESITATION TO DOWNSHIFT WHEN PRESS THROTTLE PEDAL. MOREOVER, THE TRANSMISSION EXHIBITS HARSHNESS WHEN DOWNSHIFT WHEN DECELERATING FROM 45MPH TO 0MPH.

NHTSA ODI 11399228

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED REMOTELY WHILE STILL IN PARK, HOWEVER IT INDEPENDENTLY SHIFTED OUT OF PARK AND INTO REVERSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE TRAVELED ACROSS THE YARD ONTO THE MAIN ROAD AND CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTOBODY SHOP BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,972.

NHTSA ODI 11395733

SHIFT TO PARK ERROR , ON COMPUTER DISPLAY.

NHTSA ODI 11395827

PLACE SHIFTER IN "PARK", TURN OFF ENGINE, AND GET "SHIFT TO PARK" MESSAGE ON CONSOLE. WHILE MESSAGE IS DISPLAYED, THE CAR CONSTANTLY BEEPS, WARNS, LIGHTS NOT TURNING OFF. HAVE TO START THE ENGINE BACK UP, AND PLACE THE SHIFTER INTO DRIVE AND THEN BACK TO PARK. SOMETIMES HAVE TO DO THIS 5-10 TIMES IN ORDER FOR THE CAR TO TURN OFF. THIS FIRST HAPPENED AT 11K MILES (UNDER WARRANTY) AND DEALERSHIP FIXED. I AM NOW AT 16K MILES AND IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN (OUT OF WARRANTY THIS TIME).

NHTSA ODI 11388214

CAR WOULD SHUTTER ON ACCELERATION. RPM GAUGE WOULD JUMP WHEN ACCELERATING OR DOWNSHIFT TO PASS/CLIMB HILL. DEALER FOUND PROBLEM WITH TORQUE CONVERTER. METAL THROUGH OUT TRANSMISSION (SEE ATTACHMENT FOR SPECIFICS AS NOTED BY MECHANIC)

NHTSA ODI 11375086

CAR DISPLAYS 'SHIFT TO PARK' MESSAGE AFTER TRANSMISSION GEAR SELECTOR HAS BEEN PLACED IN PARK. CAR WILL NOT TURN OFF AND THE TIRES ROLL FREELY. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS OF SHIFTING IN AND OUT OF PARK THE CAR WILL FINALLY RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS IN PARK AND ALLOW YOU TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE AS WELL AS LOCK THE TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ODI 11373213

EVERY TIME I PUT THE CAR IN PARK POSITION THE CAR DOESN'T SENSE THAT IT'S ON PARK AND ERROR MESSAGE KEEPS APPEARING IN THE SCREEN SAYING 'SHIFT TO PARK' AND THE CAR REFUSES TO TURN OFF AND IT ROLL AWAY FROM THE DRIVE WAY AND I HAVE TO SHIFT IT BACK TO DRIVE AND AGAIN TO PARK AGAIN AND AGAIN MULTIPLE TIMES TILL THE SENSOR FEELS IT. IT'S A SAFETY HAZARD. I LOOKED UP THE ISSUE ONLINE AND FOUND OUT THAT MOST OF THIS CAR OWNERS EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM AND THERE'S MULTIPLE LAWSUITS AGAINST GMC FOR THIS ISSUE. THIS CAR IS DRIVEN BY MY WIFE MOST OF THE TIME AND SHE HAS MY KIDS WITH HER IN THE CAR. IT'S A LIFE THREATENING ISSUE! I TOOK THE CAR LAST MONTH TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REFUSED TO FIX IT FOR FREE BECAUSE THE CAR WENT OUT OF WARRANTY BY ONLY 2K MILES, AND I COULDN'T TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHEN THIS ISSUE STARTED BECAUSE OF THE COVID. BY THE TIME WE COULD VISIT THE DEALERSHIP WE ALREADY DROVE OVER 5K MILES AND THAT PUTS THE CAR OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY LIMIT.

NHTSA ODI 11365025

LEFT FRONT HALF SHAFT FRACTURED. WAS MAKING A TURN ON HIGHWAY. VEHICLE HAS 53262 MILES.

NHTSA ODI 11360628

VEHICLE DOES NOT RECOGNIZE WHEN IT IS IN PARK. AT TIMES VEHICLE WILL NOT GO INTO PARK AND MAKES ME CONCERNED FOR MY FAMILY'S SAFETY. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT GM IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11351324

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN A STAND STILL AND TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE WOULD START TO BING, LIGHTS WOULD STAY ON, AND DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK. THE SHIFT TO PARK MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GET REPAIRED WHERE THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION MODE SWITCH WAS REPLACED, HOWEVER THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER (CHESROWN CHEVROLET BUICK GMC LOCATED AT 1701 COLUMBUS PIKE, DELAWARE, OH 43015) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SHIFTIER ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE, HOWEVER NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 38,000. *DT THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE DISPLAY "SHIFT INTO PARK" ERROR. WHEN PLACING IT IN PARK. THE VEHICLE'S HEADLIGHTS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED, AS WELL AS THE RADIO. ALSO, THE DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK. THE CONSUMER STATED THE SECTION OF THE SHIFTER THAT BOLTS INTO THE FLOOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. JS

NHTSA ODI 11351358

WHEN TRYING TO PUT IN PARK WON'T SHUT OFF SAYS SHIFT TO PARK, STARTED AROUND 25,000 MILES HAVE TO BE SURE VEHICLE IS LEVEL AND NOT ON AN INCLINE. VEHICLE ALSO SURGES AT TIMES LOOSING POWER WHEN YOU'RE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. ALSO, AT TIMES WHEN YOU GO TO START VEHICLE IT WILL HESITATE AND DISCONNECTS FROM BATTERY THUS RESETTING EVERYTHING. HAD TO REPLACE BATTERY AT 25,000 . THE REAR WIPER WILL GO ON IT'S ON WITHOUT TURNING IT ON.

NHTSA ODI 11350842