2017 Gmc YUKON XL

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2017 Gmc YUKON XL has 205 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.6x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is lighting problems (19% of all complaints), specifically: the whole back tail light had to be replaced after failing. poor design and a common problem on the 2015-2017 gmc yukons. there is a common area that breaks. not only a big expense but also a large waste of material considering the whole unit has to be replaced. cost is over $800.00 and the deale.

8 crash reports 1 injury

205

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

2.6x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

LIGHTING

38 complaints

19%

• THE WHOLE BACK TAIL LIGHT HAD TO BE REPLACED AFTER FAILING. POOR DESIGN AND A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE 2015-2017 GMC YUKONS. THERE IS A COMMON AREA THAT BREAKS. NOT ONLY A BIG EXPENSE BUT ALSO A LARGE WASTE OF MATERIAL CONSIDERING THE WHOLE UNIT HAS TO BE REPLACED. COST IS OVER $800.00 AND THE DEALE
• THE LED REAR BRAKE LIGHTS ARE CONSISTENTLY FAILING ON THOUSANDS OF THESE VEHICLES. DEALER TOLD ME THEY ARE ON BACK ORDER AND ARE UNAVAILABLE AS THEY CAN'T KEEP UP WITH DEMAND. WITHOUT A FIX, HOW CAN I SAFELY DRIVE THE CAR? I HAVE ONE OUT, IF THE OTHER GOES OUT, WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
• BRAKE LIGHTS ARE GOING OUT WITHOUT NOTICE

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

“THE WHOLE BACK TAIL LIGHT HAD TO BE REPLACED AFTER FAILING. POOR DESIGN AND A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE 2015-2017 GMC YUKONS. THERE IS A COMMON AREA THAT BREAKS. NOT ONLY A BIG EXPENSE BUT ALSO A LARGE WASTE OF MATERIAL CONSIDERING THE WHOLE UNIT HAS TO BE REPLACED. COST IS OVER $800.00 AND THE DEALE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

34 complaints

17%

• DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS CAUSING THE DRIVER TO PROCEED WELL UNDER THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT. THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO INCREASE SPEED SLOWLY AND THE VEHICLE HESITATED, THE ENGINE REVER BUT THE SPEED WOULD NOT INCREASE. THIS CAUSED CARS AT THE CORRECT SPEED TO VEER OUT OF T
• VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, PLACED IN PARK ON A HILL, CHILD IN THE CAR, VEHICLE ENGINE RUNNING AND EMERGENCY BRAKE APPLIED. THE VEHICLE BECAME UNRESPONSIVE. UNABLE TO TURN VEHICLE OFF, UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR, UNABLE TO DRIVE, UNABLE TO OPEN WINDOWS, UNABLE TO OPEN REAR HATCH. ONSTAR WAS CONTACTED A
• WHILE DRIVING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY FLASHES. VEHICLE RUNS EXTREMELY ROUGH, SLUGGISH AT TIMES. DEALER CHECKED VEHICLE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME AND EVENTUALLY CONFIRMED RANDOM MISFIRES. UNABLE TO FIX ISSUE. UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE. VEHICLE WAS LATER CONFIRMED TO HAVE A FAULTY TRANSMI

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

“DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS CAUSING THE DRIVER TO PROCEED WELL UNDER THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT. THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO INCREASE SPEED SLOWLY AND THE VEHICLE HESITATED, THE ENGINE REVER BUT THE SPEED WOULD NOT INCREASE. THIS CAUSED CARS AT THE CORRECT SPEED TO VEER OUT OF T”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

30 complaints

15%

• UPON DRIVING VEHICLE WATER WAS OBSERVED TO DRIP FROM UPPER LEFT HAND DRIVERS COMPARTMENT ONTO DRIVER. THE WEATHER HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN RAINING. ROOF FABRIC WAS SATURATED AND WATER WAS ACTIVELY FALLING. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THE ANTENNA ASSEMBLY ON THE ROOF WAS A KNOWN FAILURE MODE FOR THIS HAZARD.
• WHILE DRIVING WITH THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM ACTIVELY NAVIGATING THE DESTINATION PATH, THE CENTER CONSOLE DISPLAY SCREEN TURNS TO A BLACK SCREEN WITH NO NAVIGATION FEATURES. THE CONSOLE RANDOMLY REBOOTS AND MUST RESTART. THIS FAILURE MODE CAN CAUSE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS BY DELAYING THE
• WHILE DRIVING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY FLASHES. VEHICLE RUNS EXTREMELY ROUGH, SLUGGISH AT TIMES. DEALER CHECKED VEHICLE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME AND EVENTUALLY CONFIRMED RANDOM MISFIRES. UNABLE TO FIX ISSUE. UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE. VEHICLE WAS LATER CONFIRMED TO HAVE A FAULTY TRANSMI

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

“UPON DRIVING VEHICLE WATER WAS OBSERVED TO DRIP FROM UPPER LEFT HAND DRIVERS COMPARTMENT ONTO DRIVER. THE WEATHER HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN RAINING. ROOF FABRIC WAS SATURATED AND WATER WAS ACTIVELY FALLING. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THE ANTENNA ASSEMBLY ON THE ROOF WAS A KNOWN FAILURE MODE FOR THIS HAZARD. ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

25 complaints

12%

• WHILE DRIVING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY FLASHES. VEHICLE RUNS EXTREMELY ROUGH, SLUGGISH AT TIMES. DEALER CHECKED VEHICLE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME AND EVENTUALLY CONFIRMED RANDOM MISFIRES. UNABLE TO FIX ISSUE. UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE. VEHICLE WAS LATER CONFIRMED TO HAVE A FAULTY TRANSMI
• WHILE PARKED AND RUNNING WITH NO DRIVER IN THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLES KEY FOB WAS LOCKED IN THE CAR BY A PASSENGER EXITING THE VEHICLE. THE PASSENGER, A CHILD, EXITED THE VEHICLE AND PUSHED THE "DOOR LOCK" BUTTON AND THEN CLOSED THE DOOR, LOCKING IT WHILE RUNNING WITH THE KEY FOB IN THE VEHICLE. NO
• THIS VEHICLE BREAKS FAILED ON ME WHILE DRIVING A VERY KNOWN ISSUE ON PREVIOUS YEAR

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

“WHILE DRIVING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY FLASHES. VEHICLE RUNS EXTREMELY ROUGH, SLUGGISH AT TIMES. DEALER CHECKED VEHICLE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME AND EVENTUALLY CONFIRMED RANDOM MISFIRES. UNABLE TO FIX ISSUE. UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE. VEHICLE WAS LATER CONFIRMED TO HAVE A FAULTY TRANSMI”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

24 complaints

12%

• THIS IS ABOUT A 2017 YUKON XL BREAK FAILING TO OPERATE THE PREVIOUS 2016 YUKON MODELS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND HAVE A RECALL BULLETIN NO: PIT5361B AND THE DEALER DOES NOT WANT TO ADDRESS OR ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM
• THIS VEHICLE BREAKS FAILED ON ME WHILE DRIVING A VERY KNOWN ISSUE ON PREVIOUS YEAR
• THE WHOLE BACK TAIL LIGHT HAD TO BE REPLACED AFTER FAILING. POOR DESIGN AND A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE 2015-2017 GMC YUKONS. THERE IS A COMMON AREA THAT BREAKS. NOT ONLY A BIG EXPENSE BUT ALSO A LARGE WASTE OF MATERIAL CONSIDERING THE WHOLE UNIT HAS TO BE REPLACED. COST IS OVER $800.00 AND THE DEALE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 4 crashes

“THIS IS ABOUT A 2017 YUKON XL BREAK FAILING TO OPERATE THE PREVIOUS 2016 YUKON MODELS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND HAVE A RECALL BULLETIN NO: PIT5361B AND THE DEALER DOES NOT WANT TO ADDRESS OR ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

LIGHTING(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 205 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
LIGHTING: THE WHOLE BACK TAIL LIGHT HAD TO BE REPLACED AFTER FAILING. POOR DESIGN AND A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE 2015-2017 GMC YUKONS. THERE IS A COMMON AREA THAT BREAKS. NOT ONLY A BIG EXPENSE BUT ALSO A LARGE WASTE OF MATERIAL CONSIDERING THE WHOLE UNIT HAS TO BE REPLACED. COST IS OVER $800.00 AND THE DEALE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS CAUSING THE DRIVER TO PROCEED WELL UNDER THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT. THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO INCREASE SPEED SLOWLY AND THE VEHICLE HESITATED, THE ENGINE REVER BUT THE SPEED WOULD NOT INCREASE. THIS CAUSED CARS AT THE CORRECT SPEED TO VEER OUT OF T
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: UPON DRIVING VEHICLE WATER WAS OBSERVED TO DRIP FROM UPPER LEFT HAND DRIVERS COMPARTMENT ONTO DRIVER. THE WEATHER HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN RAINING. ROOF FABRIC WAS SATURATED AND WATER WAS ACTIVELY FALLING. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THE ANTENNA ASSEMBLY ON THE ROOF WAS A KNOWN FAILURE MODE FOR THIS HAZARD.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: WHILE DRIVING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY FLASHES. VEHICLE RUNS EXTREMELY ROUGH, SLUGGISH AT TIMES. DEALER CHECKED VEHICLE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME AND EVENTUALLY CONFIRMED RANDOM MISFIRES. UNABLE TO FIX ISSUE. UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE. VEHICLE WAS LATER CONFIRMED TO HAVE A FAULTY TRANSMI
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)