Power Train Problems of GMC Yukon - part 1

Vehicle shifted into neutral while driving down the highway, extremely dangerous. Would not shift into gear and could not accelerate. Was able to pull over and the vehicle would not restart. Had to have the vehicle towed to a dealership. Dealership found a blown fuse, problem happened again twice and the dealer could not find the problem. This was July 28th, 2026. On August 20th, while in cruise control, slight ringing noise began, then a loud thump, then a loss of oil pressure. Unable to do anything other than pull over on an interstate with my family. Again, very dangerous. The vehicle would not restart and could not be shifted out of park. Had to have the vehicle towed again. Have also had at least 8 recalls on the vehicle. Unbelievably dangerous situations with my family, aside from inconvenient and expensive.

See all problems of the 2023 GMC Yukon 🔎.

The powertrain malfunctioned and it at the dealership for an engine replacement. The vehicle lost propulsion on a 2-lane road while passing another vehicle. It cut off completely and started to decelerate. There was no warning or indication that this would happen and was dangerous in that I was accelerating to pass another vehicle when the event occurred. I was able to safely pull into a driveway, but the vehicle would not crank as it could not detect what gear it should be in. It was towed to a GMC dealership locally who confirmed 2 days later that the engine would have to be replaced. It is under warranty and will take 3-4 weeks.

Driving on busy road when heard a squealing from the engine bay of the vehicle. Moments later the vehicle lost power. It was a very dangerous situation traveling approximately 45mph on a multi-lane road in urban st. Louis missouri. There was not a check engine light prior. The vehicle had a recall performed per GMC instructions prior (this amounted to a different viscosity oil. . . . ). The breakdown stranded my family and I while on vacation in another city. The vehicle was towed to a local GMC dealership and was diagnosed as a seized engine related to the recall. The engine is scheduled to be replaced as no cost through GMC's extended service. They have not provided coverage for the towing, for the multiple ride shares needed to get around on vacation, for the rental car needed to get home, or a rental car to help us with day-to-day life during the estimated 6-8 weeks we will be waiting. My family was at risk, other motorists on the parkway were at risk. It was pure luck and quick thinking that saved injury or loss of life. It is completely unbelievable GMC is letting these vehicles be on the road for peoples safety and for the money people pay as a consumer.

See all problems of the 2021 GMC Yukon 🔎.

I’m gettin solenoid 6 stuck codes.

See all problems of the 2022 GMC Yukon 🔎.

Vehicle started showing a po308 code. Called sewell GMC in midland where I purchased the vehical they were 2 months out on diagnostic services. So I took it to another shop. They ran a camera into the problem cylinder and for scaring on the walls. They said it was due to the afm system and the engine was unrepairable. So now I am out 17,000 dollars and stranded over 700 miles from my home due to a manufactured defect.

See all problems of the 2019 GMC Yukon 🔎.

2022 GMC Yukon xl suffered catastrophic transmission failure at approximately 87,000 miles. An ase-certified transmission repair facility determined that the torque converter failed, resulting in transmission damage requiring over $7,000 in repairs. Gm declined any assistance solely because the repair was performed by an independent ase-certified facility. I am concerned that a major transmission component failure at this mileage may represent a broader defect, particularly given transmission-related service bulletins and NHTSA recall 26v085 affecting certain 2022 Yukon xl vehicles.

About 6 times during higher speed operation 80+km/hr during a downshift, the rear wheels lock up causing panic from screeching tires and sudden deceleration. Extremely unsafe. The vehicle is in with the dealership and as suspected, they can't find any issues with codes or transmission pressures. We even have a sound recording of the tires locking up. Typical symptoms of the valve body failure. Hopefully there's parts available soon.

Transmission shudders and shifts very hard in lower gears. Going from drive to reverse the transmission shifts hard.

See all problems of the 2017 GMC Yukon 🔎.

While traveling on [xxx] from houston back to san antonio, my truck engine just blew up without any warning whatsoever. We purchased the truck with 3 miles on it, and we have only put 5,000 miles on it. New cars that cost early $100k shouldn’t be having engine failures like this. I’m lost for words now! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While traveling at highway speeds, my 2017 GMC Yukon sle suffered a sudden, catastrophic active fuel management (afm) valvetrain lifter and camshaft collapse. This caused an immediate and highly dangerous loss of vehicle propulsion in live moving traffic on I-95, creating an extreme physical safety hazard for my family. General motors has extensive, documented internal corporate knowledge of this severe design defect under technical service bulletin TSB #18-na-073.

GMC should be haulted from selling trucks with the 6. 2l engine. My brand new 2026 GMC Yukon denali engine imploded on the interstate going 75mph that nearly killed my entire family. No warning, just out of no where died on the highway, with 4k miles on it. This is sadly going to get someone critically injured and when is enough going to be enough? GMC has some explaining to do, when they charge $85k-$100k for trucks that blow up as soon as you buy them.

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission shifted from first gear to second gear and the vehicle intermittently stalled. The contact shifted to park and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle was shifted into drive and returned to normal operation. The failure reoccurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

See all problems of the 2008 GMC Yukon 🔎.

2023 Yukon xl at4 with 67k miles suddenly had lifters fail. Gm service said cam scored & metal debris all the way through to the pan, requiring total engine replacement. Vehicle was very well maintained with premium fluids and parts.

While driving about 70 mph in the express lanes, the vehicle suddenly lost power and drifted like it went into neutral. There were no warning symbols. The vehicle could not restart even while coasting. After stopping, it locked itself in park and would not shift out of park. My family and I were trapped on the express lanes for over an hour in a dangerous location. The vehicle stayed stuck in park even on the tow truck. The dealer confirmed metal in the oil filter, a blown main fuse, and knocking when starting. The recall inspection and remedy were already done, but the failure still happened. The vehicle is undriveable and the required recall repair cannot be completed because the replacement engine is on backorder with no eta.

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and the transmission malfunctioned, causing the wheels to lock up and the check engine warning light to illuminate. The vehicle was driven to a local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch and pressure control solenoid had failed. The contact was advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 26v289000 (power train). The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 118,000.

See all problems of the 2020 GMC Yukon 🔎.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the inspection station for an inspection, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the transmission had seized, and the vehicle failed to move. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred immediately after an unknown device was attached to the vehicle while being inspected. The contact informed the inspector of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,637.

See all problems of the 2016 GMC Yukon 🔎.

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The local dealer had not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 44,000.

My family and were traveling to visit family, and the transmission stalled on me on the interstate. I almost had a horrible accident with my kids in the vehicle. The vehicle is in the shop currently and dx with transmission issues. GMC needs to recall and or fix the transmissions in all of their vehicle.

Gm performed a vehicle wide over the air reprogramming of the modules incorporated in the vip/global b electronics platform in April, 2026. Following that my vehicle became totally dead. Key fob would not unlock the vehicle. Had to use the metal key, open the drivers door. Opened the door, nothing moved. No lights, no movement from anything on the vehicle. Opened the hood, charged the battery and tried to crank it. Would not budge. Starter would not engage. Disconnected the negative battery cable. Tried again. Still would not budge. After an hour of so of trying and using jumper cables from our other vehicle, still would not budge. I disconnected the negative battery cable from the right front fender ground and reattached it. It then cranked. Drove the vehicle 30 miles at interstate speed. 8 miles in city traffic. Drove home and parked it in the garage. Drove it abput 10-12 days later to get breakfast. Parked it, locked it with the key fob. Came back after getting food, key fob would not work. Opened it with the button on the door handle. Got in tried to crank it. Would not budge. Disconnected the negative battery cable twice, before it cranked, but would not drive. Message in dash said vehicle could not be driven. Finally got it cranked. Gm never advised that the battery must have a 70% charge at all times for the electronics to work. Owner's manual contains no such statement. Vehicle is defective to the extent that it will leave me stranded in wherever the battery power is less than 70%. Dangerous to get stranded at night on a lonely road or highway, away from cities with tow trucks and competent service personnel. Vehicle in shop 32 days before dealer advised resolution. Modules bricked requiring engine control module and telematics module replacement.

See all problems of the 2025 GMC Yukon 🔎.

On June 25, 2026 my 2023 GMC Yukon denali with 53,456 miles was brought to an authorized GMC dealership after displaying a service 4wd warning light and exhibiting a groaning noise when shifting into drive and reverse. The vehicle was diagnosed with the following brake system fault codes: p25a2, c0511, c0517, c1595 and c1596. These codes indicate brake control module failure and wheel speed sensor faults which are safety critical components. The dealership confirmed these findings but stated the repairs are not covered under the GMC powertrain warranty. Given that these are safety critical brake system failures on a nearly new vehicle with only 53,456 miles, we contacted GMC customer care on July 1, 2026 to request coverage under goodwill warranty as we believe these failures constitute a manufacturing defect. A case was opened however after 7 days no case advisor has been assigned and no decision has been made despite two promised timelines not being met. The brake system failures on a nearly new vehicle represent a serious safety concern as these systems directly affect the vehicle's ability to stop safely. The vehicle has been at the dealership since June 25, 2026 and remains unrepaired.

Complete transmission failure at 82,000 miles. Well maintained vehicle, not used for towing or heavy hauling. Required complete replacement. Traveling at highway speeds and-according to repair facility- valve failure caused transmission to overheat a stripped gears, causing complete failure. Vehicle was unable to shift into any gears and was left inoperable. Required towing assistance and replacement.

Vehicle lost all power and shutdown coming off the highway. This all happened even after the heavier ow-40 oil was added from the initial engine inspection. Been waiting almost 2 months for a total engine replacement.

Transmission abruptly failed after only 110k well maintained miles.

I was driving home on the interstate from vacation and I was set on cruise control it was 1 am so not a lot of traffic was on the road thank god. It could have been really terrible if lots of traffic was present as the engine just died without notice! the vehicle was decelerating nothing was working I could not speed up. I was able to get over to the side of the road. I got a notification on my phone that said battery critically low start vehicle to charge battery. Well nothing would start at this point. I lot all power seconds later. I thought that the cruise control was locked up and restarting it would reset it. I called roadside assistance to get a jump and that did not work. I got towed into an auto repair shop. They called me and told me that the engine is locked up that they drained the oil and found metal in it and metal pieces in the oil filter as well. They checked for leaks and said there was none that they could find. They said there was a recall but it was for the exact same symptoms that was diagnosed here but only starting with year 2021. Mine is a 2019 Yukon denali with low mileage so not sure if all the other Yukons were aged out or already past engine death and that’s why they were not part of this but this should be included in with the open recall considering how everything is the same that is effecting this year that I have and they should pay for a new engine! clearly the v8 6. 2 GMC engines are having major issues I’m just glad I wasn’t going that fast and traffic was slow so I was able to get over safely before catastrophic things happened since there was no warning when this all happened!.

With no warning, my engine 6. 2 l stopped running at highway speeds and failed to restart. The power train completely failed for a second time after having a previous engine replaced for the same failure in 2024. I had the car inspected per the recall along with changes in the oil viscosity as recommended along with service inspection. The car left me stranded again on rural highway for over 5 hours in temps that exceeded 98 degrees. The car would not start and went into a power save shutdown and had to be towed to the dealer. I was fortunate to have avoided any traffic on the highway enough to get the car off the road. This is not safe to drive on the highway and GMC has known defect and safety concern with this issue.

Vehicle had previously undergone the gm 6. 2l engine recall inspection on October 17, 2025, and was determined to have passed. On June 13, 2026, at approximately 80,390 miles, the vehicle suddenly lost propulsion while being driven with five children in the vehicle. The vehicle became inoperable and required towing. Dealer subsequently diagnosed engine failure and has ordered a replacement engine. This failure happened with out warning.

My 2023 GMC Yukon denali xl, used as a commercial vehicle for my business, experienced sudden and complete engine failure at approximately 70,000 miles with no prior warning. No check engine light, no unusual noise, and no other symptoms. The vehicle had previously been inspected/serviced under gm safety recall 25v-274 (l87 engine loss of propulsion) and had been deemed safe prior to this failure. The failure occurred while driving on a two-lane road in durango, CO. The vehicle lost all propulsion and came to a stop in the roadway, blocking the lane of travel and forcing other vehicles to cross into the oncoming traffic lane to go around the disabled vehicle. This created a serious and immediate hazard to myself and to oncoming traffic. The vehicle was not driveable and had to be towed. The dealer confirmed catastrophic engine failure requiring a complete engine replacement. After the engine replacement, the morehart murphy GMC dealership in durango also failed to properly recalibrate vehicle sensors. They did not reinstall certain suspension components that had been removed for the engine replacement, requiring multiple additional dealership visits to resolve along with recalibration of the air ride suspension. After the replacement I was getting messages that the vehicle was "too low to drive with caution" and "reduced acceleration drive with care. " this vehicle failure occurred during our peak season (June 10-July 2). The vehicle being out of service, I was required to rent a replacement vehicle at my own expense because gm did not provide a loaner vehicle. I estimate loss revenue at $1k/day. When I attempted to raise this issue with gm directly, their response was to submit letter to a p. O. Box, with no other means of resolution or contact offered. Given that this vehicle had already undergone the recall remedy and was represented as safe, this incident is relevant to NHTSA's ongoing investigation into post-recall l87 engine failures (recall query rq26001).

Issue description: the vehicle experienced a failure of the dynamic fuel management (dfm) system, resulting in a collapsed lifter. This caused a cylinder misfire and a sudden loss of engine power while driving at highway speeds. Safety concern: while traveling at highway speeds, the sudden misfire and loss of power created a dangerous condition. The vehicle could not maintain speed or accelerate properly with surrounding traffic, significantly increasing the risk of a collision. Failure details: the issue was diagnosed as a collapsed lifter related to the dfm system. This caused persistent misfiring, rough engine operation, and severe drivability issues. Repair outcome: due to the extent of internal engine damage caused by the lifter failure, the vehicle required complete engine replacement.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-60 mph, the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. The message "restraint safety system" was displayed, and the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

Engine overheated and performed an emergency shutdown while driving through atlanta on my way to vacation with my family. We lost propulsion and had to cross 5 lanes of traffic to find a shoulder to pull over to. The engine shut down and we were left stranded 500 miles from home with our 3 children in a boiling car. The vehicle was inspected and passed the recall test 6 weeks prior to this incident. After the first failure we attempted to extend our power train warranty to which we were told it had too many miles by gm. The gm dealership and service center where the vehicle was towed confirmed the engine needed to be replaced and gm confirmed it falls under their extended warranty. However, gm refuses to cover any additional expenses incurred from their engine failure.

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph to work, the vehicle shifted into neutral and into low and failed to drive at about 20 mph. The check engine light was flashing. The front collision was unavailable. The contact left the vehicle at a gas station. Upon research, the contact located NHTSA campaign number: 14v374000 (power train), which was similar to the failure. The local dealer was contacted, who confirmed there were no open recalls. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted via chat, who referred her to the local dealer and manufacturer service center. The contact informed her to confirm the coverage with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 283,000.

See all problems of the 2015 GMC Yukon 🔎.

1. Xxx xx— gm recall notification (recall no. N252494000) I received official notification from general motors of recall n252494000 affecting my vehicle. I brought the vehicle to [xxx] as directed to have the recall remedy performed. 2. Xxx — first report of engine propulsion issues I reported engine propulsion concerns to jim ellis. This was my first formal complaint regarding the performance of the vehicle following the recall remedy. 3. Xxx — oil type change performed by jim ellis jim ellis performed an engine oil type change, switching to 0w-40 oil, and advised me that this change would serve as the fix for recall n252494000. I accepted this remedy in good faith. 4. Xxx — low oil warning light activated approximately nine months after the recall remedy, and well before the end of the recommended oil life cycle, the low oil warning light activated on my dashboard. This is abnormal and indicative of excessive oil consumption. I returned to jim ellis, who performed a fresh oil change and placed my vehicle on a 6,000-mile oil consumption test — an acknowledgment that an oil consumption problem exists. 5. Xxx — active engine misfires, jerking, and flashing check engine light while operating my vehicle on Sunday, may 31, 2026, I experienced severe engine jerking and misfires. The check engine light began flashing — not steady — which I understand to indicate an active and serious engine misfire event. I was genuinely concerned for my personal safety and immediately parked the vehicle. It has not been driven since. 6. Xxx — gm corporate case opened I contacted gm customer care and was assigned corporate case number information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2024 GMC Yukon 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle would independently activate limp mode and would not accelerate past 30 mph. In addition, the vehicle would not shift into the reverse gear as intended. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with error codes: p0777 and p18a1. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts being on backorder. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to an unknown NHTSA campaign; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Transfer case locked up at highway speeds. Had to be towed to dealer not drivable. Locking up rear tires at highways speed was serious risk. It was inspected and found not to be covered under current recall even though exact same thing happed to recalled vehicles. No warning lights or messages.

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that after restarted the engine and the vehicle did not operate in reverse. During the failure no warning messages had displayed. The vehicle was driven to the local diagnosed that the transmissions needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 24v797000(power train). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 70,000.