Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Brakes reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
95
Latest May 5, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
18%
of 528 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
4
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
5
What this page shows
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 2015 GMC Yukon submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 95 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.
Owner reports naming brake
The 25 most recent of 95, in the owner's own words
My 6 year old son and I were coming down the road and came up on 2 deer and I was coming up on a sharp curve and when I hit my brakes my steering wheel LOCKED up completely and the steering wheel is so bent where I tried my best to control it but I failed and we hit a tree head on. Broke my nose and my sons leg broke in between the back seat air bag and door air bag
NHTSA ID
11735916
Incident
Feb 2, 2026
AirbagsBrakes
Filed May 4, 2026
Crash reported2 injuries reported
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the rear brakes became inoperable, causing the steering wheel to seize, with no warning lights illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle crashed into a tree. The contact and the contact’s child sustained injuries and were transported to a local emergency room for medical treatment. The contact suffered a broken nose and a chest fracture. The contact’s child sustained a broken leg due to deployment of the passenger-side air bag. The contact stated that the air bags deployed during the crash; however, the driver’s air bag failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact’s residence. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
NHTSA ID
11735658
Incident
May 4, 2026
Brakes
Filed Apr 23, 2026
There is a recall on my 2015 GMC Yukon, that I am not the original owner of. The recall is for the brake booster and says that it expired. I have had the car checked by two different shops (both confirmed it was this), and one of them was the local GMC dealership by my house. I called to make an appointment for the recall to be fixed, to which they said they needed to order parts and it would take a few weeks. I dropped the car off three weeks later per their request for then another person to call me and say they won't fix it because it is expired. It is a safety matter that the breaks don't work occasionally.
NHTSA ID
11733233
Incident
Apr 23, 2026
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Sep 15, 2025
While driving in downtown boston in heavy traffic (stop and go) braking did not stop the vehicle when removing my foot from the brake and reapplying and the braking was extremely hard, the vehicle nearly collided into the vehicles in front of me. This issue persisted continously for the duration of travel. The issue was not found using the vin provided. This issue MUST be resolved ASAP. This incident was not the first, after owning the vehicle for several months this issue is a major safety issues, specifically when my new young adult drivers use this vehicle. Please help me resolve.
NHTSA ID
11687478
Incident
Sep 10, 2025
BrakesExterior lightingPowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, added pressure was needed before the vehicle came to a stop. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated or jumped before coming to a stop. Additionally, the contact stated the transmission was slipping. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled before self-correcting. The contact also stated that while idling at a stop light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated, but gradually accelerated as needed. The contact stated that the rear taillight intermittently failed to illuminate. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The transmission fluid was flushed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission was fractured, and the light bulbs needed to be replaced. The transmission was not repaired or replaced. The headlights were not replaced. The dealer confirmed that the brakes were included in NHTSA Campaign Number 19V645000 (Service Brake, Hydraulic) and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was driven to the residence without further repairs. The contact stated that the vehicle had become inoperable. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 195,846.
NHTSA ID
11666325
Incident
Jun 11, 2024
Mileage
195,846 mi
Brakes
Filed Feb 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The vehicle was slowly driven to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
NHTSA ID
11644215
Incident
Jan 6, 2020
Mileage
90,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Dec 7, 2024
Trailer braking system warning is incessantly going off, without cause. Extremely distracting. No way to stop it. Truck has never even towed / trailored anything. Has happened multiple times over the last 6 months. Today occurred 26 times during driving
NHTSA ID
11629459
Incident
Dec 7, 2024
BrakesPowertrain (other)Steering
Filed Oct 19, 2024
Loss of power steering, loss of abs, loss of cruise control, loss of forward crash assist, loss of lane departure, lose of side detection, oil leak from oil cooler line connection leaking down engine, potential fire, parking sensor, arm rest phone charger short circuit potential fire, wires pinched off at hinge point of center counsel, trailer brake system, stabilitrac, all current errors make vehicle unsafe to drive, ongoing issues since purchase including service reports of the same issues from previous owner
NHTSA ID
11620757
Incident
Jan 1, 2023
AirbagsBrakes
Filed Jul 29, 2024
The brakes are hard to push to come to a stop. I brought it to a mechanic and he said it was my vacuum pump. The air bag light comes on when you hit a hard bump in the road.
NHTSA ID
11605247
Incident
Jun 1, 2024
Brakes
Filed Jun 26, 2024
While I’m parked or even driving I keep getting a alert on my speedometer ( Trailer Break System ) and it’s not a 1 time alert the whole time I’m driving it’s constantly alerting me yet I don’t even use my Trailer system at all, it’s concerning due to the distraction of trying to clear the screen constantly while I’m on the high way.
NHTSA ID
11596831
Incident
Jun 25, 2024
BrakesPowertrain (other)
Filed May 6, 2024
My 5 children and I experience a traumatic experience in afternoon traffic as my 2015 GMC Yukon failed to pick up speed while waiting to make a left turn at a traffic light. The vehicle - no matter how hard I pressed on the gas didn't accelerate immediately which almost cost an accident. The vehicle rode smoothly for a few minutes then out of nowhere - it started jerking and stuttering bad for 15 seconds or so then would go back to riding smooth. When pressing the brakes - it seems to "lock" to a certain extent, so I have to press really hard on the brake to slow down/stop the vehicle sometimes makes a strange noise when doing so. I took the vehicle to be accessed by a service center in my area - it was at that time that I was told that my vehicle issues are known common GMC issues in these vehicles & more unfortunately. It's unfair to be penalized with an expensive transmission repair when these issues are known to the manufacture but not the consumer - despite being "VIN specific" as told by GMC customer service. This vehicle is needed as it is utilized to transport my children however, it's unsafe at & parked in my driveway. I was directed to reach out to GMC for remedy of the identified issues.
NHTSA ID
11587258
Incident
Jul 1, 2023
Brakes
Filed Jan 24, 2024
My breaks stop working in drive through, pulling in parking spots, backing out, slow speed of traffic. I found out it's the power break vacuum pump. It then says Service brakes on my dash when it occurs. This started about 2 weeks ago.
NHTSA ID
11567622
Incident
Jan 2, 2024
Brakes
Filed Aug 14, 2023
I have owned this vehicle almost 6 years, 40,000 when purchased used. Since purchase, we have had multiple issues with the trailer brake system randomly going off, dinging non stop, we had the problem serviced under our warranty and is now going off again. We do not tow but a few times every summer which is our jet skis however. This has happened multiple times prior to us using our warranty, the garage says they fix it but it keeps happening. I am very frustrated that I can't drive my vehicle down the road without a continues dinging. I looked up what "trailer brake system" means and found that it can be very dangerous and GMC's are known to have this problem, it is suggested that I lodge a complaint in hopes of getting this problem resolved from the manufacturer before a driver becomes seriously injured when the braking system decides to fail. I have read complaint after complaint. My warranty is now expired as I recently rolled over 100,000 miles, the GMC garage told me the part was around $78 but over $400 with install, ridiculous! I have already replaced this part a little over a year ago, I went to the garage where the warranty work was performed and got all the paperwork. Why has this problem not been categorized as a recall at this point? Something isn't right!
NHTSA ID
11538370
Incident
Jul 20, 2023
Brakes
Filed Jul 5, 2023
“Service Trailer Brake System” indicator light and alert continue happening. As of this weekend, my rear driver side taillight has begun going in and out/off and on.
NHTSA ID
11530471
Incident
May 1, 2023
Brakes
Filed Jan 17, 2023
Brake vacuum repair. Could not stop vehicle. Brakes would get hard and vehicle kept moving.
NHTSA ID
11502097
Incident
Jan 2, 2023
Brakes
Filed Oct 4, 2022
My brakes went out and a “service” message came up and said “brake assist”
NHTSA ID
11487809
Incident
Sep 30, 2022
Brakes
Filed Aug 10, 2022
My taillight has blown and I read online that several other vehicles like mines had this problem. The bulb itself can not be replaced. The whole LED box need to be replaced and one side onlybis roughly $800. Being a single mom of 3 boys, how can I afford that? I need my car inspected but with this issue I dnt know what to do. Please help.
NHTSA ID
11478537
Incident
May 1, 2022
BrakesElectrical
Filed Jul 24, 2022
Trailer break system warning keeps appearing.
NHTSA ID
11475536
Incident
Jul 24, 2022
Brakes
Filed Jul 23, 2022
Trailer brake system service keeps displaying
NHTSA ID
11475454
Incident
Jul 11, 2022
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Jun 11, 2022
" Service Trailer Brake System" 5 times a week and sometimes more than that ....on average 5 times
NHTSA ID
11468790
Incident
Jun 11, 2022
Brakes
Filed May 14, 2022
A message keeps popping up, “trailer brake system” it is poor wiring on GMC part. I did research on this and looked it up and other people had similar issues which can be very severe if driver continues to use after this message pops up. The message is so continuous that it could distract the driver, which could lead to a fatal accident.
NHTSA ID
11464642
Incident
May 14, 2022
Brakes
Filed Apr 9, 2022
While I was in line at the gas station to get gas, I moved up because the car I front of me had done so. After moving up a bit, I pressed my feet on the brake but the pedal was very stiff and the breaks did not hardly engage. I almost ran into the vehicle in front of me. This was very scary. So I called for a tow truck to pick me up but after a while they didn’t show. I started my car up to see if the the brakes engaged and they did. So I slowly and carefully drove myself to the GMC dealership in Southaven, MC which was 0.3 mile away from the gas station. The GMC dealership said that it was vacuum pump that was at fault and admitted it was a recall for this. But they said since my truck has already been serviced for this recall that I would have to pay to get it fixed. This is absolutely absurd. If the issue was not fixed properly in the first place, why would I be responsible for getting it fixed the second time?
NHTSA ID
11460282
Incident
Apr 9, 2022
Brakes
Filed Mar 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, he had to depress the brake pedal with extra force to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the brake assist warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive to his destination. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where the repair was being performed. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
NHTSA ID
11455667
Incident
Feb 27, 2022
Mileage
73,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Dec 20, 2021
Last week, the power brake assist began fading away intermittently at low speeds, and caught my wife off guard in a grocery store parking lot when she pulled into a parking space and the brakes were not available. She had to plant both feet on the brake pedal in a panic stop before crashing into the car parked in front of her, and has since never driven the vehicle. This is a danger, and is potentially life threatening.
NHTSA ID
11444423
Incident
Dec 14, 2021
Brakes
Filed Oct 23, 2021
I almost died today. My brakes failed pedal went hard still is. Had to drive home with a stiff pedal and almost no brakes. Just paid $50,000 for this truck
NHTSA ID
11437854
Incident
Oct 23, 2021
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.
Other components reported on this vehicle
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own