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

Transmission problems, loss of power. Put a reader on car and said it was a selinoid. Replaced that and now it has happened again

NHTSA ODI 11721295

Gear slippage, loss of power

NHTSA ODI 11713384

My transmission failed again after being replaced by General Motors certified dealership. The transmission in question has failed again after less than five months being back in service. In 2024 and 2025 my vehicle has been in and out of the service department at other dealerships and they cannot repair the vehicle according to the dealerships they do not have the staff for it. General motors will not stand behind the transmission as they have now labeled it as a part so they will not have to provide transportation. According to dealerships in my area in Michigan, they do not have the staff or the parts to service my vehicle. I contacted General motors customer service multiple times regarding the situation. We truly have a bad transmission again in my vehicle. The transmission in question is a C8 transmission that has failed due to shuttering and downshifting, which the replacement remanufactured transmission for $8000 continues to fail. General motors will not buy back this vehicle or address this ongoing issue. I truly believe I am not the only person with transmission issues as this is a major defect by the manufacturer, which is General Motors. Will you please look into my complaint is this is caused severe hardship to my family. General Motors needs to take responsibility for this failure to the transmission. I’ve had seven other items that have failed also on this vehicle, including the engine. Thank you for your time and consideration looking into this matter. Sincerely [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11668731

In May 2025, my vehicle suddenly started jerking, shaking, and almost stalled out while driving. I was on a busy 3 lane roadway with 6 passengers total. As I would try to accelerate, the power was significantly decreased. I felt it jerk between shifting several times. My check engine light came on. I was so scared that someone would hit my vehicle and injure us. I brought it to a GMC dealership. They said that my transmission failed, metal in the transmission fluid. How is this possible? Upon researching this problem, this is a common issue with the 2017 GMC Yukon Denali. There are class action law suits and lemon law lawsuits against GMC regarding this problem which causes major safety concerns. My vehicle has been well maintained with lots of service records to prove it. I have babied her and I’ve never towed anything. This transmission issue needs to be addressed and recalled. I need a new transmission which will cost between $5,000-$7,000. This is just horrible and disappointing regarding the quality and reported issues that are not being recalled by GMC.

NHTSA ODI 11666599

While driving it will jerk into gear shifting is rough.

NHTSA ODI 11650909

Transmission shudder lunching hard up and down shift

NHTSA ODI 11649872

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

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

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 transmission begin to cause the vehicle to shudder and shake. This caused shifting problems that cause the vehicle to be unable to safely drive down the road. We have confirmed with a mechanic that has seen and fixed this same issue multiple times. Causing the transmission to need to be replaced. This is due to the issues that many vehicles like this one that continues to be a problem. This issues has caused my vehicle to be unable to accelerate and has caused it to stop in the road. This is very unsafe and needs to be fixed for all those with this similar vehicle so no one is severely injured.

NHTSA ODI 11503089

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while at a stop, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was jerking while driving forward at a slow speed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer where the vehicle remained. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11500264

Transmission failed with no symptons. No indications of potential issues prior. All recommended service checks done with vehicle, oil changes etc... 75,026 miles. Pulled up to a red light in heavy traffic and transmission would not engage. No forward, reverse, or in Low 1. Tried 4 wheel and 2 wheel drive. Nothing. Yukon 2017 XL SLT model.

NHTSA ODI 11494751

Car is shaking when accelerating. Feels like it will cause more damage.

NHTSA ODI 11439120

We were on the freeway with my 4 small children. The freeway speed is 75 mph. The car had been jerking and hard shifting for over a week and I had it scheduled with a mechanic. As we were driving on the freeway, it lost total power as cars were going to the left and right around us. I was barely able to get it to the side of the road without being hit. This could have been tragic! I took it to the mechanic and the transmission is shaving a lot of metal (that was in the bottom of the pan). I have had to pay to have a whole new transmission redone. This is absurd with a car that is only 4 years old.

NHTSA ODI 11436506

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon Denali XL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact was alerted by other drivers that the taillights were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed as a power train failure. The driver’s and passenger’s side taillights were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The contact was referred to NHTSA to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

NHTSA ODI 11434195

Driving on city streets at approximately 45-50 MPH the transmission began shifting erratically and made significant squealing noises. After stopping, the transmission could not be shifted to another gear and was stuck in drive (D) for approximately 30 minutes. After evaluation from a professional auto mechanic, these transmissions were equipped with the incorrect fluid type from the factory that has since been taken off the market. The transmission needed to be replaced at ~99,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11431681

ABOUT 500 MILES PAST THE ORIGINAL POWERTRAIN WARRANTY OF 60,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TEMPERATURE SENSOR FAILED. I KNOW THIS BECAUSE AN ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON DISPLAYING P0700 AND P0711 AND THE GAUGE ON THE DASH IS ERRATIC. I DID RESEARCH, AND THE TRANSMISSION FOR THESE VEHICLES MODEL GEAR 2015 AND 2016 HAVE SEVERAL ISSUES INCLUDING THIS ONE AS OUTLINED IN SPECIAL COVERAGE N192291660 WHICH EXTENDS THE COVERAGE FOR THIS ISSUE TO 120,000 MILES. IF GMC HAS THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE PREVIOUS YEAR TRANSMISSIONS AND KNOWS ABOUT IT ENOUGH TO ISSUE A SPECIAL COVERAGE, THEY SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR THE 2017 MODELS.

NHTSA ODI 11412985

WHILE SITTING AT A STOP ON A 9DEGREE INCLINE BEHIND ANOTHER VEHICLE I STARTED TO ACCELERATE TO MOVE UP TO THE STOP SIGN. AS I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR THE ENGINE RPM'S INCREASED BUT THE VEHICLE DIDN'T MOVE AS IF THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT ENGAGING, THEN WITHOUT WARNING IT JERKED FORWARD. I HAD TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO KEEP FROM HITTING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I HAVE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE TRANSMISSION SUCH AS TRANSMISSION FLUTTER, HARSH SHIFTS IN LOWER GEARS, ETC ETC.

NHTSA ODI 11404824

CAR STRUGGLED TO START WHEN I STARTED IT. IDLE WAS/HAS BEEN REALLY SHAKY. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I GOT A DIAGNOSIS FROM 2 COMPANIES FOR MY ENGINE. BOTH SAID I NEEDED TO REPLACE ALL 8 FUEL INJECTORS. GMC HAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO COVER THESE ISSUES, BUT IT IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR MY STATE OF UTAH. HERE IS THE CODE FOR REFERENCE FOR YUKON #N182198000. MY CAR IS A YUKON XL 2017 THAT NEEDED FUEL INJECTORS AT 85,000 MILES! HOW IS THIS OKAY? THE REPAIR COST $1,990.28. THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY HAS BEEN CHANGED FOR 2016 AND 2017 GMC VEHICLES SO THAT IT IS NOW 60,000 MILES OR 5 YEARS. MECHANICS HAVE REPORTED THAT GM HAS CHANGED THE WAY THEY ARE BUILDING ENGINES IN ORDER TO REDUCE COSTS, BUT IT APPEARS THAT CONSUMERS SUCH AS MYSELF ARE BEARING THE BRUNT OF THE COSTS. I WOULD APPRECIATE IF THE EXTENDED SERVICE WARRANTY COULD BE EXTENDED TO ALL STATES IN THE U.S. VS. THOSE WHO HAVE MANDATED IT BECAUSE OF LEGISLATION OR LEGAL ENFORCEMENT.

NHTSA ODI 11398055

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

BRAKE PROBLEMS WHEN STARTING BRAKES LOOSE VACUUM PRESSURE STILL NO FIX AFTER RECALL. 2ND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT ABOUT 36,500 MILES FUEL INJECTORS DEFECTIVE 3RD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS VALVE BODY DEFECTIVE PAID OVER 85,000 AND THIS SUV ITS NOT WORTH IT DEFECTIVE ALL DEFECTIVES UNDER 43,000 MILES

NHTSA ODI 11362474

8 SPEED TRANSMISSION BUFFETS AT LOW RPM'S BETWEEN THE SPEED OF 40 AND 80. THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE WHEN COLD. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ODI 11348612