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2018 GMC Acadia Transmission Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Transmission reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
12
Latest Aug 22, 2022
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
3%
of 390 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2018 GMC Acadia submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 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.

Owner reports naming transmission

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Transmission
Filed Aug 22, 2022

When I place the gear in park and shut car off, the display states to shift car to park. A loud continuous beep ensues and I would have to start and turn car off several times. The car does not lock nor stop on its own.

NHTSA ID
11480674
Incident
Jul 29, 2022
Transmission
Filed Aug 22, 2022

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while turning off the vehicle, the place shift lever into park message was displayed. The contact had to restart the vehicle several times and move the shifter into the park position for it to disengage. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact about the button on the gear shifter that may be used to reset the system. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,400.

NHTSA ID
11480508
Incident
Jul 7, 2022
Mileage
8,400 mi
Transmission
Filed Aug 18, 2022

I purchased vehicle in 2018 and by 2019 it started showing a message that said error Shift need to park but I was parked and gear in parking mode .I reported to dealer but said they couldn't help me since my warranty was over due to my job I drive alot so I was over the mileage. So they itbwouldnt be covered since then it goes off and on same message and now I can't get off car until it goes off because I'm afraid to let go of brake if the parking gear don't work. I reported to dealer in time to get assistance but they just brushed it off blamed me for the mileage Maybe causing it but I see here I'm not the only one complaining about message "Shift".

NHTSA ID
11479976
Incident
Jun 17, 2019
Transmission
Filed Jul 22, 2022

When I park my 2018 GMC Acadia, my infotainment screen states the following warning: "SWIFT TO PARK", but I have already put my car in PARK. This warning started appearing around 28,000 miles; my currect mileage on my Acadia is 28,379 miles. I have checked if there are any recalls on this issue, but found none, but this issue started appearing in the 2017 models

NHTSA ID
11475281
Incident
Jul 1, 2022
Transmission
Filed Jul 19, 2022

Car won’t go into park though I’ve shifted to park. Car starts beeping and displays “SHIFT TO PARK!” even though the vehicle is shut off and gear shifter is in park position. I took to dealership, they stated, “gmc NEEDS to recall this, we have to repair every single GMC Acadia we sell with unfortunately the same defective parts” it’s a $500 fix. I just use my parking break everytime I park now.

NHTSA ID
11474834
Incident
Jul 1, 2021
Transmission
Filed Jul 18, 2022

The GMC Acadia displays a "shift to park" error. The truck is in park (or appears to be) and the truck says it is not and will not allow it to be turned off. This is a common error with the truck and GMC is refusing to take responsibility and this can cause a fatal error if the truck is not in park and rolls away.

NHTSA ID
11474423
Incident
Jul 18, 2022
Transmission
Filed Jul 7, 2022

The shift leaver when putting in park has an error code that the vehicle is not in park when it shows it is. The dealer said this is a common problem and replaced the shift leavers wire harness for 600.00. When this happens there is no way to turn the veh power off and it rolls a little before it engages.

NHTSA ID
11472839
Incident
Jun 1, 2022
Transmission
Filed Jul 1, 2022

I own a 2018 GMC Acadia and sometimes after shifting the vehicle into park and turning it off I get a message that says "shift into park" even though it is in park. This happens intermittently and but it is a bit of a pain when it does. I have to either jiggle the shifter or start the car up again and shift into park again. I just called the GMC dealer where I purchase the vehicle new, Mark Porter in Pomeroy, OH, and they said there is a bulletin from GMC on it and the fix is to replace the shifter harness which would cost me around $300. And they said if that doesn't fix the problem the next step would be to replace the shifter which would cost me another $500. In looking online it seems to be happening to a lot of 2018 GMC Acadia's and am wondering why there is no recall on it.

NHTSA ID
11471980
Incident
Mar 14, 2020
Transmission
Filed Jun 21, 2022

Shift to park error when turning off vehicle, which would not allow the engine to shut off. Had to have shifter and harness replaced.

NHTSA ID
11470235
Incident
Jun 17, 2022
Transmission
Filed Jun 2, 2022

“Action required Shift to Park” indicator comes on when trying to park vehicle. Vehicle does not recognize that it is in park. Vehicle will continue to move a short distance before recognizing that it has been placed in park and then comes to an abrupt stop. Vehicle sometimes has to be shifted between drive and park several times before it will recognize that it is in park.

NHTSA ID
11467105
Incident
Jun 2, 2022
Transmission
Filed May 6, 2022

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after shifting into park(P), the gear shift indicator showed the vehicle was in park(P) however, while attempting to turn off the vehicle, the "Shift to Park" warning light remained illuminated. The contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that after shifting between drive(D) and park(P) several times the contact was able to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,200.

NHTSA ID
11463618
Incident
May 4, 2022
Mileage
11,200 mi
BrakesTransmission
Filed Aug 30, 2021

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon depression of the brake pedal, the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where she was informed that the brake pads and all four rotors needed to be replaced. The contact then called Brad Deery Motors (112 N. 2nd St, Maquoketa, IA 52060) and was informed to take the vehicle in to be diagnosed. The contact was then informed that only one of the rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The contact also stated that upon attempting to park the vehicle, the shift to park warning message would illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact had to repeatedly shift the vehicle in and out of the park before the vehicle would recognize the shifter in the park position. The manufacturer had been notified of the failures but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

NHTSA ID
11430980
Incident
Aug 6, 2021
Mileage
46,000 mi

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.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .