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)

150 of 374 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters · page 1 of 6

Jun 26, 2026Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

Problem 1: I got the car 2 years ago, and it keeps telling me to "Shift to Park" even though its in park. That's been happening for the whole time I've had it. It does throw a code for it on the scanner machine. I have to shift it back and forth sometimes 3 times and sometimes 17 times. It just keeps beeping over and over and won't shut off. I am having a mechanic look at it Tuesday but hoping it doesn't cost a lot. But no recalls on my car. Problem 2: For the last 4 months or so it keeps saying steering assist is reduced drive with car. It's being looked at Tuesday as well. I have 109K on my car, and got it at 86K.

NHTSA ODI 11746660

Jun 11, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon parking and attempting to turn off the vehicle, the message “Action Required. Shift to Park” was displayed while the gear shifter was in park(P). The vehicle failed to turn off. The contact moved the gear shifter back and forth until the vehicle registered it was in park (P). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced a wiring harness and switch. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,757.

NHTSA ODI 11743465

Jun 1, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

When I shift my 2019 GMC Acadia into park, the warning message reads shift to park and there is a ding warning that plays for several mins. This has been going on for over a year. I took it to the dealership and they said they could repair it for 1000 dollars but the solenoid was only guaranteed for 30 days. There is no possible way a dealership can expect a person to pay 1000 dollars a month to keep their family and transportation safe.

NHTSA ODI 11741194

Jun 1, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the shift to parking warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the failure occurred while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, however the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11741349

May 24, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

READ BELOW WE HAVE STATED THE SHIFT TO PARK ISSUE ON MOST GMC VEHICLES

NHTSA ODI 11739779

May 1, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into park and failed to shut off. There was a shift to a park error message displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a contact issue in the transmission box. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 91,355.

NHTSA ODI 11735167

Apr 27, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it was unable to recognize that the gear shifter was in park and experienced a shift to park failure. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 21,000.

NHTSA ODI 11734092

Apr 20, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon parking and attempting to turn off the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact restarted the vehicle and was able to successfully park and turn off the vehicle after several attempts. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently failed to shift as intended. Additionally, the A/C system was inoperable while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the cooler and thermostat needed to be replaced. The parts were replaced; however, the vehicle was not serviced for the transmission failures. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start, and the doors failed to close intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced. The contact stated that the transmission failure persisted, and there was an abnormal odor coming from underneath the hood. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11732376

Apr 1, 2026Transmission & drivetrainLatches & locks

Park to shift issue - the vehicle did not register that I was in park, jerked hard when trying to place in gear, did not register the PROPER gear (reverse, neutral, drive), would NOT unlock doors to let passengers out even if it were an emergency. Seems to be triggered on inclines but have also been having issues on flat ground. Other Acadia's apparently have a recall for this issue but my VIN does not register as recalled which is not acceptable. https://www.quillarrowlaw.com/blog/gmc-acadia-shift-to-park-recall-what-owners-need-to-know/ THEN trying to accelerate on road it acted as though in neutral, would only barely function in low gear. Again, gear shifting did not respond. The fab did not register to unlock the car (it has a new battery) or the trunk, or start the car just prior to the issue revealing itself.

NHTSA ODI 11728432

Mar 26, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

The "shift to park" continues to pop up and can take as long as 20 minutes to get it to go off. From what I have seen this is a super common issues for the 2019 models and why there isn't an active recall I am not sure. Getting pretty frustrating when I have read 100s of complaints about the same thing and GM isn't doing anything about it.

NHTSA ODI 11727230

Mar 24, 2026Transmission & drivetrainDriver assistance

I see where GMC Acadia is have a recall on transmission and if it’s the description of my two GMC Acadia’s, but when I put my Vin number in it doesn’t have a recall

NHTSA ODI 11726873

Mar 24, 2026Transmission & drivetrainBrakesDriver assistance

It has the ABS lights on and tire traction light on check engine light on and given signs of failed transmission Slow to takeoff shuttering of transmission

NHTSA ODI 11726874

Feb 26, 2026Transmission & drivetrainEngine

My 2019 Acadia often will not turn off because it has a Shift to Park issue. Apparently it is caused by a faulty microswitch in the shifter assembly that fails to signal the Body Control Module when in park, leading to a persistent warning message, inability to turn off the vehicle and battery drain. It has been going on for at least 4 years. It appears there is a recall for this problem but when I search my VIN number a recall does not come up. There are many posts that say "certain" models in years 2017-2019 but why not mine? It is definitely a safety issue because it does not turn off.

NHTSA ODI 11720758

Feb 26, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the gear shifter failed to shift into park(P). The vehicle failed to turn off, with the message "Shift to Park" displayed with an audible chime. The contact was forced to move the gear shifter back and forth before it was recognized that the transmission was in park(P). A dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

NHTSA ODI 11720766

Feb 10, 2026Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

Vehicle experiences multiple simultaneous failures including “Steering Assist Reduced / Drive With Care” warning, extremely loud cooling fan operation, temperature gauge not functioning, tire pressure monitoring system failure, and widespread electrical issues (windows, mirrors, infotainment delay). Issues occurred together and are consistent with numerous owner reports for 2019 GMC Acadia models. Condition affects steering assist and engine temperature monitoring, creating a potential safety risk.

NHTSA ODI 11716967

Feb 8, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

My 2019 GMC Acadia has shift to park warning light that repeatedly keeps coming on I've tried to park it have to turn it off two to three times maybe four times I have paperwork that I have went to the dealer and they have fixed it twice with a harness that is failing it only is a temporary band-aid fix. Even though in Indiana we do not have a recall as I know of for this year I would need to have this fixed for my safety I fear that one time it may not go into park and I may not be able to shut my car off.

NHTSA ODI 11716582

Jan 29, 2026Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

Shift to park alert continues to come on when car is already shifted into park. Car will not shut off without pulling car back out of park and shifting back into park. Causing a delay in all electrical attached to power down, potentially draining the battery.

NHTSA ODI 11714233

Jan 28, 2026Transmission & drivetrainSpeed control

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled unexpectedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact also stated that while coming to a stop and attempting to depress the brake pedal, the vehicle lost motive power but unexpectedly lunged forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 85,695.

NHTSA ODI 11713932

Jan 19, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

Started getting a warning indication when starting the vehicle that stated some portion of driver assist was not functioning (or some verbiage close to that). We didn't notice any difference in the operation of the vehicle and took it to a service shop after about a week. They did some testing and discovered the problem. I am not mechanical at all but they said there were several technical bulletins from the manufacturer that led them to the problem - a bent pin on one of the rocker arms. I am going to upload the technical bulletins (3) they provided me as well as the invoice (3 pages).

NHTSA ODI 11711871

Dec 30, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift to park(P) as intended and could not be turned off. The message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact was able to turn off the vehicle after shifting to low gear. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11707772

Dec 30, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

When I placed the vehicle in park, the dashboard alert/warning would signal "shift to park". This would continue to go off for quite some time, and it continued to get worse and take longer to shut off. Eventually the alarm would not go off I turned the car back on and off, nor if I engaged with the shifter. I could not leave my vehicle in this state, and I was unable to determine if my vehicle was truly in park, which is a huge safety concern to myself and others. This also caused the battery to drain, and could impair being able to start and run the vehicle. This problem has occured on many GMC vehicles, and there have been recalls issued for the other cars. I would like a recall issued for my VIN as well. I spent $800 fixing this issue and GMC will not cover the cost, even though this is a known problem with other Acadia's (even 2019).

NHTSA ODI 11707783

Dec 3, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The transmission is shuttering and jerking, had it diagnosed and was told that the torque converter is going out with only 137,000 miles on my 2019 GMC Acadia

NHTSA ODI 11702671

Dec 2, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

There is a "shift to park" alert that is listed as a recall from 2017-2019 gmc Acadia's. I have this alarm but apparently my vin is not affected. I would like this to be investigated as it seems my vehicle should be included in the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11702409

Nov 24, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Thermostat fails. Steering assist reduced message comes up on dash. Temperature gauge stops working, air conditioning stops working and engine fans run constantly when vehicle is running. I had the dealership fix and replace under warranty the first time and now it happened again a second time.

NHTSA ODI 11701371

Nov 24, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Shift to Park message comes up and vehicle will not turn off. This happens frequently and so far I have been able to get it to shift into park by clicking the lever on the shifter multiple times.

NHTSA ODI 11701373

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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 →