Home · 2017 GMC Yukon Denali Xl 1500 · Complaints

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

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (147)Crash / fire / injury (8)Lights (41)Transmission & drivetrain (35)Electrical system (32)Engine (25)Brakes (23)Fuel system (5)Airbags (4)Seats (4)Speed control (4)Suspension (4)

32 of 147 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters · page 1 of 2

Jul 3, 2026Electrical systemLights

The daylight running light in the rear do not work, which is needed for night time driving. At night when parked or driving the rear is completely dark, except the license plate lights. When I press the brakes they turn on, the signal lights work even the reverse lights. I've switched them to manual mode still no luck. I've checked some fuses, they all check out, nothing blowen. From some research it's all conctrolled by the body control module. There are alot of cars with this same issue there should be a recall for gm to fix properly, dues to safety of the driver and public. We just bought this vehicle which, and didnt test drive at night. 3 days later we discovered it. We even bought new lights due to the number of complaints. They still don't work.

NHTSA ODI 11748197

Nov 30, 2025Electrical systemLightsEngine

At stop light vehicle began to sputter and make noise, I was very close to my home, no engine light on. Upon turning vehicle off and using a code reader codes P0106 and P0506 was on scanner. I had vehicle towed to Complete Car Care. Mis fire on multiple cylinders. Vehicle has 69,801 miles. 3 push rods bent and I valve spring broken. The right Cylinder head assembly had to be removed and replaced with 8 new push rods, 8 new lifters, gaskets, seals, and valve spring. Cost was 3304.79. In addition the rear tail light has been sporadic on and off, GM was to replace up to 70,000 miles. When I took it to them they stated the time limit had expired, yet I had not been informed until I did a google search. GM requesting 475 plus tax. I am concerned my vehicle has the same manufacturing defects as the GM motors being recalled with total engine failures.

NHTSA ODI 11702112

Nov 30, 2025Electrical systemLightsEngine

At stop light vehicle began to sputter, run rough, and make noise. I was less than a mile from my home, no check engine light on. I turned the vehicle off, used a scanner to have codes P0106 and P0506 show. I had vehicle towed to Complete Car Care. Misfire on multiple cylinders, 3 push rods bent, one valve spring broken. The right Cylinder head assembly had to be removed and replaced with 8 new push rods, 8 new lifters, gaskets, seals, and valve spring. Total cost 3304.79, the vehicle only has 69,801 miles on it. In addition one of the rear tail lights has a known issue (found out on google), intermittently goes out, was never notified. I took the car to Jim Hudson GMC to be told it would cost 475 plus tax because I did not come in early enough even though it is to be warranted up to 70,000 miles. I am greatly concerned that this engine has the same manufacturing defects of the current recall and extended recall for the GMC Yukon Denali engines.

NHTSA ODI 11702118

Jul 25, 2025Electrical system

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for repair, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 203,000 and at the time of the vehicle servicing, it was discovered that the mileage was 335,142 in the diagnostic report.

NHTSA ODI 11676119

Apr 7, 2025Electrical systemSeat belts

I report years ago the seat belts wasn’t work, also all time I report with GMC vibrations and stops power at roads or low power to go in the freeways some times are to , and screen for gos and radio wasn’t work, this was a bad car . I take some videos but the agency try to charge me to check the car. Al of those put my person or others person in a risk because I lost the power in the middle of the road also, 2 of the seats belts are not working 1 of those is for my child, and the screen for gps can make me crazy at roads the system report construction or objects at road and I decrease the velocity in roads and the car was behind me slow or the screen jump from gps to radio or news or whatever some times the touch doesn’t work and I was lost in the roads driving around. The last thing is the vibration went I use the brakes to stop the car is shaking this was my first new car and is bad car and unsafe car

NHTSA ODI 11653331

Jun 10, 2024Electrical systemLightsEngine

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

Aug 12, 2023Electrical systemLightsBrakes

Passenger brake light assembly issues

NHTSA ODI 11538094

Jul 15, 2023Electrical systemLightsEngine

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

NHTSA ODI 11532494

Sep 18, 2022Electrical systemBackup camera & sensors

UNKNOWN 4 times in the past 6 months, while parking the vehicle (turning into a spot, left or right) or slowly turning to pull up to a security code box, the car completely begins to lose power in drive, and has lost power while in drive twice. The dash begins to flicker to the point that you can't decipher which error codes are showing up. Most recently, the Trailer Brake Service message was on before it died. We were not towing anything, did not have tow mode on, or anything like that. The parking sensors were on for all these instances...regardless if we were parking or not. I can't confirm if that is the issue or not. It was pretty dangerous when I was pulling into my parents driveway along a busy road when the car did this before I was completely off the road...with my 3 young children in the back 2 rows. I know the battery is new. I did have the dealer look at the brakes about a month ago, because I felt they were soft. They said they were fine. They and myself checked the reservoir for brake fluid low. Was in normal range. Starter was replaced in March time frame. I feel this is related to the factory trailering system wiring harness or something.

NHTSA ODI 11485107

Jun 22, 2022Electrical systemLane DepartureDriver assistance

I was driving and all my sensors came on stating they needed service including front camera, blind spot notification, lane departure, emergency braking etc. upon parking I exited my vehicle and walked around the rear of my car to find multiple wires hanging down burned from my exhaust. I took my vehicle to an automotive repair shop and not the dealer since it was no longer under warranty. They said they had never seen anything like it. It appeared the harness that holds the sensor module/wires disconnected from the car. It appears to be held in place with some sort of industrial glue. When it failed it was hanging in front of the exhaust and melted all of them. This disabled all of these sensors. I now have to pay for a new harness and to replace all of these sensors. In researching online it appears water intrusion has caused issues in some models and caused these harnesses to fail. I’m wondering if this is the cause even though this model isn’t part of the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11470355

Apr 5, 2022Electrical systemBrakesCrash

The rear break lights malfunctioned and will quite working periodically there has been no inspection from a dealership at this moment and driving at night time puts me and my family at risk due to the fact that I could be rear ended and cause a major accident and my vehicle has no warning light or service light for this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11459762

Feb 5, 2022Electrical system

This complaint is not in response to an event. It is a safety issue resulting from a common problem with this vehicle model, i.e.: brake light failure. The tail/brake light LED circuit board has a design weakness resulting in cracking of the board in 2 common locations, resulting in stop light illumination failures, which could lead to rear end collisions. GM has not issued a recall and their extended warranty allowance is inadequate, thereby leaving a significant repair expense falling to owners when the problem is encountered. The proper safety response is for GM to recall all of the vehicles with this style tail light in order to repair the circuit board weakness.

NHTSA ODI 11450600

Jul 15, 2021Electrical systemLights

1) LED tail-lights fail intermittently - this is a known problem GM does not proactively address unless customers complain repeatedly. Puts driver and passenger in danger. this began happening at 25K miles. 2) AC condenser fails - GM will not address as part of a broader recall despite extensive late model customer complaints. This put passengers in danger on any road trip across desert terrain. GM has been unresponsive despite numerous calls asking for resolution. This occurred at 36k miles. 3) Electrical failings - numerous electrical failings - from entertainment system (at 10k miles), starter motor and internal lighting - all failing at 36k miles. NHTSA must take a look at these manufacturing defects - they are putting customers at risk!

NHTSA ODI 11424931

Jul 5, 2021Electrical systemLightsBrakes

The brake lights fail. First the left light failed, and two days later the right light failed. After researching, this is a common problem with GM and these models. The fix is not just a bulb- the whole rear light assemblies (each side) needs replacing with GM price quotes of $900 a side. We were over 1000 miles away from home.

NHTSA ODI 11423483

Feb 17, 2021Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

THE NAVIGATION AND INFOTAINMENT FAILS ON A REGULAR BASIS. CANNOT USE TOUCH SCREEN WHEN IT FAILS. FLORIDA DEALER SAID NOTHING WRONG. THE SCREEN WILL TURN TO A CLOCK WITHOUT TOUCHING IT. CANNOT USE NAVIGATION ON MANY DAYS. HAD TO LOCATE A NEW DOCTOR AND THE NAVIGATION FAILED! HAPPENS WHEN STATIONARY OR IN MOTION. THIS STARTED IN MAY 10, 2018 THROUGH TODAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021. IT IS ONGOING DAILY.

NHTSA ODI 11396662

Jul 21, 2020Electrical systemLights

RIGHT READ TAIL LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT AND REVERSE LIGHT STOPPED WORKING AT 61,135 MILES ON ODOMETER READING FOR NO APPARENT REASON.

NHTSA ODI 11340728

Jul 4, 2020Electrical system

INTERMITTENT BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11337410

Jan 25, 2020Electrical systemLights

REAR PASSENGERS BRAKE LIGHT FLICKERS OFF AND ON CAUSING A SAFETY RISK WHILE DRIVING. PREVIOUS YEARS OF SAME MAKE AND MODEL ARE HAVING SAME ISSUES CAUSING A SHORTAGE IN $400-800 REPLACEMENT OF TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY. RATHER, GMC SHOULD RECALL AND CORRECT THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURING QUALITY TO BEGIN WITH.

NHTSA ODI 11301811

Dec 10, 2019Electrical system

THE AIR CONDITIONING IN MY 2017 YUKON XL STOPPED BLOWING COLD AIR. THERE IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH GMC CONDENSERS. I BROUGHT MY YUKON TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT INDEED IT WAS THE CONDENSER WHICH CAUSED REFRIGERANT TO LEAK. HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT 17336 AS MY VIN # WAS NOT INCLUDED FOR SOME REASON. SAME PROBLEM, BUT I HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS OUT OF MY POCKET - $1200. I LIVE IN THE DEEP SOUTH, HAVE SMALL CHILDREN, AND CANNOT GO WITHOUT AC.

NHTSA ODI 11288236

Nov 17, 2019Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemSpeed control

TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 88K MILES. MY SISTER IN LAW ALSO HAS A 2017 BOUGHT FROM ANOTHER STATE AND IT WENT OUT AT 79K MILES A WEEK AFTER MINE. PASSENGER SIDE TAIL LIGHT WORKS IF YOU PUSH ON IT THEN RANDOMLY GOES OUT (WIRING/ELECTRICAL ISSUE). OF COURSE THE DRIVERS SIDE TAIL LIGHT IS THE ONLY ONE ON RECALL. CRUISE CONTROL SET ITSELF AT OVER 100MPH AND RAPIDLY ACCELERATED UNTIL I HIT THE BRAKES. I RECEIVED A RECALL FOR THE BREAKING SYSTEM SPECIFICALLY FOR MY VIN NUMBER THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED NOW THAT MY TRANSMISSION IS COMPLETE.

NHTSA ODI 11280692

Jul 19, 2019Electrical systemEngine

AIR CONDITIONING QUIT WORKING - CLEARLY AN ISSUE AS DESCRIBED IN LAWSUITS AND ON-LINE SEARCH REPORTS, NOT COVERED BY MANUFACTURER

NHTSA ODI 11233427

Apr 9, 2019Electrical systemLightsBrakes

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 DEALER BUYS BACK THE OLD LIGHT FOR $50 SEEMS A BIT SUSPICIOUS BY GMC. THESE LAMPS ARE A SEALED UNIT AND WERE NEVER DESIGNED TO BE REPAIRED. AS DESIGNED, IF THERE IS A PROBLEM, THE LAMP IS REPLACED AS A COMPLETE AND VERY EXPENSIVE UNIT. MORE CAN BE FOUND HERE: HTTPS://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/GMC/YUKON/2015/LIGHTS/TAILLIGHT_NOT_WORKING_PROPERLY.SHTML

NHTSA ODI 11194996

Feb 27, 2019Electrical system

TAKATA RECALL - THE VEHICLE IS CONSTANTLY STATING THAT THE SIDE DETECTION IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE. WHEN DISCUSSING WITH THE DEALERSHIP THEY STATED THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND IT IS HAPPENING WITH ALL THE MODELS THAT HAVE SIDE DETECTION SENSORS. THE SENSORS ARE FAILING AND WILL LEAD TO THE VEHICLE NOT STARTING AT ALL IF IT IS NOT REPAIRED IN A TIMELY MANNER AFTER SEEING THE NOTIFICATION ON THE DASH. THEY ARE REQUIRING THE CUSTOMERS TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR EVEN THOUGH IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM ACROSS MODELS AND NOT SPECIFIC TO ONE MODEL VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11182738

Nov 21, 2018Electrical system

REAR BRAKE LIGHT IS OUT AND THE VEHICLE ISN'T EVEN 3 YEARS OLD BUT OVER 36,000 MILES. DEALERSHIP STATED LIGHT IS OUT SO WHOLE HOUSING HAS TO BE REPLACED AT $900/EACH.

NHTSA ODI 11153076

Oct 8, 2018Electrical system

WHILE STANDING BEHIND THE VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE ITEMS FROM THE REAR CARGO AREA, THE LIFT GATE RANDOMLY SLAMS SHUT WITHOUT NOTICE OR WARNING. THIS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE I WAS BEHIND THE VEHICLE. ON SOME OCCASIONS MY CHILD(REN) WAS WITH ME ANDWAS ALMOST HIT AS WELL. SINCE I AM TALLER I WAS HIT AND WAS ABLE TO SAVE MY CHILD FROM INJURY. I WAS HIT SEVERAL TIMES ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS EITHER I THE HEAD OR IN THE BACK, DEPENDING ON MY POSITION AT THE TIME. I ENSURED THAT I DID NOT HAVE THE KEY FOBIN MY POCKET TO ACCIDENTLY ACTIVATE THE CLOSURE, AND I ENSURE THAT I DID NOT ACCIDENTLY ACTIVATE THE CLOSURE SENSOR UNDERNEATH THE REAR BUMPER AREA. UPON INVESTIGATION THE DEALER DETERMINE THE CAUSE TO BE A LIFT GATE MODULE DEFECT, AS WELL AS SENSOR AND LIFTGATE CALIBRATION.

NHTSA ODI 11139051

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Working with the data? Download all 147 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2017 GMC Yukon Denali Xl 1500 verdict →