There is a current recall on the 2018 GMC Acadia for a "Shift to Park" issue. It clearly states that GMC is aware of this issue and my vehicle is having this issue but for whatever reason, I am being told we are not part of the recall. My VIN is not coming up with it either but we are having the same issue.
2018 GMC Acadia
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2018 GMC Acadia do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 256.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Acadia years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
179 reports with mileage · 214 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 163 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 108 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Electrical System complaints
108 reportsComponent/System: Transmission selector / electrical system (“Shift to Park” defect) Yes, vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I own a 2018 GMC Acadia. Since I purchased the vehicle used in June 2019, the car has frequently displayed a “Shift to Park” message even when the vehicle is in park and the gear shifter is …
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Component/System: Transmission selector / electrical system (“Shift to Park” defect) Yes, vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I own a 2018 GMC Acadia. Since I purchased the vehicle used in June 2019, the car has frequently displayed a “Shift to Park” message even when the vehicle is in park and the gear shifter is fully engaged. This message prevents the car from turning off completely, leaving electrical systems running, the ignition on, and draining the battery. This issue has persisted nearly daily for the past five years. I brought the vehicle to a GM dealership in September 2020, while it was still under factory warranty, but the problem was not diagnosed or repaired at the time. The dealership could not reproduce the issue, but it continued regularly afterward. I am now paying nearly $900 out of pocket to have it repaired. Safety Risks: The vehicle does not fully shut down, increasing risk of electrical malfunction or battery failure. I am often unsure whether the car is truly “off,” which could pose a fire hazard or lead to the car rolling unexpectedly if the system misreads the gear position. This defect has also caused me to get stuck in unsafe areas, repeatedly turning the car off and on, jiggling the shifter until the system registers park. The constant battery drain has left me stranded with a dead vehicle multiple times. Reproduction / Confirmation: The issue has been reproduced by an independent repair shop and will be fixed at my expense next week. A GM dealership inspected it in 2020 but failed to diagnose or confirm the issue at that time. Inspection: The vehicle has been inspected by a GM-authorized service center. Not inspected by police or insurance representatives. Warning Messages or Symptoms: The “Shift to Park” message appears on the dashboard even after the vehicle is correctly shifted into park. This began shortly after purchasing the vehicle in June 2019, worsened over time, & still has the inability to turn off properly.
Shift To Park appears on the dash display also with a chime warning, when the car is physically in park and the engine is cut off. The shift to park display and the chime stays on causing a complete drain of the battery.
When putting my GMC Acadia in Park and shutting off the push start ignition the alarm goes off saying it’s not in park when it is clearly in park so I have to continuously start the car and try to keep putting it in park and shut ignition off. I googled it and saw there was a recall so took it to dealership but my vin was not in…
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When putting my GMC Acadia in Park and shutting off the push start ignition the alarm goes off saying it’s not in park when it is clearly in park so I have to continuously start the car and try to keep putting it in park and shut ignition off. I googled it and saw there was a recall so took it to dealership but my vin was not included. I feel my safety is at risk as my battery also went dead stranding me in another city with my young grandkids on February 23rd, and I had a large bill to get a jump as well, I believe due to this same electrical issue! We are waiting on estimate now to get it fixed which is ridiculous as it is the same issue that is covered on many other of the same model vehicles! You should really look into this and maybe other electrical safety concerns costing consumers thousands of dollars on all these GMC vehicles it doesn’t seem fair. Thank you.
My vehicle has a persistent shift to park issue. My vehicle cannot be safely turned off. My vehicle needs to be restarted multiple times and the gearshift moved to the park position for the chance that it will register being in the parked position so the vehicle can be safely turned off.
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while shifting the gear shifter into park(P), the "Shift to Park” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was forced to shift from drive(D) to Park(P) repeatedly before the failure was corrected. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at v…
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The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while shifting the gear shifter into park(P), the "Shift to Park” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was forced to shift from drive(D) to Park(P) repeatedly before the failure was corrected. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would become sticky with the "Steering Assist Reduced - Drive with Care," message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the infotainment system glitched and performed independent functions, causing the driver to be distracted. The contact stated that the infotainment system was replaced when the vehicle was purchased due to the failure; however, the failure recently recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of several failures and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
Sold 2018 GMC Acadia by LEE GMC in auburn. Acadias shift to park was defective, dealership replaced before sale did not disclose, shift to park and transmission malfunctions occurred. I returned Acadia to the dealership several times and they would never properly fix or address my concerns now my vehicle is unsafe to drive. I h…
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Sold 2018 GMC Acadia by LEE GMC in auburn. Acadias shift to park was defective, dealership replaced before sale did not disclose, shift to park and transmission malfunctions occurred. I returned Acadia to the dealership several times and they would never properly fix or address my concerns now my vehicle is unsafe to drive. I have documentation to support the claims in my letter, I can send as well if you’d like. Thank you Will send attachment
When vehicle is put into Park I keep getting a "Shift to Park" message and cannot turn off my vehicle. I cannot lock the door.
Truck lost power randomly while driving on freeway spend so much money on fixing it this has to do something with the way the built it
We purchased our 2018 GMC Acadia, used with 15,798 miles on the odometer, on [XXX] from John Wiesner, Inc. On [XXX], with 20,344 miles on the odometer, we began experiencing a "Shift to Park" message when trying to turn the vehicle off, even though the vehicle shifter indicated that the vehicle was in park. Though the vehicle wo…
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We purchased our 2018 GMC Acadia, used with 15,798 miles on the odometer, on [XXX] from John Wiesner, Inc. On [XXX], with 20,344 miles on the odometer, we began experiencing a "Shift to Park" message when trying to turn the vehicle off, even though the vehicle shifter indicated that the vehicle was in park. Though the vehicle would turn off, we could not clear the "Shift to Park" message or stop the associated audible alarm without a great deal of effort. A Wiesner dealership confirmed the problem, determined that a switch in the shifter assembly was not grounding, and replaced the transmission control assembly under warranty. All was well until early 2024, at approximately 47,500 miles, when we began experiencing the same problem. The dealer said we must pay $500+ for a repair and that if we failed to get the problem repaired we risked being unable to get the vehicle into park and unable to turn off the vehicle. Being unable to stop the "Shift to Park" message or to stop the audible alarm at the very least will run the battery down and being unable to put the vehicle in park or turn it off risks an injury to us or others. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Official recalls
218V358000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
May 31, 2018
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.
17V516000 · Power Train:driveline:driveshaft
Aug 22, 2017
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles and 2017-2018 GMC Acadia vehicles. The right front intermediate driveshaft may fracture and separate while driving.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the front right intermediate drive shaft assembly separates while driving, the vehicle will lose propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. If the assembly separates while parked on a grade, without the park brake engaged, the vehicle may move unintentionally, increasing the risk of a vehicle roll-away.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right front intermediate drive shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2017. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17329.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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