2016 GMC Yukon XL Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Yukon XL years
- Far more complaints than other years 4th of 28 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 201 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 GMC Yukon XL. That ranks 4th out of 28 Yukon XL model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (84 complaints, 42%), typically at around 52,000 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 2 fires, 3 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 201owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 7complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 GMC Yukon XL problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting problems | 84 | 42% | 52,000 | “rear brake” (15%) | $1,050 |
| Service Brakes | 40 | 20% | 56,500 | — | — |
| Power Train | 33 | 16% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 30 | 15% | 53,750 | — | — |
| Engine | 26 | 13% | 75,175 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 10 | 5% | 35,415 | — | — |
| Steering | 9 | 4% | 64,497 | — | — |
| Suspension | 9 | 4% | 38,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 7 | 3% | 55,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 5 | 2% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 2% | 69,446 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 3 | 1% | 59,600 | — | — |
| Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 1% | 135,946 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | 92,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 0% | 60,070 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 GMC Yukon XL recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: 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.
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.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: 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.
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.
Suspension:front:control armDo not drive
Problem: 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.
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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Brake Vacuum Pump Failure (PE18012) — opened Nov 20, 2018, closed Apr 10, 2022, led to recall 19V645000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel locked up. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V256000 (Suspension); however, the VIN was not included in the recall…
1. My vehicle is having transmission issues with shuddering and shifting. M5U RPO code 8L90 transmission. 2. My safety and the safety of others is a concern if the transmission is not working as intended my vehicle could be at risk an accident that could be avoided. 3. The problem has not be…
After my child had thrown up all over the car seat her father had taken her inside to clean up and I took the car seat apart to throw the pieces into the washer to clean them. The harness strap did not come out fully clean so I contacted Graco for a replacement piece and I was told that they…
My wife was driving down the highway and out of no where there was a loud taping sound, the vehicle started running real bad (skipping), the vehicle lost power and she lost control of the steering. As a result, she ran off the road into a ditch. this is a known concern with the 6.2 liter engines…
Transmission failure on 8l90 8 speed transmission. 93,000 miles.
Other GMC Yukon XL years
← 2015 Yukon XL · 2017 Yukon XL →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Yukon XL | 37 | 3 |
| 2025 Yukon XL | 28 | 1 |
| 2024 Yukon XL | 72 | 2 |
| 2023 Yukon XL | 222 | 4 |
| 2022 Yukon XL | 172 | 4 |
| 2021 Yukon XL | 229 | 12 |
| 2020 Yukon XL | 47 | 2 |
| 2019 Yukon XL | 68 | 2 |
| 2018 Yukon XL | 55 | 2 |
| 2017 Yukon XL | 147 | 1 |
| 2016 | 201 | 3 |
| 2015 Yukon XL | 308 | 2 |
| 2014 Yukon XL | 11 | 3 |
| 2013 Yukon XL | 22 | 4 |
| 2012 Yukon XL | 13 | 4 |
| 2011 Yukon XL | 47 | 3 |
| 2010 Yukon XL | 28 | 3 |
| 2009 Yukon XL | 23 | 5 |
| 2008 Yukon XL | 69 | 4 |
| 2007 Yukon XL | 97 | 4 |
| 2006 Yukon XL | 17 | 2 |
| 2005 Yukon XL | 42 | 5 |
| 2004 Yukon XL | 87 | 3 |
| 2003 Yukon XL | 102 | 3 |
| 2002 Yukon XL | 95 | 1 |
| 2001 Yukon XL | 120 | 4 |
| 2000 Yukon XL | 69 | 6 |
| 1999 Yukon XL | 3 | 0 |
See all GMC Yukon XL problems by year, every GMC model, or the GMC VIN decoder.
Similar GMC models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2016 GMC Yukon XL?
Owners most often report exterior lighting, service brakes, power train problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 84 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2016 GMC Yukon XL?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 GMC Yukon XL a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Yukon XL model years, the 2016 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.