What 497 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 GMC Yukon Denali Xl 1500

TRANSMISSION SHUDDERS, LURCHES FORWARD UNCONTROLABLY, AND HARD SHIFTS

NHTSA ODI 11657818

2 months ago our 16 gmc Yukon Denali 6.2 bent a push rod on cylinder 4 . So had to fix it when I took out DOD lifters put them on work bench and about 10 minutes out the DOD lifters flew apart and know having transmission issues it’s starting to shudder ! So I would liked the [XXX] thing recalled because engine still isn’t right either it only has 130000 miles. I’ll never buy a [XXX] gmc because of problems! I want the [XXX] thing fixed ASAP we paid to much money for it to be having problems!!!! Please send a recall letter to fix it ! [XXX] . 4/29/2025 6:53 p:m INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11657648

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.

NHTSA ODI 11656273

Transmission failure, hard shifting, slipping and loss of power also severe shuddering. Very dangerous driving. I had to have the transmission replaced after taking the vehicle to a dealership and upon verification from same dealership reproducing the transmission failure. Massive financial loss, dealership stated these transmissions are known to fail. Manufacturer has been notified by numerous complaints. Compensation is warranted

NHTSA ODI 11653984

6.2L collapsed lifter on cylnder 5. This os my second engine with the exact same problem as the first engine reason for replacement

NHTSA ODI 11651502

When accelerating from a stop, the engines revs up to really high RPM's before shifting hard into 2nd gear, and again while shifting hard into 3rd gear. This started in the last week. The engine/trans currently have ~133,000 miles. Accelerating slowly, not exceeding 1,500-1,700 RPM will reduce this occurence, but it takes significantly longer to get up to speed, which is a problem when entering 55 MPH traffic. We've had to pull off the road to avoid causing an accident while merging with traffic since the transmission seems like it won't shift, causing me to have to let off the accelerator to try and allow the transmission to shift so I can continue accelerating.

NHTSA ODI 11649607

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly shuddered before returning to normal functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the torque converter. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11647426

On two occasions while driving at low speed, my vehicle braked on its on a pulled hard to the left; the stabilitrac indicator also popped on briefly. I went online to determine if there were any recalls on my vehicle and found that one of the recalls on the 2016 Yukon was the exact issue happening with my vehicle. I checked my VIN and found that my vehicle was not one of the vehicles with this issue. I called GM to see if my vehicle had just not been published yet. I explain the situation too the customer service person; she understood my situation and informed me that until my specific VIN in identified with this issue, there's nothing that can be done. I'm thinking that until an accident happen because of this issue, there is nothing that can be done. I read that my issue was a problem with the EBCM, which needs to be reprogrammed. I thank you for any assistance with this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11646556

At 90k the engine stopped working, no warning or lights went off. 6.2L Lifters and bearings., The dealer gave us 14k for the car and we then went and bought and escalde with the 6.2L, that has also seized at 14k miles within 13 months of purchasing. The yukon has no reports of that on the car fax after our trade, which i found curious.

NHTSA ODI 11645423

There's alot of time while I'm driving in line going slowly and break pedal become hard and it will seem like the truck it's not stopping.

NHTSA ODI 11644002

Without warning, giving vehicle low consistent pressure on gas pedal to move forward slowly (2-3mph) vehicle rpm jumped up then suddenly shifted and vehicle jerked forward in a school zone. Behavior continued and vehicle was ultimately towed.

NHTSA ODI 11642956

After leaving a car wash on 12/19/22, the engine began sputtering and did not seem to be able to get any gas. After pressing gas pedal, the vehicle slowly moved forward, but was shifting hard. Pulled over in gas station parking lot and turned vehicle off. Checked Engine. Vehicle would not restart. Vehicle was towed to dealership. They uncovered a broken valve spring, which also caused the catalytic converters to fail. Total bill was over $7500

NHTSA ODI 11640077

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR MONDAY AND I ALMOST CRASH WITH THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME THE BRAKES DOESNT WORK AND THEN IN THE PANEL START LIGHTS OF THE ENGINE THE SUPENSION LIGHT AND SIGH SAYING BRAKE ASISTANT, THE CAR IS PARK BECAUSE THE BRAKES AND I LOOK FOR RECALLS AND I CALL GMC AND THEY SAYS THAT I DONT HAVE ANY RECALL BUT I ALMOST DIE MONDAY BECAUSE THE VACUM PUMP FOR THE BRAKES FAIL AND ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE PANNEL START LIGHT UP.

NHTSA ODI 11639463

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon Denali. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the contact was notified by another driver that the rear taillights were inoperable. No warning light was illuminated. Neither a dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall on the VIN related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.

NHTSA ODI 11638321

My brakes are not working properly. I can be backing up and put my foot on the brake. My truck will keep moving until I apply a lot of pressure on the brake pedal. I can be backing up and my truck will automatically brake and stop moving. I have to cut the truck off, start it back up for it to move. I was in a stand still traffic jam and braking a lot and my truck did stop it keep rolling. Sometimes when I apply the brake it slides.. This is the third time I have put it in the shop. I changed the brakes, brake sensor and replaced tires. I am scared to drive it. My truck is currently in the shop now for the brakes. please help.

NHTSA ODI 11636319

Driving a company vehicle [XXX], heavy smoke started coming from under the drivers side dash. Unhooked battery, the smoke stopped. I had vehicle towed to a local garage. They advised the engine wiring harness and other wiring had caught on fire. They couldn't repair it. On [XXX]. I had the vehicle towed to the local GMC dealer in Bedford, VA. At first they said they could fix it, then around 7/3/24 they said the couldn't fix it, charging several hundreds of dollars. On July 5/2024 I had the vehicle towed to a GMC dealership in Lynchburg, VA who I had check with and said they could fix it. The first part of September 2024, this dealership advised me the couldn't fix the vehicle. I had the vehicle tow to our companies office in Lynchburg. The dealerships are saying they can't get the needed wiring harnesses. Our insurance company had sent an adjuster to the GMC in Bedford, VA. No warning lamps came on before the smoke. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11632955

The engine failed and dropped down to limp mode while driving down the Hwy. Had to replace the engine for a toll of approx. $10,000. Truck only had 89,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11632585

The car has all of a sudden had issues with the gas and breaking. When I press the gas, it stalls then rapidly accelerates. It has to be the transmission. Also, is making a noise and will barely drive when pressing on the gas. It does not accelerate!! Could have easily gotten into a car accident! What is going on??

NHTSA ODI 11625526

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon Denali. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping between gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer replaced the transmission fluid twice; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the transmission wiring harness had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11621537

Driving back from Las Vegas for a family trip, traffic was heavy, a lot of stop-and go. I started to feel the brakes delay to stop. After a few minutes I was able to pick up a little speed and again traffic was built up. This time the brakes failed and got stiff. I had to slam on the brakes and practically stand up on the brakes in order for the car to stop. I barely avoided wrecking into the car in front of me. I was a few hours away from home and had to drive all the way with this problem. When I got home I took it in to the nearest dealer shop to get the brakes checked . I looked online and found out about the recall on the brakes.

NHTSA ODI 11620715

When driving through Eugene brakes suddenly got soft while at a stoplight, then pedal got stiff and very hard to keep pressed. An alert came on the dashboard 'Brake Assist Service' just about the same time the brake pedal changed and car would not fully stay at a stop. When checking to feel what had just happened, by letting up and repressing the brakes, it would not fully stop car, even with all my strength pressing. If another car would have been coming through, my young son or myself could have been killed or seriously injured and I could cause someone seriously to be hurt or killed from being in their lane of travel. I alerted my husband that I was unable to drive the vehicle safely, he is in the vehicle industry and looked up online and found there is a common known problem, recalls, and service bulletins, but apparently not for vehicle years prior to 2017, although this severe failure is seen on 2014 and later; and the manual tests/diagnostics that a person can do in a pinch per the bulletin, recall notice, and articles; and in his trials of how to tell if it is a failure or fleeting problem - nothing alleviated it, all the symptoms are present and system is failing and continually bringing up the brake assist service alert. This is the info that we found on the recall, but didn't appear to cover 2016 year models: [NHTSA campaign number: 20V603. GM's own number for this recall is N202300860.] We plan to get this yukon over to Guaranty Chevrolet in Junction City Oregon tomorrow 10/8. The only thing that has been very recently noticeable preceding this in recent week or so is a slight uneven braking feeling in the motion of the car when coming to a stop. Which it has not done before.

NHTSA ODI 11618613

Loses power randomly. More prominent at low speeds and turns. Has lost power going down the road, will turn back on. Stabilitrak lights and jerking steering wheel are more common. Will not always start right back up when it shuts all the way off/loses power. Loses clock but keeps radio stations. Had it scanned. Asked dealer about issues/recalls and information with nothing more than “this is not common” and “we need to schedule a time for you to bring it in”. Times were not soon and they made it seem like it is not an urgent/emergent situation. Would not agree to me being able to talk with a tech. Looked into this as it seems common but nothing definite. Bad battery cables seem prominent, grounding issues, electronic steering module, and a few others. Seems like a GM problem that is known but not being handled. Greatly disappointed after reading up on it. Many vehicles with similar problems had recalls. Not sure how that process works. I was told it depends where it was manufactured/assembled. Wife was able to get a video of it the other day.

NHTSA ODI 11618632

Having to replace an engine at one hundred and three thousand miles…not something I would expect

NHTSA ODI 11615730

While taking my children to school, the vehicles RPMs began to jump, causing the vehicle to lose power. Which resulted in myself and two children stranded on the side of the road. The vehicle had just crossed over 110,000 miles when the transmission completely broke apart from the inside. There was no other warnings or lights that appeared on the dash prior to or after. We had been given an estimate from GM for $6200 for a new transmission.. but that was extremely difficult to afford. We ultimately had to have the transmission rebuilt due to it costing $3,000 less, so we could continue going to work. We are still having issues with the transmission even after taking to back for a 2nd time to be reprogrammed. It’s extremely frustrating to have paid so much for this Yukon to have transmission go out with as many miles as it did, plus with no warnings.

NHTSA ODI 11615749

Transmission constantly jerks taking off under normal operating conditions from a stop, has a hard time staying into gear (hunts for gear) while cruising at highway speeds.slips/slams into gear when attempting to pass.

NHTSA ODI 11614993