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

The OEM LED taillights can fail due to a manufacturing deficiency. A metal strip that connects the LED's to the cars taillight circuit develops a crack and interrupts current flow to the taillight LED's. The above is common knowledge to the car community and is searchable on line. Concerns: 1) If both taillights are failed at the same time the vehicle doesn't have any of the required visible markings, especially at night. 2) From an economic point of view, unlike vehicles that use incandescent light bulbs that are easily replaced when burnt out, these LED light assemblies have to be completely replaced to the cost of several hundred dollars plus labor which could/will lead to the neglecting of this repair because of the economics. 3) Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED's are should last much longer to the point of outlasting the life of the vehicle. This isn't the case when there is a manufacturing defect. In my case on 10/21/21 the defective taillight assemblies was replace under a defective taillight extended warranty agreement. I requested to have both replaced because of the odds of the second one failing. They refused. So when the opposite side assembly failed recently i was out of the extended warrant date resulting in a cost to me of $392.88 labor included. In conclusion, The well documented failure of the above taillight assemblies leads to vehicles being non conforming to FMVSS.

NHTSA ODI 11537878

The contact's husband owns a 2016 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while driving 20-30 MPH, the message "Service Air Bag" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to a second dealer, Beck & Masten Buick GMC South (12820 Gulf Fwy, Houston, TX 77034) to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

NHTSA ODI 11536451

The vehicle consistently alerts with service trailer brake system warnings and has progressively become more of a frequent problem with the system doing it constantly even when no trailer is being towed This has been occurring since time of purchase in March 2021 when we purchased the vehicle and has become consistently more frequent over time

NHTSA ODI 11534703

Truck keeps saying to service trailer braking system and won't start.

NHTSA ODI 11533642

My vehicle randomly locks up and shuts off while I am taking a sharp turn or parking. A 'Service StabiliTrak' warning flahses on the dashboard. The steering wheel locks and the only way to get this warning to go away is to turn the vehicle off. This is a dangerous hazard as the vehicle can come to an abrupt stop in traffic.

NHTSA ODI 11523401

Passenger taillight goes out. Replaced it twice now and now I have to do it again a 3rd time. They know of this issue but have done nothing to fix it or offer anything to help cover cost

NHTSA ODI 11521929

Brakes will randomly stop working. When the brakes are pressed you have to press all the way down and then vehicle still won’t stop and the only way for the vehicle to come to a complete stop is to press the parking brake. Brakes and rotors have been replaced already and it still happens

NHTSA ODI 11521931

This is a very common problem with GM vehicles produced from 2015 to 2019 and is occurring in 5.3L and 6.2L gas engines. The engine coolant temperature sensor is failing and defaulting to a fail safe that turns the electric cooling fans on to full speed because it thinks the vehicle is overheating. When this sensor fails, the engine temperature gauge will not work. When the vehicle is turned off the fans will stay on for 15 minutes at full speed and will deplete the battery. The sensors are being replaced multiple times with different manufacturers and the problem returns in a matter of days or weeks. You can disconnect the battery negative post and reconnect and the problem corrects until it is tripped again at later date. GM has no solution for this. This issue will leave a driver stranded and will cause engine or transmission issues if driven while the vehicle is doing this. There is no check engine light or code tripped while this occurs either.

NHTSA ODI 11518685

There is a special policy to replace faulty tail lamps. However, the policy is only extended through 72,000 miles or 5 years which is ridiculous, and should be a recall. I had my drivers side tail lamp replaced in February 2022 because it was not working. I wasn’t aware of the mileage and year restrictions at that time. Fast forward to today, I have my passenger side tail lamp intermittently working. Now out of the specific time frame, I’m left to encounter this expense out of my own pocket. Clearly GM is aware of the problem, but has not issued a recall on the tail lamp issue. It’s not just a burned out brake light, but apparently an electrical issue with the way they were initially wired. This is a very dangerous situation, as I have no idea if and when my brake light is out. God forbid if they were to go out and I were to be rear ended due to GMs lack of taking responsibility.

NHTSA ODI 11511723

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and jerked. The contact stated that the vehicle lunged forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times and diagnosed that there was a defect with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

NHTSA ODI 11508970

Both rail lights went out at the same time. No reason whatsoever

NHTSA ODI 11504571

On December 6, 2022, while I was driving on a busy highway, my 2016 GMC Yukon jumped out of gear and slowed down until it was at a dead stop. I managed to pull over on the shoulder, but not before I came extremely close to another car running to the side of the vehicle at an intersection. Luckily the other driver had good breaks! Once I passed this busy intersection, I inched it very slowly to the shoulder. Luckly the road was on a decline and not an incline. I called a tow truck to tow the vehicle to a certified GM mechanic. The shop verified that the transmission went out. The mechanic stated that there was really nothing I could have done to prevent it without some type of warning. The vehicle only had 81,000 miles at the time and there were no warning lights blinking or signs that it was about to go out. Only sign was that morning while driving to work there was a hard shift between 2nd and 3rd gear but it wasn’t long after that the transmission went out. I had a new transmission installed on 12/09/2022.

NHTSA ODI 11501092

Engine lifter failure causing complete engine failure at 70,000 miles without any warning. All vehicle maintenance done and serviced at dealer 30 days prior. Left our family stranded on a busy 2 lane highway and were lucky to even get off the road.

NHTSA ODI 11498900

Without warning my 2016 Yukon Denali jerked so forcefully into drive it felt like we were hit from behind. It went into gear and sped into intersection and stalled. We were almost hit. This is a huge problem with2016 GMC's and they are aware of it. It is the 8 speed transmissions that are causing this. They refuse to help get it fixed. I think they should be forced to! I will be out thousands if I can even find a shop that can get that transmission., They are back ordered because so many failures.

NHTSA ODI 11498101

The contact’s wife owns a 2016 Yukon. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 5 MPH, the engine hesitated and stalled. The contact stated that his wife was able to coast the vehicle into a driveway. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that a lifter in the engine block was damaged and the number two cylinder had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact scheduled an appointment. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ODI 11495431

I currently have 109024 miles on my yukon. At the time the issue first occurred, it had 108998 miles. Up til that moment, it was running perfectly. About 5 miles into my drive on 11/13/2022 it started to shutter at the top of 2nd gear, then a hard shift into 3rd. The shutter repeated at the top of 3rd, before a hard shift into 4th gear. I turned around & returned home. Checked the fluids, everything was fine. Let it sit, had to drive it to work (6 miles or so) on 11/14/22 & it shuttered at the top of 2nd & 3rd gear again. Took it to Wallingford Buick GMC (in CT) Tuesday 11/15/22. Upon inspection, it was confirmed the transmission failed. $6538.31 for a new, replacement transmission. It's still at the shop, waiting for the new transmission to be delivered. I've maintained my vehicle, have regular oil changes & inspections of the powertrain components. This came totally out of the blue. No warnings, or any indication of pending doom.

NHTSA ODI 11494213

We first noticed the vehicle's lack of power and sudden increase when driving at a stop light/sign. We checked and REPLACED spark plugs, cables, coils, and a new battery. We became highly concerned when the vehicle would accelerate while driving and the RPMs would toggle between 500-1500 RPMS without pressing the gas. We immediately took it to an authorized mechanic, who found excessive noise from the transmission area and found debris/metal. No codes were present when a system performance was done. The vehicle only has 68806 miles on the odometer. The transmission had to be fully replaced, which cost over $7k. The replacement was done. This seems to be a common issue (Transmission replacements) with this vehicle as now we're hearing more about it. PLEASE check this as we could have easily been in an accident from the loss or increase of power without notice and NO WARNING lamp indications. This was a very expensive repair caused by the manufacture and not user error. We paid a lot for this particular vehicle and certainly love it but am concerned about this expensive safety/mechanical issue. Please call me for any questions[XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11492616

At 90500 miles my Yukon xl started shuddering and the transmission started failing and I have never used it to pull anything so this was very dissatisfying for a 75k vehicle

NHTSA ODI 11488280

The taillights, which included both the brake lights and running lights, quit working or only worked intermittently. Safety was put at risk because anytime we drove the vehicle in the dark (which is often!) the rear of the vehicle could not be seen, and the brake lights would not be activated when braking would occur, either day or night. This made us more likely to be in an accident, in my opinion, though thankfully we were not. Our regular mechanic did confirm that the lights were only working only intermittently, thought he did not have a solution but for replacing them, which would cost $800 a piece. There was no warning for this problem, the issue first appeared a year ago and we've been dealing with it since. I was finally able to purchase remanufactured taillights.

NHTSA ODI 11487200

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle began to shudder and she noticed that the park assists, stabilitrak, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled. The contact was able to shift the vehicle to park and restarted the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that after the vehicle stalled, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become constant. Additionally, the air bag warning light and an audible chime would sound when the engine stalled. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had recurred. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11487305

When I was merging on the fwy my car accelerated and I couldn’t slow it down. I had to get off the fwy and break really hard. Driving on the fwy and not being able to control the speed or breaks could of caused an accident or cost us our lives. I have an appointment with the dealer service center on Sept 20, 2022. A few weeks ago I noticed the car was having trouble sifting gears.

NHTSA ODI 11484918

While driving down the freeway, I received a warning that the charging system was not working and had a red battery light come on on the dash. I exited the freeway trying to get to a safe place, the dash and infotainment system begun to flash on and off. We heard a loud pop, smelt something burning, saw smoke coming into the cabin and then flames from under the hood near where the battery is located.

NHTSA ODI 11483879

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was sputtering. The contact stated that the sound had increased over time. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the transmission gear oil had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact learned that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V374000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11483476

The Active Fuel Management System caused excessive wear and tear on the engine, causing the lifters, push rods and valves to be damaged, while under normal operation and regular maintenance intervals. The damage caused, by this failure resulted in the yukon breaking down in the middle of the highway. Every shop/dealership we called all said the samething, this has been a common problem with vehicles equipped with this type of system and the only fix is to replace the motor. Luckily traffic was light that day or things could have been worse. Its dangerous enough to get stranded in the middle of the highway with no way to move the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11482797

r rear taillight and brake light does not work and no indicator light to warn me. Do not know how long its been out. Afraid to drive. Had it checked and found special policy n182180270 . I contacted dealer and they said it would be $69.00 to just verify issue. contacted manufacture and was told it was out of coverage by less than 100 days. The vehicle has less than 40,000 miles and stays in garage. Case # 9-8269822 they said it had to be inspected by dealer that is a 40 mile round trip though traffic with no brake light , not safe especially when the instructions on the policy states just to turn light on and verify if it works ,if not replace unit.

NHTSA ODI 11482352