2018 GMC Yukon Xl Problems

On May 27, 2026 at around 7:30pm my 2018 GMC Yukon XL Denali engined failed. I was exiting E-470 southwest bound at Gartrell Road in Aurora and the engine started knocking loudly and completely quit. As I rolled to a stop I correctly suspected that the engine seized. It would not turn over, a bad odor was present, and smoke was coming from the top of the motor. It was hard to tell exactly from where because of high wind. All belts looked fine and the Castle Rock GMC dealer I had it towed to later confirmed that the engine is seized. Fortunately I was approaching the stop light and not towing anything so the safety risk from loss of power steering and power brakes was lower than normal highway driving speeds a few seconds earlier.

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, and while the vehicle was idling, the engine was running rough. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light illuminated and flashed on the instrument panel. While driving to the dealer, the vehicle hesitated, while driving and the vehicle drove roughly. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the camshaft and lifters had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

The back hatch would not open while the car was on and in park. Upon reaching in without being in the car, we turned it off, and it engaged reverse on its own, causing it to reverse immediately almost causing terminal harm to myself and my family. It careened into the woods with us unable to stop it due to the immediate speed. No one was in the vehicle, it was solely self propelled. We have a video of the path it took and the damage it caused. When the car wrecked, even when turned off, the lights and windshields wipers engaged by themselves.

After pressing the brake pedal 2 or 3 times the pedal becomes very hard and it is extremely hard to stop the vehicle. All new brake pads and rotors. The brake pedal is loosing vacuum.

transmission gave out while driving on the road at 50 mph

The vehicle keep jerking in and out of gear the issue almost made me crash due to the harsh conditions Took to repair they stated this is a known problem. That is what worries me now

Seat belts do not lock in place causing our infant and child's seats to not be locked in place and tip over The potential risk to a child is extremely high Potentially causing death of a child

Both second row seatbelt retractors have had issues retracting. We had them checked today while our car was in for other issues. Both seatbelt retractors are broken and need replacing ($1600). Without replacing them, the passengers using those seats would be at grave risk in an accident. We are the original owners of the vehicle, our young children are fastened in their booster seats with parental help. There has been no extreme wear and tear or any abuse to the seatbelts.

The back hatch would not open while the car was on and in park. Upon reaching in without being in the car, we turned it off, and it engaged reverse on its own, causing it to reverse immediately almost causing terminal harm to myself and my family. It careened into the woods with us unable to stop it due to the immediate speed. No one was in the vehicle, it was solely self propelled. We have a video of the path it took and the damage it caused. When the car wrecked, even when turned off, the lights and windshields wipers engaged by themselves.

We just purchased this vehicle from Winegardner GMC in Prince Frederick, MD. On [XXX} on our drive home from the dealership, we kept hearing a terrible screeching/ clucking noise coming from the rear when we were braking or applying any pressure to the brake pedal. We instantly contacted the dealership and they had us bring the vehicle back the next morning for them to look at and to make the repairs but unfortunate for us. They do not have the parts in stock, so we have to take it back Tuesday, October 8 , 2024 at 8am and leave it for the day. Hoping it is repaired correctly with the new parts “both rear calipers” As I left the dealership, I was approximately 10 miles away and out of no where my dash displayed “service, trailer, brakes”, constantly along with a loud dinging noise for the rest of the drive home. I contacted the dealership and spoke with the service manager and informed him of the situation. He told me it has been an ongoing issue with GM for years and it’s electrical and because we purchased a used vehicle. It’s not covered to be repaired. We would have to pay out-of-pocket for it to be fixed. This is very upsetting because we just spent $40,000 on a used low mileage Yukon Denali for our family to travel in, but it’s unsafe, because it affects the traction control, and ABS brake system. I would also like to note that I did not have a trailer hooked to the vehicle, so I do not understand how that service indicator would appear unless it was cleared by the dealership during Maryland state inspection. We have asked them several times for a copy of the Maryland State inspection they performed, and we are getting the runaround. As the purchaser of a vehicle, it is all right to have that document, showing what past and what failed Maryland inspection before being resold to us. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2018 Yukon Denali engine failed June 2024 due to the lifter being bent. The dealership Richey Cadillac in Daytona Beach estimated the repairs at $18,862 and were going to have my vehicle for months. I took it to my mechanic who rebuilt the engine for $7181 in 30 days. My safety was placed at risk because while driving I had to pull over since I had no control with the engine failure. There were no messages prior to the failure.

We just purchased this vehicle from Winegardner GMC in Prince Frederick, MD. On [XXX} on our drive home from the dealership, we kept hearing a terrible screeching/ clucking noise coming from the rear when we were braking or applying any pressure to the brake pedal. We instantly contacted the dealership and they had us bring the vehicle back the next morning for them to look at and to make the repairs but unfortunate for us. They do not have the parts in stock, so we have to take it back Tuesday, October 8 , 2024 at 8am and leave it for the day. Hoping it is repaired correctly with the new parts “both rear calipers” As I left the dealership, I was approximately 10 miles away and out of no where my dash displayed “service, trailer, brakes”, constantly along with a loud dinging noise for the rest of the drive home. I contacted the dealership and spoke with the service manager and informed him of the situation. He told me it has been an ongoing issue with GM for years and it’s electrical and because we purchased a used vehicle. It’s not covered to be repaired. We would have to pay out-of-pocket for it to be fixed. This is very upsetting because we just spent $40,000 on a used low mileage Yukon Denali for our family to travel in, but it’s unsafe, because it affects the traction control, and ABS brake system. I would also like to note that I did not have a trailer hooked to the vehicle, so I do not understand how that service indicator would appear unless it was cleared by the dealership during Maryland state inspection. We have asked them several times for a copy of the Maryland State inspection they performed, and we are getting the runaround. As the purchaser of a vehicle, it is all right to have that document, showing what past and what failed Maryland inspection before being resold to us. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Annunciations: Stabilitrak, Park Assist Off, Steering Assist Is Reduced Drive With Care, Forward Collision System Unavailable, Adaptive Cruise Control. Indications: Cruise Control doesn’t work, steering jerks when turning, difficult to turn into parking spaces. Research shows Technical Service Bulletin 18-na-161as a known issue with GMC products. Dealer says “You are out of warranty”. 2018 model with 65,000 miles. Issue has been presenting for the past 8 months. We thought it was due to a windshield replacement by Safelite. Safelite has been actively troubleshooting for 8 months.

WHEN I LET GO OF THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN. IT'S A SCARY FEELING, I FEEL LIKE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS THAT I CAN NOT PUT MY VEHICLE IN GEAR RIGHT AWAY WHEN I TURN ON THE ENGINE. ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS RATTLING SOUND AND VIBRATION ON THE GAS PEDAL WHEN I ACCELERATE.

WE WERE IN A CAR CRASH. THE AIRBAGS ON THE SIDES OF THE VEHICLE BUT NOT IN THE FRONT. THE FRONT AIR BAGS SHOULD HAVE GONE OFF.

I was involved in a traffic collision. A large vehicle turned left in front of me and I t boned that vehicle. We were traveling about 30-35 MPH at the moment of impact. My vehicle sustained major damage ($20,000+) to repair according to the body shop. My wife, daughter and myself sustained injuries. My wife and I have significant injuries. I truly believe, based on vehicle damages, and injuries that our airbags should’ve deployed. I believe it has a fault sensor that should be inspected.

Annunciations: Stabilitrak, Park Assist Off, Steering Assist Is Reduced Drive With Care, Forward Collision System Unavailable, Adaptive Cruise Control. Indications: Cruise Control doesn’t work, steering jerks when turning, difficult to turn into parking spaces. Research shows Technical Service Bulletin 18-na-161as a known issue with GMC products. Dealer says “You are out of warranty”. 2018 model with 65,000 miles. Issue has been presenting for the past 8 months. We thought it was due to a windshield replacement by Safelite. Safelite has been actively troubleshooting for 8 months.

WHEN I LET GO OF THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN. IT'S A SCARY FEELING, I FEEL LIKE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS THAT I CAN NOT PUT MY VEHICLE IN GEAR RIGHT AWAY WHEN I TURN ON THE ENGINE. ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS RATTLING SOUND AND VIBRATION ON THE GAS PEDAL WHEN I ACCELERATE.

2018 Yukon XL: Safety of family put at risk over faulty transmission. Vehicle used to transport children many times daily. Transmission began slipping with slight lagging. Vehicle assessed by independent service center and we as customers told this is a common issue with GMC vehicles of this year. Service center was able to reproduce and confirm the issue. Total to rebuild entire transmission was $7,377.33. Total transmission failure. Entire transmission had to be replaced at tremendous expense to our family. Transmission began slipping with slight lagging. Engine RPM's would increase with no additional power or speed.

WHEN I LET GO OF THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN. IT'S A SCARY FEELING, I FEEL LIKE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS THAT I CAN NOT PUT MY VEHICLE IN GEAR RIGHT AWAY WHEN I TURN ON THE ENGINE. ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS RATTLING SOUND AND VIBRATION ON THE GAS PEDAL WHEN I ACCELERATE.

Driver seat automatically adjusts while driving particularly when I accelerate from a red light or stop sign. This causes me to not reach the peddles.I have to pull over and reset my seat. Has been doing this for two days.My vehicle is not equipped with the automatic memory seat. My two rear seatbelts in the middle row are always lose they do not retract. This has been going on for a couple of months.

While driving the Driver side seat automatically reset to the furthest position away from the wheel and gas and break pad. This resulted in not being able to reach the break to stop.

WE WERE IN A CAR CRASH. THE AIRBAGS ON THE SIDES OF THE VEHICLE BUT NOT IN THE FRONT. THE FRONT AIR BAGS SHOULD HAVE GONE OFF.

THE VEHICLE CAME EQUIPPED FROM THE DEALER WITH NON STANDARD 22" ALUMINUM RIMS AND LOW PROFILE TIRES. I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE FOR 15 MONTHS - IN THAT TIME WE HAVE HAD FOUR FLAT TIRES (TWO BLOW OUTS), A BROKEN RIM, AND A BROKEN BALL JOINT. ALL OF THESE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS ON PAVED ROADS AND NOT AS PART OF ANY ACCIDENT OR A COLLISION WITH AN OBJECT.

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that the A/C unit had failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The contact then decided to take the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic discovered a hole in the A/C condenser. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.