GMC Acadia Complaints

5,595 consumer complaints on file.

#11661704May 18, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2019 GMC Acadia with 33,000 miles on it started to give me a notification to "Shift to Park" even though I had already shifted the vehicle into park. A "ding! ding! ding!" alarm wouldn't go off and the vehicle wouldn't turn off unless I repeatedly changed the gears until it read it was in park. This went on for a few weeks and got progressively worse. I read on a GMC forum that the vehicle could slip out of gear while driving and potentially cause an accident. My mechanic found the shifter assembly to be defective and replaced the entire Gearshift Lever Assembly. He said there was a plastic piece in the gearshift that snapped off and said this was an issue in the older models but thought GMC had fixed this issue by 2019. Unfortunately, I was past my 3 year / 36K mile warranty and had to fork over $1300 to have it repaired.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661712May 18, 2025
POWER TRAIN
For the past two weeks, when the Acadia is put into park and the engine is turned off, the warning bell chimes nonstop and a dashboard message appears to put the vehicle into park even though it is already in park. The vehicle needs to be restarted and then put into drive or reverse and then back into park. With irregularity it may or may not work. Sometimes the car must be turned on and off 5 or 6 times before it recognizes that the transmission is truly in park.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661226May 15, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the "Shift to Park" message was displayed on the instrument panel. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission control harness needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,187.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661318May 15, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Our Arcadia 2019 with 40000 miles has shift to park problem. 2017 thru some 2019 had recall notice and were fixed by GMC. Why doesn't it apply to this vehicle. We had to pay $1500 to dealer. There is an obvious problem and they have admitted it. Time for government to step in or do a class action lawsuit looks like they are filed by state
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661054May 14, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My Acadia car has been having some problems with the shift to park. I put my vehicle on park and my doesn't turn off because it keeps saying that it hasn't shifted to park. Do to this issue my battery car has been draining and my family and I got locked in. I bought the car not to long ago and it's been an issue ever since its getting worse as time has past. I'm really wanting this fix as it can take hours to turn the car off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661065May 14, 2025
POWER TRAIN, STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES
All of this has been going on for a while but it's gotten to the point of dangerous. The Shift to Park keeps coming on preventing me from shutting the vehicle off even though it's, in fact, in Park. Then, "Steering Assist Reduced Drive With Care" keeps coming on. This will come on and off. Preventing the engine from heating up like it needs to be. Then the transmission keeps slipping. Was nearly rear-ended on the highway with my child in the car when it decided to start driving really rough and wouldn't allow me to shift to the next gear. This is also an ongoing issue. Another time I was almost hit in the side when this randomly happened on crossing the highway. This is absolutely absurd! I have had MUCH older vehicles without all these issues with many many more miles! I can't count the amount of times this has caused us serious hazards not to mention almost costing me my JOB! Interestingly enough, the same year/make/model has been recalled for the exact same issues yet for whatever reason GMC says MY model "was not affected by the recall". Funny how it's having the EXACT same issues as the ones on the recall list! GMC needs to fix this before they cause people to die! I'm a healthcare worker and this is disgusting!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660978May 14, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I am filing a complaint about my 2024 GMC Acadia AT4, leased brand new from Frank's GMC in August 2024, now with a little over 8,000 miles. The brake pads are worn to 35% life, far below the expected 30,000-70,000 miles, with loud squealing, fluid leakage, and odors. This poses a severe safety risk to my family and others, as compromised brakes could fail. In October 2024, before my 3,000-mile oil change, I reported brake concerns to Frank’s GMC service manager, Javier, who advised waiting. After the November 2024 oil change and tire rotation, only three months after obtaining my vehicle, Javier claimed no issues, despite my prior warnings. The problems worsened, with squealing, leakage, and odors persisting. My March 19, 2025, service appointment was delayed, calls ignored, and follow-ups never occurred. Sales manager Khaled stated that owner Frank confronted Javier about avoiding service issues, yet no action was taken. I contacted ten GMC service departments in PA, CT, and MD; they reported similar AT4 brake issues, some citing total brake failure. I spoke with GM corporate supervisors, who referred me back to the dealer. Frank’s GMC inspections overlooked my concerns. A local police department safety inspection unit confirmed the issues, but no manufacturer or insurance inspections occurred. The vehicle is available for inspection. I urge NHTSA to investigate this premature brake failure and ensure the 2024 Acadia AT4’s safety. The email screenshot I included was sent in April. I contacted the same GMC dealerships that previously reported no issues to check for updates, and they confirmed a change. All of them now report the same problem with brake pads and/or brake failure. This issue is covered under warranty and should be replaced without issue, but dealers are not complying. If overlooked, this could become a national concern
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660768May 13, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon arriving to his destination, the message "Please Shift to Park" was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. 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 Technical Service Bulletin: 19-NA-206. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660013May 9, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that occasionally while attempting to park the vehicle and shifting the gear selector into park(P), the message "Please Shift to Park" was displayed; however, there was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to turn off the vehicle during the failure. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659684May 8, 2025
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659781May 8, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am receiving a "Shift to Park" notification on most instances that I shift the car into park. When this warning engages, the car will not allow me to turn it off as it does not recognize that it is in park. After researching this issue, I found that there is a GM Recall for 2017-2019 GMC Acadias for this very issue. However, my VIN is not included in the recall so I do not qualify to have the issue fixed and would have to pay a substantial amount out of pocket.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659505May 7, 2025
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
An error pops on the dash that says steering assist is reduced-drive with care, and the thermostat gauge does not work, nor does the air conditioner and the vehicle fan under the hood is extremely loud. This has been happening intermittently since September 2024. Basic research on the Internet is showing many people have the same issue with these vehicles. Further research suggests possible vehicle computer system issues. I don't know why there isn't a recall already.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659329May 6, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When I park my car it beeps and says my car is not in park. Many other models of the 2019 GMC Acadia, along with other GM vehicles, may be affected by a "shift to park" recall. This recall addresses a defect where the vehicle may display a "shift to park" warning message even when the vehicle is actually in park, potentially preventing the ignition from being turned off and the key from being removed. This is exactly what my car is doing but they say my VIN is not included in the free fix. I brought my vehicle after it died to a GMC dealership and they said it will cost 1,000 to fix. My safety is at risk because I drive to different locations as a therapist and I often drive home at night in remote locations.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658958May 5, 2025
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES
I have a 2018 GMC Acadia that is now displaying " shift to park " while the vehicle is in park. Upon extensive research I see GMC did issue a recall however, my particular VIN was not included. Its NOW displaying the error message which would lead me to believe it IS part of the recall. I called my local GMC dealership (Langhorne, PA.) and they said this was not covered since my VIN was not issues a recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658713May 3, 2025
POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Some times when vehicle is shifted into park it doesn’t recognize it is in park. I have to turn the vehicle off and restart it, shift into drive and back into park. Sometimes it takes a few times. My neighbor has a 2018 Traverse and had the same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658720May 3, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I’m just reporting several known issues. First, with code P2138, which I got today at Oreilly after my car started throwing warnings. I used my parking brake briefly and afterwards got the following warnings on my car: “Steering Assist is Reduced, Drive with care”, “Engine power reduced” , “Propulsion Power is reduced” , “Service Parking Brake”. I’ve never even had one of these warnings. I’ve only gotten “shift to park” which is another known & common issue. With this P2138 code, it can affect acceleration and essentially loss of control over it, but seems I suddenly have several issues. Recently the infotainment system is possessed, touch screen stops working, it calls people by itself, beeps and scrolls by itself and is essentially useless. Might as well be driving at 1997 something or other, at least I could play a tape or CD. This is Denali trim at 87K miles. Primarily though I’m concerned with this code, if it’s legit, it is very dangerous. How unreliable and unsafe to not know.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658427May 2, 2025
ENGINE
The engine is not shifting properly, and the vehicle loses speed while driving and hesitates to accelerate. At time, it feels as though the car is not moving at all. This issue has occurred on multiple occasions, affecting both me and my family, and has forced us to pull over because the vehicle could barely move forward. This happed once on the highway and almost caused an accident. Additionally, the check engine light remains on at all times.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658505May 2, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, POWER TRAIN, EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Acadia. The contact stated there was an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the vehicle while depressing the brake pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the brake pads were replaced; however, the failure returned several days later after the repair. In addition, the contact stated that transmission fluid was leaking from the vehicle. The contact also stated that both taillights had failed to operate as needed and the message "Check Left Rear Turn Lamp" and "Check Right Rear Turn Lamp" messages were displayed a day apart. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the mechanic confirmed that there was a transmission fluid leak due to defective bolts. The dealer also replaced the rear taillights. The contact was also informed that there were no issues with the brakes, even though there was a noise coming from the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658163May 1, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Heater Core broken
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658259May 1, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ENGINE
While i was driving a code came on my dashboard that read "Steering assist is reduced drive with care". Soon after my check engine light came on. I pulled over not knowing what was happening. I took it to the garage to have it looked at and the mechanic stated that there are over 1000 gmc customers with this same issue and that the thermostat is stuck open. Which may cause major malfunction or even blow the engine. I looked up recalls for my vehicle and there are none but gmc issued a recall on other vehicles for this same issue. How do I get help here?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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