4.4

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
25,964 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 GMC Yukon engine problems

engine problem

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2016 GMC Yukon Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #22

Mar 152023

Yukon

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2016 GMC Yukon Denali was taken in for a tune up. When I received the vehicle back, I was told that there was possibly a microscopic pin hole in my engine because fluid (engine coolant) was under one of the injectors. I was told that I may need to trade in or get another engine. I refused both. The mileage at the time was probably 120,000. I purchased this vehicle brand new and do not see how an engine is needed so quickly. I was barely finished paying for it. I was told by a co-worker that she had to trade hers in because it was doing the same thing. She had also investigated and had learned that many of these vehicles have the same issues around 114,000 miles and beyond. I think these issues need to be addressed.

- Waynesboro, GA, USA

problem #21

Aug 062022

Yukon

  • miles
Engine lifter failure causing complete engine failure at 70,000 miles without any warning. All vehicle maintenance done and serviced at dealer 30 days prior. Left our family stranded on a busy 2 lane highway and were lucky to even get off the road.

- Billings , MT, USA

problem #20

Oct 282022

Yukon

  • 102,000 miles
The contact-??s wife owns a 2016 Yukon. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 5 MPH, the engine hesitated and stalled. The contact stated that his wife was able to coast the vehicle into a driveway. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that a lifter in the engine block was damaged and the number two cylinder had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact scheduled an appointment. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

- Lufkin, TX, USA

problem #19

May 142022

Yukon

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle began to shudder and she noticed that the park assists, stabilitrak, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled. The contact was able to shift the vehicle to park and restarted the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that after the vehicle stalled, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become constant. Additionally, the air bag warning light and an audible chime would sound when the engine stalled. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had recurred. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #18

Nov 102021

Yukon

  • miles
The Active Fuel Management System caused excessive wear and tear on the engine, causing the lifters, push rods and valves to be damaged, while under normal operation and regular maintenance intervals. The damage caused, by this failure resulted in the yukon breaking down in the middle of the highway. Every shop/dealership we called all said the samething, this has been a common problem with vehicles equipped with this type of system and the only fix is to replace the motor. Luckily traffic was light that day or things could have been worse. Its dangerous enough to get stranded in the middle of the highway with no way to move the vehicle.

- Bear Creek, NC, USA

problem #17

Jun 142022

Yukon

  • miles
In my experience of transmission failure with my 16-?? GMC YUKON, there was no warning. I had not experienced any issues with the slipping or jerking feel when accelerating or braking as described in the class action law suit. My vehicle had 105k miles, I took it in for regular maintenance including having the transmission flushed as I was told to do so for preventative maintenance. The transmission failed when I was traveling on the interstate with my family and I came upon some traffic so I applied the brake and the whole vehicle bucked and jerked as it shifted into down gear. I was traveling at 30-35 mph in the traffic and the whole time I felt a slipping motion in the car. I made it to a gas station, refueled, and tried to restart my journey. As I leery the gas station accelerating to get back on the interstate, the vehicle would not accelerate above 35 mph and the RPMs we-??re to the max. At this point, my vehicle was in drivable. No prior warning, no issues that had been occurring over time, this all happened the same day. I towed my vehicle to a Chevrolet dealer where the problem was identified as a failed transmission in need of replacement and failed ABS braking system. The cost came at $6800.

- Schertz, TX, USA

problem #16

Feb 222022

Yukon 8-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The largest issue was today, 2/22/2022, when I was driving doing 56 miles per hour it felt like it wouldn't accelerate. Then all of a sudden, the wheel kind of jerked right and the car shifted down all on it's own and I was doing 25 mph. The check engine light came on immediately after the violent jerking happened. I was on a 4 lane highway and had to immediately pull over onto the shoulder. It was jerking forward and back as I was trying to pull over on a freeway where the speed limit is 70 mph!!! I had my 80-year-old mother in the car with me. AND YES!! It put us both at great risk! I had to call a tow truck and they towed it to a dealership 9.8 miles away. When I talked to the Assistant Manager, he said that there were 3 other GMC Yukon 2016 that had come in today - ALL WERE 2016 GMC YUKON MODELS WITH 125K MILES. My GMC has 124,700 MILES all with Transmission problems. This can't be an anomaly. So I got online and there are many, many complaints about this transmission. As a matter of fact, it appears in 2019 there was a Class Action Lawsuit about this very thing. I will not know until tomorrow for sure what the issue is - because the dealership could not get to it today. However, something significant happened. As a side note, recently I had an electrical problem where sensors, etc are all saying need to be serviced and none of them are working. I had appt today at 10:30 am to have them check this. On the way there, the violent jerking and sudden downshift and check engine light came on. I was scared to death and so I pulled over and called a tow truck. The dealership did not tell me this is a common issue, nor was I aware. The dealership told me if it is in fact the transmission - cost is $6,000!!! I need someone to contact me to discuss this. Thank you, [XXX]phone - [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Collinsville, TX, USA

problem #15

Dec 282021

Yukon

  • miles
Radiator is leaking antifreeze because of excessive thermocycles within the cooling system caused by excessive cycling of the thermostat. Vehicle leaking antifreeze causing environmental hazards and possible overheating causing vehicle to shut off. GM knows about this and posted a service bulletin but will not repair when out of warranty.

- Rock Springs, WY, USA

problem #14

Dec 052021

Yukon

  • 92,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the RPM gauge was high, and the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive to her residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure could be related to the transmission. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired and remained with the independent mechanic. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the next available appointment was in January 2022. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

- Sheridan, AR, USA

problem #13

Apr 212016

Yukon

  • miles
I PURCHASED MY CAR BRAND NEW. AFTER ONE WEEK I NOTICE MY CAR JERKING WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP I BROUGHT IT FROM, THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THATS HOW IT CHANGES GEARS FROM 4 CYLINDER TO 8 CYLINDER. SO ME BELIEVING IN THE SERVICE MANAGER, I WENT ALONG WITH HIM. WELL AFTER HAVING DIFFERENT PEOPLE RIDE WITH ME THEY ASKED ME WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR NEE CAR? WHY IS IT SHIFTING GEARS SO HARD. SO I TOOK IT BACK IN TO DEALERSHIP I TALK TO SAME SERVICE MANAGER THAT MY CAR IS JERKING AND MAKING A LOUD NOISE. WELL LETS JUST SAY I GOT THE RUN AROUND. THEN 6 MONTHS LATER I TOOK IT BACK AND FORTH MULTIPLE TIMES FOR SAME PROBLEM. NOW THIS TIME MY TURNING SIGNALS WE BLINKING ON AND OFF, WHENEVER I WASHED MY CAR OR IT RAINED. THEN MY FRONT HEADLIGHTS WERE DOING THE SAME THING, THEN THE BACK TAIL LIGHTS WERE GOING ON AND OFF. NOW ONTO MY HEATED AND A/C SEATS WERE NOT WORKING. THEN MY INTERIOR LIGHTS WETE STAYING ON, MONITOR DISPLAY WAS SHORTING OUT. NOW IT 2020 AND MY HOOD AND TOP OF THE CAR ARE OXIDIZING. I THOUGHT I PAID $80k FOR THIS CAR AND THIS WHAT HAPPENS!! I PARK IN THE GARAGE TOO! THERE IS ALOT MORE PROBLEMS TO ADD, BUT NOT ENOUGH SPACE TO PUT DOWN. IM DEALING WITH THE GMC HEADQUARTERS NOW. MY CAR IS A LEMON!!

- Oxnard , CA, USA

problem #12

Jul 222021

Yukon

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This is the second time it happened the first time i parked my car while the engine was on and i got down real quick got back on my car and when i tryed turning all of a sudden my steering wheel keept turning the opposite way and parking control light appear saying it was off and it keep moving my steering wheel i all of a sudden turned my car off and back on the second time that happened i was going in a parking when it did the samething i was turning in the parking and it started turning my steering wheel the opposite way it started saying again parking control off and the system started going crazy and my car completely turned off i was left in the middle of the parking lot had tu put my car in parking and turn my car off reall quick and turned it on and was able to park but i did get really scared and been really scared to drive my car ever since because i don-??t know if it will do the same thing again while driving. I have not taken it to get checked but will be making an appointment because it is a really scary situation.

- Somerton , AZ, USA

problem #11

Dec 182020

Yukon

  • 56,000 miles
2016 Yukon shuddering, had a transmission fluid change which helped with the shuddering. We've put 15K+M plus miles on it since the fluid flush, it's starting to shift hard between 1st and 2nd gear and the engine light come on intermittently.

- Montgomery, TX, USA

problem #10

Aug 122020

Yukon

  • miles
Car keeps running rough, stuttering when switching off, smells like gas. Engine light comes on and goes off every other day. Started after fuel injector recall, dealership says it's the fuel pump leaking and unrelated to the fuel injector problem. I don't know if they changed the gaskets and the lines when fixing the injectors. It's a high pressure fuel pump with direct injectors.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #9

Jun 292020

Yukon

  • miles
I took my vehicle in for service oil change and battery replacement on 6/29/20 and they told me by radiator needed to be replaced because of leak. I did not know it was leaking. They said this is a problem with vehicles of my type. My vehicle had 56434 miles on it at the time. It was $1204.82 plus tax to replace.

- Oconomowoc, WI, USA

problem #8

Sep 282019

Yukon

  • 37,000 miles
Car engine shut off with no warning, I started the car, drove about 50 yards to a stop sign, stopped, started to pull away and the engine completely died. No warning lights. I was halfway into the street. I put the car into park and was able to start it again. The car has about 37,000 miles and was serviced by the dealer 11 days prior (routine service).

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #7

Aug 112019

Yukon

  • 55,000 miles
Vacuum pump. Engine light on. Brake light on. Drove horrible & could hardly stop at times. City street

- Elkhart, IN, USA

problem #6

Apr 232019

Yukon

  • miles
The air conditioning condensers and associated parts are failing on the 2016 GMC Yukon. GMC has yet to issue any recall even though these ac units are constantly breaking on these vehicles.

- Yucaipa, CA, USA

problem #5

Dec 152018

Yukon

  • 32,700 miles
Purchased vehicle used @ 32K miles. Vehicle almost un-rideable due to rough ride & terrible vibration. Took to GMC dealer, they replaced one front shock (completely leaked out) and one bad rim. Truck still rides extremely rough & has a vibration between 35-55 mph. Almost unbearable on longer rides. Tires are brand new. Dealer says that it is within spec. This should be illegal on a $75K msrp "luxury" SUV!

- Frankfort, NY, USA

problem #4

Oct 182018

Yukon

  • 102,000 miles
10/1/2018 I was driving my vehicle on the 99 freeway South bound in lathrop, ca and out of nowhere my vehicle began to overheat, the temperature gauge was to the very top, I was not able to drive to drive to a nearby gas station, due to the vehicle lost speed and it would not let me accelerate during that time the engine idle light came on, so I was forced to pull over on a very narrow soft shoulder, then immediately the check engine light came on and also the service engine light. There was a light smoke a lot of noises coming from the engine. Everything happens so fast it was very frightening due to the heavy oncoming traffic passing me by. I had to have my car toed to stockton for repair.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #3

Aug 162016

Yukon

  • 4,500 miles
4 week old 2016 Yukon denali XL, has stalled 3 times in last 4 weeks, engine cuts off after a left or right turn, and it has to be restarted! could have easily had an accident or worse. Took it to the dealer, 3 times. 1st two times, all of service dept. Could not diagnose the problem. Today, after a stall, called onstar, ran a diagnostics, found nothing of value, I left it at dealership and contacted district mgr. Matt tillson. I was told that they would escalate the issue. I did tell dealer that GMC and dealership would be at fault if vehicle is in an accident and dies while I am driving. I did not want the vehicle back without the problem having been fixed.

- Katy, TX, USA

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