10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,765 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2017 GMC Acadia drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2017 GMC Acadia Owner Comments (Page 3 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #134

Apr 022021

Acadia

  • 41,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

After putting the car in park and turning it off a 'shift into park' message displays on screen leaving the car still on. Very dangerous when I always have my 3 kids with me at all times. We have to keep messing with it until it goes away before we can safely get out and feel confident its ok to leave the car.

- Rockwell, NC, USA

problem #133

Apr 012021

Acadia

  • 35,000 miles
The vehicle gives a 'shift to park' warning on dashboard after vehicle ignition button. This warning shows up every time the vehicle is accepted to shut off. It takes several minutes and tries to get the message to go away and the vehicle to completely shut off. The only successful way of getting the message and vehicle to completely shut off is by wiggling or shaking the gear shifter until it goes away. I have been stranded with children in the vehicle for concerns that the vehicle will roll with the vehicle not registering that it is in park. After researching the vehicle issue further it has been found that other owners with the same year and model have had the same shift to park message and have had their vehicle roll on it's own. The vehicle has gone to the dealership to be fixed but unfortunately because my warranty has expired I am being held responsible for paying to fix this safety issue.

- Hanscom Afb, MA, USA

problem #132

Feb 022021

Acadia

  • 27,000 miles
Shift to park message comes up randomly, when parking vehicle. Had electrical harness replaced in 2019 for this problem, then hardly drove in 2020. Now the dealership said I need to replace the shift control assembly at a cost between $300-$400. They indicated the bumper to bumper warranty is expired, and I would have to pay.

- Muskegon, MI, USA

problem #131

May 042018

Acadia

  • 9,674 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The airbag light on this car has been going off and on since it was purchased in October 2017. Every couple of months there was another problem with the airbag. The dealership could never diagnose the problem. They initially claimed the sensors were unplugged as a result of moving the seat back and forth. Now that the car is out of warranty, they want to diagnose the problem as a faulty sensor. Additionally, the automatic transmission shift to park issue is occurring. This is when the car is parked and the transmission shifted into park, however, an error indicator displays saying the car needs to be shifted to park to turn off, even though it is in park. The dealership replaced the manifold 2 years ago and now the problem is resurfacing.

- Adamstown, MD, USA

problem #130

Mar 042021

Acadia

  • 37,000 miles
Shift to park issue - when shifting into park and subsequently turning off the vehicle, the vehicle will show a notification on the dash saying 'shift into park' and will not allow the vehicle to shut off. The vehicle does not recognize the shifter ind the park position, will not turn off and will allow the vehicle to roll freely. This is a safety issue for multiple reasons. First, the vehicle while in the park position can roll freely. Second, the vehicle will not turn off and engine will continue to run, thereby rendering the vehicle unable to shut down.

- Ocala, FL, USA

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problem #129

Jan 082021

Acadia 6-cyl

  • 64,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while placing the vehicle in park, an error message and warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the message shift to park was displayed while attempting to start or turn off the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to Buick GMC of Mahwah (386 NJ-17, Mahwah, NJ 07430) where the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000.

- Oradal, NJ, USA

problem #128

Jan 022021

Acadia

  • 69,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The issue involved the car failing to recognize it is in park and will not shut off while also rolling. The issue first came up in November of 2018 and GMC replaced the shifter assembly under warranty. It has has reappeared as of October 2020 but there is no recall or other means to fix it and it presents a hazard given the car Transport our 3 year old son.

- Williamsburg, VA, USA

problem #127

Jan 012021

Acadia

  • 34,504 miles
When the vehicle is shifted into park to turn off the engine the sensor shows it is not in park and will not let you turn the engine off.

- Elmira, NY, USA

problem #126

Dec 022020

Acadia

  • 61,000 miles
Shift to park warning turns on when gear shifter is in park and while attempting to turn off the vehicle

- Lamar, SC, USA

problem #125

Nov 142020

Acadia

  • 95,957 miles
At 95,800 miles the automatic transmission failed catastrophically. There was no warning of the failure. After stopping for a brief time on an interstate highway, upon resuming the trip the vehicle stared over-revving and searching for shifts. When a shift point was found there was a loud banging noise when the gear engaged. The vehicle remained driveable to deliver to a repair facility where it was diagnosed as a complete transmission failure. The vehicle has been maintained meticulously and all routine service was performed by authorized GM dealerships.

- Wallkill, NY, USA

problem #124

Jul 142020

Acadia

  • 16,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle is put into park when stopped in a parking lot or in my garage but the message on the dash indicates it is not in park. This happens intermittently. The power remains on with lights not shutting off. Shifter harness was replaced in July 2020 per bulletin 19-na-206. The problem showed up again 3 months later.

- Mahtomedi, MN, USA

problem #123

Feb 102019

Acadia

  • 35,040 miles
Gear shift would go into park but would not turn off engine, lock doors, turn off lights. Warning light read to "place in park."

- Norco, CA, USA

problem #122

Nov 192020

Acadia

  • 33,468 miles
When put in park, I shut the car off and it says to put it in park. It's in park, and when I open the door, the horn sounds because it thinks it isn't in park, but why would it let me out of the car, and lock it if it wasn't in park?

- Leominster, MA, USA

problem #121

Oct 162020

Acadia

  • 31,000 miles
Shift to park not engaging into park position, it was stationary

- Quincy, MA, USA

problem #120

Oct 152020

Acadia

  • 27,500 miles
Instrument cluster displays "shift to park" even after putting the car on parking. Because of this, driver can be stranded, unable to shut the engine off which may drain battery, or even vehicle may roll over if the vehicle wasn't parked properly because of this. GM should extend the warranty for this issue to all the vehicle owners so that they don't have to pay out of pocket after warranty expires.

- Leander, TX, USA

problem #119

Aug 012020

Acadia

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift into park. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was put into neutral and applied the parking brake to park the vehicle. In addition, the battery was drained due to placing the vehicle into neutral and applying the parking brake. The vehicle was taken to Chevrolet Buick GMC of murfreesboro (960 john R rice blvd, murfreesboro, tn 37129) where they informed the contact to continue to use the method until they were able to review the vehicle on the scheduled appointment date. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

- Murfreesboro, TN, USA

problem #118

Jun 012020

Acadia

  • 54,000 miles
My 2017 had a shift to park issue. When parked and the car is in "park" the car will say "shift to park" which causes you not to be able to lock the car, or to make sure the car will not roll away. Took the car to the dealer and had all components replaced, however they information me that this will not fix the problem as the parts are made incorrectly, so unfortunately it will happen again at some point. My second issue with the Acadia is when you are in cruse control, the car will automatically apply the breaks (abruptly and hard) for no reason. GMC says that it could be when the sensors get dirty or overheat, however it makes you very uneasy knowing your breaks can mash on at anytime by themselves when you are using the cruise control system.

- Peyton, CO, USA

problem #117

Aug 132018

Acadia

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving, the shift to park failed to move from auxiliary mode and drained the battery. Additionally, the vehicle moved. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken three times to garlyn shelton Buick GMC (5625 S general bruce dr, temple, tx 76502, (254) 598-4128) and diagnosed that the shifter boot and shifter pin needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 30,000.

- Belton, TX, USA

problem #116

Oct 102020

Acadia

  • 56,500 miles
Vehicle has developed the shift to park issue that doesn't allow the SUV to be turned off when actually in park. It's a safety issue.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #115

Sep 022020

Acadia

  • 35,000 miles
Car states 'action required, shift to park' when shifter is in park and car is turned off, causing me to be stranded in my car. Accessories stay on and doors will not lock.

- Louisville, KY, USA

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