2018 GMC Acadia POWER TRAIN,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
SHIFT TO PARK WARNING. VEHICLE WILL NOT POWER DOWN.
Shift to park message has appeared again and the engine will not cut off. First happened in Feb 2020, mileage was 31,143. Took to Dealer and new wiring harness was installed. Had to take back to dealer April 2020 for same problem; shifter assembly was replaced at that time. Shift to park message came back on August 2023. Took back to Dealer and shifter harness replaced again and jumper harness was installed. Mileage was 52,993. Shift to park message has once again appeared, December 2025. Having to put car in park and push engine on/off button numerous times before engine will finally shut off.....sometimes having to unhook battery in order to kill the engine. This will be the fourth time we have had the same recurring issue repaired. My husband read through over half the 352 registered complaints and at least three fourths of them were all about the SHIFT TO PARK problem! As a female, I don't feel safe driving my Acadia not knowing if the engine will cut off or if it's actually in park or if the car will roll. Why can't GM fix this issue!!!!!! They should definitely be held accountable instead of ignoring the complaints!
After shifting car to “P” park, it still says shift to park and drains the battery.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and restart daily and required to be jumpstarted. Additionally, while the transmission was shifted into park(P), the "Shift to Park" message was displayed, and the vehicle failed to turn off, causing the battery to become drained. Roadside Assistance was able to jumpstart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone and Firestone, where the battery and alternator were tested; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact purchased a battery jump starter to jumpstart the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to Pep Boys, where the alternator, battery, and starter were all tested, and it was determined that the engine switch had failed. Pep Boys advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 81,737.
When I park the car it beeps and displays on the dash to please park the car. Even if I have it on park. Won't allow me to turn it off. Finally turned it off. Turned it back on. And it done it agian..
2018 Acadia will display “Shift to park” warning along with an audible warning when the vehicle is shut off. This happens even though the PRNDL display is in the “Park” position each time. If I try to exit the vehicle, the audible warning continues (apparently indefinitely). This began at an odometer of about 59,200. Initially, the situation could be corrected by restarting the car and shifting in and out of Park or depressing the shift knob several times. Within a couple of hundred miles, it became consistent and eventually could not be corrected as described above. Unfortunately, this is not covered under warranty. I began driving for a few months without the shift knob, simply depressing the plunger on the shift rod coming up from the transmission. Doing this, the warning rarely occurs and, if it does, it’s easily corrected with one or two presses of the plunger. Some modifications of the shift knob have allowed the knob to be used with results similar to driving without the knob. I hope there will be a software update (deployed over OnStar) to use the PRNDL information and eliminate this failed system.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted to the park position however, the gear shift indicator failed to show that the vehicle was in park. There were several attempts made before the shift indicator showed that the vehicle was in Park. The vehicle was diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN A STAND STILL AND TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE WOULD START TO BING, LIGHTS WOULD STAY ON, AND DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK. THE SHIFT TO PARK MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GET REPAIRED WHERE THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION MODE SWITCH WAS REPLACED, HOWEVER THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER (CHESROWN CHEVROLET BUICK GMC LOCATED AT 1701 COLUMBUS PIKE, DELAWARE, OH 43015) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SHIFTIER ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE, HOWEVER NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 38,000. *DT THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE DISPLAY "SHIFT INTO PARK" ERROR. WHEN PLACING IT IN PARK. THE VEHICLE'S HEADLIGHTS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED, AS WELL AS THE RADIO. ALSO, THE DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK. THE CONSUMER STATED THE SECTION OF THE SHIFTER THAT BOLTS INTO THE FLOOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. JS
THE VEHICLE WILL NOT ALWAYS GO INTO PARK. IN ORDER TO GET IT INTO PARK YOU HAVE TO REPEATEDLY SHIFT OUT OF PARK AND BACK INTO PARK UNTIL IT WILL GO INTO PARK. IF IT IS NOT IN PARK THE VEHICLE WILL NOT LOCK AND WILL NOT POWER DOWN. SINCE IT WILL NOT GO INTO PARK IF THE VEHICLE WAS ON A HILL AND IT DID NOT GO INTO PARK THEN IT WOULD HAVE THE CHANCE TO ROLL DOWN THE HILL. I HAVE NOT ATTEMPTED TO SEE IF IT WILL ROLL DOWN THE HILL NOR AM I GOING TO TRY BUT SEEING HOW IT SHOWS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THAT THE VEHICLE IS IN NEUTRAL I'M SURE IT WILL ROLL IF GIVEN THE CHANCE. WHEN SHUTTING OFF THE VEHICLE AFTER YOU HAVE PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK ON THE GEAR SELECTOR A MESSAGE COMES UP ON THE SCREEN THAT SAYS SHIFT TO PARK IT HAS TAKEN UP TO 20 TRIES OF SHIFTING THE VEHICLE IN AND OUT OF PARK UNTIL PARK WILL ENGAGE. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PICTURE ALL GAUGES ARE AT THEIR LOWEST POINT SHOWING NO POWER TO THE VEHICLE AND THE SHIFT INDICATOR IS IN THE NEUTRAL POSITION WITH THE MESSAGE ON THE DISPLAY READING SHIFT TO PARK.
1 OUT OF 2 TIMES A DAY WHEN I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK IT GIVES ME A WARNING TO SHIFT TO PARK ON THE ELECTRONIC DASH. EVEN THOUGH THE SHIFT IS SITTING IN THE PARK POSITION. SO I HAVE TO RESTART THE CAR, TAKE IT OUT OF PARK AND SHIFT BACK TO PARK MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE THE WARNING GOES AWAY. THIS WARNING PREVENTS THE CAR FROM COMPLETELY SHUTTING DOWN
VEHICLE ENGINE WAS RUNNING WHEN I CAME TO A STOP AND SHIFTED TO PARK. I RECEIVED AN ERROR INDICATING "ACTION REQUIRED - SHIFT TO PARK." I DID NOT LET OFF OF THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAUSE I WAS UNSURE IF THE VEHICLE HAD ACTUALLY SHIFTED INTO PARK. WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL APPLIED, I ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT TO NEUTRAL AND DRIVE, THEN SHIFT BACK TO PARK, AND RECEIVED THE SAME ERROR. WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE, I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF, BUT THE ELECTRONICS WOULD NOT POWER OFF AND THE ERROR CONTINUOUSLY DISPLAYED ON THE DASH. I STARTED THE ENGINE AND REPEATED THIS PROCESS MULTIPLE TIMES WITH THE BRAKE PRESSED BEFORE CHANGING GEARS AGAIN, SHIFTING INTO PARK, THEN APPLYING THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. IT WAS ONLY THEN THAT I TURNED MY ENGINE OFF AGAIN, AND THE ERROR FINALLY NO LONGER DISPLAYED. SINCE THE ERROR WAS NO LONGER DISPLAYING, I COULD ONLY HOPE THAT MY VEHICLE WAS ACTUALLY IN PARK, BUT FELT REASSURED THAT THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE WAS ENGAGED. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS SAFETY CONCERN THAT SEEMS TO BE AFFECTING MANY OF THESE VEHICLES.
WHEN SHUTTING THE ACADIA OFF IT PROMPTS A MESSAGE SAYING MUST BE IN PARK. IT IS IN PARK BUT COMPUTER IS NOT RECOGNIZING IT. THIS FORCES YOU TO LEAVE CAR RUNNING. IF YOU DONT THEN YOUR BATTERY WILL GO DEAD. WHEN SPEAKING TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP THEY ARE AWARE OF ISSUE BUT DONT KNOW ANYTHING TO RESOLVE IT. CUSTOMERS SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS SINCE IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE.
WHEN PUTTING MY VEHICLE IN PARK AND PRESSING THE ENGINE OFF BUTTON, I GET AN ERROR MESSAGE "SHIFT TO PARK", AND THE VEHICLE BEEPS AND WILL NOT TURN OFF THE ELECTRICAL, BUT THE CAR IS ALREADY IN PARK. I AM UNABLE TO TURN OFF MY VEHICLE COMPLETELY. I HAVE TO PRESS START AGAIN AND PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE AND BACK TO PARK, SOMETIMES MULTIPLE TIMES IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO REGISTER THAT IS IN PARK AND ALLOW ME TO SHUT OFF MY VEHICLE COMPLETELY. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE VEHICLE MAY NOT ACTUALLY BE IN PARK WHEN I PUT IT IN PARK. I DO NOT WANT IT TO ROLL DOWN A HILL AND I WANT TO BE ABLE TO TURN OFF MY CAR WITHOUT BEING CONCERNED IT WILL CONTINUE TO RUN ELECTRICAL AND KILL MY BATTERY.
WE HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE GEAR SHIFT, SINCE THREE WEEKS AGO WE CAN'T TURN OFF THE ENGINE AS A NORMAL PROCEDURE BECAUSE THE SENSOR OF THE GEAR SHIFT DOESN'T DETECT THE SHIFT IS IN 'P' PARKING, WE CONTINUALLY RECEIVE A MESSAGE FROM THE SCREEN. 'PUT YOUR SHIFT IN 'P', BUT IN THIS PRECISE MOMENT THE SHIFT WAS IN PARKING MODE, SO WE CAN'T TURN OF THE ENGINE. WE RECEIVE A NOTIFICATION FROM THE MECHANICAL WORKSHOP THAT THE ISSUE COULD BE THE ELECTRICAL HARNESS, BUT THEY DOESN'T GIVE US WHEN COULD BE CHANGED, SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE MORE THAN TWO WEEKS WITHOUT USE THE VEHICLE, THEY DO NOT RECEIVE A OFFICIAL FEEDBACK FOR THE PLANT YET.
2018 GMC ACADIA VIN [XXX] MY CAR HAS 41,000 MILES. WHEN I PARK AND TRY TO SHUT MY CAR OFF A MESSAGE POPS UP THAT SAYS "SHIFT TO PARK". IT WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO SHUT MY CAR OFF BECAUSE IT DOES NOT IDENTIFY THAT IT IS IN FACT IN PARK. TODAY IT TOOK ME 15 MINUTES OF TURNING MY CAR OFF AND ON AND SHIFTING IN AND OUT OF PARK TO GET IT OFF. TWO DAYS AGO MY CAR STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 GMC ACADIA. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL REMAINED ILLUMINATED AND "PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK" WAS DISPLAYED. AS A RESULT, THE BATTERY DIED. THE CONTACT CALLED RENO BUICK GMC CADILLAC AT 775-333-0000 (LOCATED AT 900 KIETZKE LN, RENO, NV 89502) AND SCHEDULED A DIAGNOSTIC APPOINTMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 37,000.
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Quick Summary
The 2018 GMC Acadia has 16 POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.