2016 Gmc YUKON XL

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2016 Gmc YUKON XL has 266 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.3x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is lighting problems (32% of all complaints), specifically: both break lights went out, weather has been hot in the high 90s which gmc dealer expressed common concern among owners during summer. vehicle is used 15miles/day on average.. ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.

2 fire reports 9 crash reports

266

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.3x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

LIGHTING

84 complaints

32%

• BOTH BREAK LIGHTS WENT OUT, WEATHER HAS BEEN HOT IN THE HIGH 90S WHICH GMC DEALER EXPRESSED COMMON CONCERN AMONG OWNERS DURING SUMMER. VEHICLE IS USED 15MILES/DAY ON AVERAGE.
• GMC BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE - I OWN A 2016 GMC YUKON XL AND AFTER ABOUT 45,000 MILES THE BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE STARTED INTERMITTENTLY NOT WORKING. AFTER HAVING A GMC TECHNICIAN TELL ME THAT ITS A KNOWN ISSUE AND SEEING HUNDREDS OF OTHERS POSTS ONLINE, IT IS EVIDENT THAT THIS IS A VERY WIDESPREAD PROBLEM.
• MODEL YUKON XL 2016, LESS THAN 50K MILES, BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE FAILED COMPLETELY. NO REAR BRAKING LIGHTS. ENTIRE ASSEMBLY HAS TO BE REPLACED. FIRST NOTICED IN JULY, HAVE ONLY HAD VEHICLE FOR 14 MONTHS.

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

“BOTH BREAK LIGHTS WENT OUT, WEATHER HAS BEEN HOT IN THE HIGH 90S WHICH GMC DEALER EXPRESSED COMMON CONCERN AMONG OWNERS DURING SUMMER. VEHICLE IS USED 15MILES/DAY ON AVERAGE.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

41 complaints

15%

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC YUKON XL. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AT LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKES FAILED TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SOUTHERN PINES CHEVROLET BUICK GMC (10722 US-15, SOUTHERN PINES
• WHEN STARTING AND STOPPING (DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL MULTIPLE TIMES) SUCH AS AT A LEFT TURN (WAITING FOR TRAFFIC) OR A DRIVE-THRU WINDOW, THE BRAKES STOP WORKING AND THE CAR ROLLS FORWARD EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE IS DEPRESSED. IF YOU PRESS REALLY HARD IT WILL USUALLY STOP- BUT IT DEFINITELY ROLLS FORW
• ON 9/25/18 WHILE APPLYING BRAKES THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME EXTREMELY HARD TO PRESS AND VERY HARD TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THANK GOD IT WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY THIS OCCURRED. MY SIGNIFICANT OTHER CAME HOME FROM WORK ON 9/27/18 AND CHANGED PADS, LUBED CALIPER SLIDERS, AND VERIFIED PROPER CALIPER OPERATION. SPENT

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 5 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC YUKON XL. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AT LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKES FAILED TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SOUTHERN PINES CHEVROLET BUICK GMC (10722 US-15, SOUTHERN PINES”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

32 complaints

12%

• ON 11/13/15, "SERVICE 4WD SYSTEM" MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE SCREEN RENDERING THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THIS ISSUE OCCURRED LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE (297 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AT THE TIME THAT THE ISSUE OCCURRED). SPECIFIC ISSUE: WHEN THE TRANSFER CASE WAS SET TO "AUTO" IT AUTOMATICALLY SWI
• I LEASED A 2016 YUKON DENALI XL ON 9/15/15. IT HAS TWO MAJOR PROBLEMS. 1. BUFFETING/PRESSURE NOISE - A NOISE AS IF A WINDOW IS CRACKED, EXCEPT IT'S NOT CRACKED. THIS OCCURS AT SPEEDS FROM 24MPH AND UP AND CAUSES EARS TO POP AND IS NOTICEABLE TO VIRTUALLY EVERY PASSENGER I HAVE HAD. 2. WHOL
• EXCESSIVE VIBRATION/BUFFETING DRONE ISSUES (AT ALL SPEEDS OF THE VEHICLE) HAVE CAUSED SEVERE HEALTH ISSUES AND SAFETY HAZARDS FROM DRIVING THE VEHICLE. WITHIN THE FIRST 8,000 MILES OF OWNING THE CAR, THE CAR HAS NOW BEEN IN SERVICE FOR 40 DAYS AS GM TRIES AND REMEDY THE PROBLEM, BUT THERE DOES NOT A

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

“ON 11/13/15, "SERVICE 4WD SYSTEM" MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE SCREEN RENDERING THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THIS ISSUE OCCURRED LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE (297 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AT THE TIME THAT THE ISSUE OCCURRED). SPECIFIC ISSUE: WHEN THE TRANSFER CASE WAS SET TO "AUTO" IT AUTOMATICALLY SWI”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

30 complaints

11%

• BOUGHT SUV 6/25/2016 THE SAME WEEKEND THE ENGINE TURNS OFF AFTER A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN :IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES SO FAR. 4 WEEK OLD 2016 YUKON DENALI XL, HAS STALLED 3 TIMES IN LAST 4 WEEKS, ENGINE CUTS OFF AFTER A LEFT OR A RIGHT TURN ONLY AFTER A SHORT DRIVE OUT OF HOME. THE SUV HAS TO BE RESTARTED
• GMC BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE - I OWN A 2016 GMC YUKON XL AND AFTER ABOUT 45,000 MILES THE BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE STARTED INTERMITTENTLY NOT WORKING. AFTER HAVING A GMC TECHNICIAN TELL ME THAT ITS A KNOWN ISSUE AND SEEING HUNDREDS OF OTHERS POSTS ONLINE, IT IS EVIDENT THAT THIS IS A VERY WIDESPREAD PROBLEM.
• PROGRESSIVE INTERMITTENT BRAKE LIGHT FUNCTIONALITY THAT EVENTUALLY CULMINATED WITH COMPLETE INOPERABILITY; ONLY THE RIGHT/LEFT BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLIES ARE AFFECTED; REVERSE LAMPS OPERATE; UPPER CENTER BRAKE LIGHT FUNCTIONS NORMALLY; THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH GMC BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLIES PER MULTIPLE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 2 crashes

“BOUGHT SUV 6/25/2016 THE SAME WEEKEND THE ENGINE TURNS OFF AFTER A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN :IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES SO FAR. 4 WEEK OLD 2016 YUKON DENALI XL, HAS STALLED 3 TIMES IN LAST 4 WEEKS, ENGINE CUTS OFF AFTER A LEFT OR A RIGHT TURN ONLY AFTER A SHORT DRIVE OUT OF HOME. THE SUV HAS TO BE RESTARTED”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

28 complaints

11%

• IN MY YUKON WHILE IDLEL THE CAR START SHAKING SO BAD, IT HAS A VIBRATION YOU CAN SEE THE NEEDLE GOING UP AND DOWN, TOOK IT SEVERAL TIME TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY KNOW IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR BUT GENERAL MOTOR COMPANY HAS NOT ISSUE ANY REPAIR FOR THAT AT THIS MOMENT, I CONTACT GENERAL MOTOR
• BOUGHT SUV 6/25/2016 THE SAME WEEKEND THE ENGINE TURNS OFF AFTER A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN :IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES SO FAR. 4 WEEK OLD 2016 YUKON DENALI XL, HAS STALLED 3 TIMES IN LAST 4 WEEKS, ENGINE CUTS OFF AFTER A LEFT OR A RIGHT TURN ONLY AFTER A SHORT DRIVE OUT OF HOME. THE SUV HAS TO BE RESTARTED
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC YUKON XL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE SHUDDERED WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION, TRANSMISSION FLUID, AND WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLA

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

“IN MY YUKON WHILE IDLEL THE CAR START SHAKING SO BAD, IT HAS A VIBRATION YOU CAN SEE THE NEEDLE GOING UP AND DOWN, TOOK IT SEVERAL TIME TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY KNOW IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR BUT GENERAL MOTOR COMPANY HAS NOT ISSUE ANY REPAIR FOR THAT AT THIS MOMENT, I CONTACT GENERAL MOTOR ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

LIGHTING(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 266 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
LIGHTING: BOTH BREAK LIGHTS WENT OUT, WEATHER HAS BEEN HOT IN THE HIGH 90S WHICH GMC DEALER EXPRESSED COMMON CONCERN AMONG OWNERS DURING SUMMER. VEHICLE IS USED 15MILES/DAY ON AVERAGE.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC YUKON XL. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AT LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKES FAILED TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SOUTHERN PINES CHEVROLET BUICK GMC (10722 US-15, SOUTHERN PINES
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: ON 11/13/15, "SERVICE 4WD SYSTEM" MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE SCREEN RENDERING THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THIS ISSUE OCCURRED LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE (297 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AT THE TIME THAT THE ISSUE OCCURRED). SPECIFIC ISSUE: WHEN THE TRANSFER CASE WAS SET TO "AUTO" IT AUTOMATICALLY SWI
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: BOUGHT SUV 6/25/2016 THE SAME WEEKEND THE ENGINE TURNS OFF AFTER A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN :IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES SO FAR. 4 WEEK OLD 2016 YUKON DENALI XL, HAS STALLED 3 TIMES IN LAST 4 WEEKS, ENGINE CUTS OFF AFTER A LEFT OR A RIGHT TURN ONLY AFTER A SHORT DRIVE OUT OF HOME. THE SUV HAS TO BE RESTARTED
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)