Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of GMC Yukon - part 1

Months ago I took my car to the dealer for the engine failure recall and they said there were no issues and changed the oil to a higher viscosity oil. Today I was driving and my engine failed while turning onto a busy road and took multiple tries to get started. It finally started and the engine light was flashing. The dealer told me th flashing engine light was bad and to not drive at all. I pulled over and had it towed to the dealer. The engine light stopped flashing. The dealer said they pulled a code on the computer and would look at it. They had my car for a full day so far and have said they can't find an issue. I do not feel safe having my family in this car when the engine can fail and they say nothing is wrong. I am lucky that I wasn't hit at the location it failed at.

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While driving on the interstate at highway speed, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration and stalled. I was forced to pull over. After stopping, the vehicle displayed a message to restart, but it would not start. All electronic accessories (lights, dash, etc. ) remained functional, but the vehicle would not shift into drive or neutral. The message “conditions not correct for shift” appeared. Nearly rear ended, this created a dangerous situation due to loss of power in active traffic and inability to move the vehicle on a 250,000 vehicle per day very busy tollway.

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The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon xl. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph and exiting the highway, the brake pedal was depressed but the brake pedal was stiff and stuck, requiring that the transmission be shifted to neutral(n), and to stand on the brake pedal with both feet. The contact continuously pumped the brake pedal, but the vehicle slowly responded and almost crashed into other vehicles. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's wife and daughter were also inside the vehicle during the failure and were frightened and concerned for their safety during the failure. The dealer was contacted and was provided a description of the failure over the phone. The dealer informed the contact that the vacuum pump and an unknown part had possibly failed. The contact was advised that the failure was possibly related to NHTSA campaign number: 19v645000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included in the recall, and there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle for the failure. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

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Engine starting clicking during highway drive then engine failed mid-drive and engine was trying to restart on its own mid drive. Vehicle totally stalled out in the street, with numerous attempts the engine did not start. Total mileage on car was 2,900.

The vehicle has the l87 gm engine. It lost complete power and the engine seized up and would not start again. Fortunately I was able to roll into a neighborhood and get off the main road with no issues. The dealer has confirmed the seized engine and a replacement engine has been ordered with no eta. There was no prior warning of the failure, besides a shuddering, like I was running out of gas, and then a lose of complete power.

While driving my 2022 GMC Yukon denali at interstate highway speed, the engine suddenly failed without any prior warning. At the time of the incident, the vehicle had approximately 65,000 miles. There were no warning lights illuminated before or during the failure. The engine immediately began running rough, produced abnormal knocking/ticking noise, and then completely lost power. This created a dangerous situation, as I was traveling at highway speed and suddenly could not maintain speed with surrounding traffic. I had to quickly maneuver out of traffic and safely reach the shoulder to avoid a potential accident. Due to the complete loss of engine power, the vehicle was inoperable and had to be towed from the scene. The vehicle has been properly maintained and has not had any prior mechanical issues. I contacted a dealership, but as of now, the vehicle has not yet been inspected or diagnosed. Based on the symptoms, the failure appears consistent with a lifter-related engine issue reported in similar vehicles. The sudden and complete loss of power without warning presents a serious safety concern.

Engine failed with just 3,633 miles. Covert GMC is replacing the entire engine.

Was driving approximately 70 miles per hour on the highway. While driving the vehicle just stopped in the middle of the highway after going 70 miles per hour. Was unable to put car in park. Car just shut off. Four police cars had to surround car due to being stuck in the middle of the highway with my small child in the car. Took an hour to get a tow truck. Being told our engine is now completely shot.

The 6. 2l motor in my GMC Yukon failed due to the camshaft and stalled me in an intersection on a highway. Had to shut the lanes down to get towed. Lost all power and couldn’t do anything but sit in the road. Just did a pico test and it “passed” but failed 3k miles after the recall was done.

Ngine seized (according to GMC dealership service department). I was driving 75mph down the highway and the car shut down. I noticed it losing power so I was able to get off at the exit ramp, but not in a safe location. The car shut completely down in the right lane at the stop sign. Approximately 7:50pm car broke down - stuck on the road until 10:22pm. Yes safety of myself and others were put at risk. We purchased the car 2 weeks ago with no signs of issues. Bought the car with 103,499 miles. The car had very well maintained service records as well at time of purchase. We towed the car to the GMC dealership and they said the engine is seized up. No warning lamps or messages at time of failure. I drove the car early that day and it was running fine. I do not have any documents to upload at this time. Since this all happened on Friday and we are just now getting the report back today (Tuesday).

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2023 Yukon xl denali passed the pico scope changed to 0w40 and 3 months later stopped working in the middle of driving just completely shut down. Engine started to smoke had it towed to dealership and they removed my oil filter and found crankshaft bearings in the filter. Needs a new engine now. Bought it brand new only has 45,000 miles on it currently.

Engine failure while driving at 60mph that started with a loud knocking sound to eventual engine failure where it wouldnt turn over. Vehicle has 9600 miles and has had issues since day one of leaving lot requiring fuel injector, intake manifold gasket, lifter and rod with last fix being new coil and spark plug that supposedly fixed issue. The most recent engine failure put my family and kids in danager given 100 degree weather in middle of desert on a small highway with very limited cell service. Vehicle provided no warning lights. Vehicle was towed to dealership and I have not received an update. Vehicle has not been inspected by polive or insurance or others.

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Engine failure from the connecting rod and/or crankshaft. There is a current recall for this and my vehicle should be a part of it. I broke down on the side of a highway and had the vehicle towed to GMC dealership. There are now warning lights on with code p0016 and p0324.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally with blue smoke coming from the exhaust, with the message "lane departure assist" displayed. The check engine and stabili-trak warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local service center, where it was diagnosed with cylinder #1 misfire. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to the GMC service bulletin:15-06-01-002l. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

After getting the engine recall done on my vehicle over 6 months ago, I was driving down the highway at 70 mph last Saturday and without warning "press start" began flashing on my dashboard and I immediately began decelerating and my car put itself in neutral. I was able to get to the side of the road safely. I was then able to turn the car off and back on. I was able to again accelerate into the road but once I reached 3/4th gear my car again began beeping with the "press start" warning and put itself into neutral. I was again able to coast on the side of the road to a stop where I called a tow truck to drop at my local GMC dealer. When roadside assistance showed up the car wouldn't even turn on anymore and I'm now being told that I need a full engine replacement even though I correctly completed the recall previously.

2021 Yukon denali 6. 2l v8, 137k miles- engine failure—driving down road 55mph and engine light came on, along with check esc and check traction warnings, vehicle began to rough idle and shake, motor knocking. Personally feel this is related to recall but my VIN not included says dealership- I feel this recall is affecting way more vehicles than VIN’s included. Dealership charged 220$ to plug it in, codes weren’t specific for problem. They are stating “lifter is bad and possibly cam, won’t know if the lifters scarred the cam until they take it apart” and charge me at least 6k is price quoted. No warnings at all before this happened. 137k miles so out of warranty. This put myself and kids in dangerous riding condition as I had to stop and have vehicle towed to dealership.

While driving my 2022 GMC Yukon with approximately 150,000 miles, the engine suddenly began running rough and I immediately pulled over. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership. The dealer diagnosed a collapsed lifter and camshaft damage and recommended full engine replacement at a cost of about $9,450. The vehicle had no prior engine issues and most miles are highway miles. Sudden engine failure while driving creates a potential safety hazard due to loss of power. I am reporting this because I understand there are ongoing investigations into gm v8 engine failures and I believe this failure may be related.

I just survived a terrifying incident that proves the current gm 6. 2l (l87) engine "recall fix" is a dangerous myth. Living with the "ticking time bomb" I bought my 2023 GMC Yukon at4 brand new, but for the last two years, I haven't truly "owned" it—it has owned me. Every long-distance trip with my family was filled with anxiety. I constantly worried that I’d be the next one stranded on the side of the road while my neighbors' and friends' 6. 2l engines were seizing all around me. I traveled with fear that I’d be coming home in a rental car. The false security of the recall when the recall finally arrived, I thought the nightmare was over. On sept 15, 2025, my dealer in newburgh, NY, inspected the truck at 48,000 miles. They told me my engine "passed," switched the oil to 0w-40, and issued me a 150,000-mile extended warranty. I realized then what I know for sure now: 0w-40 oil is a band-aid, not a cure. Gm used thicker oil to "cushion" a physical manufacturing defect in the crankshaft and bearings just to avoid the multi-billion dollar cost of engine replacements. They traded my family’s safety for their bottom line. The catastrophic failure last Friday, March 13, 2026, the "fix" failed. I was traveling 70 mph uphill on I-84 with my **newborn baby** and two other kids in the back. Without warning, the engine seized solid. I lost all propulsion in heavy traffic and had to fight to get my children to the shoulder. We sat in the freezing cold for over an hour while traffic flew by us. An extended warranty is worthless when your engine dies in a high-speed traffic lane with an infant in the car.

Drove vehicle to town and back, 20 mile round trip. When entering my property, the engine stalled while pulling into driveway. Upon cranking, was very hard to start. When taking the next trip after engine stall, vehicle died in motion at 60mph approaching a traffic intersection with no warning, leaving very little time to navigate to the shoulder and off the roadway. Engine will not crank over, suspect engine has failed again, currently at dealer awaiting diagnostics. No lights, warnings, noises or indications of engine failure were observed during the drive cycle.

While driving I had a sudden loss of power. Contacted dealership and was ask for engine code light. Told them no light had appeared on dashboard. Did note intermittent shift changes while driving after this occurrence. Transmission and or engine feels like it has a studder. Concerning.

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Im hearing ticking sounds when starting the engine and I reported it to my dealership service department and thay said thay don't see any issue.

My 2023 GMC Yukon denali with the 6. 2l v8 suffered a sudden loss of propulsion while traveling at approximately 70–75 mph on the highway with my wife and young daughter in the vehicle. The engine rpm dropped immediately to zero and the vehicle displayed a message instructing me to press start. I do not recall any meaningful prior warning lamps or symptoms before the failure. I did not hear a loud bang or other dramatic engine noise; the vehicle simply lost power and would not continue driving under engine power. I had to coast across lanes/shoulder to a stop, which created a serious safety risk to my family and other drivers because the vehicle lost propulsion at freeway speed without warning. After stopping, the vehicle would not restart. Pressing the start button produced only a click from under the hood and the engine would not crank. The vehicle was towed to a GMC dealership in victorville, California. The dealer has since confirmed that the engine requires full replacement. The failure has therefore been confirmed by an authorized GMC dealer and the vehicle should be available for inspection through that dealership/manufacturer if requested. This is especially concerning because this vehicle was already part of the known gm 6. 2l recall population and had supposedly passed the recall inspection/remedy before I purchased it. Despite that, the engine still failed catastrophically only about 1,355 miles into my ownership. Purchase mileage was approximately 26,343 and failure occurred at approximately 27,698 miles. Based on what the dealer told me, the failed component/system is the engine assembly.

Car would not engage in reverse. Stranded and needed a tow into dealership. Also experienced rough shifting especially when accelerating in lower gears. Dealership said it needs a new transmission control valve which is a known issue with my model and there has been a recall yet my specific VIN was not included in this recall!!! dealer says the part needed is on backorder with no listed date of when it will be coming back in stock. Quoting me $3300 out of pocket to cover this repair once they can locate the needed part. No loaner car available and this is our main family vehicle!!! they called earlier to tell me they found the needed part at another dealer but it’s now going to cost me $600 more bc they had to buy it off the other dealership. What is happening!? this is not ok! my car should be covered under the recall!.

Purchased new August 29, 2025 on 12/3/25- mileage 4495. Took vehicle in for first maintenance service. Tire rotation and oil change. On 1/7/26- reported grinding noise we had began noticing when starting vehicle. Engine light service esc. Service traction control. Reported to ben mynatt gm. On 1/8/26 mileage 7120- took Yukon in for service due to grinding noise. Due for 6 module updates and 3 stand alone updates. On 2/16/26 noticed ticking noise when heat in on high. Scheduled service for 2/26. On 2/24/26 smell from car, oil reporting low. Dip stick completely dry. Sent email and photos to ben mynatt service. On 2/26/26 took vehicle in for service. Service advised to start oil consumption test. Ordered blower motor for the squealing noise. Cyl 3 misfire. Was told by the dealer, possibly needs engine 2/27/26 took vehicle in for service check engine light on. Bearing inside blower motor and blower motor replaced. Replaced coil cyl 3 tire rotation 2/28/26 car shaking, smoking, engine light on. Terrible smell from exhaust. Engine light came on, service esc, service traction control, forward collision unavailable, reduced acceleration drive with care alert. GMC alert: service the engine and transmission system immediately alert, engine light on. Vehicle approx miles. Codes misfires to cylinder 3. Took vehicle right to service dept. Codes cleared. Replaced coil on cyl 3 March 7th - mileage 11,200 car shaking vigorously! engine light flashing. Loud knocking coming from vehicle. GMC alert: service the engine and transmission system immediately alert. Emission system- service now. Engine and transmission system service now. Service antilock braking, stabilitrack stability control systems and airbag system. Service air bag system. Emailed to service March 9th. Took vehicle in. Cylinder 3 & 8 misfire code cold start rough idle code. Oil consumption using approx1 qt of oil/500 miles. Vehicle unsafe risk of engine seizure, fire risk and loss of acceleration is extreme danger.

Engine lost power, making noises that sounded like an exhaust leak. Had vehicle towed to dealership. Advised the next day the main bearing had failed and engine needed to be replaced.

Vehicle shut-off while driving on the expressway, around 70-75mph. Upon vehicle turning off, I had no option but to "coast" off to the left side, which thankfully, freed me from traffic for the most part. If anyone who have been a foot over, they would've hit me. I have had numerous electrical issues with this vehicle and have taken it to the dealership but they have been "unable" to duplicate the issue. Vehicle was immediately taken to the dealership (and they still have as of this incident report submission). They told me last night that they will keep it again today and test drive it again to see if they can get it to do anything but if it doesn't show anything new, they have nothing to diagnose and will give me my car back. After requesting a copy of repair orders and a list of the history codes in my car, I am beside myself that anyone thinks giving me this vehicle back to drive is ok. See the history code report in documents uploaded. These are major safety failures in a large vehicle.

Engine failed, no check engine lights turned on. Needed to have the truck towed to a dealer.

Complete engine failure on highway at speeds of 70+. The vehicle was inspected per the recall on this engine and it passed inspection prior to purchasing. The vehicle now needs a complete engine replaced per local GMC dealer.

We were driving on the highway when the service lights came on along with the check engine light started flashing. The truck sounded like it hesitated a little, but the lights turned off and it drove his normal. We exited the freeway as we were close to home came home, parked it turned it off and turned it back on to test it, and it hesitated to turn on so we took it straight to the dealership where they repeated the issue. We left it there. They did not call me so I went up to the dealership the following day to check on this and I had not heard from them they told me why they were on the test drive that the engine had locked up. My vehicle was a part of the initial recall. They told me that it passed the inspection and they changed the oil to the new oil that was required and now at 12,000 miles my engine has failed.

On September 4, 2025, I brought my 2023 GMC Yukon denali in for the product safety recall regarding the engine. My engine passed the recall inspection and I was given an oil change with high grade synthetic oil. This past Saturday, March 7, 2026 as I was driving in tampa florida with my [xxx] son, my Yukon experienced catastrophic engine failure and I lost all propulsion control. The car went into neutral and I pulled along the side of the road safely to avoid an accident. As I put my car into park, the engine shut off completely and would not turn on again. There was no clicking sound and no attempting to turn over. I contacted roadside assistance and they sent a towing company to bring my Yukon to century Buick GMC in tampa florida. The symptoms of what happened are similar to those of the recall. The dealership is replacing the engine however this is a critical safety issue as my son and I could have been severely hurt and or killed. Please investigate. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

2023 GMC Yukon xl 6. 2l v8 experienced progressive engine defects starting in first year. At 7,445 mi (Jan 2023), first dealer visit for engine issues. At 10,315 mi (Apr 2023), cyl 2 fuel injector failed (internally open), vehicle towed to dealer, replaced under warranty. At 14,982 mi (Aug 2023), identical cyl 7 injector failure (internally open), replaced under warranty. Two identical failures on different cylinders within 15,000 mi indicates systemic defect. By 30,409 mi (Aug 2024), dealer performed engine decarbonization due to carbon buildup from fuel injection issues. Dealer recommended additional decarbs at 38,077 mi and 42,577 mi. At 56,028 mi (Mar 2026), engine suffered catastrophic failure: piston ring failure causing excessive oil consumption and engine destruction, requiring full engine replacement. This matches gm's known 5. 3l/6. 2l v8 piston ring defect (subject of $150m class action settlement). Defective injectors caused incomplete combustion, carbon buildup on piston rings, ring tension loss, and catastrophic engine failure. Vehicle also has unfixed suspension defect (camber bolt/alignment). Vehicle visited dealer 8+ times. Engine failure poses serious safety risk from sudden power loss at highway speeds. Vehicle available for inspection.

My vehicle was one of the vehicles that was subject to the engine failure recall by gm. I took it to the dealership for the “repair“ where I was told the oil was changed to a different weight. Last night, I was driving down the road and all of a sudden my car just stopped. It still had power, but the engine had stopped. I tried to restart was unable to.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon xl. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 - 55 mph, and slowing down to approximately 40 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine started knocking. The contact noticed that the engine was one quart of oil low after an oil change and driving less than 2,058 miles. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer, but was not repaired. As a certified mechanic, after searching NHTSA. Gov, the contact became aware of NHTSA id numbers: ea25007 (engine, engine and engine cooling) and rq26001 (engine); related the failure to the campaigns. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,008.

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Exhaust fumes and stink on cold start . Vehicle only has 40,000 mi and I have exhaust smells coming in through hvac system!!.

The 2020 Yukon started to have serious loss of speed and decelerating issue when the vehicle would slow down and down shift to a lower gear. The issue with this is that once it downshifted it woul not engage in a gear again and leave me stranded on the road. I had to turn off the car and restart it for it to reengage in a gear enough to get it moving again and sometimes I had to try more than once to get it moving once it no longer wanted to engage in a gear. So in the 10 mile drive, I was left stranded at least 15 times. Each time I had to restart and restart again for the vehicle to engage in a lower gear. Once moving, it would sometimes it would engage in a higher gear and sometimes it would not. Thank goodness I wasn't traveling on the highway when this happened. Beware to anyone if this was to happen on the highway while in the middle lane while in traffic. And the check engine light never turned on and thus no code to help detect the issue. Took it the day before to have it looked at and was told nothing was wrong with it since there was a code and they could not duplicate the issue I described. What?? they reset some transmission computer setting but it only made it worse by the next day. Now this 6 yr on 2020 gm Yukon is at the dealership service department requiring a new transmission for $7200. Said that the transmission fluid was showing particles of stuff and color was 'burnt', I think. Transmission fluid was changed at it's regular check up time so that didn't cause the issue and nor should it have bits and pieces in it and discolored. Is there any recourse to gm and it's crappy transmissions??.

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