IllustrationVehicle does not recognize when in park, safety issue as passenger or driver could step out of vehicle while still in reverse. Unable to shut down vehicle due to not recognizing vehicle is in park.
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
620–25K
8425–50K
1350–75K
975–100K
10100–150K
1150K+
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.
8 crash reports1 fire reports5 injury reports
What owners actually said
393 reportsWater is leaking down back window from 3rd break light. Seal is bad/crushed was never put in right
Shift to park warning when parking and shutting down vehicle. Shifter is in park but will not shut off electrical system of vehicle.
Blind spot warning light is not working. There is a previous recall for this for 2014-2017 GMC Acadia Models for the same issue. The issue has not clearly been fixed with models after 2017
When I put the vehicle in park and then turn off the engine, a warning comes on the dashboard saying “shift to park” and the electronics will not turn off or the lights and I cannot lock my doors. I cannot leave my vehicle until it goes off. Sometimes it is only a few seconds and can go up to a few minutes. I noticed this proble…
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When I put the vehicle in park and then turn off the engine, a warning comes on the dashboard saying “shift to park” and the electronics will not turn off or the lights and I cannot lock my doors. I cannot leave my vehicle until it goes off. Sometimes it is only a few seconds and can go up to a few minutes. I noticed this problem when I bought the vehicle in 2020 and is a recurring problem and is becoming unbearable that want to trade this vehicle in because I do not want to deal with it.
Shift to park switch is defective. Switch will not register transmission is in park causing an alarm that runs battery dead. Car has set in my driveway 3 months unable to drive.
Cars emergency brake locks up for no reason. Happened on several occasions but last instance burned out actuator and locked up calipers from just sitting on a hill with foot on brake. This is a huge safety issue when it locks up for no reason on a road. It’s stranded me at least twice because it’s hard to undue.
After parking the car and putting transmission in "Park" car would start rolling forward and display message " shift to park" Luckily i was able to jump back into the car and apply brakes before car caused any serious damage to property or people around.
My 2018 GMC Acadia does not detect that it is in park. The vehicle does not shut off even though I put it in park. I have to wiggle the shifter and play around with it until it detects that it is in park. The dealer is aware of this issue and I did have the entire shifter replaced. This happened the first time at around 30k mile…
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My 2018 GMC Acadia does not detect that it is in park. The vehicle does not shut off even though I put it in park. I have to wiggle the shifter and play around with it until it detects that it is in park. The dealer is aware of this issue and I did have the entire shifter replaced. This happened the first time at around 30k miles. It has been a little over a year and it is happening again. The fix only seams to be temporary. I am afraid that the car will not detect is in park and keep rolling. This could be a serious issue. GMC is aware of the issue and they have no fix for it. There are already various lawsuits and complaints about this shift to park issue.
The gear system fails to recognize when the car is in park. I have had the gear box replaced once on this car, and it is failing again. The car has 92000 miles. The problem is that I cannot shut the car off completely or lock it because the system does not recognize that the car is in park. My dealer told me last time that the p…
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The gear system fails to recognize when the car is in park. I have had the gear box replaced once on this car, and it is failing again. The car has 92000 miles. The problem is that I cannot shut the car off completely or lock it because the system does not recognize that the car is in park. My dealer told me last time that the problem is caused by a faulty sensor. Now it's happening again. This is a major issue and GMC needs to correct it. Thankfully I bought an extended warranty so they will have to fix it again, but this is absurd. No other car I've had has ever had this issue.
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.