general problems of the 2021 GMC Yukon - part 2

For whatever reason our 2021 GMC Yukon denali is not listed in the current 2025 GMC motor recall including cams and lifters and accompanying parts. While driving our truck about a mile from the house the vehicle began seizing and shaking (almost as if we had blown several tires); we immediately pulled over and accessed. Called dealership and had truck towed there immediately. We are told that it needs cams and lifters and that b/c our VIN does not pull up a recall that the repairs will cost ~$9800.

A valve in the transmission is sticking causing a loss of power, engine light warnings to flash, and hard gear shifts from park to drive or reverse. First occurred on 5/25/25, went to the dealer service department on 5/26/25. Part still not available and it’s been sitting at the dealership since.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle jumped and hesitated while accelerating until the vehicle exceeded 20 - 25 mph. The contact stated that at 1,500-2500 rpm, the failure recurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while looking online, the contact discovered information about NHTSA campaign number: 25v274000 (engine and engine cooling) with a similar failure. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 25v274000 (engine and engine cooling). An appointment was scheduled for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 25v274000 (engine and engine cooling); because the manufacturing date was 3 months after the date for the vehicles listed under the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.

We are back on shop for lifter replacement for the 3rd timeand possibly more once they open the project. Valve springs replaced and lifters.

Driving at 55mph and suddenly the car starts to shack and warning/notification lights copme up on the dash. Check engine traction control service light suspension service was able to drive it to GMC dealership nearby 2. 6mile.

Transmission issue - 2021 Yukon xl broke down 5/6/25 while driving with 2 of our children in the vehicle. The rpms skyrocketed but the vehicle wouldn't go. Was hard shifting and speed would not exceed 35ish mph. Message popped up on vehicle that said acceleration throttled and engine light came on. Took it to dealership and it is a known problem. Transmission needs a valve body replacement. This part is on national backorder for months. Spoke with the dealership on 6/5/25 and they still do not have an eta. They ordered one on 3/19/25 that still has not arrived. I received a case number from gm but they are extremely unhelpful.

Valve body failure 72000 miles and warranty ended at 60000.

I am writing to formally report a serious issue with my 2021 GMC Yukon xl. The vehicle has developed multiple severe problems, including: •significant loss of engine power •noticeable engine knocking noises •transmission slipping while driving •transmission movement even when the vehicle is at a full stop these issues not only impair the performance of the vehicle but also raise serious safety concerns. The loss of power and the slipping transmission could lead to a dangerous situation while driving, placing both myself and other motorists at risk.

I have had major transmission failure in my 2021 GMC Yukon denali (6. 2l v8, 10-speed automatic). The vehicle has approximately 72,000 miles. Recently, a critical internal clip/retainer in the transmission broke loose, sending metal debris throughout the transmission. This catastrophic failure has rendered the vehicle undrivable and requires a complete transmission replacement. Unfortunately, the vehicle is just outside the powertrain warranty, yet I firmly believe this failure is due to a manufacturing/design defect – not normal wear and tear. I purchased this Yukon denali as a premium, flagship SUV and have maintained it carefully. I expected the transmission to last well beyond 72k miles under normal use. It is disappointing and that a core component failed so early. Not only has this imposed a significant financial burden, but it also undermines my confidence in the vehicle’s safety and reliability for my family. A modern transmission should not self-destruct at this mileage, especially given gm’s reputation and the denali’s top-of-the-line status. Importantly, I have discovered multiple known issues and gm bulletins related to the 10-speed automatic transmission used in my Yukon. For example, gm issued a major recall in late 2024 (NHTSA campaign 24v797000, gm recall #n242454440) affecting 2021 Yukon models (among others) due to a defective transmission control valve that could fail and cause the rear wheels to lock up, this demonstrates that gm has acknowledged serious problems in the 10l80/mqc 10-speed transmission design. Additionally, a recent gm service bulletin (pip6008c, Jan 24 2025) indicates that internal transmission retaining rings can dislodge, causing the internal gears to separate – which leads to loss of reverse and internal damage. This scenario is similar to what happened in my transmission. My family was left stranded away from home with no warning. The vehicle just stopped working. The warning lamp did not come on until diagnostics was run.

My lifters collapsed and camshaft got damaged and my cylinder in the bottom of my engine failed also. I know there is a recall for engine failure on the exact year make and model as my vehicle, the only difference is the liter engine. Mine and my 3 children’s safety were all put at risk when we were left stranded on the side of the road 6 hours from home the problem was inspected by GMC themselves and the tech admitted to this being a big problem with motors like mine yet they are offering zero help to make it right with me because my liter engine isn’t on the recall list even though many are acknowledging its happening with the 5. 3 liter engines as well. My engine has failed as part of Gmcs negligence. There were absolutely zero warning signs prior to this happening.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon xl. The contact stated while driving approximately 3-5 mph, the vehicle unintendedly shifted to neutral, and the vehicle stalled immediately. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the engine was on backorder. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer opened a case for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was unavailable.

I am writing to express my concern regarding a serious issue with my 2021 GMC Yukon. Recently, while driving, I experienced a sudden surge in power. About five minutes later, when attempting to shift into reverse, the vehicle would not respond. I tried multiple times with no success. Afterward, while driving it briefly around the block, it made a clunking sound, which raised further concern. Ultimately, I had to call a tow truck, and the vehicle was taken to george gee GMC in liberty lake, washington. Unfortunately, the next day the dealership was unable to duplicate the issue. There were no warning messages on the screen at the time of the incident, and no diagnostic codes were found, so they could not move forward with any repair. I later discovered that this exact issue is addressed in technical service bulletin n242454441-02. However, I was informed that my VIN is not included in the special coverage, despite my vehicle being the same year and equipped with the same transmission mentioned in the bulletin. I am deeply concerned that this problem could happen again—possibly while I am driving in canada, transporting my children, or in a location where calling a tow truck would be very difficult. My safety and my family’s safety are at risk, and frankly, I am now anxious about driving a vehicle I used to trust. I also have an extended warranty, but when I contacted gm service, I was told that unless the problem can be duplicated, it would not be covered. This is extremely frustrating given the severity of the issue and the fact that it is already documented in an official bulletin. I am requesting that this situation be escalated. I would appreciate any additional support, coverage, or guidance gm can offer to help ensure this issue is resolved and does not put me or my family at risk again.

Vehicle would not go in reverse. Rear tires locked up. When I went forward an error came up "reduce acceleration" and went into limp mode while driving down the highway and shifted hard and almost caused an accident. Bought into dealer and they found that it needs a valve body assembly part which is on backorder with no eta. Currently been waiting for a month and still no eta on part. This should be a recall for 5. 3l 10 speed. .

Vehicle wont go in reverse and skips gears and an error came up to reduce acceleration. - valve body control assembly needing to be replaced.

The transmission went out. Torque converter put metal all through the transmission. While driving at highway speeds in traffic almost got rear ended.

The engine needs replaced and gm doesn't have any engines or know when we will get any engines. Evidently this affects numerous 6. 2 liter engines that gm made from 2021-2024.

Driving at normal speed when my 2021 Yukon backfired and began to lose power. The check engine light came on. The vehicle would go into reverse and would not get over 20 miles an hour. It has been at a gm repair shop since March 24th waiting on the tranmission valve body. There is no eta from general motors on when this part will be available. Could this be associated with the most recent GMC recall of 2021-2024 Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles?.

Transmission valve body (transmission control unit) failure at 72,000 miles. This is the 10-speed transmission that is the subject of several other recalls for diesel versions of the GMC Yukon. No warning lights, and potential for rear wheel lock up.

Transmission failure at 72k miles.

In March 2025, a situation happened to me during a six hour round trip drive. I experienced a loss of acceleration. Vehicle engine felt it was stumbling when accelerating or seemed like I had ran something over. I don't remember seeing any lights coming on. Pulled over immediately, turned off the vehicle. Turned it back on and drove back home three hours worried it may happen again. I didnt see any warning lights on the trip.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon xl. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a whining sound coming from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission pump had failed, causing severe damages to the transmission. The contact was advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced but while retrieving the vehicle from the dealer the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer, and it was determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 25v274000 (engine and engine cooling). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 73,000.

Car shakes in drive, car shakes when accelerating, transmission issues, rear differential had to be replaced.

Main value body goes out when it wants to in the transmission . No replacement parts available . Been 6 week , when this value goes out while go down the highway there is no pull to the wheels.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the local dealer for further investigation. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 24v839000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

Rear end locking up still after 3 attempts at repair. Concerned about an accident when the vehicle stops moving in traffic.

The motor on my 2021 Yukon completely failed while driving on a busy state road. The blown motor was replaced by a local GMC dealership, so I do not know it's status or if it'd be available to inspect. My safety was greatly put at risk. I am blessed that my wife and children were not with me, if they were, I would be even more furious. While driving on a busy state road, the tachometer dropped to zero and the truck automatically shifted into neutral. I quickly realized the engine had shutdown, and attempted a restart while coasting. The motor would not restart and I was lucky enough to coast into a nearby parking lot. Had I been in traffic, on the highway, or at a stop light, the situation could have been even more dangerous. As it was, I was stuck in below freezing temps for several hours waiting for triple a. They sent the wrong tow truck twice, and I eventually cancelled the triple a call and called a local wrecking company to come tow the car more than 24 hours later. . . Luckily in the interim I was picked up by a family member. The issue was simply stated to me by the mechanics at the local GMC shop as the motor had "blown", they didn't know why, and they completely minimized the magnitude of the situation. To the best of my knowledge the blown engine has only been looked at by GMC employees. There were no warning lamps or other symptoms associated with any such failure of this type - which in my opinion, makes the matter even worse and more dangerous. I am frankly furious that GMC is not doing more to address these known catastrophic issues. They have said they will not extend the powertrain warranty and I've read online that people have had their "new" motors blow the same way that the old ones did.

My vehicle has a message that pops up and says "service transmission now, unable to shift soon". I took my vehicle in to a gm dealership and they did a diagnostics and told me that it needed to be "updated and "rebooted". This was not covered under my power train warranty because it was software. However, the message is stil showing and my vehicle is not shifting, jumping, and not wanting to drive- indicating that the transmission may be going out. This is a safety hazard.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving 60 mph, the message "reduced acceleration" was displayed, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 40 mph, and the vehicle was driven back to the residence. The vehicle was taken to bmi automotive transmission shop, where the valve body and the intermittent speed sensor were replaced; however, the failure recurred while driving. The contact was able to drive to the residence. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was in the process of being towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,500.

I bought a brand new Yukon denali in 2021. In 2022 at 12,000 miles, the car was riding extremely rough. It was diagnosed as a transmission issue and the transmission was rebuilt after 90 days in the service department at a GMC dealer. Later in 2022, I started getting low oil lights on the dash. The car was brought back to GMC and I was told that there aren't any leaks evident so nothing was done. This happened repeatedly over the last 2 years, at multiple GMC service departments. No leaks, nothing to see here. Last week, the car started shaking violently while driving, with multiple warning lights appearing on the dash. Finally the car just died and I had it towed to yet another GMC dealership. This time I was told that the bearings, piston rings and lifters were all to blame and the car needed a new engine. Of course, now the car is out of warranty. GMC needs to remedy the engine issues in the 2021 models. There are many reports of this happening with this engine.

We purchased a new 2021 GMC Yukon denali in July 2021. We have had continuous issues with the truck starting almost immediately after we purchased it and ending with a catastrophic engine failure despite only have ~81,000 miles on it. Even more concerning is that the engine failed while my two of my children were driving with 3 of their friends. The car seized up in the middle of a busy road while driving 55 mph. The kids had to coast to the side of a busy road where they exited the vehicle and waited for a tow truck. Despite regular oil changes and maintenance, we have experienced non-stop problems with the truck * Aug 2022 (29,470 miles): engine wire chaffing relating to the fuel pressure sensor. Transmission slipping. * oct 2022 (34,220 miles): “grinding noises” related to brakes. Faulty brake sensor and brake replacement. * Nov 2022 (35,954 miles): continued “grinding noises” * may 2023 (51,163 miles): continued “grinding noises” which were again “shrugged off” by the dealership despite us bringing in the truck for the 3rd time related to this issue. Transmission slipping (transmission torn down, clutch assembly replaced, etc. ) * oct 2023 (62,365 miles): continued “grinding noises” (4th time bringing the truck in for this reason). * Sep 2024 (81,000 miles): catastrophic engine failure while driving on a busy road at 55 mph. Based on discussions with a wide range of mechanics, dealerships, shops, individuals within the automative industry, we have come to understand that the issues we have been facing with our truck are not unique. To be clear, we have experienced: I) the same problem repeatedly over a short period of time; ii) repeated unsuccessful attempts to fix the same issues; iii) a prolonged period for repairs where we did not have the vehicle; and iv) significant value loss due to catastrophic engine failure. Further, these problems compromised the safety of my family and has significantly disrupted our life.

I have again taken my vehicle in for about 8th time trying to get an understanding of why my vehicle vibrates. Again, I was told that the problem could not be duplicated. However, when picking up, I had a discussion with the service manager whom had driven the vehicle as well. . He stated that he felt and heard something from the rear end. I explained that I had the differential fluid change about 2 months ago due to a growling noise when making a left turn. He printed the service bulletin for the differential and put it with my paper. I was told I would receive a call from him the following Monday to bring my truck back in to further investigate because it sounded like the vehicle has a bad rear end. I have not received a call back and have attempted to make contact with service manager twice. My powertrain warranty is almost up and fear that after is when they will finally make a diagnosis of the issue. My engine and transmission vibrates and the whole vehicle shakes when cranking and turning off. This is in addition when driving at any speed. At idle it vibrates and can be felt throughout the entire vehicle. I am afraid that this vehicle is going to stall or fail why traveling with my family. The problem is only getting worst, transmission fluid temperature is starting to rise higher than normal. I am just afraid at this point that I have wasted thousands of dollars on a vehicle and GMC is not willing to fix the problem. I have the l87 and just not understanding with the problems I am having why my truck hasn't been recalled. It was built before 07/2021 when the arlington plant had to stop make on rear axle drive shaft for propulsion. This truck is a safety hazard. 3rd notice to NHTSA.

Upon cold start vehicle rattles when idling down and growling noise when accelerating upon left or right turns. Also, has constant vibrations with sound of metal rattling at speeds above 30 mph. Forward collision light on without a significant amount of mileage on vehicle. I have taken my vehicle to dealership at least 5 times referencing the vibrations. Growling noise was heard by service advisor last visit October 2024, and he stated it probably were the tires. I advised him that brand new tires were put on vehicle, April 18th 2024, rear vibration has never stopped from time of purchase. I have asked dealership to check drivetrain as it is a know issue for 21 Yukon denali. Vehicle has not received recall but was manufactured at arlington plant where the parts of the drive shaft was not properly heated and differential is known for issue upon cold start. Vehicle powertrain warranty is due to expire August 2025 or 60,045 mileage. Therefore with that, the vehicle was placed in service August 2020 months before unproperly heated driveshaft recall was determined. My vehicle should be on the list for this recall as GMC noted this to have occurred on vehicle prior to 07/2021. In addition, a chirping noise comes from front of vehicle while idling and when automatic stop starts back up. There are already known recalls for two of issues noted above.

The engine and transmission shakes and they say all this normal. Vibration occurs throughout vehicle at idle or driving at any speed. Also, rpm hand slightly moves up and down while idling in park. The vibration is more prominent in 2 and 3 row seats. I have taken it in about 7 or 8 times for the same issue to 4 different dealerships. Only one has actually felt the issue and visually saw the vibration/hop in rear of vehicle. The technician could not determine the problem as gm only allowed a visual inspection. He was not allowed to take anything apart so I am still left with the issue and it is getting worse. In addition, vehicle taken to collision shop to inspect frame, vehicle was within spec. Vehicle is now back at another dealership to address the issue. The only thing that all the dealerships have done is road force balance tires, alignment, and changed out driveshaft axle from a prior recall. I paid to have to have a differential fluid change still has vibration. At this point, it is concerning because as I stated the problem is getting worse. Also, dealers are looking for a computerized answer and I dont think a powertrain issue will be diagnosed this way. My truck should be under recalls but none has applied to it.

Car started making strange noises in the rear portion and was not driving as it normally would. Proceeded to take the vehicle to a GMC service dept. And was told the rear differential is close to failure and is "shot" and needs to be replaced. The service representative advised us to not drive the vehicle because it is unsafe to operate. Upon investigating it appears there was a recall for 2021 Yukon's for this same issue however this VIN number was not included in the recall but it appears this is the same issue. My vehicle remains at the service center waiting for the "differential assembly" to be replaced but it is currently on backorder and we were given no time frame of when this will be resolved or when the parts will be available.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, upon accelerating from a light, the vehicle began to shake and decelerated and failed to accelerate and exceed 25 mph. The vehicle accelerated, jerked, and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump control module needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that the parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 21v739000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 67,150.