2019 Gmc ACADIA

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2019 Gmc ACADIA has 515 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 6.4x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is transmission problems (29% of all complaints), specifically: the manual gear shifter controls in low gear on the center console do not shift. the manual control worked during the test drive at the dealership when the car had 17 miles on it, march 10, 2019. the shifter failure was first noticed when the car had about 500 miles on it, coming down a mountain o. ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.

2 fire reports 6 crash reports 3 injuries

515

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

6.4x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

TRANSMISSION

149 complaints

29%

• THE MANUAL GEAR SHIFTER CONTROLS IN LOW GEAR ON THE CENTER CONSOLE DO NOT SHIFT. THE MANUAL CONTROL WORKED DURING THE TEST DRIVE AT THE DEALERSHIP WHEN THE CAR HAD 17 MILES ON IT, MARCH 10, 2019. THE SHIFTER FAILURE WAS FIRST NOTICED WHEN THE CAR HAD ABOUT 500 MILES ON IT, COMING DOWN A MOUNTAIN O
• WHEN I TRY AND TURN THE CAR OFF IT HAS AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT SAYS "SHIFT TO PARK". IT APPEARS THAT THE CAR IS IN PARK BUT I AM UNABLE TO SHUT THE CAR OFF AND UNABLE TO LOCK THE DOORS.
• WHEN I TRY AND TURN THE CAR OFF IT HAS AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT SAYS "SHIFT TO PARK". THE CAR IS ALREADY IN PARK AND MESSAGE STILL. NEED TO DO A IGNITION CYCLE TO REMOVE THE CONDITION AND BE ABLE TO TURN IT OFF. THIS CONDITION HAPPENED RANDOMLY, STILL OCCURRING ONE OR TWICE A WEEK.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“THE MANUAL GEAR SHIFTER CONTROLS IN LOW GEAR ON THE CENTER CONSOLE DO NOT SHIFT. THE MANUAL CONTROL WORKED DURING THE TEST DRIVE AT THE DEALERSHIP WHEN THE CAR HAD 17 MILES ON IT, MARCH 10, 2019. THE SHIFTER FAILURE WAS FIRST NOTICED WHEN THE CAR HAD ABOUT 500 MILES ON IT, COMING DOWN A MOUNTAIN O”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

113 complaints

22%

• MY MOTHER HAS BECOME TRAPPED TWO TIMES DUE TO THE LOCKS ON THE VEHICLE NOT WORKING. THE ISSUE ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT RAINS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY REPLACED SOME KIND MECHANISM AND THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOOD TO GO. IT RAINED AGAIN YESTERDAY AND MY MOTHER WAS TRAPPED IN TH
• SHIFT TO PARK IS HAPPENING ON THE 2019. WHEN IN PARK, ITS NOT BEING SENSED. KEEPS SAYING SHIFT TO PARK. TOOK VEHICLE IN THEY SAID 1/2 A DAY ON 11/22. TURNS OUT THEY NEED LONGER FOR PART. THEY GAVE LOANER, TODAY IS 12/4/19, STILL DON'T HAVE CAR BACK YET. ALSO, BACK WINDSHIELD WIPER MAKING A CLI
• I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND IT DISPLAYS A MESSAGE 'SHIFT TO PARK,' EVEN THOUGH THE CAR IS IN PARK. IT DOESN'T ALLOW THE CAR TO SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. THE ENGINE TURNS OFF, BUT THE ELECTRICAL STAYS ON. WHEN WE TRY TO DRIVE IT, IT IS SLOW TO ACCELERATE AND THE RPMS SHOOT TO 4 AND DON'T GO DOWN UNLESS BREAK

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“MY MOTHER HAS BECOME TRAPPED TWO TIMES DUE TO THE LOCKS ON THE VEHICLE NOT WORKING. THE ISSUE ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT RAINS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY REPLACED SOME KIND MECHANISM AND THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOOD TO GO. IT RAINED AGAIN YESTERDAY AND MY MOTHER WAS TRAPPED IN TH”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

100 complaints

19%

• MY MOTHER HAS BECOME TRAPPED TWO TIMES DUE TO THE LOCKS ON THE VEHICLE NOT WORKING. THE ISSUE ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT RAINS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY REPLACED SOME KIND MECHANISM AND THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOOD TO GO. IT RAINED AGAIN YESTERDAY AND MY MOTHER WAS TRAPPED IN TH
• WHEN I COME TO A STOP AND PUT THE CAR INTO PARK I GET A MESSAGE TO SHIFT TO PARK BEFORE I CAN TURN CAR OFF
• I HAVE EXPERIENCED ISSUES WITH THE SHIFTER OF THE VEHICLE TWICE NOW AND IT HAS RESULTED IN REPLACING THE SHIFTER AT LEAST ONCE. 6 MONTHS LATER AND AFTER AN INITIAL REPLACEMENT THE SHIFTER HAS GONE OUT AGAIN. THE SHIFTER REFUSES TO MOVE OUT OF THE PARK FUNCTION. PRIOR TO THE SHIFTER GOING OUT THE CAR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

51 complaints

10%

• CAR AUTOMATICALLY SHUTS OFF WHEN DRIVING MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES OF THIS HAPPENING
• AT 500 MILES PAST THE WARRANTY EXPIRATION THE RADIATOR DEVELOPED A CRACK ALONG THE TOP SEAM. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS A MANUFACTURES DEFECT AS THE VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN TWO YEARS OLD. GMC DECLINED TO REPLACE THE PART BECAUSE IT WAS 500 MILES PAST THE WARRANTY ALTHOUGH THEY DID NOT DENY IT WAS A MA
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL SOUND INSIDE THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN. ADDITIONALLY, THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING ACTIVATED WITHOUT DRIVER INPUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RANCHO GRANDE MOTORS LOCATED

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“CAR AUTOMATICALLY SHUTS OFF WHEN DRIVING MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES OF THIS HAPPENING”

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

30 complaints

• I’m not sure but a warning came on that said steering assist reduced drive with care and my temperature gage and AC weren’t working all of a sudden when it happened
• "Steering Assist reduced drive with care" displayed on screen when I was driving. The temp gauge stayed on C, the a/c did not work and engine fan came on full blast. After a couple days of this, it went back to normal. Coolant was checked and full at correct level.
• Vehicle will have a message on the dash that says “drive with care steering assist is reduced”, the fans will come on and stay on, and the temperature hand will quit working along with air conditioner. It has not been inspected, I am not sure if the steering assist being reduced could cause any harm

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“I’m not sure but a warning came on that said steering assist reduced drive with care and my temperature gage and AC weren’t working all of a sudden when it happened”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 515 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
TRANSMISSION: THE MANUAL GEAR SHIFTER CONTROLS IN LOW GEAR ON THE CENTER CONSOLE DO NOT SHIFT. THE MANUAL CONTROL WORKED DURING THE TEST DRIVE AT THE DEALERSHIP WHEN THE CAR HAD 17 MILES ON IT, MARCH 10, 2019. THE SHIFTER FAILURE WAS FIRST NOTICED WHEN THE CAR HAD ABOUT 500 MILES ON IT, COMING DOWN A MOUNTAIN O
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: MY MOTHER HAS BECOME TRAPPED TWO TIMES DUE TO THE LOCKS ON THE VEHICLE NOT WORKING. THE ISSUE ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT RAINS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY REPLACED SOME KIND MECHANISM AND THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOOD TO GO. IT RAINED AGAIN YESTERDAY AND MY MOTHER WAS TRAPPED IN TH
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: MY MOTHER HAS BECOME TRAPPED TWO TIMES DUE TO THE LOCKS ON THE VEHICLE NOT WORKING. THE ISSUE ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT RAINS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY REPLACED SOME KIND MECHANISM AND THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOOD TO GO. IT RAINED AGAIN YESTERDAY AND MY MOTHER WAS TRAPPED IN TH
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: CAR AUTOMATICALLY SHUTS OFF WHEN DRIVING MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES OF THIS HAPPENING
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)