CSR

GMC · NHTSA safety record

2016 GMC Yukon XL

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

199

Complaints

7

Crashes

2

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2016 GMC Yukon XL have filed 199 safety complaints with NHTSA between December 2015 and June 2026. The most complained-about system is the exterior lighting, named in 84 of them (42%). The typical failure was reported at 55,100 miles, the median across the 125 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints rose by half year on year: 18 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 11 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

17V437000 · July 10, 2017

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
The risk
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.

General Motors LLC · up to 40,683 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

16V651000 · September 8, 2016

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
The risk
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.

General Motors LLC · up to 3,640,162 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM

16V256000 · April 28, 2016

Do not drive until repaired

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. The front upper control arms may have inadequate welds near the control arm bushing.
The risk
Inadequate welds may allow the control arm to separate from the bushing, compromising steering and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been made, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 42190.

General Motors LLC · up to 3,738 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

PE18012

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened November 20, 2018 · closed April 10, 2022 · led to recall 19V645000

the brakes, the hydraulic brakes

On November 20, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE18-012 to investigate instances of sudden onset of a hard brake pedal that could result in extended stopping distance due to an issue with the brake assist vacuum pump in model year (MY) 2014 through 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 series pickup trucks and MY 2015 through 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, and GMC Yukon SUVs.If the brake assist vacuum pump fails to operate as intended, the amount of brake power assist supplied to the driver can be significantly reduced, extending the subject vehicle stopping distance. GM stated that the root cause of pump failures was due to foreign debris such as oil sludge in the engine oil. GM stated that this debris can become trapped by the oil inlet filter screen. Under normal operation, this screen allows a small amount of oil into the brake vacuum pump. The foreign debris can, over time, clog the pump which can cause a loss of lubrication and a reduction in the amount of vacuum produced leading to a hard pedal and extended stopping distance.On December 13, 2018, GM issued a Special Coverage (N182202780) for the brake vacuum pump issue in MY 2014-2017 trucks and 2015-2017 SUVs on the K2XX platform for 6 years or 72,000 miles. Special Coverage repair includes the replacement of the vacuum pump and vacuum pump belt. Consumers received notification of the coverage via mail. On September 6, 2019, GM notified NHTSA that it was conducting safety recall 19V-645 which reprograms the electronic brake control module (EBCM) and included approximately 3.5 million trucks and SUVs. In October 2019, GM extended the terms of special coverage N182202780 to 10 years or 150,000 miles as well as now including the entire scope of recall 19V-645. In October 2020, GM expanded the scope of coverage N182202780 to include the MY 2018 Escalade and 2019 Tahoe.The remedy implemented in GM recall 19V-645 appears to be sufficient in addressing the safety-related concerns of this issue. Loss of vacuum assist now occurs at a progressive rate as well as there being a more timely warning of a brake problem to the driver through the driver information center (DIC). In view of the recall action and revision to the special coverage, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. The ODI reports cited above are available for review online at NHTSA.gov under the identification numbers in the attached document.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 199.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 84 42%
SERVICE BRAKES 40 20%
POWER TRAIN 32 16%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 30 15%
ENGINE 26 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10 5%
STEERING 9 5%
SUSPENSION 8 4%
STRUCTURE 7 4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 2%
AIR BAGS 3 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2019 at 67.

2015 2019 2026
2015 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 43,000 miles

TAKATA RECALL OR SENSOR FAILURE. WHILE DRIVING 45MPH, AND JUST SLAMMED THE BRAKES REAR ENDING THE STOPPED CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. I HAD EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY FRONT END AND THE CAR I HIT WAS TOTALED. THAT AIR BAG SHOULD OF DEPLOYED.

NHTSA complaint 10978895. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEAT BELTS

1 injured · 90,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear passenger's side seat belt inadvertently tightened around her daughter's stomach. The contact's daughter pressed the seat belt button and unlatched the seat belt; however, she was unable to remove the seat belt because it seized around her stomach. The contact had to cut the rear passenger's side seat belt to release her daughter. The contact's daughter sustained marks on her stomach from the seat belt, but no medical attention was received. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was offered a discount on the replacement of the rear passenger's side seat belt. The

NHTSA complaint 11559193, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

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 complaint 11483879. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

Driving a company vehicle [XXX], heavy smoke started coming from under the drivers side dash. Unhooked battery, the smoke stopped. I had vehicle towed to a local garage. They advised the engine wiring harness and other wiring had caught on fire. They couldn't repair it. On [XXX]. I had the vehicle towed to the local GMC dealer in Bedford, VA. At first they said they could fix it, then around 7/3/24 they said the couldn't fix it, charging several hundreds of dollars. On July 5/2024 I had the vehicle towed to a GMC dealership in Lynchburg, VA who I had check with and said they could fix it. The first part of September 2024, this dealership advised me the couldn't fix the vehicle. I had the

NHTSA complaint 11632955, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness
After my child had thrown up all over the car seat her father had taken her inside to clean up and I took the car seat apart to throw the pieces into the washer to clean them. The harness strap did not come out fully clean so I contacted Graco for a replacement piece and I was told that they don’t replace those and that the strap being removed totaled my car seat. It has a woven material tab that goes up through the hard plastic base and locks in by opening itself. It’s essentially a T in the material so it can be folded to go back through the hard plastic base. I was told that since the manual doesn’t provide instructions regarding that piece that I should know it’s not to be removed. No

NHTSA complaint 11746486, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

crash · towed

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 complaint 11732911. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON 8L90 8 SPEED TRANSMISSION. 93,000 MILES.

NHTSA complaint 11732277. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I am submitting this complaint to report what I believe to be a serious and systemic safety defect involving GM 6.2L engines equipped with fuel efficiency systems such as Active Fuel Management (AFM) or Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM). I have experienced catastrophic engine failure in two separate GMC Yukon Denali vehicles with nearly identical symptoms, which strongly suggests a broader design defect rather than isolated mechanical issues. My first vehicle, a 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL, developed significant engine performance problems consistent with known lifter and camshaft failures widely reported in GM vehicles using these fuel efficiency systems. Due to ongoing reliability concerns and

NHTSA complaint 11727109, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
AFM system failed resulting in engine replacement.

NHTSA complaint 11719971. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
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

NHTSA complaint 11719051, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the GMC Yukon XL

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 23 3
2025 23 1
2024 62 2
2023 193 4
2022 152 4
2021 202 12
2020 45 2
2019 66 2
2018 52 2
2017 144 1
2015 306 2
2014 11 3
2013 22 4
2012 13 4
2011 47 3
2010 28 3

Other 2016 GMC models

Every GMC on this site — 144 vehicles, 425 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst