2017 GMC ACADIA Electrical System Problems

Thermostat Issue (Steering Assist is Reduced Drive with Care) have changed this sensor 3 times in the past 3 years, there is no excuse for that. The emergency braking almost cause me and my daughter to be hit by a train when my car emergency braked while going over train tracks. this is unexcusable

Vehicle will not shut off, keep showing shift to Park, even when vehicle is in park with parking brake engaged. This has been a common occurrence and I see where people discuss a recall, but one is not available for my VIN.

The Car has over the last few years not turn off due to shift to park. This is concerning, due to we cannot turn the car off unless we strike the shifter few times assuming this is the remedy. It doesn't look like there is any type of recall but there should be.

Pulled into a parking space, put the car into park and tried to shut the car off. The warning system said I needed to shift to park. I was in park but could not shut the car off because the car thought I wasnt in park. Took 15 minutes of shifting from park to all gears and shaking the gear shifter before it finally let me shut the vehicle off. This is now the second time this has happened and ive had to have the same thing repaired. They are replacing the whole shifter assembly. Error reads SHIFT TO PARK. This is happening every few years now and at almost 1000 dollars to repair and only lasting a year or so, this is ridiculous.

The car is in park & ignition button has been hit to turn vehicle off. When engine is turned off all interior, exterior, dash, & ignition switch lights remain on with a notification on the dashboard stating to "shift to park". The doors can not be locked when this message is on the screen. It can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 15 minutes for the lights & dash to go out, allowing you to exit & lock the car. If you exit the car while the message still appears on the dash, not only are the lights on & unable to lock the car, but if someone where to get into the car, without the key fob, they can start the car & drive off. My husband & I were in a shopping center parking lot in July 2025 where the "shift to park" error came on. We sat...

While driving get notice lane departure not working and thermostat registered zero, when code scanned, states low thermostat temp and able to reset with code reader. Will reoccur in minters to days later. This is an electrical issue to to the ability to reset with a code scan tool, but also a safety issue since it also effects the electrical safety ability associated with the sensor.

Backup camera often does not have a clear picture. Very grainy and static.

WHEN I STOP AND PUT ME CAR IN PARK IT USUALLY GIVES A WARNING SHIFT INTO PARK

SHIFT TO PARK Warning comes on & you can't lock the vehicle nor will it shut off completely. I've had to start & reverse several times before it engages/recognizes that it is in park. OBVIOUSLY this is a KNOWN issue by reading all the other posts relating to this. Please issue a recall....

Shift to park appears when vehicle is already in park and the vehicle will not turn off.

Shift to Park light remains on after you’ve put the car in “park” which could potentially run the battery down. Car does not recognize when it is in “park”. Have to “jiggle” the gear a bit, in hopes that it turns off.

WHEN I PUT MY CAR IN PARK I WILL GET A "SHIFT TO PARK" NOTIICATION AND WILL HAVE TO MOVE MY CAR MULTIPLE TIMES TO GET IT TO REGISTER. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM ON OTHER 2017 GMC ACADIA BUT DOES NOT FALL UNDER MY VIN #

Cannot shift out of park. AC stops blowing also. Electric seats stopped working. Replaced BCM modular, solenoid , entire shifter and more. It worked for two months. -Happening again. Cannot shift out of park and the AC stops working. Seat are working at moment. It’s all intermittent. Currently dealer will not help me. No warranty anymore. Im on a site where thousands of gmc’s have this same problem. Im gonna have to bring back to another dealer but no one can figure it out how to fix this. I sent my last bill. I also had one before that with the shifter assembly and solenoid replaced. I cannot find at moment

My vehicle won’t shift into park

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...

After shifting to park and attempting to turn off my vehicle, I receive an “Action Required Shift to Park” error message. I’m assuming the vehicle is in park but I’m not certain and worry about it moving or rolling. It is difficult to get it to turn off by jiggling the shifter and turning the vehicle on and off. At times, I am not able to get it off and then the vehicle will not lock and the battery goes dead. According to my VIN there is not an active recall but brief internet search states there has been numerous reports, recalls, and lemon law returns due to this.

When placed in park a message appears to Shift To Park and the vehicle electrical system stays energized.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact shifted from park (P) to drive(D) and was eventually able to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that the letter P(park) was outlined in yellow and was illuminated on the instrument panel. Additionally, the contact stated that while attempting to close and lock the driver's side door, the door failed to lock securely. The contact stated that the failures occurred simultaneously. The contact stated that the failures were intermittent. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

Twice the shift to park function of the vehicle has failed, once in 2020 and again in 2025, it appear that there is a recall for the year make and model vehicle, but for some reason my particular VIN in not included in this recall. The recall needs to be expanded to address this safety issue.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after shifting to the park position and attempting to turn the vehicle off, the engine shut off but the headlights and dashboard lights remained illuminated. Also, on multiple occasions, the battery had drained and the vehicle had to be jump-started. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the floor shifter harness was faulty and needed to be replaced. The floor shifter harness was replaced and the failure was remedied, but approximately two years later the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer. The contact was informed of the manufacturer's TSB to repair the failure and a new and improved floor shifter harness was installed which corrected the failure. The contact indicated that the manufacturer was aware of the faulty harness but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 45,000.

Shift to park error message when vehicle is in park and engine will not shut off. NOT RECOGNIZING MICROSWITCH IN THE CONSOLE. NEEDS A RECALL.

The known ‘Shift to park’ GMC vehicle defect could cause vehicle to rollaway and possibly hit someone.

Shift To Park. Vehicle does not turn off completely after pressing the stop button, while parked. The car horn alarms you the vehicle is not shut down. The vehicle will not allow you to lock the doors with the remote control.

My sound no longer works, the radio is constantly going out now I have no sound, no blinker clicks, no emergency notification warnings, no door chime, nothing.

I was traveling at the posted speed limit of 80 mph on [XXX] in South Dakota at [XXX] and the GMC Acadia was working without any issue when all of a sudden various warnings flashed on the dashboard with one of them being power saver mode engaged. Within about 3 minutes various other warnings flashed and the vehicle motor turned off along with all of the electrical systems. Luckily, I was able to maneuver the GMC Acadia to the shoulder of the highway safely. The vehicle would not start and for about a minute or so we were trapped in the Acadia. We could not unlock the doors or wind down the windows until I pressed the start/stop bottom several times. Onstar did not work either. Once we could get out of the Acadia, my wife called 911 and in roughly 20 minutes or so, a police officer arrived at...

I keep getting a message for Shift to Park when my car is already parked. My battery keeps draining for no reason even through my battery is good. I could be driving and my truck just shuts off without warning and my battery dies. Then when it shuts off all these other lights comes on. I have to let it sit for a second then it starts back up. This has been going on for months. I took it to the dealership and they ran all type of test and couldn’t figure out why it was doing it.

2017 GMC Acadia "shift to park" known failure. When you place the vehicle in the park position, mechanically it seems to be in park but the control says shift to park. When traveling long distance from home you can find yourself in a position where you cannot leave your car. You cannot lock it or turn it off properly. This is an ongoing problem known to GM and listed in many Technical bulletins including Bulletin No. 19-NA-206 date September, 2019. A recall should be issued for this problem. We found ourselves stranded hundreds of miles from home with a vehicle we could not shut off or secure. This may cause you to leave your car unattended, unlocked and running if you cannot get it to park and shut down.

Ppark to shift code

Vehicle shut down while driving and start showing shift to park message had it check and issue keep having shift to park message

Shift to park alert pops up when turning vehicle off. Vehicle is in park. This prohibits the vehicle from turning off. Per my investigation other gmc acadias made in 2017 also have experienced this which results into either prohibiting them from turning their vehicle off or their battery dying. This is a safety hazard because it increases risk of being stranded due to malfunction.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the radio independently switched to different settings. Due to the failure, the speedometer was no longer be visible. The contact stated that the failure caused the driver to be distracted while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

Vehicle frequently shows the error "Shift to Park" when I attempt to turn off the car after it is placed in park - which is confirmable via the instrument panel. The vehicle electronics will not turn off until the error is cleared. At times I cannot clear the error and I've had to set my parking brake and leave the car electronics running while I go into a store, which leaves car unsecured and drains the battery. The car has gone into my local GMC dealer for repairs. The first time I took it in (August 2020), I was 365 miles outside my warranty and GMC refused to pay for the repairs. The dealership felt certain a recall would be issued and suggested I have harness switched which they admitted was a band-aid fix and that it wouldn't fix the issue, but it would allow a period where the error...

This vehicle has a severe water leak after rain event from body. Leaks into electrical, floor boards, roof. Dealership not able to locate water leak location. Have been working on it going on a month. We recently purchased the vehicle used.

Went to Burt Watson the end of May. Paid $250 to diagnose 3 problems. Trans was intermittently kicking into passing gear when starting from a stop position, a service engine light and passenger side blind spot warning would come on when nothing was there and other times wouldn't recognize a vehicle was there. Around the middle of July the battery began draining intermittently leaving me stranded at night away from home. The rear defogger began turning itself on and couldn't be shut off and was very hot to the touch. The drivers seat moved all the way forward on its own pressing me into the steering wheel and dash while I was driving at highway speed. Forcing me to change 2 lanes of traffic trying to get to the side of the road.I was told by the service manager that the rear fuse block had shorted out do to water...

Shift to part to turn off vehicle but vehicle does not recognize shift to park and repeatedly requires turning the car back on to try to maneuver gear shift until it finally recognizes it is in park and can be turned off. I have had to restart my care 10-20 times before it finally recognizes it is in park and will turn off and unlock the doors. This is a repeated issue that has been going on for at least 6 months but happened again today requiring 17 restarts.

I bought my vehicle in 2020. In 2019, there was a special coverage notice (N172097060) with part repair because of known service side detection issues for water module intrusion. My understanding is this is due to the poor design and placement of the item in the rear of the vehicle that is known for getting water in it when driving, which then impacts the entire electronic system (not just service side detection). Beginning in spring 2023, I began to have these issues, starting with service side detection first. I then had other major electrical issues connected to this issue I believe are a safety concern. I have had very scary episodes at high speeds of my entire car electronic system shutting down, speedometer going to zero, gas going to empty, glitching and not starting multiple times. It got to the point my entire car was not drivable due to this...

Vehicle will randomly drop into a lower gear which causes the engine to rev up, then a warning light comes on indicating that the steering assist and ABS system are offline. Not what you want to have happen when driving 70MPH on the highway. Problem has been ongoing for ytears and GMC insists it is a transmission problem but another thing I have noticed whenever it happens is that the battery voltage increases. Seems like GMC shipped these cars with weak alternators which would explain the myriad electrical problems this vehicle and others like it have had.

Shift to park issue, car wont recognize its in park and wont turn off unless you shake the gear shifter around to get it to realize its in park. Parking break issue as well, "service parking break" error popped up on my screen now I can no longer turn it on.

I get a "service side detection" on my DIC. It used to work occasionally, now it no longer works. The sensors lights do come on when the "service side detection" shows up. Sometimes this alerts comes and goes and sometimes it stays until I push a button, in which it just reappears later. Through research I found this document sent out from GM: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10160088-9999.pdf GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS DCS5011 URGENT - DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY Subject: N172097060 - Special Coverage Side Blind Zone Alert Module Water Intrusion General Motors is releasing Special Coverage N172097060 today. The total number of U.S. vehicles involved is approximately 131,652. Please see the attached bulletin for details. Condition: Some 2013-2016 model year Chevrolet Cruze, 2014-2015 Chevrolet Impala and 2013-2017 GMC Acadia vehicles, may have a condition where the Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) modules may fail or malfunction due to water intrusion. The driver may experience a...

The "shift into park" when car is in park. U have to click the gear shifter several times for ut to turn off. Sometimes even having to put the car back into gear putting it back into park and the error will come up again. By clicking the gear shifter will shut it off. Sometimes this could take 2 minutes playing around with it sometimes 10 minutes sometimes it doesn't do it at all. I finally replaced the entire gear shifter mechanism by taking the center council apart. Labor price was unreal. Part price wasn't bad.

Shift to park message appears and unable to lock doors.

I put the car in park and the push button start would not let me turn off my car. I sat in the parking lot almost 30 min, putting my car in park, then drive, then park for my car to recognize its actually in park to turn off. I started getting this error on the start and stop at lights... it never turned off during the start and stop but fearing my life or my families life.... I took it to my local GMC dealership and the manager from the Service department said this is a common issue with this model, he has repaired HUNDREDS of them. His words. This is a safety issue.... I am shocked this has not been recalled. The lack of urgency to get this fixed is very concerning. It costs my $708.92 to fix this issue. I 100% think i am owed this money...

1. COULD NOT PUT CAR INTO PARK OR TURN OFF. CAUSED BATTERY TO BE DEAD AS IT WOULD NOT TURN OFF WHEN PUT INTO PARK. 2. STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND JERKED REPEATEDLY. COULD NOT TURN INTO PARKING SPOT. THE STEERING WHEEL HAD A MIND OF ITS OWN AND COULD NOT STOP THE JERK. IT IS DANGEROUS AND SCARY ! 3. AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS DO NOT LIGHT THE ROAD. IT IS AS THOUGH THERE ARE NO LIGHTS AT ALL. IT IS DANGEROUS TO NOT SEE THE ROAD AT NIGHT BECAUSE HEADLIGHTS DO NOT GIVE APPROPRIATE LIGHTING.

GM put out notice in April 2019 stating side blind zone alert message due to water intrusion May cause issue with driver interface functions. Do not take your vehicle to dealership unless you believe there is a problem. Reimbursement by 4/30/2020 6 years 80,000 miles. Vehicle stopped working while parked in driveway. No start, no cranking, warning lights for security lock out, side crash detection, tire monitoring service and airbags displayed. Dome light for front door did not work while second row lights did work. Lift gate would not open. When stating issues to dealer prior to service were told they had not heard of anything that would stop a cars engine from functioning. Dealership repair stated this was due to rear blind side detection module and that the module shorted out cause all other circuits to go to ground, yet no fuses were blown. Starter fuse and relays were...

Shift to park error code along with several other error codes including no remote detected that have continually and intermittentantly appeared since my car was at 16 K miles. My car has been in the shop over 10 times and these problems continue to return. my car won't shut off correctly, and this drains the battery. On 2 different occasions I was locked inside my car, unable to start it. Both of those times the outside temperature was over 100 degrees, and I almost had to break my window to exit and survive. I frantically pushed several buttons, trying to start the car, and luckily something tripped so I could open my car. The dealership replaced my battery twice before 31 K miles. They have replaced 2 different fobs when the car didn't recognize them. The dealership has replaced the transmission control assembly, the body control module, the fuel injector,...

P0128 Apparently what happens when the temp sensor on the T-Stat housing goes bad it sends a signal to the ECM that the engine is overheating, causes the temp gauge to peg to "C", shuts down A/C Compressor Clutch engagement to not exacerbate the Overheat condition and super speeds the cooling fans. Of course it's a false flag warning and the engine isn't actually running hot. At the same time a signal to the ECM also tells the Power Steering Rack that it's Super Cold out and the lube in the steering system may freeze up causing loss of steering assist. NHTSA 17-NA-158 - MAY 2017 Needed to have Thermostat and Temperature sensor replaced. Was quoted by two dealers $1400-$1700. Very deceiving for GM to have SEVERAL "tech bulletins" advising their techs how to properly diagnose this common "error"... but it's not a recall so they won't foot the bill...

My vehicle has serious issues that from my research seem to be a common problem/manufacturer defect experienced by other owners of this model. I believe the defect/issue is an electrical problem. While driving, the vehicle will often have problems using it's automatic transmission. It ranges from "rough" shifting (where the car jerks while shifting gears) to situation where the vehicle fails to shift gears completely leading to the RPMs shooting up. The cars power steering and traction control system also simultaneously fail. This leads to a dangerous situation when on highways etc This issue simultaneously causes all of the warning lights on the dashboard to light up while displaying the following messages on screen "Service stabilitrak" & "steering assist reduced -drive with care" & "service brake assist" & "service parking brake". The gauges also stop responding/reflecting accurate info when this happens. I have a video of what this all looks...

Vehicle went on fire in or near the engine compartment - the entire front end was burned and car is a total loss. I was in the vehicle driving home with my children (a 5 min drive from their school) and we smelled what we assumed was a a fire pit or fireplace burning nearby; we got out of the vehicle, within 90 seconds there were flames coming out of the hood. Car was well maintained and received nearly all service at the RVC GMC dealership it was purchased from. Vehicle was also still under the warranty we purchased.

I brought this car from STOOPS and have been having this same issue since I received this car in March of 2021. Check engine came on within two weeks of me getting this car. The Intake air pressure measurement system MAP sensor and MAF sensor on my 2017 GMC Acadia which is causing other issues. My car is only at 100k mikes and I shouldnt be having the same issue. The MAP sensor was replaced in July of 2021. Here it is a year later and my check engine light keeps coming on and saying the same thing which is causing all these other issues to happen such as steering power system reduced which driving. Notifications about of transmission and engine issues because of Intake Air Pressure Measurement System. Every time I take it to stoops they have it for a couple days and I’m out of a car which...

When trying to place the vehicle in "PARK" the message is displayed to "SHIFT TO PARK". The shift lever is in the park position, but the vehicle CANNOT BE TURNED OFF while this message is displayed. The shift lever has to be moved back and forth multiple times, sometimes for several minutes before allowing you to safely shut down the vehicle and exit. This is a known issue for GMC vehicles, yet they tell me that my VIN doesn't show the vehicle is eligible for a recall for this exact issue.