Shift to Park Error Message 2017 2018 GMC Acadia

[Jullian is not my name]

My 2018 GMC Acadia began getting a "Shift to Park" message in error a week ago.  This occurs when shifting into park and pressing the start/stop button to shut the engine off.  The engine turns off, the car is in park (won't roll away), but the vehicle will not stop giving an alert tone, the warning on the DIC says "Action Required Shift to Park", and the car will not fully turn off.  There is a TSB for this condition, currently PIT5616C .

 

I took my Acadia in to the dealer to have it repaired, and they identified it as a wire connection, and not the actual shift knob/assembly.  I have read and watched some informative posts and videos on this subject where other owners have identified a sticking switch within the shift knob itself, but that was not what the dealer repaired for me.  I have not had time to see if the problem returns yet.

 

One downside is that I am at 37,400 miles, so just outside of the warranty period.  My service adviser asked if GM would cover a portion of the repaid (which ended up being $467 + tax), but GM denied paying any portion, as is FULLY within their right.  I plan to make a little noise with GM to see if I can get them to fork up anything, but I'll accept their position if that's how it turns up (as it likely will).  There's enough info out there that I probably should have just fixed this myself and saved $400, but I was hoping that GM would have a moment of goodwill.

[Thomcat]

Initial TSB for Traverse, Acadia and Malibu called for the replacement of the shifter assembly with a test of 50 cycles of the shifter to confirm it was the switch in the shifter. If so shifter was replaced. Later revision of that TSB called instead for only the replacement of the wire harness coming from the switch in the shifter based only upon customer complaint of a shift to park failure.

 

My early production Traverse did not have the problem, but wasn't waiting for it to happen after warranty expired. Made a complaint of failure and went to the dealer for replacement of the harness. While idling in the reception area awaiting service got the shift to park failure and couldn't shut down the engine. Service tech replaced the harness and it did not solve the problem which turned out to be a bad snap-together switch where the pip had broken off and it fell apart. Got me going again by epoxying the switch together until the replacement shiftre arrived for install.

 

Switch is not independently replaceable and dealer installed a new retrofit shifter with a revised switch which would not come apart easily. Seems these early production shifter mechanisms are a time bomb....maybe the new harness will save the original switch from breaking and maybe it won't. Once out of warranty GM could care less because the problem only affects the first few months of production.....later production models are not susceptible to this problem coming with a revised harness and updated shifter mechanism with a revised switch.

 

[peterlawl84]

I have an extended warranty on my 17 Acadia and had that issue pop up last year, I didn't pay attention to what all they had to do since it was covered, but I thought the dealership said there was a sensor that went out in the shift assembly, replaced it and no issues since.