What 374 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 GMC Acadia Denali

Gmc acadia keeps flashing the lamp that says to !shift to park, when the car is in park and will not turn off. Does not go off when I turn the car off and does not go off when I reshift the car to park. It takes several trys of putting it back in park then goes off, now it does this every time I park and turn the car off. I'm not the only one with this issue. Its been going on for over week now 38k-ish miles.

NHTSA ODI 11481175

The Shift to Park warning message when shifter is already in park shows up on the dash information center. The gear assembly is not working properly, and the artificial intelligence does not recognize park when you are in park. You cannot turn the car off without repetitive turning car off and on and shifting back and forth between drive and park. I was going to live with this aggravation due to costly repair ($656.67), but I went online and found that the car may roll forward if it is not fixed in a timely manner and you don't know if it is in park causing danger if it rolls. Others say put the emergency brake on always. This is a safety issue. Jim Ellis said to bring it to your attention and also write a letter to GMC Corp. I also noted that there is a lawsuit against GMC as they have profited selling the Acadia with this defective gear assembly since 2012. This is the second generation 2017-2019 with the same safety issue problem. Also, you have to replace the battery due to the excessive usage it drains the battery ($219.12)

NHTSA ODI 11476670

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted into park(P) however, the "Shift to Park" message was displayed. The contact shifted the gear shifter back and forth and then shifted into park(P) before the proper gear was recognized. The failure caused the battery to drain. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 11469380

When parking the suv and placing the gear shift in park, the notification system states “shift to park”. This has been happening daily for the last 3 weeks. Sometimes I can get the notification to go away when I push the button on the gear shift. Other times, I have to cut the car off and then back on for it to clear the notification.

NHTSA ODI 11468976

When parking the suv and placing the gear shift in park, the notification system states “shift to park”. This has been happening daily for the last 3 weeks. Sometimes I can get the notification to go away when I push the button on the gear shift. Other times, I have to cut the car off and then back on for it to clear the notification.

NHTSA ODI 11467608

'Shift to Park' appears on the dashboard after the vehicle is turned off and in Park. This issue can deplete the battery. The problem was confirmed by the dealer.

NHTSA ODI 11465904

After vehicle is shifted into Park, "Shift into Park" message comes up. It requires you to restart vehicle, put in R, back into Park, sometimes jiggle the button, sometimes the entire shifter, sometimes drive around the block and start the process again. The message does not go away even if you exit the vehicle. 2017 Acadia had a recall for same issue, 2 years later still occurring but no recall. The repair is $600! GM offering nothing. Needs to be a recall, if you have an appointment it is sometimes 10-15 minutes of messing with the shifter ro driving around until you can shut your car off. I have been carrying tools and just disconnecting the battery if it won't shut off. Can't be 10-15 minutes late for work every day waiting for my car to agree it is actually in Park!

NHTSA ODI 11465218

Vehicle has had a hard shift since 15000 miles, always told at dealership it was normal. At 87493 my check engine light came on and code P2097-00- I was told it was that I had a bad battery and GM would not provide me one. Light was reset. Now at 98000 miles, shifting harder (automatic) like a jolt and vibrates going up hill- told I needed transmission fluid changed, this did nothing. This was confirmed by dealership prior to fluid change and then the dealership would not set up another appointment. Had this confirmed also by an independent service center. Occasionally a light will come on to say shift into park, despite being in park. No other messages related to this.

NHTSA ODI 11458936

Intermittent Shift to Park Message Displayed While Vehicle in Park, as detailed in NHTSA Bulletin 19-NA-206.

NHTSA ODI 11453770

Can not see at night with low or high beams. Lights are very poor and dim. Transmission always feels like it's slipping( 50,000 miles ). Shifts hard.

NHTSA ODI 11450856

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed however the vehicle failed to increase in speed and started to jerk. The “service stability track” warning message was displayed. The failure was intermittent. The contact took the vehicle to an auto store where there were no codes reported by the diagnostic tool. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,600.

NHTSA ODI 11442872

Occasionally my vehicle will say "Shift to Park" when I turn off the vehicle, but the vehicle is clearly in Park. It has been happening more frequently lately. I have researched this problem and it appears it has been a problem with several other GMC Acadia's as well.

NHTSA ODI 11428385

WHEN I GOT TO WORK THIS MORNING, I PUT MY 2019 ACADIA IN PARK AND TRIED TO TURN OFF THE CAR. AN ALERT POPPED UP THAT SAID, "SHIFT TO PARK," BUT THE CAR WAS ALREADY IN PARK. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON AND IT CORRECTED, BUT THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN TWO DAYS THIS HAS HAPPENED.

NHTSA ODI 11413919

"SHIFT TO PARK " MESSAGE STARTED COMING ON THE DISPLAY EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK. ONCE THIS MESSAGE COMES ON, I AM UNABLE TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF. I HAVE TO KEEP PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN GEAR AND PARK AGAIN SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL THE MESSAGE GOES AWAY. I HAVE VIDEO OF THE ISSUE BUT DONT SEE WHERE IT CAN BE UPLOADED. THERE IS ALSO A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN CONN ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11406856

WHEN I SHIFT THE CAR INTO PARK AND TURN THE CAR OFF, THE CAR INDICATES "SHIFT TO PARK" AND DINGS UNTIL I MOVE THE GEAR SHIFT AROUND FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, AND THEN THE INDICATOR STATEMENT AND SOUND STOP. THIS HAPPENS APPROXIMATELY HALF THE TIMES I PARK AND TURN THE CAR OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11406367

FIRST IT SAID PARKING WASN'T WORKING CORRECTLY . THEN I CHECKED TO MAKE SURE THE PARK BRAKE WAS OFF , THEN WHEN I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF IT SAID IT WAS NOT IN PARK AND THE DASH LIGHTS STAYED ON ..

NHTSA ODI 11404048

VEHICLE DOES NOT RECOGNIZE IT'S IN PARK. VEHICLE WON'T SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY,IT HONKS HORN AND BEEPS INSIDE AND WON'T LET YOU LOCK DOORS OR RESTART CAR. HAVEN'T NOTICED IT ROLLING AWAY LIKE MANY PEOPLE STATE... JERKING THE SHIFTER SEEMS TO GET IT WORKING SO FAR .. HAVEN'T BEEN STRANDED YET.VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN A PARKING LOT

NHTSA ODI 11398656

PUT VEHICLE ON PARK AND MESSAGE APPEARED SAYING THAT IT'S NOT PARKED I GOT TO BACK UP AND PULL FORWARD A COUPLE TIMES UNTIL IT RECOGNIZES THAT VEHICLE IS ON PARK THEN I CAN TURN THE ENGINE OFF

NHTSA ODI 11385331

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT INTERMITTENTLY UPON PLACING THE GEAR SHIFTER INTO THE PARKING POSITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED RECOGNIZE THE MANEUVER. DUE TO THE DEFECT, THE SHIFT TO PARK WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON ONE OCCASION, THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO ROLL FORWARD WITH THE GEAR SHIFTER IN THE PARK POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE INSPECTED OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11378261

I GET AN ERROR MESSAGE 'SHIFT TO PARK' WHEN IN PARK I AM TRYING TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE. THEN IT DINGS, WON'T LOCK, ETC.

NHTSA ODI 11374724

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL SOUND INSIDE THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN. ADDITIONALLY, THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING ACTIVATED WITHOUT DRIVER INPUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RANCHO GRANDE MOTORS LOCATED AT 1404 AUTO PARK WAY, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93405, WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ISSUE WAS COMMON WITH SIMILAR VEHICLES. THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING FAILURE WAS NOT DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 500. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DVD WOULD TURN ON IT. THE DEALER STATED IT COULD BE DUE TO A MISSING REMOTE THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED WITH THE VEHICLE. THE PARKING BRAKE WOULD ACTIVATE INDEPENDENTLY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE STEERING AND ENGINE REDUCED POWER THE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE HEADREST DVD PLAYER DO NOT PLAY THROUGH THE SPEAKERS. THE WIRELESS PHONE CHARGER WAS OFTEN INOPERABLE. THE SECOND GEAR DOES THE NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. THE DASH AND RADIO PERIODICALLY LOSE POWER. THE WINDOWS MAKE A LOUD OBNOXIOUS NOISE WHEN ROLLED DOWN. *JS

NHTSA ODI 11341276

MY 2019 ACADIA KEEPS BEEPING WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK AND I SHIFT IT OFF WITH AN ERROR MESSAGE 'SHIFT TO PARK'. I HAVE TO TURN THE CAR BACK ON, SHIFT THE CAR OUT OF PARK AND BACK INTO PARK. I AM NOW DOING THIS 10 TIMES OR MORE. I CALLED THE DEALER AFTER RESEARCHING THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THE CAR AND HAVE NOT ISSUED A RECALL. THIS IS A PROBLEM. BY STARTING AND TURNING OFF MY 10 TIMES I AM PUTTING A STRAIN ON THE STARTER. I AM AFRAID THE CAR WILL ROLL WHEN IT'S OFF WITH THIS ERROR MESSAGE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11311870

WHEN I TRY AND TURN THE CAR OFF IT HAS AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT SAYS "SHIFT TO PARK". THE CAR IS ALREADY IN PARK AND MESSAGE STILL. NEED TO DO A IGNITION CYCLE TO REMOVE THE CONDITION AND BE ABLE TO TURN IT OFF. THIS CONDITION HAPPENED RANDOMLY, STILL OCCURRING ONE OR TWICE A WEEK.

NHTSA ODI 11278048

WHEN I TRY AND TURN THE CAR OFF IT HAS AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT SAYS "SHIFT TO PARK". IT APPEARS THAT THE CAR IS IN PARK BUT I AM UNABLE TO SHUT THE CAR OFF AND UNABLE TO LOCK THE DOORS.

NHTSA ODI 11255290

THE MANUAL GEAR SHIFTER CONTROLS IN LOW GEAR ON THE CENTER CONSOLE DO NOT SHIFT. THE MANUAL CONTROL WORKED DURING THE TEST DRIVE AT THE DEALERSHIP WHEN THE CAR HAD 17 MILES ON IT, MARCH 10, 2019. THE SHIFTER FAILURE WAS FIRST NOTICED WHEN THE CAR HAD ABOUT 500 MILES ON IT, COMING DOWN A MOUNTAIN ON A HIGHWAY WHEN WE TRIED TO USE THE ENGINE TO BRAKE INSTEAD OF USING THE FOOT BRAKE ON MARCH 30, 2019. IN BETWEEN THOSE TWO DATES ON MARCH 21, 2019, THE CAR HAD A WATER LEAK AFTER IT RAINED THAT DRIPPED INTO THE CABIN OF THE CAR AND DIRECTLY ONTO THE SHIFTER AND OTHER ELECTRONIC CONTROLS. I BELIEVE THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILURE IS A DIRECT RESULT OF WATER DRIPPING ONTO THE SHIFTER AND OTHER ELECTRONICS ON THE CENTER CONSOLE. I HAVE 3 DOCUMENTED SERVICE RECORDS ATTEMPTING TO REPAIR THE WATER LEAK AFTER 3 SEPARATE RAINSTORMS THAT WAS ULTIMATELY DETERMINED BY GM ENGINEERING TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. WHEN THE GLASS IS POSITIONED FOR THE REAR MOONROOF, THE POSITIONER IS SUPPOSED TO HOLD THE GLASS IN PLACE FOR A MOMENT TO SEAL. INSTEAD THE POSITIONER MOVES CREATING AN AIR POCKET. THIS RESULTS IN WATER INTRUSION INTO THE CEILING OF THE VEHICLE AFTER RAIN, WHICH THEN SEEPS INTO THE FABRIC LINER AND DRIPS DIRECTLY ONTO THE CONTROLS. I AM WORRIED ABOUT WHERE ELSE WATER HAS TRAVELLED WITHIN THE CAR, KNOWING IT WAS MANUFACTURED IN JULY 2018 AND STORED OUTSIDE MOST OF ITS LIFE. THE SHIFTER IS THE FIRST OF WHAT I FORESEE AS MANY ELECTRICAL ISSUES THAT CAN ENSUE WITH WATER INTRUSION, AS IT HAS OCCURRED IN A CAR HAVING UNDER 900 MILES ON IT. WITH ALL ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION CONTROLS, I AM WORRIED THAT IF WATER DAMAGED THE LOW GEAR SHIFTING, THERE COULD BE FUTURE AND MORE DETRIMENTAL TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONS (POSSIBLY CATASTROPHIC). BEYOND ELECTRICAL FAILURES, MOLD IS A WORRY IN THE HEADLINER AND CARPETS CREATING A HEALTH HAZARD IN MY VEHICLE WHERE I TRANSPORT MY TWO SMALL CHILDREN.

NHTSA ODI 11195737