MODELYEARINDEX

Which GMC Yukon years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2021, 2015 and 2016 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · GMC Yukon Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2021 vs model median 8.2×
Model median3× median
Engine 111
Fuel System 33
Drivetrain 29
Avoid

2015 · 2021

Best

2012 · 2020

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.68× 23 C
2011
0.75× 29 C
2012
0.42× 19 B
2013
1.29× 58 D
2014
0.53× 18 B
2015
11.60× 483 F
2016
4.83× 207 F
2017
2.36× 83 F
2018
1.25× 41 C
2019
0.72× 24 B
2020
0.28× 12 B
2021
8.15× 274 F
2022 P
7.21× 237 F
2023 P
8.97× 295 F
2024 P
4.04× 140 F
2025 P
1.94× 75 D

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2015 F 483 reports · median 52,000 mi

  1. Lights & Visibility 226

    Transfer case engaged into 4wd while driving with touching any of the controls. Now it won't switch out. Service 4wd light appears. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 55

    Door latch in the locked position while door is open. Car computer thought the door was closed and door was open. Happened two times in one day. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Brakes 53

    I have a brand new 2015 yukon denali (short wheel base) with less than a thousand miles and a "service 4wd" message that has appeared twice rendering the car extremely unsafe and un-drivable for a long distance and… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

14 crash · 1 fire · 8 injuries

2021 F 274 reports · median 32,465 mi

  1. Engine 111

    Gmc yukon denali SUV 2021, push rods and lifters in motor are bad, this could have cause an accident due to SUV stopping in traffic or on the highway. Please help with this safety issue. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Fuel System 33

    The contact owns a 2021 gmc yukon. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling in a drive-thru, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Drivetrain 29

    Vehicle will not shift into gear from park. When it's in gear (you can hold the button to select a gear to move), but as soon as you release the button - it goes right back into park. It comes and goes. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

13 crash · 12 injuries

The best year for the Yukon

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2012 is the best-scoring Yukon model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 78.6 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations. On complaint rate alone the lowest is 2020 at 0.28× this model’s median, against 0.42× for 2012.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2012 0.42× 19 B
2020 0.28× 12 B
2014 0.53× 18 B

Recalls

46 campaigns on record, 2 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
16V651000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL 2015–2017 3,640,162
19V645000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM 2015–2018 3,456,719
21V050000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2011 2,641,272
21V054000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010–2014 1,778,128
18V586000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2015 1,015,918
22V903000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE 2022, 2023 740,108
21V053000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2013 692,526
19V761000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:WHEEL SPEED SENSOR/TONE RING 2015–2020 652,967
25V274000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL 2021–2024 597,571
14V152000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES 2015 489,936
22V617000 SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS 2021, 2022 484,155
24V797000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE 2021 463,295

+ 34 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 32,465 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which GMC Yukon years should you avoid?
2021, 2015, 2016 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any GMC Yukon model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the GMC Yukon?
2012 is the best-scoring GMC Yukon model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 78.6 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the GMC Yukon have?
46 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored GMC Yukon model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Yukon
Complaints in window
274
Severity-weighted
395.5
Model median (weighted)
48
vs model median
8.15×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
13
Open investigations
2
Score 3.3 F