2018 GMC Acadia Electrical System
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
WHEN I TRY TO TURN OFF MY VEHICLE, MY DASH DISPLAYS THE MESSAGE 'SHIFT TO PARK' EVEN THOUGH I'M ALREADY IN PARK. I HAVE TO JIGGLE THE SHIFTER NOB BACK AND FORTH TO GET IT TO RECOGNIZE IT IS IN PARK. IT'S HAPPENED ABOUT 80% OF THE TIME I TRY TO TURN MY CAR OFF FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.
WHEN YOU SHIFT INTO PARK, THE CHIMES START GOING OFF AND THE DASHBOARD MESSAGE SAYS 'SHIFT INTO PARK'. I HAVE TO WIGGLE THE SHIFT UNTIL IT SHUTS OFF. SOMETIMES IT TAKES A LOT MORE WIGGLING THAN OTHERS. THIS HAPPENS ABOUT 90% OF THE TIME. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE PURCHASED IT.
THE VEHICLE FAILS TO DETECT WHEN I MOVE THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER INTO PARK POSITION. I HAVE TO TRY TO TURN OFF THE CAR AND TURN IT BACK ON AND SOMETIMES HAVE TO DRIVE IN IN IT AGAIN AND THEN ATTEMPT TO SHIFT IT TO PARK AND SHUT IT OFF AGAIN. SOMETIMES IT WON'T SHUT OFF, AND THEN I'M STRANDED.
MY 2018 ACADIA KEEPS GIVING ERROR MESSAGE "SHIFT TO PARK" , IT HAS DRAINED MY BATTERY TWICE I HAD TO GET NEW ONE. IN ORDER TO SHUT OFF ERROR, I HAVE TO RESTART IGNITION AND MOVE SHIFTER TO DRIVE OR REVERSE SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE ERROR MESSAGE TO SHUT OFF. AT TIMES THE VEHICLE STILL THINKS IT IS ON AND THEN DRAINS BATTERY. I BROUGHT IT IN ON SEPTEMBER 2019 AND THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE HARNESS HOWEVER IT HAS STARTED AGAIN. MY WARRANTY IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE. IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN I WILL NEED TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTIFICATIONS FROM GMC. THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING AND IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS WE DON'T KNOW IF CAR IS ON PARK.
I AM GETTING A ERROR MESSAGE "SHIFT TO PARK" EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS CLEARLY IN PARK. IT DRAINS THE BATTERY BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE WITH THE MESSAGE. HAVE TO JIGGLE THE SHIFTER AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS IT MAY CLEAR THE MESSAGE. HAD ONE TIME I GOT OUT WITH THE ERROR MESSAGE AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL WITH NO ONE IN IT EVEN THOUGH THE SHIFTING AREA SAID "P" FOR PARK. AND SITTING IN MY GARAGE WITH CAR RUNNING COULD NOT GET THE SHIFTER TO MOVE TO REVERSE, DRIVE, ANYTHING, HAD TO SHUT IT OFF 3 TIMES BEFORE IT WOULD REGISTER. HAVE HAD THE WIRING HARNESS ALREADY REPLACED.
RECEIVE A SHIFT TO PARK ISSUE WHEN TRYING TO TURN OFF THE CAR. HAVE TO MOVE THE SHIFT TO DRIVE AND BACK TO PARK MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE IT ALLOWS ME TO SHUT OFF THE CAR. AFTER A MONTH OR SO IT STARTED DRAINING MY BATTERY. I HAD TO PAY TO REPLACE THE SHIFT ASSEMBLY AND REPLACE THE BATTERY. IT'S BEEN LESS THAN 2 MONTHS AND I'M STARTING TO GET THE MESSAGE AGAIN!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 GMC ACADIA. WHEN PLACING THE VEHICLE INTO PARK, "ACTION REQUIRED, SHIFT TO PARK" APPEARED AND A WARNING CHIME SOUNDED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED INTO PARK AND SHUT OFF, THE BEEPING NOISE CONTINUED. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE WARNING NOISE AND INDICATOR TURNED OFF AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. BUDD BAER AUTO (71 MURTLAND AVE, WASHINGTON, PA 15301, 724-914-6670) WAS NOTIFIED AND AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE SERVICED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE PART WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 32,000.
WHEN VEHICLE IS IN PARK THE CAR IS NOT REALIZING AND IS ALARMING WITH A MESSAGE SHIFT TO PARK. I'VE READ THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN 16-18 ACADIAS AND THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL WHEN I CAN NOT TURN THE VEHICLE OFF
I PUT THE CAR IN PARK, BUT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL READS "SHIFT TO PARK." THE ENGINE TURNS OFF, BUT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM STAYS ON BECAUSE THE CAR DOESN'T THINK IT'S ACTUALLY IN PARK. I HAVE TO TURN THE ENGINE BACK ON, SHIFT TO ANOTHER GEAR, SHIFT BACK TO PARK, AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF TO SEE IF IT REGISTERS THAT THE CAR IS IN PARK. I'VE HAD TO DO THIS SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE CAR ACTUALLY REGISTERS THAT ITS IN PARK AND WILL COMPLETELY TURN OFF.
"TAKATA RECALL" I HAVE A 2018 GMC ACADIA BEEN HAVING IT SINCE JULY 2018. TODAY I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND PUSHED TO THE BUTTON TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF BUT IN THE DASH IT WAS DINGING AND SAID "SHIFT INTO PARK". I TURNED THE CAR ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IT WOULD SHUT ALL THE WAY OFF. IT HAS DOWN IT EVERY TIME I WENT TO SHUT THE CAR OFF TODAY. COULDN'T LEAVE IT AT WORK IN THE PARKING LOT LIKE THAT SO I HAD TO KEEP TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF AND SHIFTING IT INTO REVERSE AND BACK TO PARK UNTIL IT SHUT OFF.
KNOWN DASH PROMPTING ME TO SHIFT INTO PARK WHEN THE INDICATOR LIGHTS SHOW ITS IN THE PARK POSITION SO THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF BUT DASHBOARD LIGHTS STAY ON AND WON'T STOP UNTIL BATTERY IS DEAD
AUTO DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THAT TRANSMISSION IS IN PARK.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 GMC ACADIA. WHEN THE CONTACT TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND REMOVED THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION, THE VEHICLE'S WARNING SENSOR WENT OFF, THE RADIO REMAINED ON, AND THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO LOCK THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GREAT LAKES GMC BUICK (2824 N RIDGE RD E, ASHTABULA, OH 44004, (440) 319-3925) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A SENSOR FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE REMEDY WAS NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO A SHORTAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,000.
THE SHIFT TO PARK ACTION REQUIRED KEEPS POPPING UP WHEN I GO TO TURN MY CAR OFF. THE CAR WILL BE IN PARK. I WILL HAVE TO TURN THE CAR ON AND OFF MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE THE NOTIFICATION GOES AWAY AND THAN IM ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR.
I JUST BOUGHT THIS 2018 ACADIA IN JULY AND IT IS NOW GIVING ME THE SHIFT TO PARK ALERT EVEN THOUGH THE CAR IS IN PARK. IT TAKES SEVERAL TRIES OF RESTARTING AND SHIFTING TO GET IT TO TURN OFF, SO FAR. I'M AFRAID ONE TIME IT WILL BE STUCK THERE PERMANENTLY.THIS APPARENTLY IS A KNOWN AND FREQUENT ISSUE AND GMC NEEDS TO DO A RECALL.
DEAD BATTERY AT 12,973 MILES. REPLACED BATTERY. ALSO AT 13013 MILES 'PUT IN PARK' MESSAGE AND BEEPING WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK. CAR WILL NOT SHUT OFF, CANNOT BE LOCKED AND CONTINUES LOUD BEEPING. REPAIRED BY DEALER. AT 13268 MILES 'PUT IN PARK' MESSAGE AND BEEPING WHEN CAR IS IN PARK IS HAPPENING AGAIN. ALSO, DASHBOARD LIGHTS SOMETIMES DO NOT COME ON AND SOMETIMES SHUT OFF WHEN DRIVING. IS GOING BACK FOR REPAIR AGAIN. BATTERY IS LOSING AMPS.
I PURCHASED THE WIRELESS CHARGER. I RECEIVED THE GM DOCUMENT STATING WHAT VERSION OF PHONE I NEEDED FOR THE CHARGER TO WORK. I PURCHASED A PHONE AND THE CHARGER DOES NOT WORK. THE DEALER RESEARCHED THE PHONE AND THERE ARE ONLY SPECIFIC MODELS MANUFACTURED IN THE SAME YEAR THAT WORK FOR THE CHARGER. I HAVE TESTED WITH 5 DIFFERENT MODEL PHONES AND ONLY ONE WORKED. THIS OPTION IS A WASTE OF MONEY AND NOT ADVERTISED APPROPRIATELY NOR DOES THE GM BROCHURES OR WEBSITE PROVIDE ADEQUATE INFORMATION TO NOTIFY THE CONSUMER OF THE ISSUE.
Trend Over Time
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Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2018 GMC Acadia has 42 Electrical System complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.