2017 GMC ACADIA Power Train Problems
222 NHTSA complaints on file
Power Train Issues in the 2017 GMC ACADIA
222 power train complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2017 GMC ACADIA. Of these, 2 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 1 resulted in injury.
222
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
All Power Train Complaints
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.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after the vehicle was parked and the gear shifter was shifted to park(P), the vehicle failed to turn off as intended. The message "Shift to Park" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, and the gear shifter was shifted to park(P), however the vehicle failed to recognize that the gear shifter was in park(P). The contact jiggled the gear shifter button several times and was able to turn off the vehicle. The failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
When I’m driving a warning comes on my DIC screen that says “ACTION REQUIRED STEERING ASSIST IS REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE”. The AC does not work and the temp gauge goes to cold with the radiator fan blowing at full speed. My car has done this since I purchased it used in 2019 and when I call dealer they say there is no recall and $1200-1800 to replace a sensor and thermostate. I have not had the issue fixed yet.
There is a continuing issue with the shifter causing a "Shift to Park" message that is resulting in the vehicle electrical system not turning off. This is causing the vehicle to drain the battery and not able to lock the vehicle while the "Shift to Park" message is displayed on the instrument panel. Concerned not only what is mentioned above but mainly concerned in not knowing if the vehicle is truly in park that may cause the vehicle to roll.
The contact's boyfriend owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked abnormally while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure; however, the mechanic stated that the failure was related to the transmission. The contact called two local dealers about the failure, and both stated that the vehicle could not be serviced in the near future. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
Driving down the street and I heard a extremely loud drop. The transmission went out with no warning or even indication of trouble. The vehicle ran very smooth until that point.
When I shift my car to park, it doesn't register that it is in park. It won't let me shut the car off. I can move the gear shift around a bit and it will eventually say it is in park. It can take sometimes up to 10 minutes for me to be able to shut off my car. I have read that this is a known issue and there was a recall, but my vin number was not included for some reason? The issue started about a month ago and has been continually getting worse.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle had to be turned on and off approximately 2 - 3 times to place the gear shifter in park(P), for the transmission to remain in park(P). The message “Shift to Park” would be displayed on the instrument panel. The failure was intermittent at first, but since started occurring more frequently. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,587.
I have gotten a alert on my vehicles dashboard after parking saying "shift to park" my car won't turn off until I can wiggle the shifter just right or have to take it out of park, back to drive back to park. I didn't have my radio on once and I didn't notice it wasn't all the way off and my battery went dead.
The transmission failed at 90k miles, causing shuddering and stalling on acceleration. This has occurred several times on major highways and is very dangerous.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping while attempting to change gears. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10-15 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud blower motor sound while accelerating, before the vehicle lost motive power. The transmission was shifted to neutral(N) and pushed to the side of the roadway. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the transmission clutch had failed, and the transmission needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no recall coverage or warranty coverage on the VIN for the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.
Drive shaft has excessive play
The vehicle would not recognize the truck was shifted to park. The gear shift was replaced in 2024 and the same problem occurred 9 months later. The first GMC repair location did not connect the shifter cable correctly, causing the problem to persist. I had to pay twice to resolve an issue seen in many of the 2017 GMC Acadia models. This problem should be considered a recall, and charges for repair should be covered by GMC.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to shift into park, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. 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 contact referenced Technical Service Bulletin: PIT5616; as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while attempting to shift into park(P), the vehicle failed to turn off, with the "Shift to Park" message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle eventually turned off. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V516000 (POWER TRAIN). The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
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.
The vehicle keeps shaking specially at the first and second gear, up to 40miles/hr and at any up hills roads. I took it to the mechanic and he said that it’s an issue in the transmission and needs to be replaced. Also the engine fan randomly turns on automatically, and a warning message stating “Steering assist reduced. Drive with care”
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to shift to park(P) to turn off the vehicle, the message that the vehicle was not in park(P) was displayed. The contact stated that the gear shift indicator showed that the vehicle was in park(P). The contact shifted to drive(D) and then back to park(P) several times before being able to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 89,776.
very bad shuttering when driving, took it to transmission shop and they said it needs to be replaced
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the shift to park message was displayed. The vehicle failed to recognize the gear that transmission was shifted into. The message “Steering Assist Reduced - Drive with Care” was displayed. There was an abnormal beeping sound when the door was closed. The contact had to move the gear shifter to shift into the selected gear. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the thermostat and the gear handle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under the warranty, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, and informed the contact to keep the receipt for a possible recall reimbursement and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.
A couple of months ago, I tried to put my car in park and shut it off the same way I have for years. The car made a rapid alarm sound and displayed a SHIFT TO PARK message on my dashboard. In order to get the car to shut off correctly, I had to squeeze the button on the shifter and gently push forward and backwards until the car recognized that I was in park. This now happens approx. 1 in every 15 times I try to turn off my vehicle. When this happens, I do not know if my car is actually in park and this is just a sensor issue or if the car is in fact struggling to shift to park!? If that's the case, couldn't it roll into someone or some thing? I remember JEEP having this issue a few years back, where people were killed...
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after shifting to park, the vehicle could not immediately be turned off. The message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle was able to be turned off. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V516000 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 59,000.
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.
Shift to park. Vehicle does not turn off when in park. This recall is in effect on other 2017 Acadias but for some reason ours is not under the recall. Had this issue in 2020 and it was repaired at our cost. It is now doing the same thing.
Shift to park on the dash display.
My transmission is burning on the inside with no warning or indication. Transmission fluid is black and burned. Experienced jerking and hesitation when gears are automatically shifting.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after making a left turn and stopping at a traffic sign, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was hesitating before gaining forward momentum while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle bucked or lunged forward while accelerating. The contact stated that there was no warning light during the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the intermediate drive shaft was failing. The mechanic informed the contact of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V516000 (Power Train) and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer to be repaired. The contact had called a local dealer and was informed that the VIN was not included...
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the "Shift to Park" message was displayed on the instrument panel while attempting to park the vehicle. Additionally, there was a constant beeping alert coming from the vehicle during the failure. The contact later discovered that the rear brake lights and reverse lights were illuminated during the failure. A local dealer was contacted about the failure and made an appointment for a repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Vehicle developed a major shudder and vibration from transmission. There are reports of the symptom in other complaints and a service bulletin released by GM for replacing the transmission fluid only(filter is internal and can only be replaced by removing and disassembling the transmission). When this malfunction is coupled with an EVAP sensor failure, loss of acceleration and engine stall occurs. The EVAP failure code did not appear for several weeks. I would suspect any type of engine miss will cause the same failure. Replacing transmission fluid does not remedy the severe shuddering from the vehicle.
Sudden onset of extensive shuddering/shaking when shifting gears.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon parking and turning off the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed while the gear shifter was in park(P). The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle and shifting out of park and shifting back into park(P) several times, the vehicle responded as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing, and the dealer charged a fee for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
My car on has 54,000 miles on it. For the last two weeks it has started showing that it is not in park when it actually is and continues the warning until I have shifted back and forth at least 4-5 times to clear the message and then able to exit the vehicle. It will roll forward or back to some degree even though it seems to be in park but it messages that it is not. When calling our dealership they do not show a recall and state it will be $180.00 just to look at it, not counting repair for this. there have been no other warning in the system and no accidents at this time. I do have children that ride in this car and could cause a serious situation if the car were to roll or be in gear.
Transmission shutters, shakes and jumps while accelerating. Forward collision warning will come on at any point even if there is no vehicles in front of me. I have contacted GMC but was told that it’s a normal transmission issue
The "shift to park" warning light comes up every time I put my car in park. I have to move it back and forth multiple times to get it to acknowledge that its in park or the vehicle will not shut off. This is a dangerous situation in that the car could easily roll when I am not in it. I know that this is an ongoing issue with the 2017-2018 GMC Acadia and don't understand why GMC won't issue a recall for this. If this were to cause injury or an accident then they are 100% liable. I started having these issues about a week ago. My husband took it to the dealership and they told him that its not a recall or under warranty. I cannot afford to fix this myself at this point.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the gear shifter acknowledged while shifting to park and activated the Press-to-Start button to turn off the vehicle. The message to shift to park was displayed on the instrument panel while the gear shifter was already in park. The dealer was contacted and confirmed there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000.
Car will not shut off. Shift to park problem
The transmission in the car failed. These failures are a known problem with this vehicle and while attempting to get assistance from GM, they refused to offer any assistance, compensation or otherwise. I understand the transmissions in these models are part of a larger inquiry. I would like to be compensated for having to have the transmission completely rebuilt after less than 7 years of ownership. GM has known and willingly decided not to repair these. While outside of warranty, this is clearly a design and manufacturing flaw.
THE ERROR 'SHIFT TO PARK' CONTINUOUSLY SHOWS UP ON THE DASH AREA AFTER I HAVE SHIFTED TO PARK. ALL ELECTRONICS THAT I CAN SEE STAY ON. I AM NOT SURE IF OTHER ELECTRONICS THAT I CAN'T SEE STAY ON. THE VEHICLE ENGINE WILL TURN OFF WITH THIS MESSAGE LIT, BUT I CANNOT LOCK THE DOORS.
While parking, cannot turn off the vehicle because of a warning to shift the transmission to park, even though the shifting mechanism is in the park position. Happens very frequently where sometimes up to 10 minutes trying over and over to safely park the car. Has been happening for all of 2024 but getting increasingly more difficult to park.
The car will not shift into park from drive. When trying to park I have to shift from drive to park several times before it will finally go into park. It is getting worse.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, with the shift to park message was displayed. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to shut off when the contact attempted to engage the parking brake. The contact forcefully engaged the parking brake to shut off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.
Violent shifting in the transaxle when vehicle is shifting between lowers gears. Transaxle causing a shuddering vibration on inclines. It feels like the engine is misfiring, but it is the torque converter/transmission/transaxle failing.
Many times after shifting the car into park, a message is displayed saying that the car needs to be put in park. It takes many time of turning the car on and off and moving the shift back and forth in order to get the message off and get the car to shut off. I notice that some 2017 and 2018 Acadia models have received recall notices addressing this problem. Our VIN number does not show up in the recall notices. Is there a reason why our car would not be covered as we have the same issue as cars that have received recall notices. Any help that you could provide would be very much appreciated. It is a very frustrating problem.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and shifting to park(P), the vehicle failed to shut off when the START/STOP button was pressed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were contacted regarding the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 36,000.
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...
For over 2 years now I continue to receive "shift to park" message when I am already in park and trying to turn off vehicle. I can't shut off and have to shift to reverse and/or drive then back to park several times or shove the gear shift towards park for it to finally detect I am in park. I have been setting parking brakes out of fear vehicle will roll due to this issue. Yet, even with all my maintenance, if it doesn't happen during oil change or tune ups dealer nor repair shops aren't diagnosing and issue.
I don’t know specifically what component but feels like drive stuff. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. Driving during acceleration while entering highway vehicle started to surge or shutter almost total loss of vehicle acceleration and slowed down almost causing the vehicle behind me to hit rear of my vehicle. Mechanic says transmission issue and can be reproduced at times. Symptoms are gradually getting worse. No light other than tire pressure sensor.
This model is know for transmission shudder and you put out a memo. I brought the car back under warranty and said it was fine. Now it needs what the memo said and torque converter. Car is out of warranty and they want to charge full price. There should be a recall on this model
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.
Other 2017 GMC ACADIA Problem Areas
Electrical System
173 complaints
Unknown Or Other
160 complaints
Air Bags
75 complaints
Engine
59 complaints
Service Brakes
32 complaints
Steering
30 complaints
Exterior Lighting
24 complaints
Electronic Stability Control Esc
13 complaints
Seat Belts
12 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
11 complaints
Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection
10 complaints
Electrical Systemhorn
8 complaints
Suspension
8 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking
7 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
7 complaints
Wheels
7 complaints
Seats
6 complaints
Power Trainautomatic Transmissionlever And Linkagefloor Shift
5 complaints
Lane Departure Assist
4 complaints
Structurebody
4 complaints
Tires
4 complaints
Back Over Prevention Warnings
3 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings
3 complaints
Visibilitywiper
3 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control
2 complaints
Service Brakes Hydraulic
2 complaints
Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking
1 complaint
Engine And Engine Cooling
1 complaint
Exterior Lightingbrake Lights
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance
1 complaint
Lane Departure Warning
1 complaint
Latcheslockslinkages
1 complaint
Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatch
1 complaint
Power Trainautomatic Transmissiongear Position Indication Prndl
1 complaint
Power Traindrivelinedifferential Unit
1 complaint
Power Traindrivelinedriveshaft
1 complaint
Service Brakes Hydraulicfoundation Componentsmaster Cylinder
1 complaint
Service Brakes Hydraulicpower Assistvacuum
1 complaint
Tether Lower Anchor On Car Seat Or Vehicle
1 complaint
Tirespressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems
1 complaint
Traction Control System
1 complaint
Vehicle Speed Controlcruise Control
1 complaint