What 147 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 GMC Yukon Denali Xl 1500

I purchased a 2017 yukon xl denali. In the short time that I have had the vehicle the transmission has started to make a loud audible popping noise when coming to a complete stop. I have take the vehicle to the GM dealership multiple times to try and get the problem fixed and according to them it is something with the transmission that they don't know exactly how to fix. So I am stuck with this 8l90 transmission that is a piece of junk and can't even get a rebuilt transmission from companies like Jasper due to the issues of these transmissions.

NHTSA ODI 11629031

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while stopped on several occasions, the accelerator pedal was depressed; and there was a loud clunking noise coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle violently jerked each time. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer seven times however, the failure was not replicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11621925

Noting that prior to this we only had one issue with transmission and we did the flush and it did fine for several thousand of miles. Fast forward to a few days ago. As I was driving down the highway I came to a stop at the red light. Once it was green and I pressed on the accelerator with my foot per usual. And it did not move it pushed the gas peddle and nothing at all happened. I was stuck in the highway could not move until I’m assuming the transmission finally shifted jarring my entire car and it allowed me to get to a safe place at 20 miles an hour max. Keep in mind I was in the middle of the highway not knowing what was happening. With my precious babies in the car. Thanking God we were not injured. This problem is so common and notorious among GMC Yukons 2017 year models. It’s saddening that now I have a car note on a car that will not go. Transmissions are back ordered who knows when I can have my car back this economy is horrible trying to stay afloat. And now we have a vehicle that won’t drive and no time forks of when it can drive. This needs to be addressed asap. Other people are dealing with the same things and GMC need to make this safety concern a thing of the past. Make a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11619743

Had the torque converter replaced at around 58,000 miles because of shutter in transmission. At around under 100,000 miles I called the dealership back up because the shutter is back again and now my NEW torque converter is bad. They said they only had a 25,000 mile warrantee on the new converter and I was out of my replacement window for warrantee. Everything online says torque converters can last well over 150,000 miles and sometimes even the entire life of a vehicle. I have now had two replaced. By searching online for info about this it is CLEARLY a known problem with these vehicles and gmc isn’t doing anything about it.

NHTSA ODI 11611299

I want to relate an incident that thankfully did not result in a serious mishap or injury. It Occurred on Canada’s most busy highway. On Saturday [XXX] We were just coming off [XXX] and traffic started to backup. It was heavy. It is then that I lost all control of the Vehicle’s speed. The transmission gave way and left us unable to accelerate as the traffic began to speed up dramatically. I quickly hit the flashers and coasted to the shoulder avoiding the speeding traffic. I managed to get a bit of forward movement to stay out of the way. The transmission would not work at higher speeds. It was nerve racking and we felt unsafe in our predicament. To avoid towing charges, we slowly and carefully took an exit to get on a less travelled road and shut off the vehicle to let it cool. After restarting it we were able to slowly limp to a GM dealership on Fairview in Burlington Ontario Canada. They could not help us as their Transmission mechanic was off for two weeks. My daughter eventually came and picked us up. I left the vehicle at the GM dealer to pick up later after attending our function in Toronto. Later in the evening we returned and were able to return to our Canadian residence in Niagara Falls Ontario Canada by driving well under the speed limit on the [XXX] highway. We then took the vehicle, again at low speed we took the vehicle to Falls Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC where their transmission mechanic was out for training. We left the vehicle with them for a week. They advised me that the transmission was basically unrepairable and too costly to rebuild, so we went with a complete replacement. They were very helpful. It was expensive. This happened at 119,000 miles. The Yukon gave no indication of a failure till it happened. We have driven long distances with this vehicle. I understand this is not uncommon with this make and model. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11607364

drivers side tail light flickering and sometimes not working a $900+ cost! I issue with right hand side when suv has 32k miles, seems like this is an ongoing issue, luckily it was still under warranty the 1st time. The AC condenser when out in April, also an know issue with the Yukon, they wanted to charge me $1500 to repair, I was able to find someone to do it for around $600, now the outlet and usb ports seem to not work. I also had an issue with the braking system , dealer couldn't figure it out, I finally found someone to repair it, $500 fix. For what I paid for the Yukon, you would think they would use top of the line parts!

NHTSA ODI 11593458

In july 2021 the passenger side tail light stopped working. A certified GMC dealer replaced both tail lights. In Feb 2024 the driver side tail light failed.

NHTSA ODI 11574979

There was a pump in the heart of the transmission. The dealer said told me that was leaking fluid. Apparently this was a faulty hose within the transmission which leaked fluid in the transmission. Therefore, my transmission died. This was a severe I could have been a very dangerous situation if my kids had been in the car. I’ve had to pay almost $8000 for the transmission to be fixed and yeah I see that on the line there was some sort of recall but my dealership is saying there was not. I bought this car brand new and I’ve had it for seven years. I’ve never had an issue with the transmission on any of my vehicles ever.

NHTSA ODI 11574273

Car has 100k miles on it. At 59k the fuel injectors went out and needed to be replaced. Then the transmission went out and needed to be replaced, then the front differential needed to be rebuilt, also had to replace the struts. Now the lifters are going out and that, plus likely the camshaft, need to be fixed. Total costs for all the above is close to $20,000. If not fixed these problems could easily result in catastrophic engine failure while driving leading to personal injury and death. I see that there is a class action lawsuit for the latter.

NHTSA ODI 11573687

Truck RPMs were running really high between shifting with normal acceleration. I took the truck to a transmission shop as I purchased an extended warranty. The transmission needed to be rebuilt as many parts were worn. The extended warranty repair was made. After repairs, the truck has started doing the same thing 4 weeks later. It appears the transmission is not properly shifting again, I am not sure if it's a transmission issue as all parts have been replaced, or a computer issue that's causing the malfunction. The vehicle is available for inspection. My safety is put as risk because if the transmission does not shift properly, it is at risk at breaking while in motion which could potentially cause an accident and if the transmission breaks will on the highway, i dont know what type of risk that can entail. The transmission shop has indicated that they are noticing the same issue as before and do not see any reason for the issue to be continuing. There were no warning lamps or indicators that have shown up to indicate an issue. This is noticed by daily driving of the vehicle and noticing normal and not normal RPMs, shifting points and feeling.

NHTSA ODI 11573727

The rear lift gate on the Yukon xl has the automatic sensor underneath the trailer hitch that you can swing your foot under to open or close. Twice, while loading groceries, I have had it close on my head, and this time with concussion symptoms. This also happened to my elderly mother.

NHTSA ODI 11572832

The 'active fuel management/displacement on demand' lifters failed and caused the engine to run very poorly with a significant lack of power. This occurred while driving and could have caused a crash before I was able to get off the road and out of the way of traffic. The problem was diagnosed and confirmed by an independent repair shop. The vehicle had to have the camshaft and all valve lifters replaced, as well as several valves that were damaged in the failure. The total cost to repair was just over $9000. The failure also caused the catalytic converters to become clogged, resulting in even further loss of power from the engine. There were no warning lamps or symptoms prior to the failure. It occurred suddenly as I was driving down the road. Searching online reveals this seems to be a common problem with GM 5.3 and 6.2l engines from 2010 onward. GM is aware of the issues and refuses to assist in any way. Their only response is that the vehicle is "Out of warranty". The failure is caused by a design defect in the AFM/DOD system that starves the lifters of oil, resulting in lifter failure and damage to the camshaft and valves.

NHTSA ODI 11570670

Weld on AC condenser is leaking and now I have no AC

NHTSA ODI 11540375

Consistent with NHTSA Special Coverage Adjustment 17336, the A/C condenser began leaking in my 2017 GMC Yukon XL. I am filing this complaint for NHTSA to consider extending the mileage limit for the special adjustment. Unfortunately, this occurred at approximately 80,000 miles, or 8,000 miles after the special coverage adjustment. It may have, in fact, occurred sooner than 80,000 miles. I noticed the problem at the end of May 2023, having not engaged the air conditioning unit since on or about October 15, 2022. During that time, I probably put 8,000 miles on the vehicle. The problem was confirmed by Wilkins Automotive in Glen Burnie, MD. They provided an estimate of $2,600 for parts and labor to fix the problem. When I contacted GM and mentioned the special coverage adjustment, they offered me "400 or 500" GM points, or the equivalent of a few oil changes. I ultimately had it repaired at a reputable independent repair shop for $1,050. FYI, the GM dealer quoted more than $600 for the freon. While freon is expensive item, the independent repair shop charged me just over $300.

NHTSA ODI 11538220

Passenger brake light assembly issues

NHTSA ODI 11538094

Programe

NHTSA ODI 11537203

I have a 2017 Yukon XL with 80,000 miles on it. Last year I was driving on the highway with my kids when it began to lose power and failed to accelerate. The issue was in the engine and I had to replace the entire engine for $8000 because it was barely past the warranty. Now one year later the car began to jerk and not shift while on highway and it is the transmission that is going to be replaced for $6000. The 2017 Yukon XL is a lemon and very dangerous for drivers. I spent $45k and should not be replacing the engine and transmission withing 6 years of it's age. Reading online these are common issues putting lives at risk.

NHTSA ODI 11533279

When accelerating the car starts bucking, after driving some more shakes like going over speed bumps.

NHTSA ODI 11532440

Driving towards the bank and suddenly the truck turned off … no warning nothing it turned off while operating .

NHTSA ODI 11532494

One rear brake light was intermittently malfunctioning even though the vehicle only has 80,000 miles and is a 2017 model. Upon researching online, I saw that 2015 and 2016 models were recalled for this. 2017 was given a limited term to have the vehicle fixed IF they were experiencing the issue. I was not experiencing the issue at the time, so I was responsible for a large chunk of the cost of repairing the light through the dealer at GMC. GMC did inspect the vehicle. The company was made aware of the problem. The dealer discussed it with them and they agreed to pay half as a "favor" basically to have the rear light replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11523259

Brake lights intermittently don't work.

NHTSA ODI 11521972

When backing down a boat ramp for a day on the lake I experienced extremely high rake pedel effort and abs engaging with no wheel slip for skid. In order to keep the vehicle from going into the lake I had to apply the parking brake. No warning lamps illuminated. The dealer states it is a faulty vacuum pump.

NHTSA ODI 11521975

AC stopped blowing cold air. Took it to the dealer and they are saying based on where the leak is it needs a new compressor. There is a recall / special coverage for other GMC 2015-2017 for this exact issue.

NHTSA ODI 11520885

The paint on the hood is peeling/flaking and is degraded. Right air shock is leaking causing the vehicle to continually pump up. I have the tow package, and with the air shock leaking, it does me no good. My air conditioner has not been cooling for a while. I started noticing it when it was hot in December, 2022. Would have thought it was a simple leak. The port valves have been changed. Air is still not blowing cold. My vehicle uses the R1234YF which is very expensive per can. After spending $72,000 on a vehicle, you would think that it would not be failing so soon. I understand 1) there is a class action lawsuit regarding the peeling/flaking of the paint; 2) that the ac condenser has a recall and also, the "leaky" air shock; however, my VIN is not included in any of these recalls. Upon the pleading and begging for recall information on brake lights and the brake system, those after sometime, were actually fixed by the dealer. I feel like I purchased a lemon. This was supposed to be my forever vehicle. To make matters worse, my vehicle display freezes when you are driving down the road, which includes while you have navigation on, I guess I will just get lost. I have had warnings about parking/collision alert just not working and will not let you push the button to turn it back on. I am not understanding why all of what is happening. I work everyday and have to take off work to take it to the dealership. I have never been so disappointed in a GM product, my vehicle is a piece of crap. I have an appointment at the dealership on April 19, 2023, we will see where this will take me.

NHTSA ODI 11517477

My driver side tail light is not working. The passenger side tail light flickers in and out.

NHTSA ODI 11511791