Vehicle will not shift to park. Have to engage the parking brake to ensure vehicle will not roll away after shifting to park. Becuase the vehicle isn't actually shifting into park l, the vehicle will not shut off which drains the battery and leads to being unable to turnover the engine.
2019 GMC Acadia
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2019 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
Limited mileage data: 83 of 384 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 153 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 104 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
153 reportsMy car would not shift into park. The indicator in the center console would say that it was in park, but when I would shut it car off I would get a warning on the dash that said that I needed to shit to park. I started chocking the tires when I parked out of fear of the car rolling away or run over somebody. My wife would not al…
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My car would not shift into park. The indicator in the center console would say that it was in park, but when I would shut it car off I would get a warning on the dash that said that I needed to shit to park. I started chocking the tires when I parked out of fear of the car rolling away or run over somebody. My wife would not always chock the tires. I took the car to the dealer today and they confirmed my issue. The dealer replaced a part on the transmission. The dealer has my old part. It cost me over $400.00 to repair. The dealer and manufacturer are aware of similar circumstances with this model. I started having issues two months ago without warning and the problem got steadily got worse. The car has 43300 miles on it. I have owned it since new. It has never been in any accidents.
2019 GMC Acadia started producing error code of “shift to park” around 32,000 miles. This malfunction is directly connected to a know a non manufacturer flaw in the shifting mechanism shifter switch an faulty grounding. The error code “shift to park” will not allow you to properly shut off or start the car causing potential safe…
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2019 GMC Acadia started producing error code of “shift to park” around 32,000 miles. This malfunction is directly connected to a know a non manufacturer flaw in the shifting mechanism shifter switch an faulty grounding. The error code “shift to park” will not allow you to properly shut off or start the car causing potential safety threats to individuals involved. This error code is a know issue with the shifting mechanism GMC has been putting in Acadia models for the last 5 plus years with no proper resolution to correct potential hazard for consumers. Recall Bulletins are in place for some 2009-2017 models currently,but only a temporary fix. Consumers are expected to pay for repairs for a manufacturer defective part that doesn’t meet nhtsa requirements. I would like to add the 2019 models to this list. Vehicle was inspected by GMC dealership and master mechanic.
About five months ago, my GMC Acadia started displaying a warning when I would put the car in park, and try to turn it off. The engine would shut off, but the electrical portion of the car would stay on, and would not turn off, because the warning displaying said "SHIFT TO PARK". I have tried every conceivable way to try to get …
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About five months ago, my GMC Acadia started displaying a warning when I would put the car in park, and try to turn it off. The engine would shut off, but the electrical portion of the car would stay on, and would not turn off, because the warning displaying said "SHIFT TO PARK". I have tried every conceivable way to try to get this to go off, but nothing works. My car has stay on for upwards of two and a half hours, to the point where my battery died in the car and left me stranded. There have been numerous accounts of this, as I had read them on forums, yet still no resolution has been published. I have tried taking it to be inspected, but nothing ever comes up. I have two very small children, and if I were to be in public and be stranded because my car wouldn't turn off.... I would be livid.. Also, because of this warning, it prevents the doors from being locked. That is another major concern for me, considering the day in age we're in.
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, the warning message to “Shift to Park” was illuminated. The contact was not able to shift the vehicle into park as needed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the gear shifter failed to shift into park as needed. Th…
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The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, the warning message to “Shift to Park” was illuminated. The contact was not able to shift the vehicle into park as needed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the gear shifter failed to shift into park as needed. The contact manually turned the steering wheel from side to side while shifting the gear shifter until the vehicle responded and the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the contact was unaware of the result. The contact was concerned that the failure was due to the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was no recall for the failure. The contact was informed that the repair would not be covered. The failure mileage was 35,000.
The vehicle intermittently fails to recognize that it has been put into park, flashing a message on the dash instructing the driver to “shift to park” even when the gear lever have already been moved to the ‘P’ position. I find it amazing that GMC even has a Service Bulletin No.: 19-NA-206 to address the situation (Intermittent …
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The vehicle intermittently fails to recognize that it has been put into park, flashing a message on the dash instructing the driver to “shift to park” even when the gear lever have already been moved to the ‘P’ position. I find it amazing that GMC even has a Service Bulletin No.: 19-NA-206 to address the situation (Intermittent Shift to Park Message Displayed While Vehicle in Park) but yet I had to pay $561.47 for the repair to ensure I don't injure my passengers and/or others.
Shift knob stuck. Car will say shift to park after turning off car. Ended up draining battery. Needed to replace it after 34000 miles.
With the vehicle shifter in park and the dash indicating in is in park I get an error message stating to "Shift into Park." This has happened serval times in the last few weeks intermittently. I am very concerned this will strand my wife and child or lead to the vehicle unintentionally rolling away while unattended. While talk…
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With the vehicle shifter in park and the dash indicating in is in park I get an error message stating to "Shift into Park." This has happened serval times in the last few weeks intermittently. I am very concerned this will strand my wife and child or lead to the vehicle unintentionally rolling away while unattended. While talking to several technicians at a GM test facility I have been told this was/is a common issue. While searching the NHTSA complaints multiple multiple complaints for this issue have bee submitted.
Gmc acadia keeps flashing the lamp that says to !shift to park, when the car is in park and will not turn off. Does not go off when I turn the car off and does not go off when I reshift the car to park. It takes several trys of putting it back in park then goes off, now it does this every time I park and turn the car off. I'm no…
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Gmc acadia keeps flashing the lamp that says to !shift to park, when the car is in park and will not turn off. Does not go off when I turn the car off and does not go off when I reshift the car to park. It takes several trys of putting it back in park then goes off, now it does this every time I park and turn the car off. I'm not the only one with this issue. Its been going on for over week now 38k-ish miles.
The Shift to Park warning message when shifter is already in park shows up on the dash information center. The gear assembly is not working properly, and the artificial intelligence does not recognize park when you are in park. You cannot turn the car off without repetitive turning car off and on and shifting back and forth bet…
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The Shift to Park warning message when shifter is already in park shows up on the dash information center. The gear assembly is not working properly, and the artificial intelligence does not recognize park when you are in park. You cannot turn the car off without repetitive turning car off and on and shifting back and forth between drive and park. I was going to live with this aggravation due to costly repair ($656.67), but I went online and found that the car may roll forward if it is not fixed in a timely manner and you don't know if it is in park causing danger if it rolls. Others say put the emergency brake on always. This is a safety issue. Jim Ellis said to bring it to your attention and also write a letter to GMC Corp. I also noted that there is a lawsuit against GMC as they have profited selling the Acadia with this defective gear assembly since 2012. This is the second generation 2017-2019 with the same safety issue problem. Also, you have to replace the battery due to the excessive usage it drains the battery ($219.12)
Official recalls
221V115000 · Tires
Feb 25, 2021
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall resulting in sudden air loss or a belt edge separation which could lead to a tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212329050.
20V668000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Oct 29, 2020
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
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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