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

My wife was driving down the highway and out of no where there was a loud taping sound, the vehicle started running real bad (skipping), the vehicle lost power and she lost control of the steering. As a result, she ran off the road into a ditch. this is a known concern with the 6.2 liter engines and all signs are pointing to lifter failure. She could have ben seriously injured and GM is responsible for this.

NHTSA ODI 11732911

I was test driving the vehicle after some and as I was test, driving it, the steering lot up on me. Luckily, I was entering a residential area when it occurred down the street from my residency; in which I was able to drive it to my residency, during that short ride, you could smell a burning smell coming out along with some crackling noises. I had to get the vehicle towed a week later to the mechanic shop where they fix one of my engine problems and verified that I needed a new power steering unit and gave me a quote, I couldn’t afford the word and started doing research and came across the recall for the power steering within my vehicle year, make and model. I replaced the power steering unit, but I’m having a difficult time celebrating the system..

NHTSA ODI 11719051

While driving vehicle the vehicle appears to shut off as if someone is turning off the ignition. The steering control becomes stiff, power is lost and electronics flash and turn off and on. This has happened on multiple occasions and is intermittent during acceleration. The accessible grounds have been checked, battery checked and replaced, and alternator checked and verified to be charging appropriately. Several codes are present and have been cleared to return indicating low voltage issues with multiple systems.

NHTSA ODI 11699390

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

On [XXX], I was driving my 2016 Yukon Denali on a trip to Maryland. While in Maryland, I was driving my vehicle. As I approached a street to make a right turn, I braked to make the turn. I slowed down to make the turn. As I made the right turn, my steering wheel ability became hard. I felt a stiffness in the steering wheel as I came out of the turn. My Denali became un-maneuverable. I lost my power steering ability in the steering wheel and I observed my power steering service light indicator warning come on. I pulled my vehicle to the side of the road and turned off my vehicle. I started the engine with no change in the steering mechanism. After twenty minutes passed, I restarted the engine. I was able to drive with normal power steering conditions. On [XXX], while driving my Denali, I lost power steering maneuverability while driving. My power steering service light appeared and indicated service was needed and that the Electric Power Steering (EPS) Assist failure occurred. Based on research, It appears that the same problem has occurred in other models of GMC vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11575208

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

The largest issue was today, 2/22/2022, when I was driving doing 56 miles per hour it felt like it wouldn't accelerate. Then all of a sudden, the wheel kind of jerked right and the car shifted down all on it's own and I was doing 25 mph. The check engine light came on immediately after the violent jerking happened. I was on a 4 lane highway and had to immediately pull over onto the shoulder. It was jerking forward and back as I was trying to pull over on a freeway where the speed limit is 70 mph!!! I had my 80-year-old mother in the car with me. AND YES!! It put us both at great risk! I had to call a tow truck and they towed it to a dealership 9.8 miles away. When I talked to the Assistant Manager, he said that there were 3 other GMC Yukon 2016 that had come in today - ALL WERE 2016 GMC YUKON MODELS WITH 125K MILES. My GMC has 124,700 MILES all with Transmission problems. This can't be an anomaly. So I got online and there are many, many complaints about this transmission. As a matter of fact, it appears in 2019 there was a Class Action Lawsuit about this very thing. I will not know until tomorrow for sure what the issue is - because the dealership could not get to it today. However, something significant happened. As a side note, recently I had an electrical problem where sensors, etc are all saying need to be serviced and none of them are working. I had appt today at 10:30 am to have them check this. On the way there, the violent jerking and sudden downshift and check engine light came on. I was scared to death and so I pulled over and called a tow truck. The dealership did not tell me this is a common issue, nor was I aware. The dealership told me if it is in fact the transmission - cost is $6,000!!! I need someone to contact me to discuss this. Thank you, [XXX]phone - [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11453520

This is the second time it happened the first time i parked my car while the engine was on and i got down real quick got back on my car and when i tryed turning all of a sudden my steering wheel keept turning the opposite way and parking control light appear saying it was off and it keep moving my steering wheel i all of a sudden turned my car off and back on the second time that happened i was going in a parking when it did the samething i was turning in the parking and it started turning my steering wheel the opposite way it started saying again parking control off and the system started going crazy and my car completely turned off i was left in the middle of the parking lot had tu put my car in parking and turn my car off reall quick and turned it on and was able to park but i did get really scared and been really scared to drive my car ever since because i don’t know if it will do the same thing again while driving . I have not taken it to get checked but will be making an appointment because it is a really scary situation.

NHTSA ODI 11426103

OUR GMC YUKON LOCKED INTO 4WD WHILE ACCELERATING/DRIVING (APPROX 15-25MP) THE KIDS TO SCHOOL THROUGH THE NEIGHBOURHOOD, JERKED VIOLENTLY AS THOUGH BRAKING HARD, AND STEERING WAS EXTREMELY IMPAIRED. THE "SERVICE 4WD" MESSAGE APPEARED ON OUR DASHBOARD. THE YUKON IS LOCKED IN 4WD, AND EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND MANEVEUR. IT JERKS VIOLENLY WHEN TURNING. WE ARE UNABLE TO DRIVE DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS.

NHTSA ODI 11402500

POWER STEERING LOSES POWER TEMPORARILY, POWER GOES OFF AND COME BACK ON WHEN I'M COMING TO A STOP AND MAKING A SLOW TURN

NHTSA ODI 11363322

VEHICLE SHAKES/VIBRATES ABOVE 35 MPH. WHEN VEHICLE ACCELERATES ABOVE 35 MPH THE THE STEERING WILL VIBRATE WITH A FEELING THAT THE SUSPENSION IS SHIMMYING/SHUDDERING RAPIDLY. THIS IS ESPECIALLY BAD ON AN INCLINE FROM A STOPPED POSITION. AS THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES UP THE INCLINE, WHEN APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH IS ATTAINED, THE ENTIRE VEHICLE WILL STEADILY SHUDDER/VIBRATE. TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE VEHICLE WILL RANDOMLY VIBRATE IN THE FRONT END AND IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS OCCURS WITH BRAND NEW TIRES THAT HAVE BEEN BALANCED AND RE-BALANCED TO CONFIRM IT IS NOT TIRE RELATED.

NHTSA ODI 11253701

THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT, THE ENGINE IS MAKING A NOISE AND A SERVICE CENTER SAID LOTS OF GM'S VEHICLES ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM ALSO STOP WORKING AND I HAVE TO REPLACE IT

NHTSA ODI 11252626

AT 64,497 MY WIFE'S POWER STEERING WENT OUT ON HER VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED A DAY AFTER OUR TRIP TO ATLANTA, GA. WE TOOK IT TO OUR LOCAL GMC DEALERSHIP AND WAS NOTIFIED THAT 4 MODULES HAD TO BE REPLACED AND A RECOMMENDED WIRING HARNESS. IN 2015 GMC VEHICLES HAD A SIMILAR ISSUE AND RECALL BUT NOT THE 2016. THIS COST ME $1400 IN REPAIRS.

NHTSA ODI 11232158

SERVICE POWER STEERING DRIVE WITH CARE ALERT APPEARS ON MY DASH

NHTSA ODI 11221122

MY AC STARTED BLOWING HOT AIR. THE AIR COMPRESSOR WAS CHANGED TWICE. AFTER CHANGING IT THE LAST TIME I STARTED GETTING THE SERVICE POWER STEERING LIGHT ON AND Y STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP. NO POWER STEERING. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND SEEMS TO BE COME TYPE OF WIRING PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11219532

WE WERE TRAVELING IN OUR YUKON WHEN ALL POWER WAS LOST TO THE VEHICLE. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK FUNCTION ENABLED BEFORE WE WERE STOPPED. SINCE THERE WAS NO POWER AND IT IS PUSH BUTTON START, THERE WAS NO WAY TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. OUR DEALER SAID TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE THERE IS NO WAY TO UNLOCK THE WHEEL. LUCKILY OUR CHILDREN WERE NOT IN THE VEHICLE AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE DEALER SAID THE NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE IS FULLY INTACT, BUT HAD FAILED INTERNALLY. WHAT IS MORE CONCERNING IS THE FACT THERE IS NO WAY TO UNLOCK THE WHEEL TO STEER IF THIS HAPPENS. EVEN AT 65 MPH.

NHTSA ODI 11208663

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC YUKON DENALI. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE STEERING BECAME LOOSE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NIMNICHT BUICK GMC LOCATED ON, 11503 PHILIPS HWY, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32256 JACKSONVILLE FL, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT A BOLT NEEDED TO BE TIGHTENED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT NHTSA ISSUED RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 45,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11076524

VEHICLE SHAKES AND VIBRATES HORRIBLY AT HWY SPEEDS I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH NO FIX SAME PROBLEM

NHTSA ODI 10979735

SINCE THE DAY I PURCHASED THIS 2016 GMC YUKON XL DENALI THERE HAS BEEN A VIBRATION IN WHAT I THINK IS THE PASSENGER REAR END. I'VE TAKEN IT IN 3 TIMES AND EACH TIME THE DEALER AND THE GM REPRESENTATIVE SAY IT IS "WITHIN SPEC." THIS PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE IS NOW ALMOST UN-DRIVABLE DUE TO THE SHAKING. IT AFFECTS THE STEERING WHEEL AT ALL SPEEDS. THIS HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS ON ALL TERRAINS. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS COLD AS WELL AS WARM/HOT. THE VEHICLE WILL SOMETIMES JERK TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT WHEN THE SHAKING GETS REAL BAD. THIS VEHICLE IS BECOMING DANGEROUS TO DRIVE BUT I HAVE TO USE IT. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE AND WOULD APPRECIATE SOME HELP.

NHTSA ODI 10919298

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 APPEAR TO BE A FIX. SO FAR, DIAGNOSTIC TESTS INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A FAULTY BEARING IN THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL THAT LED TO SIGNIFICANT ABNORMAL WEAR THROUGHOUT THE DIFFERENTIAL AND THE DIFFERENTIAL NEEDED TO BE REBUILT. WHEN REBUILDING, THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE DISASSEMBLED DIFFERENTIAL HAD HEAVILY SCORED BEARINGS AND METAL SHAVING THROUGHOUT EVERY BEARING. RING GEAR AND PINION HAD IRREGULAR WEAR CAUSING A DRONE IN THE VEHICLE. RACE SURFACES WEAR GROUND AND SCARRED BAD.THE REBUILT DIFFERENTIAL DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE AND NOW AFTER HAVING FOUR NEW TIRES AND ROAD BALANCING, THE PROBLEMS DIDN'T DIMINISH BUT WERE EXACERBATED. AFTER REBUILDING THE DIFFERENTIAL AGAIN, GM HAS NOW DETERMINED THAT THE REAR AXLE MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED AND ENGINEERS ARE LOOKING INTO THE PROBLEM FURTHER. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND THE CAR HAS A TERRIBLE VIBRATION THAT WORSENS EVERY TIME GM ATTEMPTS TO SERVICE THE VEHICLE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A WELL-DOCUMENTED PROBLEM THAT GM HAS AVOIDED FIXING. WE ADVISE OTHER CONSUMERS TO BE AWARE OF THE SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE POOR MANUFACTURING OF THE VEHICLE AND INABILITY OF GM TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 10888624