KnownCarProblems2016 GMC Yukon Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 270 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 GMC Yukon, most often about the lights (39% of complaints, typically around 53,000 miles). It is 4th of 28 Yukon model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2016 GMC Yukon problems
Lights
104 complaints · 39%Half of these problems showed up before 53,000 miles. Parts named most often: tail lights, brake lights.
The brake lights in the 2016 GMC Yukon vehicle failed. The design requires a whole light assembly replacement. The dealer quoted $750 per light. The problem seems to be widespread and caused by faulty light assembly.
Brake lights are shorting out causing them to work intermittently. Circuit is broken inside the sealed portion of the light preventing repair.
Brakes
55 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 53,500 miles.
Third time this happened, first two times my husband was driving(he called the dealership and they said they had not heard of any problems) and when it happened to me it was scary. I had my kids in the car, no injuries and no one was hurt, thank god. I was going through the drive thru stopped at the first window…
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the brake pedal was hard to depress and the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard. The contact mentioned that the brake pedal needed to be pumped in order for the vehicle to be operated. In addition, the contact stated…
Electrical
53 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 42,500 miles.
Both the driver and passenger brake lights are not functioning at all. Because it is an LED lamp, the entire tail lamps assembly requires replacement at a significant cost.
The rear tail light is not working properly. Around december 17, 2018 I was driving my vehicle on the city street and highway when several people advise me my light was out and not working. I check it once arrived at home and it was working properly and didn't problem. And a week later same issue from people pulling…
Transmission
36 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 91,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
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 contact's sister owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact's husband was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle was only able to reverse but not drive forward. The vehicle was towed to the contact's…
Engine
34 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 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.
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…
Other or unspecified
32 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 47,000 miles.
Pressure, sound and sensation at low to mid range speeds. Creates a in cabin vibration like a single window is down causing a helicopter like sound. Seems to be mostly when it drops into the 4 cylinder mode and you are accelerating. This is a major issue as noted for many people as noted on multiple internet searches.…
Air conditioning - we were told by the dealership july 1st 2019, an air conditioning hose has a crack in it, and thus the refrigerant has leaked out. A new hose was ordered. It is now august 13th and we still do not have our vehicle back. The dealership has dozens of vehicles that are in need of this fix ( which, we…
Steering
10 complaints · 4%My AC started blowing hot air. The air compressor was changed twice. After changing it the last time I started getting the service power steering light on and y steering wheel locks up. No power steering. This is very dangerous and seems to be come type of wiring problem.
Our GMC Yukon locked into 4WD while accelerating/driving (approx 15-25mp) the kids to school through the neighbourhood, jerked violently as though braking hard, and steering was extremely impaired. The "service 4WD" message appeared on our dashboard. The Yukon is locked in 4WD, and extremely difficult to steer and…
Suspension
7 complaints · 3%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…
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shake and vibrate. The cause of the failure was not determined. Also, the driver and passenger side retractable running boards would erroneously retract back and forth while driving, and on several occasions, while…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2016 GMC Yukon recalls
Brakes: service brakes
Risk: Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ebcm, free of charge. The recall began december 11, 2019. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n192261050.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2015-2020 chevrolet suburban, tahoe, and gmc yukon, and 2014-2018 chevrolet silverado 1500 and gmc sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 MPH in four-wheel or automatic mode, the electronic-brake control module (ebcm) software may activate the driveline-protection system.
Brakes: vacuum
Risk: As the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the electronic brake control module, free of charge. The recall began october 8, 2019. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n192268490.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2015-2017 cadillac escalade, 2014-2018 chevrolet silverado, gmc sierra, 2015-2018 chevrolet suburban, tahoe, gmc yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.
Seat belts: pretensioner
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the sdm software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the sdm replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on august 4, 2017. Owners may contact buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is 17287.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 buick lacrosse and chevrolet spark EV, caprice ppv and ss vehicles, 2014-2017 buick encore and chevrolet corvette, silverado 1500 and gmc sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 cadillac escalade and escalade esv, chevrolet tahoe, trax, suburban and silverado 2500 and 3500 and gmc yukon and yukon xl vehicles, and 2015-2017 gmc sierra hd 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16v-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (sdm) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Seat belts: pretensioner
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the sdm software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the sdm replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on october 13, 2016. Owners may contact buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is 16007.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 chevrolet silverado 2500 hd, 3500 hd, tahoe, suburban, gmc sierra 2500 hd and 3500 hd, gmc yukon, gmc yukon xl, cadillac escalade and cadillac escalade esv vehicles and 2014-2017 chevrolet corvette, silverado 1500, trax, caprice police pursuit vehicle, gmc sierra 1500, buick encore, and 2014-2016 buick lacrosse, chevrolet spark EV and ss vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (sdm) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Suspension: control arm
Risk: Inadequate welds may allow the control arm to separate from the bushing, compromising steering and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on may 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been made, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is 42190.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 chevrolet silverado 1500 and 2016 cadillac escalade, cadillac escalade esv, chevrolet suburban, chevrolet tahoe, gmc sierra, gmc yukon and gmc yukon xl vehicles. The front upper control arms may have inadequate welds near the control arm bushing.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Brake vacuum pump failure
Summary
On november 20, 2018, the office of defects investigations (odi) opened pe18-012 to investigate instances of sudden onset of a hard brake pedal that could result in extended stopping distance due to an issue with the brake assist vacuum pump in model year (my) 2014 through 2016 gmc sierra 1500 and chevrolet silverado 1500 series pickup trucks and my 2015 through 2016 cadillac escalade, chevrolet suburban, chevrolet tahoe, and gmc yukon suvs.if the brake assist vacuum pump fails to operate as intended, the amount of brake power assist supplied to the driver can be significantly reduced, extending the subject vehicle stopping distance. Gm stated that the root cause of pump failures was due to
Questions about the 2016 GMC Yukon
- What are the most common problems with the 2016 GMC Yukon?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: lights (104 complaints, typically around 53,000 miles); brakes (55 complaints, typically around 53,500 miles); electrical (53 complaints, typically around 42,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2016 GMC Yukon have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 24, 2019 (brakes). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2016 a bad year for the GMC Yukon?
- It is 4th of 28 Yukon model years by number of complaints, with 270 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.