Owners have filed 1,770 complaints on the GMC Yukon XL, covering 2000–2026. The system named most often is Engine (310 reports). Worst years by volume: 2021, 2023, 2003; cleanest: 2012, 2013, 2006. 55 reports describe a crash, 13 a fire, 2 a death. On average the car was 5.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on GMC Yukon XL
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,770 Yukon XL complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine 310 Read
Purchased used vehicle in June 2025 when purchased was not advised about an open recall vehicle loss power on 07-29-2025 called dealer advised that car had loss power while driving with entire family in vehicle. Brought vehicle in for checking said open recall they ran a scope test said it passed and only a high…
Engine failure had to replace the motor
The contact owns a 2026 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The abnormal sound disappeared after the engine had warmed up. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined…
Service Brakes 230 Read
The contact owns a 2013 gmc yukon xl. While the vehicle was parked with the ignition off, the contact heard an abnormally loud pop emit from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle then began to roll and crashed into a brick wall. The contact stated that the failure occurred previously, but she was able to…
Brake line rusted, caused traffic accident at 30 mph. Breaks were serviced last year
Full brake failure in 7/19 and again in 10/19. We were able to avoid hitting other vehicle as little traffic. Had them completely repaired both times. 1/20 brakes failed again causing us to avoid hitting other vehicles by jumping a curb and hitting a mile marker sign a parkway. That is 3 brakes failures in 7 months.…
Electrical System 222 Read
Frontal impact between my 2003 yukon xl denali and a 1992 honda prelude. Impact to my vehicle in front left corner # 40 mph causing minor damage to my vehicle resulted in my vehicle catching fire within 30 seconds of impact. My vehicle was totaled as a result of the fire, not the impact
Large fire started at rear of car. Car was parked on driveway and no one was inside. Noticed a burning smell before fire started. Could not locate any smoke. Vehicle rear burst into flames 20 minutes later. Fire department responded quickly and was able to put out the fire before it reached the house. Vehicle is…
Vehicle unexpectedly caught fire in the front passengers side. The vehicle had been parked for several hours at the time of the fire. Fire investigators believe the fire was electrical and paid substantial attention to the front passengers side dash area on both the inboard and engine compartment sides of the dash.…
Air Bags 196 Read
Airbags did not deploy. A car run a red light. I hit it on its passenger side. I was going about 45mph before the crash. I did slam my breaks before impact but I would guess I was still going 30-35mph at impact. Car has not been inspected yet. It is still in our possession. We have made in insurance claim. No warning…
Make left turn and distracted by kids in the back. Looked back and felt a crash. Collided with a traffic signal pole and caused major/total damage to vehicle. Driver side airbag DID NOT deploy causing injury to neck, shoulder, and lower back
GMC SUV - Hydroplaned -- could not achieve Traction Control despite moving away from water patch.. Front Angle Crashed into Concrete Median; All Side Airbags Deployed, No Front Airbags Deployed
Power Train 170 Read
Consumer states transmission can be shifted from park without foot being applied to the brake. Contrary to information existing in the owner's manual consumer's 2 year old child changed gear from park causing a collision that resulted in major damage to the vehicle.*ak vehicle was parked for thirty minutes before the…
On 3/14/26, on I-75 in Troy, Michigan at 70mph the vehicle, with 4000k miles on the odometer completely shut off. I pushed to restart the engine and it would not restart. My whole family was in the car and we were on a curve. I was able to coast to a flat shoulder. The vehicle would not restart or shift out of park.…
Transmission malfunctioned 4 separate times. Engine and service transmission light came on. Vehicle shifted hard and became immobile at certain times. 4 tropes to a dealer for repair. Latest repair was replacing ECM and problem still persists
Engine And Engine Cooling 104 Read
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Yukon. The contact received notice of NHTSA ID Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, he and his wife observed noises emanating from the engine compartment. On another occasion while driving and coming to…
The contact owns a 2001 gmc yukon xl 1500. While driving 15 mph, another vehicle crashed into the rear passenger side of the contact's vehicle. The road conditions were dry. The contact's vehicle spun clockwise and rolled onto the driver side. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained bruises. The engine did…
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine vibrated abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was…
Steering 77 Read
I was driving down the highway, and my wife and I decided to stop at Costco to get protein bars and gas for the drive home. We also had a [XXX] , [XXX] old, and [XXX] in the car. As we were approaching the end of the exit ramp at approximately 30 miles per hour, the engine jerked the car two or three times then died.…
Here is only one of the numerous, safety, security, and well-being concerns, inherent with our general motors gmc yukon xl; though reported, that have neither been addressed and corrected, by the general motors gmc division: the squeaking, clunking, locking steering, when turning: service bulletin number: 01863, NHTSA…
Since first purchase, the ever present concerns, inherent with our general motors gmc yukon xl, have grown; to whereby, they are safety, security, and well-being concerns: a) the squeaking, clunking, locking steering, when turning: service bulletin number: 01863. The NHTSA item number: 10006616. B) the brake pedal,…
Structure 64 Read
My wife was driving on the highway and the back lift glass blew off the tailgate and hit a motorcyclist he was not injured but there was some damage to his bike. The insurance company will not cover the repairs to the glass and the dealer said that there is no recall for the glass so I have to pay for replacement out…
I swerved to miss a deer and I hit a tree running 47 mph and my air bags didn't deploy and no one can tell me why. My husband and I were very lucky but why didn't the air bags deploy? My husband was out of work for 5 months due to torn ligaments in his shoulders and still has to have surgery
Sunroof exploded
Yukon XL years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2025 | Back Over Prevention,forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | — | |
| 2024 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2023 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2022 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2020 | Air Bags,traction Control System | 2 | 1 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags,structure | — | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 5 | 1 | |
| 2006 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 3 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 5 | 2 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 8 | 1 | |
| 2002 | Electrical System | 5 | 1 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 8 | 2 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 7 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 871 |
| Average complaints per series | 2 |
| Worst single series | 18 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.1 years |
A model average of 2 hides a worst series at 18. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Yukon XL?
By complaint volume, 2021, 2023, 2003 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Yukon XL years are the cleanest?
2012, 2013, 2006 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the GMC Yukon XL have?
1,770 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2000–2026. Of those, 55 describe a crash and 13 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.