general problems of the 2017 GMC Yukon - part 1

Gear slippage, loss of power.

The contact own a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift from 2nd to 3rd gear while driving and remained stuck in gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that assistance would not be provided because the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

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

116k miles and the transmission went out. Spent almost 6k on a jasper to replace it. I don’t think I need to explain what happens when a trans goes out. It did all of those things.

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).

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.

My 2017 GMC Yukon slt,, has been having shifting problems, including hard or delayed shifts, clunking, jerking, and even sudden jolts when downshifting. Rough or jerky shifts, particularly during acceleration and deceleration, a delay in engaging gears, especially when shifting from park to drive or reverse. Transmission shifts are very rough in slow traffic with as much as one to two-second delays in shifting into gear with a loud thump. It is so rough that it feels like someone may have ran into your back bumper. It is also bad enough that it startles the driver, and it could be a safety issue.

I brought a 2017 Yukon GMC from a dealership. When I first drove it on a highway it began to pull and shake, to the point it slow down on the highway. Also the dashboard started to shake , vibrate on the highway. When I step on the gas on a local road ,the transmission is pulling to pick up speed. Took it to a mechanic and explained to him what was going on he test drove it and told me it's the transmission. He also said this year truck " GMC" truck like this has bad transmission. I did my research and find out that it is true. I have a disabled mother that I take to her doctors appointment and I'm scared bto out her in this truck. This is a 1 vehicle and anytime the truck will just slow down or vibrate or shake. No check engine light comes on when it happens. Ifni driving on a highway sometimes the check engine light will blink 3 to four times then go back out.

Transmission shudder lunching hard up and down shift.

Clutch in torque converter failed at just around 60,000 miles. Vehicle had a vibration issue shortly before & I thought maybe I got a poor quality tank of gas. Filled up with new gas and problem still there. Took it to my mechanic & he told me it was a complete failure which would require a new transmission or a rebuild on existing.

Vehicle malfunction incident report on [11/2724], while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle experienced a sudden and significant loss of power and gear shifting capabilities. The engine accelerated, but the vehicle struggled to move and shift gears, making it difficult to cross the intersection. After a short distance, the vehicle accelerated again, but there was no forward movement. The vehicle was subsequently parked in a nearby neighborhood, where it became completely immobile. Attempts to engage reverse or drive were unsuccessful. The vehicle emitted a loud noise, and a check of the transmission fluid and other fluids revealed no issues. After turning the engine off and restarting, the vehicle was able to engage drive, but it was limited to second gear. The vehicle then lost momentum again, making it difficult to reach home. It is important to note that no engine light illuminated during the incident, and there were no visible fluid leaks. All routine maintenance has been performed according to the manufacturer's recommendations. A mechanic has inspected the vehicle and diagnosed potential transmission issues. Requested action: we request a thorough investigation into the cause of this malfunction. We believe that a transmission issue is the likely culprit, but further diagnostic testing is necessary to confirm the exact problem. We have seen that this has been a reported issues with these vehicle and the manufacture has not done anything for recalls.

I was taking my client to school. I stopped at the stop sign. When I pushed gas pedal to go, my truck did not go, it strained did a big jerk then went. The next morning it did the same thing & later on that day, it did it again. Two days later I had to stop at red light. When the light turned green I pressed the gas pedal & nothing. It did not go at all. I turned the ignition off and back on twice & put it in drive still did not go but was slowly going backwards. A by-stander stopped to assist me getting my truck out of traffic.

Transmission failed on the freeway with no signs signaling issue before hand at 109,000 miles. Also lane departure does not work often. And suspension gave out at 60,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle had experienced jerking and hesitation while shifting gears. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 140,000.

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.

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.

While driving it will jerk into gear shifting is rough.

My vehicle started making a knocking sound and eventually died on me. I barely made it to a repair shop to check out my vehicle, but had to get it towed back to my home from the repair shop after they told me my engine failed. This happened around 118,000 mileage. I found out that this issue is very common and needs to be addressed for this year and model vehicle. It could have ended very badly for me as I was on the interstate when it happened. Now, my vehicle is sitting and I am unable to use it. Engine would cost me over $12k for cost and repairs.

Tremendous transmission shudder prevented me from properly accelerating from a stop light thereby causing a dangerous traffic backup issue in a congested area.

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).

Tail lights went out. Lifters have been replaced twice! while stopped at red light, at take off the vehicles lunges forward. At low speed the vehicle will down shift on it’s own. 80k miles recently while headed to work, the torque converter went out. 126k this is suppose to be a luxury vehicle and cost entirely to much to be a pos. I honestly thought I had a lemon but it seems to be a reoccurring issue in the entire fleet.

The SUV was stalled after getting in d to drove forward and all of a sudden it’s started with a big jerk and moved forward it went driving ok for them rest of the day but it kept repeating the incident n and off until June 15 when it was stalled on a traffic light I was able to put the emergency flashers and drive it in reverse to a near by parking lot.

Transmission shutter causes the car to vibrate which could lead to transmission failure.

Rpm’s started to fluctuate while driving with cruise on. Noticed no issue with shifting until torque converter grenaded blowing metal through the transmission 2 days later. Transmission has been replaced with gm reman by a gm dealer. New transmission lags going into gear when it’s cold and shifts hard. Gm tech said this is common and no way to correct it without replacing it again.

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.

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.

Transmission /torque converter I was driving on highway and all of a sudden what seemed like the engine lost power and I could not accelerate. After heading to slow lane and few seconds later everything went back to normal. A week later same thing happened but this time it wouldn’t shift to second gear. I was stranded on side of road. Before calling help , I let it idle for a few minutes and tried again to put in drive, it worked again. I made it home. Next day it just started making a loud noise under truck. Was able to get a mechanic and he said it’s the transmission. Has 103k miles and is out of warranty.

Lifters.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph, the vehicle slipped out of gear, causing the vehicle to independently slow down. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Transmission jerks, shifts hard, loses power… temp gets 199 just driving… humming sounds, taken to dealer three time… 188,000 miles….

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon denali. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started bouncing. The contact stated that the transmission also failed to shift properly. The service engine and suspension warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that a bearing had detached, and the transmission had failed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,400.

Transmission went out in August of 2023, had to have it rebuilt and costed 9,000. Safety was put at risk due to car sputtering to shift gears on the highway while traveling. Problem was identified by the dealership. No light indicators were on. Vehicle now has engine starting to come on periodically and when trying to diagnose it is giving fuel efficiency codes.

At traffic light in drive position, shifting drags when accelerated and hard shift jerk , slipping gears or driving and not shifting at all.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The front of the vehicle was shaking. The contact stated that while at a stoplight with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle stalled but independently restarted. The engine warning light flashed on and off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission and engine failure. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The transmission was jerking jumping and was replaced under warranty and it still can not be fixed. Cause the vehicle to jump backward and hard speed.