Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2017 GMC Acadia submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 52 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 52, in the owner's own words
My Acadia went into limp Mode displaying low power mode on the screen and wouldn’t start for a couple days after. Lights started illuminating on the dash as abs, traction control, and stanilitrack, then check engine light came on and my gmc app displayed code p2138. I have had since low power and extremely high gas consumption.
Shift to park take forever to get it to recognize that vehicle is in park. my lane departure only works sometimes.
Twice the side detection system failed due to corroded wiring under the bumper which then led into the electrical system failing on side air bag detection/blind zone detection/traction control system/display monitor and blinkers all failing to the point of vehicle not starting. The safety is these features failed which were both safety and stability. Risks occur in becoming stranded and the problem was first noted by dealer to be a poor battery. GM pushed out a "Special Coverage Adjustment' to have the wiring/module kit to be ordered and repaired by a dealer for no charge. Stipulations was within 6 yrs or 80,000 from 'placed in use'. Warning lamps occurred after the corrosion was too far along to be rectified and after the 6n yrs off the lot. Manufacture GM issued the special adjustment but dealership did not provide notice beyond letter at point of failure in vehicle so that twice I have had to contend with this issue and pay in full for the service work performed. The second fail of this wiring system and module was within 3 years of first replacement.
The shift to park keeps showing up and I had this issue taken care of last year at the dealership and it just started again. It is over $600 to have the repair done and should last more than a year before it needs to be replaced again. The lane assist pops up every couple weeks that it is not working.
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
On [XXX] my 2017 Acadia Denali started driving poorly and a steering assist reduced message appeared. I had O'Reilly scan for error messages and they were: P0128 and P0826-00. The dealership confirmed that they would need to replace the thermostat. The Buick GMC Beaverton technician made a video of my vehicle: [XXX] My safety was put at risk due to the risk of my steering going out. My car intermittently was having trouble engaging in driving (it randomly acted like it was not firing, it was "jerking"), I heard my cooling fan come on immediately the next day when started my car to drive it to the GMC dealership. I feared that my car would just die going over a mountain pass without cell coverage. On [XXX] I had the same steering assist reduced message and then replaced my thermostat at 39,228 miles. I will need to replace this again, 37,638 miles later. The GMC service technician mentioned that this is a typical problem for my car, and I have discovered a 2022 Acadia recall for their thermostats. Please extend this recall to include the 2017 Acadia. The component was not inspected by the police or insurance rep (yet), but it was inspected by the GMC dealership and O'Reilly veri scan. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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.
Every time I park it show up “ shift to park and it takes long to remove the code. battery keeps dying because of it since the car won’t turn off all night.
Side Detection Malfunction Message on Dash. Blind spot and cross traffic alerts not working. Vehicle has a blind spot on the driver's side and without this alert, I have found that vehicles appear to not be there but actually which causes issues with merging traffic and lane changes leading to potential collisions. Dealer replaced the side detection modules under warranty and special policy because of water intrusion into the modules. This exact same symptoms and parts have occurred and replaced 5 times, and a 6th is currently needed. All work was performed exclusively at GMAC dealer and vehicle is accident free. GM issued a special policy that covered this specific repair, and the vehicle now needs to it done a 6th time and GM has refused to assist saying vehicle is out of special policy. I have requested that GM inspect the vehicle but no response. I contacted GM and they declined assistance. I currently have the feature turned off because it was providing an error message on the dash and false alerts. I don't believe that GM actually has a long-term fix for this safety issue. Original Set of Sensors - 0 Miles - 2nd set of sensors - 5,894 Miles - 2/2018 3rd set of sensors - 17,078 Miles - 5/2019 4th set of sensors - 32,546 Miles - 4/2021 5th set of sensors - 45,463 Miles - 3/2023 6th set of sensors - 64,335 Miles - 3/2025
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.
While driving at highway speeds, a warning appeared on the Driver Information Center (DIC): “Steering Assist is Reduced – Drive with Care.” Simultaneously, the temperature gauge was stuck on “C,” the radiator cooling fan ran at high speed, and the air conditioning stopped blowing cold air. After researching the issue, I discovered that these symptoms are commonly linked to a failing thermostat—a known and widespread problem with GM’s 3.6L LGX engine. Unfortunately, replacing the thermostat on this engine is not a simple repair, often requiring significant labor and cost. The most concerning aspect is the loss of steering assist, which poses a serious safety risk, especially at highway speeds. Given the frequency of this issue across many GM vehicles, it’s clear that this is a defective part and not an isolated incident. GM should take responsibility and cover the cost of repairs for affected vehicles. This is not just a mechanical failure—it’s a safety hazard that deserves immediate attention. I'm attaching a picture of the message as well a paid repair invoice from the work the dealer performed to replace the thermostat on my vehicle.
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 though I’m concerned with this code, if it’s legit, it is very dangerous. How unreliable and unsafe to not know.
As i am driving it flashes the warning sign like if I was going to hit another vehicle when there is no car in front of me, this has happened since I purchase the care 1/2024, this has happen around l7 to 8 times already.
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
Vehicle will apply breaks abruptly on its own whenever it thinks a vehicle is too close. Was in traffic and it kept slamming on the breaks as I would try and move forward. Will slam on the breaks whenever I attempt to just slow down during the course of driving. Was on the highway and anytime I pressed the breaks to slow down, automatic breaks would slam down breaks on its own. Drove vehicle right to dealership as the was a major safety issue for me especially with my baby in the car.
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 intrusion from bad drain ports. This was replaced, and then I was told something else was draining the battery. And this was "one " of the things not covered by warranty. There is a service bulletin stating that there may be pinholes at the top of the a-pillars and d-pillars yet the dealership stated a new windshield was needed. There are several service bulletins indicating that such leaks can reek havoc on the electronics. The dealership has changed their estimate several times with still no solution in site. The vehicle has been sitting at the dealership since July. At one point it was communicated to me that GM would assist in the cost of the repairs when and if job was ever completed.They are now stating the cost to repair the issues is $5500.00 and is my responsibility.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,590.
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 issue - the dealer has a temporary fix on it to allow it to continue to be drivable until parts are in. The dealer has confirmed the issue I am experiencing is this safety special coverage issue from 2019. I contacted the dealer I bought my car from and they stated they did the special coverage fix in 2019. They confirm this issue is occurring again. However, they claim that because it was fixed in 2019, I am responsible for paying and fixing it this time around. The issue was not resolved and I believe this is a huge safety issue that should be a recall, not just a special coverage. It was very scary driving on a highway with my children in tow and having my entire system go out at a high speed. It has been inconvenient, parts are supposedly on backorder and being told it's my responsibility to cover it when it's a known issue. I have also found online many other owners having this issue. The special coverage did not fix it if water continues to get into the module and continues to generate these issues again. I appreciate any assistance on this matter and thank you for your time!
When parking my car "The Shift To Park Light COMES On" cannot shut the car off- Not sure if its in park-You have to restart the car and keep trying to turn the car off--also all interior lights stay on--can not lock the car---This should be repaired by GM.
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 side blind zone alert message displayed on the driver instrument cluster (DIC). If this message is ignored, the condition could result in the corruption of LS GMLAN that may result in the loss of some driver interface functions such as cluster, infotainment / displays, chime, and passenger presence detection (passenger airbag could be suppressed, w/airbag TT, DIC message). MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN!! Special Coverage Adjustment: This special coverage covers the condition described above for a period of 6 years or 80,000 miles (130,000 km) whichever occurs first, from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service, regardless of ownership. CORRECTION: Dealers are to repair the vehicle by ordering and installing the appropriate service kit. The service kit will contain all of the components required to complete the repair. The repairs will be made at no charge to the customer. PROBLEM: MY CAR HAS A BRANDED TITLE SO THEY WILL NOT FIX IT. IF IT IS A RECALL, THEY HAVE TO.
Service side detection system warning is on and upon investigation and diagnostics it has been widely reported as a common issue that GMC only chose to address for a select number of vehicles. I have 93k miles and there is a service agreement to 80k. Others have indicated that it not fixed it can send bad signals to circuit board causing battery failure, information system failure, dash light failure and headlight failure making this a safety issue is something like this occurs in the dark. As a result I am concerned for my safety and am frustrated that GMC is not required to fix this issue.
While driving and accelerating multiple light pop up on the dash and car decelerates. The check engine light, parking brake, car stability comes on. The engine shifts down and doesn’t drive correctly. This happened 3 times while driving on the interstate doing the speed limit 55-70mph
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that on various occasions, the "Service Side Detection System" warning message was displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Blind Side Zone module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred, and the vehicle lost motive power again and failed to restart. The vehicle was then towed to Brennan Buick GMC (383 State Rte. 3, Plattsburgh, NY 12901) where it was diagnosed that the Blind Side Zone module needed to be replaced again. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred, and the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Service Side Detection System" warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not yet taken to an independent mechanic or local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
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 good. I asked dealer if this could have caused my car to stop while driving and they answered yes. Have corroded module and wire loom referee to as kit. Was told no way to circumvent system other than replacement.
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, the immobolizer control module, the brake control module, and my car has currently been in the shop for over 3 weeks as they may also need to replace the instrument control module and HVAC module due to those error codes. My car is at 46 K miles and has been in the shop 3 different times since 39 K (less than 10 K miles) all for similar problems. Thankfully I bought the extended warranty that will expire in 2 years. Something is draining the battery and GMC cannot or will not address the problem. There are similar documented cases: https://lemonlawexperts.com/gm-shift-to-park-recall-update/#:~:text=According%20to%20NHTSA%2C%20GM%20has,several%20model%20year%20Acadia%20vehicles. and https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/05/gmc-acadia-shift-to-park-class-action-lawsuit-filed-in-texas/ Please help to make GMC resolve this complicated problem! I now keep a tool in my car to break a window if I ever get locked in. I also keep my AAA membership active as I have had to get my car jumped several times. I do have videos of the problem, but cannot send a MP4 file.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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