Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of GMC Yukon - part 1

Driving the vehicle on the highway when I started to hear a ticking sound from the engine. After a few minutes, the check engine light came on and started flashing, traction control shut off and some system related to the rear end shut off. After inspection, it appears to have dropped a lifter.

See all problems of the 2021 GMC Yukon 🔎.

The vehicle shifted into neutral while driving, locked out gear selection, triggered a transmission warning, and now will not restart.

My vehicle was apart of the gm l87 recall. I took it to the dealership and it passed the recall and received the remedy which was an oil change. Now about 3 months later, I was driving in the highway at approximately 70 mph when the vehicle lost power and shifted to neutral. I had to attempt to veer off the highway with no acceleration. Upon getting it to the side of the highway, it wouldn’t do anything at all and had to be towed. The dealership has deemed it needs a new engine due to the failure the l87s are facing. We had no warning at all prior to the engine failure, and assumed that after passing a recall it had some degree of safety.

See all problems of the 2023 GMC Yukon 🔎.

Traction control system esc system suddenly and without warning, multiple warning lights started flashing including check engine. The vehicle lost power and traction. There was a loud knocking and metallic whining sound. The vehicle began to vibrate and struggled to move forward and felt like the wheels were slipping. The loss of these functions was alarming because it was dark, we were in a construction zone, and my 15-year old daughter was driving having recently earned her driver's permit. The car following us almost rear ended us. It was such an abrupt engine failure it scared me and my daughter.

The vehicle drove fine had no warning/ check engine lights. My girlfriend came up to a busy intersection and when she proceeded to cross the intersection the vehicles motor locked up stopping the vehicle in the middle of the intersection with traffic coming from both north and south direction. We had poor visibility due to blowing snow so she had to bail from the vehicle and stand on the side of the road so she would not be harmed if the vehicle was t boned. Vehicle stopped so hard and fast it threw her into the steering wheel. Was unable to get the vehicle restarted and could not get it to shift into neutral so vehicle blocked 1 lane of traffic completely and half of another lane until tow truck arrived to remove from road.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon xl. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, there was a misfire in the engine, with a ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact was referred by the manufacturer to the NHTSA hotline for assistance with having the VIN linked to NHTSA action number: pe25001 (engine and engine cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 104,389.

See all problems of the 2019 GMC Yukon 🔎.

While driving on a two lane road, my vehicle put itself into neutral without me doing anything and the engine stopped. All things powered down. The engine stopped. Not propulsion, nothing. I tried to pull over to edge of road. Car would not start - no activity. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership. My safety was put at risk by my car simply stopping while driving down the road. The dealership has confirmed the engine needs to be replaced. There was no warning of engine problems or any indicators.

I am writing to formally express my dissatisfaction with the vehicle I purchased from your dealership. Despite my expectations at the time of purchase, the vehicle has not met the standards that were represented to me. This letter is intended to address my concerns regarding the vehicle’s features, undisclosed recalls, and significant mechanical and safety issues discovered immediately after delivery. I discovered—through the GMC mobile application, not through the dealership—that the vehicle had two to three active recalls at the time I received it, including recalls involving the engine and transmission. I was never informed of these recalls by the dealership prior to or at the time of sale, which is extremely concerning. After discovering the recalls myself, I scheduled a service appointment. I was informed that the recalls were addressed and marked as resolved in GMC springdale. Despite the recalls being cleared, only two days later, the vehicle began experiencing issues. The screen displayed warning messages, and the vehicle developed a vibration, to the point that it became unsafe to drive. They are changing us $820+tax I was forced to use roadside assistance, it hasn't been a month yet and the dealer are refusing to cover the damage. I have been calling but they said they are busy or they use somebody else to speak.

See all problems of the 2022 GMC Yukon 🔎.

Freedom, tire and automotive inc. Advised my 6. 2lv8 engine has failed due to metal debris found in the new oil, indicating a mechanical failure of an internal engine component. I called GMC and they referred me to you.

The contact owns a 2026 GMC Yukon xl. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The abnormal sound disappeared after the engine had warmed up. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,500.

I bought my truck on 10/29/25 on 12/04/25 haven’t even maid my first payment on the truck yet and my wife was on her way to work at 4 am when the engine shut off on its own and went in to neutral. She tried starting the truck again and it wouldn’t so she had to leave the truck abandoned in the middle of the road and walk to work in the cold and dark. We ended up getting the truck towed home a few hours later when there was a tow truck available. I work out of town so on 12/07/24 when I got back in town I started the truck up and everything seemed normal so I took it for a spin and right as I was getting on the highway it lost propulsion, engine shut off, and truck shifted on its own to neutral. I was almost rear ended by the truck behind me luckily I was able to get the truck out of the way in time. I had to sit and wait for 3 hours until a tow truck was able to tow the truck. This was on a Sunday so I could not get it dropped off at the dealership due to them being closed until the next day! finally I got it towed to the dealer (all tow’s paid out of pocket as well)… 3 days later the dealer calls me back to let me know I’m getting a new engine not sure how long it will take, but they will get me a rental mean while and that’s all.

See all problems of the 2024 GMC Yukon 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon xl. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the gear shifter independently shifted to neutral(n), and the vehicle speed decreased. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle lost drive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure NHTSA campaign number:25v274000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and filed a case. The contact was also referred to the NHTSA hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 120,000.

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon xl. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle started shaking with a tapping sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed around the block, the failure persisted. The vehicle was parked at the residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the lifters in the engine were loose, and the lifters and the right side of the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

See all problems of the 2015 GMC Yukon 🔎.

This concerns a 2020 GMC Yukon xl denali motor (6. 2l gas) 118,000 miles. Regular maintenance performed every 5 k miles and per request of original dealer. Beginning 2 weeks ago a new regular pinging developed and the vehicle was taken to the dealer (at which time new tires were installed routinely). No clear issues were found upon brief inspection/auscultation and advised to return if the sound was recurrent. The sound persisted on a fairly frequent though intermittent basis. A recording was made and another appt made for routine spark plug replacement. Upon return and repeat inspection it was discovered that oil filter was full of metal shavings and advised it was very likely necessary for a complete engine overhaul (with $18-20 k price tag). Checking online it was discovered that this gm motor had a 580,000 vehicle recall for 2021-2024 models. A new odi study is being done for similar complaints for 2019-2021 year models (additional 280,000 vehicles). The 6. 2l motors have been found to have a crankshaft/bearing issue leading to motor failure and even sudden loss of power often presenting with metal particulate matter being discovered. Awaiting resolution.

See all problems of the 2020 GMC Yukon 🔎.

On December 1, 2025 at around 5pm cst, my 2021 GMC Yukon xl started making a squeeling noise then stopped while driving down the road. It left me stranded in the middle of the road. A p0016 code was produced and the engine light came on. I had the vehicle towed the next day to stew hanses GMC in clive, iowa. The engine was torn down for inspection and was told the rod bearing went bad and it had low oil even though I was within the window since the last oil change and having documented all necessary required maintenance. I was told the engine needs to be replaced and am in the process currently of stew hanson GMC replacing all necessary parts. I was told I do not have a recall on the vehicles VIN number by GMC corporate and the GMC dealer. It is coming up on a month since the incident happened and vehicle towed to dealership. I do not have pictures from the dealer yet or final invoice as this is still in process. I wanted to document this somewhere.

Sitting at stop light engine began running rough and smoke coming out. Cel came on and began flashing, pulled over and had it towed. Diagnosis was po300 misfire, dead miss on cylcinder 4, cylinder plug 4 is fuel fouled, cois is fine has good spark- caused by failed lifters. Needs engine replacement. Vehicle always serviced, garage kept and in mint condition with 89k miles.

See all problems of the 2017 GMC Yukon 🔎.

I bought my 2023 Yukon denali ultimate on or around August 9 2023, and I bought it brand new. On may 28 2024, around 30k miles, I was on the highway and could no longer accelerate. I luckily got myself into the breakdown lane before my car shut down & lost power, ended up being towed to the closest dealership. After 18 days at the dealership, I finally had my car back with a "new engine". Fast forward to November 25, 2025, I was on the highway again, my dash lit up telling me to "press start". As I figured that was not a good idea while driving in the fast lane on the highway, I did not. In a panic I got myself over to the breakdown lane where my car turned off. This time (November 2025), I still had power, but no car turnover. After 6 days of my car sitting at the dealership, they finally had the time to look at the issue. The dealership did the recall and got the car started, but the car still had a funny sound that the mechanics didn’t like , so they were waiting to hear back from higher up people as to what to do. Today I got the call that they will be replacing the engine for a second time and I will not have my car back until the first week of January. There were zero warning lamps, zero symptoms, nothing. I am lucky that the highway wasn’t too busy in that moment, because there were many 18 wheelers on the road that day, and one almost swerved into my car missing it by about two feet while my dead car sat in the breakdown lane. Yes I called the state police, yes one trooper kindly pulled behind me to ask if I was safe and had a tow on the way. But that truck that nearly plowed into my dead car could have prevented me from picking my [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] daughters up from school, forever . To say that I am disgusted with gm, is an understatement. They’re risking lives. I should not fear for my life, my kids lives in a new, "safe" vehicle. No pun intended, but this is highway robbery. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My 2022 GMC Yukon with the 6. 2l v8 engine is covered under recall 25v274000 for connecting rod and crankshaft defects that can cause engine failure. Approximately three months ago, wiesner GMC dealership performed the recall inspection and stated the vehicle passed. Recently, the engine suddenly began misfiring on cylinder 6. The failure was sudden and severe—the vehicle started shaking significantly, the check engine light illuminated, and multiple safety sensors began deactivating. The vehicle was clearly unsafe to drive. An independent repair shop diagnosed oil leaking into the cylinder and stated the condition is consistent with internal engine component failure—the same type of defect the recall is meant to address. When I contacted the dealership to have it re-evaluated, they stated my vehicle is no longer under standard warranty and I would be responsible for repairs. After escalating to gm customer service, they confirmed extended coverage exists under special coverage n252494003 (10 years/150,000 miles) if the diagnostic confirms the issue is related to the recall defect. The fact that my vehicle passed the recall inspection three months ago and is now exhibiting the exact failure symptoms the recall was designed to prevent raises concerns that the inspection procedure may not be detecting all affected engines. The component (engine) is available for inspection. This defect poses a serious safety risk as the sudden loss of power and deactivation of safety systems could cause a crash.

I brought my 2023 Yukon in for the 6. 2 gm inspection, and was told my engine was good, and the engine oil was changed. Approximately 3 weeks later the engine in the Yukon failed (seized) while I was towing my boat at 55mph, nearly causing an accident. I was able to pull the vehicle and boat to the side of the highway in a precarious location, which put me, my family and property in danger. There were no warning signs or messages on the dash, and no engine sounds. I believe gm's recall inspection and "preventative" oil change did nothing, and gave me a false sense that the truck was safe to tow with. I want to make sure the NHTSA is aware that the engine failed even after being screened with the recall. This false reasurrance that the truck is safe is putting the public at risk.

Vehicle was operating on the interstate with cruise control activated. Time was approximately 9:15pm. Weather was fair with temperatures in the lower 60's. Speed was approximately 73mph. Without any audible or warning light notifications the engine stalled and all exterior lighting, power assisted braking and steering was lost. The emergency flashers were immediately activated to warn vehicles in nearby proximity of our emergency status. I tried to restart the engine(the transmission was showing to be in n)with no success. During the attempt to restart, the exterior lighting was restored. With the path of travel now visible, I was able to slow the vehicle to a safe speed and exit from the roadway onto the shoulder. Upon stopping, the vehicle was placed into p and onstar was notified of the event. We remained in the vehicle until one of our friends was able to take us home. Onstar contacted aaa to remove the vehicle to the nearest gm dealership.

I got 3 messages on the dash going off simultaneously 1. Service traction control system 2. Forward collision system unavailable 3. Service esc I could feel the truck bogging and shaking a little at this point then soon after the check engine light was flashing and it was noticeably misfiring and rough idling. I pulled some codes at oreillys and got back 1. P0300 misfire 2. P050d cold start rough idle.

Air conditioner condenser faulty and had to repaired. Premium ride shocks faulty and had to be repaired. Lifters and bent pushrod faulty and had to be repaired. Vehicle currently has approximately 70,000 miles. These are all known issues by gm and very expensive to fix and no recalls.

See all problems of the 2018 GMC Yukon 🔎.

Total engine failure with 90,000 miles on the car.

While driving vehicle the vehicle appears to shut off as if someone is turning off the ignition. The steering control becomes stiff, power is lost and electronics flash and turn off and on. This has happened on multiple occasions and is intermittent during acceleration. The accessible grounds have been checked, battery checked and replaced, and alternator checked and verified to be charging appropriately. Several codes are present and have been cleared to return indicating low voltage issues with multiple systems.

See all problems of the 2016 GMC Yukon 🔎.

Vehicle indicated that the suspension system was disabled. Vehicle then lost power and disabled itself driving through the eisenhower tunnel I-70 colorado. This tunnel is over a mile and a half long. We called 911 as we were very worried we were going to have another vehicle crash into us as there are no breakdown lanes. The tunnel had to close to west bound interstate traffic and the vehicle had to be dragged up a tow truck because the back wheels were locked. The cdot tow truck then dropped our vehicle outside the tunnel. We had a private tow company (again dragging the locked tires onto the next truck) take us home and to our personal repair shop. Vehicle was diagnosed as a blown engine. We then had to tow our vehicle, again dragging tires, to a GMC certified shop. We have spent $1502 on towing. This vehicle has approximately 57,000 miles and was 9 days out of the powertrain warranty. The repair shop has the same diagnoses and a dead battery because we could not turn the vehicle off. We have no vehicle to drive as ours sits at the repair shop waiting for parts. Gm told me we were out of warranty and would not help. The dealership says gm may do cost sharing but will still cost us $2000.

On November 14,2025 my engine failed on the highway going 80 mph to 0 mph in the passing lane. Almost caused a major accident on us23. I’ve asked my dealership bowman Chevrolet repeatedly to inspect my engine for the recall and have been denied every time. Most recent was October when I had my oil changed and I was told it wasn’t my turn and the recall for my vehicle was pending. I had my vehicle flatbed towed to the dealership where it sits dead in their parking lot. Thank god we didn’t die on the freeway that night. It was a horrible experience.

Oil consumption, vehicle is using 1 quart minimum every 2000 miles, has been through 3 service cycles in 17303 miles due to this issue. Has had recall test done by morehart GMC in durango, CO as well as oil consumption test completed by same dealership. The first time this occurred the vehicle was taken to hi country GMC in farmington, new mexico, USA, where the service manager blamed the issue on driving.

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.

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.

Camshaft/lifter broken and need replaced.

Engine failure at 38k miles no service lights on dash. Gm says 4 months to get replacement motor with very little help on getting rental car.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon xl. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while idling, the vehicle started shuddering violently. The contact stated that while driving to the residence at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was pushed into a church parking lot. The contact's father used a scanner to scan the vehicle, and a dtc for engine misfire was retrieved. The contact's father replaced the spark plugs, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine was blown. The vehicle was then towed to another independent mechanic, where the engine was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal was stiff and required to be pumped several times for the vehicle to respond as intended. The contact stated that the failure occurred while starting the vehicle and while driving at various speeds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the brakes had been replaced annually, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the brake pedal shuddered upon starting the vehicle. The contact received a notification for abs from the onstar mobile app. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,246.

While driving vehicle on 11/08/2025, vehicle made a popping noise and loss power. We were out of town and had to pay out of pocket to have vehicle towed to a dealership and hour away from our home. Dealership diagnosed issue with engine failure due to lifter fell and caused damage to cam shaft and bore. I will be without a vehicle for an additional 2 to 4 weeks waiting on a back ordered engine from gm, and continue making payments on vehicle as well. This issue seems to be an ongoing problem that gm is ignoring……. Gm should compensate towing, car rental, and repair/ replacement charges due to failure.

Lifter failure with cylinder #6. Car violently shook prior to this failure. No engine lights or messages until the next day when tried to drive. Ended up towing car to dealer. Car had 76k miles on it. Recall on 6. 2l, but not on the 5. 3l which is not immune to this same issue as the 6. 2l engine.

I’m not happy with just a change in oil viscosity because the car has already been on the road for 70000 miles before we were aware of the recall on the engine. Changing the oil viscosity doesn’t help when there is a underlying engine problem it should be replaced not just change your oil and send you on your way because now I’m always wondering and worried if the engine will still fail when my kids and wife are in the car. Furthermore I just had it inspected and the oil changed to new viscosity a week ago and the oil level is already half way on the dipstick so I’m taking back to the dealership to express my concern. If I would have known this was going to be an issue with this SUV I would have purchased something else. I’d just like the engine replaced so that I don’t have to worry every time I pull out of the driveway with my family. My power steering assist still whines and there is no open recall on it. I think GMC should be responsible for replacing engines and power steering assembly and power steering motors on 2021 GMC Yukon denalis because of the wear and tear they have endured before the recall was taken care of by adding a different viscosity oil because the damage has already been done.