What 374 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 GMC Acadia Denali

For 3 weeks now, my dash keeps telling me to shift to park when my gear shift is already in park. Car will not allow me to secure it because it thinks the car is not in park!

NHTSA ODI 11655340

I have a 2019 GMCAcadia Denali with less than 60000 miles. The problem I have with the vehicle is I get a error that say "Park to Shift. I don' know if it is in park or not. I am afraid that it isn't in park and will create a safety issue and injuries. It is my understanding that the same problem with the 2020+ GMC Acadia and is listed in a RECALL. Why isn't 2019 not included in this recall?

NHTSA ODI 11654447

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon shifting to park(P), the vehicle made an abnormal beeping sound that persisted after turning off the vehicle. The message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown harness and switch were replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 39,886.

NHTSA ODI 11643647

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to shift to park(P), the message to “Shift to Park” was displayed. The contact shifted from park to neutral and back to park until the proper gear was recognized. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

NHTSA ODI 11643501

Shift to park. Shows it’s in park but it is not

NHTSA ODI 11643022

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated upon attempting to turn off the vehicle, the instrument panel remained operable with the message "Shift to Park" displayed while the gear shifter was already in park(P). The contact shifted out of park(P) and shifted back to park(P) several times until the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred, and the vehicle failed to successfully turn off after several attempts, causing the battery to become drained. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

NHTSA ODI 11634645

When I shift the car into park, a message pop up in the window to shift the car in park and keeps beeping. I can’t turn the car off and will have to restart the car and pull forward a little then try again sometimes that does not work. The light indicator says the car is in park but I can’t turn the car off.

NHTSA ODI 11632067

Shift to park message when vehicle is in park not allowing vehicle to be shut off

NHTSA ODI 11631678

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the shift to park message was displayed. There was a constant abnormal dinging sound detected, and the vehicle failed to remain in park. While having a routine inspection, it was determined that the rear trailing arms bushings were worn out and the vehicle failed the inspection. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V516000 (Power Train). The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11631353

Our car has the well know shift to park issue but shiws no recall. Is it possible GM might fix this defect?

NHTSA ODI 11629339

I’ve taken my car to the dealership twice for transmission issues. One time the engine/transmission light came on, they kept it for a month and told me they didn’t find anything. Wrong. 2 months later I took it back because it felt like it wouldn’t change out of gears and felt lint the transmission was slipping, they told me they me since it wasn’t a light on they couldn’t check it without a code. I then had to take it to another dealership because a code came back on and they said it was something. Four months later my transmission went out while I was driving down the hwy. I have a 2019 gmc Acadia. I had the same similar codes on 3 different occasions.

NHTSA ODI 11627765

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon reaching her destination and moving the floor shifter into park(P), the message to "Please Shift to Park” was displayed. The contact became aware that the vehicle had failed to recognize that the gear shifter was in park(P). No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V516000 (Power Train); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11626713

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was shuddering. The failure occurred while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle, replaced the transmission fluid, and added a protective additive as a temporary repair for the shuddering. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to an unknown NHTSA Campaign related to the failure; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11625847

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon arriving at her destination and moving the shifter into the park position, the vehicle failed to recognize that the vehicle was in park. After which, a message displayed reading "Please Shift to Park". The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.

NHTSA ODI 11619397

I am constantly getting a “shift to park” warning after putting my car in park. My car sometimes will not shut off because of this. It’s a safety issue for me because the car is not registering that it’s in park and my battery could very well die while I’m out with my children. This is a common complaint from what I’ve researched and needs to be fixed by GMC.

NHTSA ODI 11617229

The check engine light came on 12/2023. The vehicle was taken to Pep Boys and AutoZone in MD, WalMart and O'Rilley in Bastrop, LA, O'Rilley in Midlothian, TX. They could not find any problems with the vehicle. I took the vehicle to GMC in Plano, TX. THey charged me for a new battery but the check engine light remained on after I picked up the vehicle with a newly installed battery. The dealership said it would eventually go off. I took the car to Automotive Solutions in September 2024 and they can not find anything wrong with the vehicle. The car can not pass Texas inspection with a check engine light on. There is a large group on FB having this same problem. August 2024 the car will recognize when it is shifted into park. Sometimes it rolls after puting the car in park.I took the car to Automotive Soulutions in September 2024 and they can not find anything wrong with the vehicle. There is a large group on FB having this same problem. I took the car into a GMC dealership in MA because i hit a curb in 2021. The steering wheel feels loose. I took the car in 2022 & 2023 for the same problem. The dealership charges me for repairs but there is a reoccurring steering problem. Other drivers have noticed this problem with my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11614110

When I shifted to Park and hit the button to turn the car off, it continuously chimed and flashed the Shift to Park message on the dashboard. It would not allow me to fully turn off the car, stating I was not in Park, even though I was. I would have to turn the car back on, shift into drive or reverse, move forward or backward a little bit, hit the brake a few times, put it back to Park, hit the button, and hope it would turn off. It usually took four or five times of this routine before it would finally turn off correctly. It began happening more and more frequently over the course of a week by the time I could get it into the dealer. This is a safety issue, as the car was not fully in Park, and leaving it that way would have drained the battery as well as not allowed me to lock the doors while parked in my driveway. Thankfully, I have an extended warranty (car has 55,000 miles) and only had to pay my $200 deductible, but it was an over $500 fix. As this EXACT SAME issue is prevalent in these cars and was recalled on my same model in previous years, I feel the recall should be extended and these expenditures reimbursed.

NHTSA ODI 11613654

The Shift to Park feature malfunctions. Although my car is in Park it does not recognize it, gives me a 'Shift to Park' message and won't allow me to shut off the car. My car not correctly recognizing what gear it's in is a significant danger. This problem was a recall in 2017-2018 GMC Acadias but my car produced the same issue and was not recalled. The component was replaced by an IG Burton dealer. There were no other warning messages prior to the issue occuring.

NHTSA ODI 11612526

As previously reported by other owners of a 2017, 2018, 2019 Acadia- the “shift to park” message appears once I have put my car in park and turned it off. I have to restart my car, move the shifter to reverse, back up a tad bit, and put it back in park for the message to go away so I am able to turn my car off.

NHTSA ODI 11611968

Purchased this vehicle with 49,000 miles on it. Currently, it has 55,000. When I shift the car into park and turn it off. I am met with a consistent ding and error messages displaying “Shift to Park.” With this error message I am unable to fully turn my car off, it drains the battery and I cannot lock my car door. I have to turn the car back on and mess with the shifter which sometime takes a longtime. I cannot just leave my car on and drain the other components; it’s frustrating. I called my local GMC dealer. I told them about the current issues with these cars as it isn’t a secret that this is a common problem. I pointed out the TBS on this make and model and I’m expected to pay for this out of pocket because my powertrain warranty ended June 30th 2024.

NHTSA ODI 11611427

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated after shifting to park(P) and attempting to turn off the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact stated that upon shifting out of park(P) and shifting to park(P) several times, the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the "Shift to Park" switch had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer provided an estimate for the repair; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11608170

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while shifting to park and turning off the vehicle, the message “Shift to Park” was displayed. The parking brake failed to engage as needed. The contact continued to depress the brake pedal, and after ten minutes, the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was recommended that the shifter assembly be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a case. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

NHTSA ODI 11606998

When vehicle is shifted to park, the “Shift to Park” warning illuminates and the vehicle is unable to shut off. Have to play around with the gear selector for several minutes in order to be able to be shut off. Looks like GM has known about it for a while and has done nothing. Has been occurring on ours for about a year now.

NHTSA ODI 11604207

The contact's wife owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle on several occasions, the park gear was not recognized. The vehicle was restarted and shifted from neutral to park several times before the gear was recognized. On one occasion while parking on a slight incline, the vehicle was restarted and shifted from neutral to ark several times before the gear was recognized and the vehicle rolled backwards. The brake pedal was depressed several times before the vehicle came to a stop. Additionally, the contact observed a warning chime and the “Shift to Park” message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11604102

When shifting into "park", the vehicle displays a warning that vehicle failed to shift into park. Thr vehicle will not shut off and continues to run

NHTSA ODI 11603770