10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,854 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2017 GMC Acadia drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2017 GMC Acadia Owner Comments (Page 1 of 9)

problem #164

Jun 012023

Acadia

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This is a known issue with GM 2016-2019 various models including my 2017 Acadia. the shift mechanism does not know that it is in Park position and so indicates "shift to park" on dashboard lights. Therefore ignition switch stays on and accessories that are on will run battery down in a couple of hours. Sometimes the engine will not cut off until you turn it on and off many times. The dealer estimates cost to fix of between $500 and $700. They want an additional $125 for diagnosis, which they already know problem. I found the Service Bulletin on it (19-NA-206) which calls for $42.43 in parts and 1.4 hrs labor. Many people are being ripped off on this problem, which should be a manufactor's recall ! They continued to use defective parts for years after they were aware of this hazard. Please HELP ! I don't think that I should have to pay for this repair!

- Hot Springs Village, AR, USA

problem #163

Apr 262023

Acadia

  • miles
My Wife and I purchased the 2017 GMC Acadia All Terrain in August 2017. It always had some low gear hard engagement issues. It also had issues of not locking into park when placing in Park. If we released and re-shifted it would engage. On two occasions we had the GMC dealership Durand GMC Leominster MA. check the transmission. Around 34,000 miles and again around 55,00 0 miles On both occasions they claimed they could not recreate the incident I complained about. I told them I believed that to be impossible as it was common, especially going up hill. The service manager was adamant that their was no issue. As I was close to my powertrain warranty expiring I asked again with the same response. In May we started having serious transmission slippage, It became dangerous so we took it to Durand and they found a hole in a fluid tube caused by wear from a support clip. Their repair cost was high, I took it to a respected mechanic. He repaired the tube, unfortunately, the slipppage got worst and we will replace the transmission. My internet research shows many incidents like mine. I want to make it known that my vehicle concerns were swept under the rug. GMC repair video link Please watch the video of YOUR vehicle at this website https://tvidnow.com/YLaMf31

- Gardner, MA, USA

problem #162

Jul 232023

Acadia

  • miles
The shifter does not always engage and the car will remain in gear and can't be turned off. The safety issue is the vehicle rolls forward and backwards at times. I have hit my riding lawnmower under my carport because it continued to roll when in park. I have reported an issue in 2018 and in August 2019 a repair was performed and again in 2019 a gear shift assembly was replaced, It has been confirmed there is an issue with the shifter by a tech servicing my car when he drove it. It is at the dealer now 07-24-2023 to determine the issue and repair. Shift to park will come on inconsistently, however it will roll forward without the message.

- Prescott, AR, USA

problem #161

Sep 152020

Acadia

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Ever since I bought this vehicle 75% of the time I put the vehicle in park and turn the car off the -??shift to park-?? warning light comes on and I have to jiggle the gear shift until it goes off and allows the car to turn off. This can take up to 10 min or sometimes starting the car and turning it off works but that is less times than not. This has been ongoing since I have owned the car.

- West Des Moines, IA, USA

problem #160

Dec 162022

Acadia

  • 78,588 miles
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the camshaft and timing chain however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was later taken back to the dealer who later replaced the transmission. After replacing the transmission, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. A diagnostic test was performed, and it was determined that the camshaft and timing chain was faulty. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 78,588. The VIN was not available.

- Spring Hill, FL, USA

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problem #159

May 152022

Acadia

  • miles
Shift to park issue

- Central Village, CT, USA

problem #158

Jan 012023

Acadia

  • 150,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that on various occasions after shifting into park(P), it was not recognized and the "Attention Required, Shift to park(P)" message was displayed. The contact stated that multiple attempts at shifting the gear into neutral(N) or reverse(R) were needed for the park(P) to be recognized and for the contact to be able to turn off the vehicle. The contact also stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

- Aguilar, CO, USA

problem #157

Feb 152023

Acadia

  • miles
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.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #156

Feb 062023

Acadia

  • miles
Shift to park error light comes on when you are parking your car--cannot lock the car and all lights stay on--takes 5 or six tries --happens every time you move the car

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #155

Feb 062023

Acadia

  • miles
No incident yet. Although at 68,567 miles, it should not need J0780 Timing Cover Gasket replacement costing approximately $1847. Powertrain warranty was 5 year 65,000 miles. I purchased in April 2017, so April 2022 was 5 years. Unbelievable.

- Urbandale, IA, USA

problem #154

Jan 192023

Acadia

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I started hearing noise coming from the front of my vehicle while driving. The noise would increase in volume with speed and decrease as I got slower. I had a mechanic look at it and he said my Front Right Drive shaft is going. I looked up recalls and this is an existing recall for my same vehicle but does not apply to the AWD versions. Please force the expansion of the recall, as a drive shaft should last the life of the vehicle.

- Travis Afb, CA, USA

problem #153

Dec 152020

Acadia

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the shift to park warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the shifter assembly was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

- Byron, IL, USA

problem #152

Jan 062023

Acadia

  • miles
At roughly 50,000 there is a transmission line leak in the vehicle. GM has already recalled 2018-2020 model-year GMC Acadia SUVs and other models for this problem due to risk of fire. Whether it is the same cause or not, such a problem leads to the same risk.

- Troy, MI, USA

problem #151

Dec 102022

Acadia

  • miles
P0128 Apparently what happens when the temp sensor on the T-Stat housing goes bad it sends a signal to the ECM that the engine is overheating, causes the temp gauge to peg to "C", shuts down A/C Compressor Clutch engagement to not exacerbate the Overheat condition and super speeds the cooling fans. Of course it's a false flag warning and the engine isn't actually running hot. At the same time a signal to the ECM also tells the Power Steering Rack that it's Super Cold out and the lube in the steering system may freeze up causing loss of steering assist. NHTSA 17-NA-158 - MAY 2017 Needed to have Thermostat and Temperature sensor replaced. Was quoted by two dealers $1400-$1700. Very deceiving for GM to have SEVERAL "tech bulletins" advising their techs how to properly diagnose this common "error"... but it's not a recall so they won't foot the bill for what is clearly a defect. Car has only 59,400 / 2017 GMC Acadia All Terrain

- Newbury Park , CA, USA

problem #150

Dec 152022

Acadia

  • miles
My vehicle has serious issues that from my research seem to be a common problem/manufacturer defect experienced by other owners of this model. I believe the defect/issue is an electrical problem. While driving, the vehicle will often have problems using it's automatic transmission. It ranges from "rough" shifting (where the car jerks while shifting gears) to situation where the vehicle fails to shift gears completely leading to the RPMs shooting up. The cars power steering and traction control system also simultaneously fail. This leads to a dangerous situation when on highways etc This issue simultaneously causes all of the warning lights on the dashboard to light up while displaying the following messages on screen "Service stabilitrak" & "steering assist reduced -drive with care" & "service brake assist" & "service parking brake". The gauges also stop responding/reflecting accurate info when this happens. I have a video of what this all looks like. This has been on ongoing intermittent problem pretty much for the entire life of the vehicle. GMC informed me that they had never heard of this when I inquired about it a dealership but searching online makes it incredibly clear that this is an extremely widespread issue that they are aware of. I have also attached a file that has a list of all error codes detected by me for this vehicle.

- Sarasota, FL, USA

problem #149

Nov 022022

Acadia

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while shifting the vehicle into park and attempting to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to turn off due to the gear shifter not recognizing that the vehicle was in park(P). There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pushed the Start/Stop button several times and then was able to shift the vehicle into park(P) and turn off the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and stated that vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance because the vehicle was not under warranty or recall. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Boulder City, NV, USA

problem #148

Oct 072022

Acadia

  • miles
When trying to place the vehicle in "PARK" the message is displayed to "SHIFT TO PARK". The shift lever is in the park position, but the vehicle CANNOT BE TURNED OFF while this message is displayed. The shift lever has to be moved back and forth multiple times, sometimes for several minutes before allowing you to safely shut down the vehicle and exit. This is a known issue for GMC vehicles, yet they tell me that my VIN doesn't show the vehicle is eligible for a recall for this exact issue.

- Joplin, MO, USA

problem #147

Sep 062022

Acadia

  • miles
After putting my Acadia in park the DIC shows that I need to shift to park and my internals won-€™t shut off. I have to wiggle the gear shift, turn the car on/off and I have also had to change gear and put it back in park before it would register it was indeed in park. Something needs to be done. I can-€™t leave my car in that condition without damage being done to my SUV. This happens ALL the time.

- Edmond, OK, USA

problem #146

Jun 172022

Acadia

  • miles
The transmission began to shutter/shake while trying to accelerate. Transmission slips occurring frequently causing the vehicle to not propel forward while driving causing huge risk while driving.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #145

Apr 142022

Acadia

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond. The parking brake warning light illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

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