Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 GMC Acadia owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated after parking and turning off the vehicle, the brake lights remained illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The dealer the vehicle was purchased from, was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she would be charged for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact an unknown recall that was related to the failure had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the "Shift to Park" message was displayed on the instrument panel while attempting to park the vehicle. Additionally, there was a constant beeping alert coming from the vehicle during the failure. The contact later discovered that the rear brake lights and reverse lights were illuminated during the failure. A local dealer was contacted about the failure and made an appointment for a repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
As much as I love the vehicle as a whole, it unfortunately has the worst headlights I have experienced in any vehicle that I have ever driven. As someone who has perfect vision, I often find myself squinting to see the road ahead of me and various signs. It has gotten to the point where I have resorted to driving with my high beams on, just so I can see where I'm going in city streets, highway driving, and making turns. I've never had this issue with any other vehicle that I have driven and the unfortunate thing is that my father has nearly the same identical vehicle as me and is equally dissatisfied with the headlights. I would consider these as dangerous as anything to driver, pedestrian, and property related safety. …
Slt-2 with halogen projector beam headlights. Very very poor high & low beam performance. The 6yr old equinox I traded in did a better job of lighting the road in front of you. Had the dealer checked them out and said they were OK. I had them adjust the low beam down to provide better road visibility but forward illumination distance is less. The sales & service department said there is nothing they can do but I could look into after market headlights. Contacted GM customer service (case # 8-2826579557), their design team reviewed my concern and they have no planned changes to improve their headlights. If these lights pass any federal lighting requirements, the testing must have been done in a lab and not out in the real world. GM did a lot of things right on this new designed Acadia but the headlights is not one of them. Next step is to look for after market lights.
The radio is dangerously bright when driving at night. The brightness is affected by the backup camera; once the backup camera is activated the radio brightness is increased and will not dim until you shut the car off. There is no easy way to shut the display off without navigating through the touchscreen menus, and if you adjust anything with the radio or HVAC the display comes back on at full brightness. Vehicle has been to the dealer multiple times, with GM engineer visiting to see the issue. There are some acadias with the same radio that isn't affected by this problem. Was told by the engineer that there is nothing that can be done and I have to just get used to the extra brightness. This "extra brightness" is too dangerous for me to drive at night, as it impairs my vision. I am now stuck with a $32000 vehicle that I cannot safely drive at night.
I almost hit a pedestrian walking across the street in front of my car at night as I did not see him due to,the headlights being totally inadequate to see in front of the car and the lights have a blind spot when illuminated as the do not shine high enough. There is like a shelf effect that won't illuminate above four feet of the road in front of you. Also the light does not illuminate the road enough especially in wet conditions. It is like having no,light at all.
Low beam headlight performance inadequate. Vertical aim is OK but luminous lux is low, and lateral coverage during low speed turning is insufficient. If this vehicle meets the FMVSS standard for lighting, consider raising the minimum standards. Lighting is a safety issue NHTSA now tests for. Unless the customer does a test drive at night (can be impossible during the summer), there is no way to learn of a deficiency before purchasing.
With my vehicle stationary and shifter in the park position, I turn my car off and the vehicle turns off but the instrument cluster says "action required - shift to park". This message also does not allow the day time running lights to turn off and if the lights don't turn off the battery drains if parked for long stretches. I have to turn the car on/off several times before it engages and the message disappears.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the headlights failed to illuminate up to standards. The local dealer (todd wenzel Buick GMC of grand rapids, 2727 28th st se, grand rapids, mi, 49512) was made aware of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer stated that there was no failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 1,200.
My 2017 GMC Acadia has such poor headlight illumination that I cannot see adequately to drive at night. I can barely see to get up-and-down the hill to our driveway. Even on bright illumination, the headlights are inadequate. There should be a recall on the headlights. Otherwise, there will be accidents. People will get hurt or killed and there will be lawsuits.
Headlight complaints in other Acadia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2017 GMC Acadia?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the lights of the 2017 GMC Acadia, 4% of the model year's 705 complaints. The component named most often is brake lights (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2017 GMC Acadia headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2017 GMC Acadia, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2017 GMC Acadia headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 3,000 miles, and 84% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.