Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 GMC Yukon Xl submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 42 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 42, in the owner's own words
I have repair the trailer brake system warning light prior. Now again this faulty wiring module is constantly dinging and flashing warning messages while driving. It's very distracting and irrelevant considering I not towing anything. It covers the speedometer and is a complete nuisance.
Driving back from Las Vegas for a family trip, traffic was heavy, a lot of stop-and go. I started to feel the brakes delay to stop. After a few minutes I was able to pick up a little speed and again traffic was built up. This time the brakes failed and got stiff. I had to slam on the brakes and practically stand up on the brakes in order for the car to stop. I barely avoided wrecking into the car in front of me. I was a few hours away from home and had to drive all the way with this problem. When I got home I took it in to the nearest dealer shop to get the brakes checked . I looked online and found out about the recall on the brakes.
I was driving and n the freeway around 70 miles and " TRAILER Brake SERVICE" message appears on the dash board screen We don't pulling nothing on that time and normally we don't use this car for pulling, the other message appears several times is very frustrating. I am the guy in charge for this vehicle.
Truck keeps saying to service trailer braking system and won't start.
2016 Yukon XL ~ 90,000 miles. This is the second time I get a low speed braking failure when trying to park, followed immediately by a "Brake Assist Malfunction" warning on the dashboard. Both failures have occurred after a long distance travel. The last one being from Detroit to Chicago on 7/30/22. The failure consisted on the SUV not stopping after I had applied the brake pedal at full when backing up for a parallel parking on a street in Chicago. Same happened after I drove forward almost hitting the car in front of me. The SUV continued moving for about a foot on both situations. Before this incident, similar situation happened on a trip from Detroit to Cleveland on March 2022. The SUV continued to move fwd after I had applied the brakes. In this occasion, I was on a ramp down getting into a parking garage. The SUV did not stop for an approximately a foot as well, and again almost hitting the car in front of me.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH with her husband driving behind her, he noticed that the taillights were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the taillight functions were inoperable. The contact was informed that the failure experienced was similar to the Special Coverage under N182180270. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of coverage. The manufacturer was contacted and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 32,022.
The driver’s side brake light assembly failure of no brake light when brake is applied. It can be inspected upon request. This may cause another driver to not notice intentions to stop or slowdown and cause an accident. This problem is constant. It has not been inspected. No warnings of the failure has been displayed.
Both brake lamp assemblies are non-op, no warning in dash and no fuses. GMC #SCA N182180270 stating that 2015 and 2016 Yukon. Extended warranty to 6 years or 72,000 miles. We are out of warranty as of last month. $2,500 to replace the tail lamp assemblies. No letter was sent to owners regarding this safety hazard. This should be a RECALL
THE ENGINE MOUNTED MECHANICAL VACUUM PUMP OUTPUT MAY DECREASE OVER TIME DECREASING THE AMOUNT OF VACUUM/ POWER BRAKE ASSIST. AND THE DRIVERSIDE BRAKE STOP LIGHT WAS DEFECTIVE. .ME AND MY WIFE WERE SCARED AND SHOOK UP. .YES. DEALERSHIP. .DEALERSHIP. NO. .
The brake light LED panel stopped working on one side and goes out intermittently in the other side
THE SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST MESSAGE APPEARS AND THE BRAKING AT SLOW SPEEDS IS VERY UNRESPONSIVE. TO STOP YOU MUST FULLY PRESS THE BRAKE AND THE BRAKES SEEM NOT TO GRAB. TAKES LONGER DISTANCE TO STOP. THIS IS VERY INTERMITTENT, ONE TIME THEY WORK AND THE NEXT TIME YOU CAN'T STOP UNLESS YOU PUT YOUR FOOT THROUGH THE FLOOR ON THE BRAKE.
BOTH BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE STARTED TO FAIL FROM A FAULTY CIRCUIT IN THE LED LIGHT CIRCUIT
ONE BRAKE LIGHT WAS INTERMITTENT, NOW BOTH WON'T WORK AT ALL. DOING AN INTERNET SEARCH, MANY, MANY PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THE BULB CANNOT BE REPLACED. DEALERS CHARGE $500+ FOR EACH TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY AND WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. THIS IS DANGEROUS FOR BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT WORK.
RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR MY 2016 YUKON XL, DUE TO BRAKE VACUUM PUMP FAULTY. HOWEVER MCGRATH AUTO IN CEDAR RAPIDS, IA RESOLVE TO THIS RECALL WAS TO SIMPLY REPROGRAM THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE. THIS WAS COMPLETED 12/19. BY 2/20 MY BRAKES WERE REQUIRING ME TO PUSH HARDER AND AT TIMES SOUNDED LIKE THEY WERE SKIPPING AND BRAKING FELT DELAYED. I ALSO WAS HEARING A SQUEAK/CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM WHAT SEEMS THE FRONT OF MY VEHICLE ENGINE AREA. DUE TO QUARANTINE I WAS NOT DRIVING OR GOING PLACES BUT ONCE OUR STATE RE-OPENED I CALLED THIS DEALERSHIP TO REPORT THE BRAKE CONCERN AND SCHEDULED APPT. A DAY BEFORE APPT, WHILE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AS I MOVED FORWARD IN A VERY SLOW CRAWL MY BRAKES FAILED ME AND I COULD NOT STOP. I BUMPED THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WHICH RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO BOTH VEHICLES. I REPORTED THIS TO MCGRATH AS I WAS SCARED IMMENSELY ABOUT THE SAFETY OF MY VEHICLE. DURING THE SERVICE APPT 6/11/20 MY CAR WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FAULTY BRAKE VACUUM PUMP. THE VACUUM PUMP WAS REPLACED AND I WAS TOLD I WAS STILL WITHIN THE WARRANTY . HOWEVER THEY REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES AND CLAIMED TO RECALIBRATE. ON 6/25 WHILE IN COLORADO BRAKE, ABS AND CAL LIGHTS LIT UP, THE STEERING WHEEL POWER WAS GONE, TRAILER BRAKE SYSTEM ILLUMINATE, (NEVER EVEN TOWED A TRAILER) CALLED MCGRATH FROM COLORADO AS I COULDN'T DRIVE MY CAR, I EXPLAINED WHAT WAS HAPPENING, THEIR RESOLVE WAS TO GOOGLE GMC DEALERSHIP IN AREA FOR ME. I FOUND MY OWN IN CADILLAC/GMC DEALERSHIP IN BOULDER. MY CHILDREN AND I ARE WITHOUT A VEHICLE WHILE OUT OF STATE. DEALERSHIP IN BOULDER DIAGNOSED MY VEHICLE WITH FAULTY ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE. I AM FURIOUS AS THEY SAY IT WILL NOT BE COVERED THROUGH WARRANTY. MY 2016 YUKON IS IN IMPECCABLE CONDITION, ISSUES ALL HAPPENED UPON RECALL WITH ONLY 35,000 MILES. MY EXPERIENCE IS EXACTLY WHAT IS BEING REPORTED BY OTHERS IMPACTED BY THIS RECALL. *TR
RIGHT REAR BRAKE LIGHT WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR MESSAGES ON THE DASH. PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME WE HAVE A BRAKE LIGHT OUT, BUT WHEN I CHECK IT LATER IT WORKS. WAS PULLED OVER FOR INOPERABLE BRAKE LIGHT, BUT LATER THAT EVENING THE TAIL LIGHT WAS WORKING. SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF INFO ON INTERNET ABOUT A BROKEN STRIP OF METAL. SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
MY BRAKE LIGHTS WILL WORK ONE MINUTE AND GO OUT THE NEXT. I HAD A FRIEND AND MY HUSBAND TELL ME THAT WHEN THEY WERE FOLLOWING ME THE LIGHT WAS OUT WHEN I STOPPED BUT AT THE NEXT STOP OR AT HOME IT WOULD WORK. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR MONTHS. LAST WEEK I TOOK IT FOR STATE INSPECTION AND THE INSPECTOR SAID IT WAS OUT I HAD TO GET IT REPLACED. WHEN I PULLED FORWARD IT STARTED WORKING AGAIN TO PASS INSPECTION. TODAY I TOOK MY YUKON TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND IT WENT OUT AGAIN. OTHERS WAITING TOLD ME THIS IS A RECALL ON OTHER YEAR/MODELS WITH GMC. THERE IS A SHORT IN THE CIRCUIT PANEL.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC YUKON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED HOWEVER, THERE WAS A DELAY FOR THE BRAKES TO ENGAGE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND A CASE WAS FILED. THE CONTACT STATED WAS AWAITING AN INSPECTION BY A MANUFACTURER FIELD INSPECTOR. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER AN UNKNOWN BRAKE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,600. *DT
BRAKES WERE NOT 100% RESPONSIVE STARTING IN SUMMER 2019; VACUUM PUMP WAS REPLACED PURSUANT TO RECALL IN LATE 2019 AND SOFTWARE ERROR RELATED TO BRAKING WAS ADDRESSED BY DEALER IN JANUARY 2020. CUSTOMER STATED TO DEALER THAT BRAKES ARE STILL NOT 100% RESPONSIVE, AND THAT BRAKES WILL PULSE A FEW TIMES WHEN PRESSED AND BEFORE THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY STARTS TO STOP. DEALER REFUSED TO CONSIDER THAT EXISTING ISSUES WITH LAST TWO RECALLS IN 2019 RELATED TO BRAKES COULD BE CAUSING NON-RESPONSIVE BRAKES.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC YUKON XL. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. PRIOR TO THE CRASH, THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP WAS REPLACED, BUT THE BRAKES DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER SERVICED AT MICK DONALD'S GMC(5155 STATE ST, SAGINAW, MI) PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V645000(SERVICE BRAKES) IN WHICH THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE WAS REPROGRAMMED. AFTERWARDS, THE BRAKES OPERATED NORMALLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC YUKON XL. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT'S WIFE NOTICED A LEAK ENTERING THE CABIN FROM THE OVERHEAD ANTENNA. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. ALSO, WHILE PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE CONTACT'S NEIGHBOR INFORMED HIM THAT ALL THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS (REAR DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE LIGHTS AND TAILGATE BRAKE LIGHT) WERE NOT FUNCTIONING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NORTH COUNTY BUICK GMC (LOCATED AT 1515 AUTO PARK WAY N, ESCONDIDO, CA 92029, (866) 852-7135) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE OVERHEAD ANTENNA AND ALL THREE BRAKE LIGHTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE BRAKE LIGHT AND ANTENNA WERE REPAIRED, BUT THE OTHER BRAKE LIGHTS WERE STILL NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,000.
2016 GMC YUKON XL C1500 SLE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO SAFETY RECALL NOTICE N192268490 ISSUES WITH POWER BRAKE ASSIST. *AS *JS
VEHICLE WAS UNDER RECALL AND SERVICE WAS COMPLETED AT GM DEALER MID OCTOBER. FOLLOWING RECALL FOR BRAKE VACUM PUMP AND NEW COMPUTER PROGRAM, I LOST MY BRAKES ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AT SLOW SPEEDS IN REVERSE AND FORWARD. VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO DEALER AND AFTER TWO DAYS OF TESTING VEHICLE WOULD NOT DUPLICATE ISSUE OR PROVIDE A CODE. DEALER RETURNED VEHICLE. THAT DAY 11/05/2019 BRAKE FAILURE OCCURED ON TWO SEPERATE OCCASIONS BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY ON GRADE. UPON CONTACT WITH DEALER ADVISED THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING FURTHER UNTIL A CODE WAS PROVIDED. IF I WISHED TO REPLACE THE EBC VACUM PUMP IT WOULD BE OUT OF POCKET. VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN DAILY UNTIL ANOTHER APPOINTMENT CAN BE MADE. ON 11/13/2019 BRAKE FAILURE OCCURED AGAIN ON TWO OCCASIONS. WHEN FAILURE OCCURS PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND WHAT SOUNDS LIKE ABS NOISE IS ACTIVE WITH A PULSATION IN THE PEDAL. VEHICLE WILL NOT STOP AND HAVE TO USE E-BRAKE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AS BRAKING DISTANCE IS DRAMATICLY REDUCED. A FOLLOW-UP APPOINT WILL BE MADE WITH GM DEALER AGAIN.
BREAK PEDAL GETS HARD AT THE TIME TRADE TO STOP THE VEHICLE
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN A MAJOR ROAD AND A PERSON PULLED NEXT TO HER AT A STOP TO TELL HER THAT HER BRAKE LIGHTS WERE WORKING ONLY PART OF THE TIME. GM HAD JUST SERVICED MY VEHICLE AND DIDN'T CATCH IT, AND UPON RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, IT IS A KNOWN FAULTY DESIGN OF THE TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY. THE LED BRAKE LIGHT STARTS INTERMITTENTLY FAILING AT THE 2 YEAR POINT, LEADING TO DRIVERS FOLLOWING DRIVERS TO NOT KNOW THAT THE LEADING VEHICLE IS STOPPING. THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE AND THE ONLY RESPONSE FROM GM IS TO MAKE THE CUSTOMER BUY A NEW $700 BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLY. THE ISSUE IS SO COMMON THAT MULTIPLE COMPANIES HAVE STARTED BRAKE LIGHT REPAIR SERVICES AND MULTIPLE YOUTUBE VIDEOS EXIST TO WALK INDIVIDUALS THROUGH THE PROCESS OF REPAIRING THEIR OWN BRAKE LIGHTS. THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS SO STEEP THAT I HESITATE TO GET THE PROBLEM FIXED, AND THOUGH GM REPORTEDLY HAS DEVELOPED A REPLACEMENT LIGHT ASSEMBLY THAT CORRECTS THE FAULT, THEY ARE NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DEFECTIVE BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLE THAT THESE VEHICLES COME OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE WITH. THE MAJOR DANGER IS THAT WE DRIVE FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AND LIKELY DO NOT KNOW OUR BRAKE LIGHTS ARE INTERMITTENTLY FAILING--SINCE GM CANNOT EVEN CATCH THIS WHEN THEY DO SERVICE ON VEHICLES (MINE HAD BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR AN OIL CHANGE A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE BRAKE ISSUE), THEN THEY ARE LEAVING A LOT OF CUSTOMERS DRIVING WITHOUT BRAKE LIGHTS TO AVOID THE COST OF THE REPAIR EVEN THOUGH THEY APPROVED A FAULTY DESIGN.
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN HEARING THIS CLICKING SOUND IN OUR 2016 GMC YUKON XL. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAD EXPERIENCED OCCASIONAL TIMES WHERE THE VEHICLES BRAKES WOULD NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY MOSTLY IN SLOWER SPEED SITUATIONS. IN THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, THE SHORT RANGE BRAKING WAS HINDERED AGAIN AS THE BREAK WOULD 'STICK' AND NOT SLOW THE CAR. SEVERAL CLOSE INSTANCES OF HITTING EITHER ANOTHER CAR OR FAMILY MEMBER. I THEN LOOKED UP ON NHTSA IF ANY RECALLS, AND I NOTICED A RECALL WHICH DESCRIBED EXACTLY WHAT WE HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP YESTERDAY AND THEY TOLD MY WIFE IT WAS FIXED AND SENT HER ON HER WAY TO PICK UP MY 5 CHILDREN FROM SCHOOL. A FEW HOURS LATER, THE CAR JUST WOULDN'T BREAK AND MY WIFE CALLED ME TO ACTUALLY GO TO THE LOCATION ON MY CHILD'S PRACTICE SO I COULD DRIVE IT HOME AS SHE DIDN'T TRUST THE VEHICLE ANY LONGER. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. UPON THEIR INSPECTION, THEY SAID THE VACUUM PUMP WAS FAULTY AND WOULD COST $500 TO FIX. THEN I STARTED TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER, AND TO MY SURPRISE, THERE APPEARS TO BE A LONG STANDING ISSUE WITH 2014-16 GM VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD FAULTY VACUUM PUMPS. HOWEVER, THESE HAVEN'T BEEN RECALLED YET. THE REVIEW ALSO LED ME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE CLICKING SOUND WE WOULD HEAR APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO THIS FAULTY PART. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME, MY MILES ARE BEYOND THE WARRANTY PERIOD BUT THIS HAS BEEN A PERSISTENT ISSUE FOR A LONG TIME. BASICALLY, IT FEELS AS IF MY FAMILY'S SAFETY WAS SECONDARY WHILE THIS KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE VACUUM PUMP REMAINED 'SILENT'. WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE FOR THE SAFETY, DEPENDABILITY, AND PLANNED TO USE IT UP TO 200,000+ MILES. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT A SAFETY ISSUE LIKE THE BRAKES WOULD EFFECTIVELY BE UNDISCLOSED TO ME AS A CAR OWNER. I AM HOPEFUL GM WILL DO ALL THAT IS NECESSARY TO RECTIFY OUR DISCOMFORT AND LACK OF TRUST.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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