2015 GMC Yukon Owner Complaints

While traveling at highway speeds on Interstate 5 in Oregon, my 2015 GMC Yukon Denali experienced a sudden, catastrophic engine failure with zero advance warning. The vehicle instantly lost almost all propulsion and power while surrounded by high-speed traffic, creating an immediate and severe safety hazard on a major interstate. The engine began making a loud, severe knocking noise, and I was forced to navigate across lanes without adequate power to reach the shoulder. The vehicle was towed and inspected by Point S in Creswell, OR, where diagnostics confirmed a P0300 random/multiple cylinder misfire, with cylinder 4 specifically misfiring. Using a stethoscope and scanner to isolate the failure, technicians confirmed a catastrophic rod knock failure at the bottom end of the engine. The vehicle was then taken to Sam’s Automotive Service, where a complete engine replacement was executed at a total out-of-pocket cost of $16,000. General Motors has a well-documented history of internal engine failures on these 6.2L V8 platforms, yet they have failed to issue a safety recall for vehicles experiencing this sudden, dangerous highway power loss.

NHTSA ID

11739721

Incident

Oct 16, 2024

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

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

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

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the vehicle jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact became aware of fluid spots on the driveway while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered a leak in the transmission oil cooler line. The dealer then informed the contact about NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V152000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and transferred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11720660

Incident

Dec 2, 2025

Noticed a tick sound. Sent to dealer. Lifter failed. Bent push rod. Took it in Nov 24th. Charged $7,100. Fixed all lifters and bent push rod. Was turning around in my driveway and vehicle just shut off. Took it back to same dealer in Jan 27th. Bad lifter. Same push rod. Still in shop. That’s two months and 2,000 miles and had same failure. That is absolutely ridiculous GM and I should be compensated for this. It has costed me $7100 dollars. They are fixing with a two year warranty but if the failures are so close together, who’s to say it won’t just keep happening. Not only is it a safety issue, it is hurting my finances. I drive this vehicle 2 miles to work at 25 mph, and religiously change the oil at 3,000 miles. It didn’t even get an oil change before it failed again. I am not happy and GM needs to be sued for this. I owe 20,000 on this truck and have spent 7,000 already, and it keeps failing. There needs to be a recall for this model year, and it needs to be a permanent fix. GM knows the quality of this motor is horrible and they won’t do anything about it. It’s not safe. They can my truck for $20,000

NHTSA ID

11715386

Incident

Nov 28, 2025

Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist was lost while I was driving the vehicle. As a result, I had difficulty steering the vehicle without power steering and almost caused a crash.

NHTSA ID

11701192

Incident

Nov 21, 2025

While driving my 2015 GMC Yukon Denali on the highway, the vehicle suddenly began shaking and lost power. I immediately exited the highway for safety and had to “nurse” the vehicle about two miles at 10–15 mph to reach home. The vehicle would no longer run afterward. A mechanic later diagnosed a lifter and camshaft failure. This is a known and common issue with GM 5.3L and 6.2L engines that poses a serious safety risk when it occurs at highway speeds. No warning lights or prior symptoms were present before the failure. I did not report it to the dealer, but the vehicle had to be towed to a mechanic for diagnosis. The vehicle is available for inspection.

NHTSA ID

11698183

Incident

Jul 24, 2025

6.2L engine, collapsed hydraulic lifter AFM failure, required $7400 in total repairs. All lifters, camshaft, high pressure fuel lines, high pressure fuel pump, intake manifold & miscellaneous parts and gaskets replaced by selling Dealer at 94000 miles. No help of any kind from GM or Dealer. This is a WELL KNOWN FAILURE FOR THESE ENGINES!

NHTSA ID

11697972

Incident

Jun 6, 2022

Vehicle has issue turning at times message on dash says reduced steering had trouble turning and almost caused a accident

NHTSA ID

11696715

Incident

Sep 18, 2025

I bought a car in early 2024 ive had it for 1.5y I recently went to trade it in for something more suitable for me and they ran a carfax and mileage rollback popped up and I had no clue to begin with. They rolled back 100,000 miles on the vehicle. They’re blaming the finance company but they can’t because the finance company never had the vehicle in there possession

NHTSA ID

11696040

Incident

Oct 27, 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

Rear tail lights go out intermittently caused by a defect in the vehicle manufacturer’s process in which the circuit board is broken in certain areas.

NHTSA ID

11682392

Incident

Aug 15, 2025

Truck loss power turning off while making a turn into driveway with incoming traffic. Happen on several occasions. Diagnostic at dealership states high pressure fuel pump is leaking fuel internal making it run rich. NHTSA states this model truck has had previous recall.

NHTSA ID

11674347

Incident

Jul 14, 2025

Driving down the expressway at 65MPH, and the Vehicle completely stops, almost causing a collision. After researching the problem at the GMC Dealer, it appears that the entire engine has internally failed. Apparently it was a Complete Engine Failure.

NHTSA ID

11673951

Incident

May 13, 2025

The transmission failed at 59,700 miles. The transmission will shift up and down by itself. The transmission is revving up when trying to pass and the vehicle will go limp for a few seconds and then the gear with kick in really hard. In stop and go traffic the transmission slips constantly and could cause an accident due to the limp mode.

NHTSA ID

11668506

Incident

Jun 18, 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

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with compression in cylinder 7, resulting in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11661489

Incident

May 16, 2025

Mileage

100,000 mi

Started my 2015 Yukon XL, drove approximately 6 miles to get gas and was to head out onto the highway. After gassing up and starting engine it began to idle very rough with a shake going on and ticking noise. No previous signs of any issues. Slowly drove back to my house at 20 miles an hour and called Mandal GMC dealership. They suggested having it towed to them for inspection. Upon inspection they said the AFM/DOD #1 exhaust lifter was bad and needed replaced. They replaced all of Bank one lifters and said their was no damage to camshaft. Drove it that night after repairing it and everything seemed fine. They called the next morning and said when they started it up the ticking was back again. They then supposedly took off head cover and inspected the camshaft again and said it was damaged and I would need a new engine to the tune of $18,000.00. I purchase it in 2021 from them use and paid $33,000.00 and now still owe even more than the engine repair. I said it would cost more than the vehicle was worth and they had done $4,000.00 of repair that didn’t even get the issue fixed. I am a senior on Social Security and can not afford to continue to pay 20,000.00 for the loan and then another $18,000.00 for a faulty engine design that caused the problem in the first place. May have to join the thousands of others in the class action to get GM to not put out such untrustworthy engineering. Now $37,000.00 piece of Yard Sculpture !! The morning that it occurred was the first sign of flashing engine warning on dash.

NHTSA ID

11659069

Incident

Apr 2, 2025

The Yukon was driving normally and just lost power while driving 55mph on the highway. Then I got off the highway to pull over and check it out and the Yukon started shaking while running and in Park. The truck would not drive over 30mph without shaking and what sounds like misfiring.

NHTSA ID

11658503

Incident

Feb 26, 2025

With my child in the car, on a highway with no shoulder, I experienced lifter failure. It caused the vehicle shake and lose power with cars driving behind me at 55-60 MPH with nowhere to pull over. The engine just stopped as I was finally able to make it to a driveway safely. Problem was identified by dealership and my engine had to be rebuilt. I purchased the car second hand 3 months prior with no warning or symptoms. The car was inspected at the dealership by the extended warranty company rep. The extended warranty only cover a portion of the cost. The collapsed lifter cause damage to the camshaft and bent rods. The car only had 107,000 miles. If I were not able to pull off before the engine stopped, my daughter and I could’ve easily got rear ended on a Major state highway. The car was difficult to control due to the engine shaking the entire SUV.

NHTSA ID

11649629

Incident

Mar 20, 2025

Fuel line rubs between cab and tank making a hole. Fuel pours out on when driving or running. Huge fire risk. Glad I caught it before the car burned up with us in it.

NHTSA ID

11644484

Incident

Feb 23, 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

2015 6.2l yukon lifter failure oil changed 2000 miles ago and lifter failed and possible cam damage due to AFM lifter failure vehicle has 115,000 Miles and Gm knows about these lifter failures that can blow engines and cause serious accidents due to rapid loss of power and controls that GM already knew paid alot of money as a certified pre- owned and failed to disclose lifter defects to their customers now at shop for complete inspection and now needs possible new engine when all service requirements were met now looking at thousands of dollars for repairs if known i would have not bought the vehicle. And deceiving GM customers , currently waiting for diagnostic in writing but the courts approved recall already from same issues on 2019 and newer but same lifters are in the same 2015 AFM system

NHTSA ID

11640174

Incident

Feb 2, 2025

Steering jerks sometimes transmission would not go into gear just raves up and then there’s times when it drive normal transmission bangs shifts hard stutters late shift driver assist blocked

NHTSA ID

11635409

Incident

Jan 10, 2025