Home · 2019 GMC Acadia Denali · Complaints

What 374 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 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 (374)Crash / fire / injury (8)Transmission & drivetrain (150)Electrical system (103)Engine (47)Steering (30)Brakes (16)Lights (10)Driver assistance (6)Lane Departure (6)Engine & cooling (5)Suspension (5)

Newest first · 374 complaints · page 4 of 15

Nov 15, 2025Transmission & drivetrainEngine

Car stalls and transmission dies

NHTSA ODI 11699512

Nov 15, 2025

shift to park issues when placing the vehicle in Park

NHTSA ODI 11699561

Nov 12, 2025SteeringEngine & cooling

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Steering Assist Fault - Drive with Caution" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who retrieved DTC: P0128 (Engine Coolant Temperature Below Thermostat Regulating Temperature) and replaced the engine coolant thermostat. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 55,114.

NHTSA ODI 11698972

Nov 11, 2025Transmission & drivetrainBrakes

The vehicle will be in park, and a message will pop up saying "shift to Park check and advise". Took my car into the dealer shop to get this fixed their response was the cause of the condition may be that the park switch in the transmission control (shifter) assembly is not pulling the BCM signal low to electronically show that the vehicle is in the park position.

NHTSA ODI 11698783

Nov 7, 2025Driver assistance

The put in park shows after engine is turned off, have to restart and shift out of park and back to park. This could take several times to accomplish.

NHTSA ODI 11698161

Nov 7, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon attempting to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to register that the transmission was in park(P) and the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact stated that the vehicle continued to beep. The "Shift to Park" message was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle required to be turned off and restarted several times, or to be driven to shift to park(P) successfully. Upon investigation the failure, the contact linked the failure to GM Technical Service Bulletins: 18-NA-297 and 19-NA-206. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a faulty shift control, and the dealer determined that the shift assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 52,280.

NHTSA ODI 11698201

Nov 3, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Ongoing issue with the 2019 GMC Acadia, "Shift to Park" shows on dashboard when vehicle is in park. Unable to turn the vehicle off.

NHTSA ODI 11697300

Oct 28, 2025

I do not have current recall on my vehicle, but my vehicle is experiencing the "Shift to Park" issue that many of the same year make and model mine is experiencing. I am unsure why my vehicle would not have one. It is messing up the transmission and I have only had this vehicle for a year from a dealership. I feel it is unsafe to drive as the vehicle does not always register that it is in park. I can feel the transmission slipping because of this. I would really appreciate some support for this. It is a 2019 GMC Acadia, which is also apart of the other vehicles that are apart of a lawsuit in Ohio and other states. This is a safety hazard for myself and my family.

NHTSA ODI 11695986

Oct 18, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

I own a GMC Acadia 2019.The problem that is happening has to do wiyj "shift Park" message I am getting when I turn off my car. It is "IN PARK" but this message in instrument panel shows and keep beeping. After several shifting in different gears stop sometimes , sometimes not. I see some messages that there has been a recall, others saying not. I see a lot of Acadia 2019 owners are having this issue. I will try to coontact dealer but it looks like they are not helping others

NHTSA ODI 11694307

Oct 13, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

I own a 2019 GMC Acadia SLT. The problem started after arriving at my destination and shifting into park. The message "Shift to Park" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle can sometimes be turned off and sometimes instrument panel continues to ding and does not shut off. After several attempts the vehicle can returned to normal and sometimes it does not. This problem is a regular occurrence. No warning lights illuminate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on my way home from a long trip. The service tech stated that there has been a LOT of complaints and he was surprised there were no recalls for this problem. The problem still persists on and off daily. The failure mileage was 49,000.

NHTSA ODI 11693200

Oct 12, 2025SteeringSuspensionEngine

Due to negligence of gmc wright of wexford during the replacement of 3rd new transmission they did not clamp a hose together causing coolant to leak and my thermostat to come on n off. Causing further damage to my vehicle

NHTSA ODI 11692973

Oct 7, 2025

The transmission keeps slipping, clunking, and not shifting correctly. Not shifting or down shifting correctly up and down hold or at stops. My husband is a trained mechanic and has confirmed through his place of employment that the transmission is failing. It hasn’t no yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance. No warning lamps, but the transmission temp rises to 270F+ In regards to the next question.. the issue is ongoing.

NHTSA ODI 11691904

Oct 1, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after arriving at her destination and shifting into park(P), the message "Please Shift to Park" was displayed and the vehicle could be turned off. After several attempts, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 88,000.

NHTSA ODI 11690785

Sep 25, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and shifting to park(P), the message "Shift to Park(P)" was erroneously displayed, and the vehicle could not be turned off. After several attempts, the contact was able to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the shifter cable bushing was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11689616

Sep 17, 2025

Shift to park issue car is in park car is not recognizing it and won’t turn off accessories

NHTSA ODI 11687801

Sep 10, 2025Seat belts

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated the center rear seat belt failed to extend as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,456.

NHTSA ODI 11686211

Sep 9, 2025Electrical system

AFTER PUTTING CAR IN PARK AND TURNING ENGINE OFF, SHIFT TO PARK WILL APPEAR ON DASH- CAR ALREADY IN PARK .

NHTSA ODI 11685874

Sep 6, 2025

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The issue was with the gear select switch and jumper harness, related to the "Shift to Park" malfunction in my 2019 GMC Acadia. Yes, the components were available at the time of the repair with the GMC dealer. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle would not recognize when it was in "Park," which prevented it from being turned off. This could lead to unexpected vehicle movement or battery drain, and creates a safety risk if the driver assumes the vehicle is secure when it is not. It also poses a hazard if the vehicle cannot be safely shut down in an emergency or in unsafe conditions. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the issue was reproduced and confirmed by a GMC dealer during an appointment on July 22, 2025. They diagnosed the problem and verified that the gear select switch and jumper harness needed replacement. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle was inspected and repaired by an authorized GMC dealer. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, a "Shift to Park" warning message appeared and the vehicle would not allow me to turn it off without shifting in and out of park multiple times. This first occurred on July 18, 2025, and continued until the repair was made.

NHTSA ODI 11685515

Sep 3, 2025Engine

Unknown My 2019 Acadia Denali has/is been repaired 6 times in 1 1/2 years for engine oil leaks , has had transmission repairs twice , radiator repair and replacement. Also suspension warranty work as well . I feel the oil leaks is and has been excessive and dangerous due to no warning lights never displayed to alert me to check oil

NHTSA ODI 11684644

Aug 30, 2025

On my 2019 Acadia, the message shift to park keeps appearing on my dash when I shirt the car into parked. It's getting more frequent and when I called GMC it's a well known problem to where the lady taking my appointment says yes we are aware it's happening alot. They want to charge 800 to fix a problem that should be a recall. It's a well known problem and there has been cases and suits brought up and GMC will not make a recall on this even though the mechanic said I can't believe this hasn't been recalled. Can you help with making GMC do a recall in the Shift to Park. Thank You

NHTSA ODI 11684100

Aug 29, 2025Electrical systemBrakes

Whenever parking the car and trying to stop (shut off) the engine it will randomly say “shift to park” and I cannot shut the vehicle off.

NHTSA ODI 11683930

Aug 21, 2025Steering

The contact owned a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH and attempting to adjust the steering wheel, the steering column and the steering wheel detached and fell in the contact’s lap. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the steering column and steering wheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,298.

NHTSA ODI 11682176

Aug 19, 2025Electrical system

Failure to be in park alarm when shifter is in park. Must play with shifter back into park to stop alarm bells and notice on dash. Supposedly there was a recall issued however not shown on this site per my vin #1GKKNXLS7KZ107842. Very irritating, please advise.

NHTSA ODI 11681612

Aug 19, 2025

When I park and then turn the car off the car fails to recognize that the gear shifter is in the park position. As a result, the car doesn’t fully shut down, leaving the engine running or the electronics active. This drains the battery. I have seen this issue is recalled for other 2019 Acadias but don’t under why it is not recalled in mine. I’m afraid I’ll be out and about and unable to turn my car off resulting in a dead battery and being stranded.

NHTSA ODI 11681738

Aug 18, 2025

Check engine light comes on, engine temperature gauge stops working engine fan runs on high only. I have replaced the thermostat/sensor once already and now it needs to be replaced again.

NHTSA ODI 11681403

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Working with the data? Download all 374 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 2019 GMC Acadia Denali verdict →