RoadVitals

2016 GMC Yukon Brakes Problems

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.
57
Latest May 26, 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.
22%
of 265 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.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1

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 2016 GMC Yukon submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 57 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 57, in the owner's own words

Brakes
Filed May 26, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal became inoperable and failed to engage properly, with no warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that while the vehicle was parked, excessive force was needed to engage the brake pedal and stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure nearly caused the vehicle to collide with another object. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,959.

NHTSA ID
11740130
Incident
May 26, 2026
Mileage
108,959 mi
BrakesElectricalFuel system
Filed May 6, 2025

Engine light keeps appearing and when checked it shows catalytic converter needs replaces and its sensors need replaced. Brake light has short in it and I repaireable

NHTSA ID
11659194
Incident
May 1, 2025
BrakesPowertrain (other)
Filed Apr 10, 2025

Transmission failure, hard shifting, slipping and loss of power also severe shuddering. Very dangerous driving. I had to have the transmission replaced after taking the vehicle to a dealership and upon verification from same dealership reproducing the transmission failure. Massive financial loss, dealership stated these transmissions are known to fail. Manufacturer has been notified by numerous complaints. Compensation is warranted

NHTSA ID
11653984
Incident
Sep 1, 2024
Brakes
Filed Mar 5, 2025

On two occasions while driving at low speed, my vehicle braked on its on a pulled hard to the left; the stabilitrac indicator also popped on briefly. I went online to determine if there were any recalls on my vehicle and found that one of the recalls on the 2016 Yukon was the exact issue happening with my vehicle. I checked my VIN and found that my vehicle was not one of the vehicles with this issue. I called GM to see if my vehicle had just not been published yet. I explain the situation too the customer service person; she understood my situation and informed me that until my specific VIN in identified with this issue, there's nothing that can be done. I'm thinking that until an accident happen because of this issue, there is nothing that can be done. I read that my issue was a problem with the EBCM, which needs to be reprogrammed. I thank you for any assistance with this issue.

NHTSA ID
11646556
Incident
Mar 3, 2025
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Feb 20, 2025

There's alot of time while I'm driving in line going slowly and break pedal become hard and it will seem like the truck it's not stopping.

NHTSA ID
11644002
Incident
Feb 18, 2025
BrakesElectricalSeat belts
Filed Jan 29, 2025

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR MONDAY AND I ALMOST CRASH WITH THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME THE BRAKES DOESNT WORK AND THEN IN THE PANEL START LIGHTS OF THE ENGINE THE SUPENSION LIGHT AND SIGH SAYING BRAKE ASISTANT, THE CAR IS PARK BECAUSE THE BRAKES AND I LOOK FOR RECALLS AND I CALL GMC AND THEY SAYS THAT I DONT HAVE ANY RECALL BUT I ALMOST DIE MONDAY BECAUSE THE VACUM PUMP FOR THE BRAKES FAIL AND ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE PANNEL START LIGHT UP.

NHTSA ID
11639463
Incident
Jan 27, 2025
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Jan 16, 2025

My brakes are not working properly. I can be backing up and put my foot on the brake. My truck will keep moving until I apply a lot of pressure on the brake pedal. I can be backing up and my truck will automatically brake and stop moving. I have to cut the truck off, start it back up for it to move. I was in a stand still traffic jam and braking a lot and my truck did stop it keep rolling. Sometimes when I apply the brake it slides.. This is the third time I have put it in the shop. I changed the brakes, brake sensor and replaced tires. I am scared to drive it. My truck is currently in the shop now for the brakes. please help.

NHTSA ID
11636319
Incident
Jan 14, 2025
BrakesElectrical
Filed Nov 15, 2024

The car has all of a sudden had issues with the gas and breaking. When I press the gas, it stalls then rapidly accelerates. It has to be the transmission. Also, is making a noise and will barely drive when pressing on the gas. It does not accelerate!! Could have easily gotten into a car accident! What is going on??

NHTSA ID
11625526
Incident
Nov 14, 2024
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Oct 8, 2024

When driving through Eugene brakes suddenly got soft while at a stoplight, then pedal got stiff and very hard to keep pressed. An alert came on the dashboard 'Brake Assist Service' just about the same time the brake pedal changed and car would not fully stay at a stop. When checking to feel what had just happened, by letting up and repressing the brakes, it would not fully stop car, even with all my strength pressing. If another car would have been coming through, my young son or myself could have been killed or seriously injured and I could cause someone seriously to be hurt or killed from being in their lane of travel. I alerted my husband that I was unable to drive the vehicle safely, he is in the vehicle industry and looked up online and found there is a common known problem, recalls, and service bulletins, but apparently not for vehicle years prior to 2017, although this severe failure is seen on 2014 and later; and the manual tests/diagnostics that a person can do in a pinch per the bulletin, recall notice, and articles; and in his trials of how to tell if it is a failure or fleeting problem - nothing alleviated it, all the symptoms are present and system is failing and continually bringing up the brake assist service alert. This is the info that we found on the recall, but didn't appear to cover 2016 year models: [NHTSA campaign number: 20V603. GM's own number for this recall is N202300860.] We plan to get this yukon over to Guaranty Chevrolet in Junction City Oregon tomorrow 10/8. The only thing that has been very recently noticeable preceding this in recent week or so is a slight uneven braking feeling in the motion of the car when coming to a stop. Which it has not done before.

NHTSA ID
11618613
Incident
Oct 7, 2024
BrakesElectricalSuspension
Filed Sep 12, 2024

i HAVE A SERVICE SUSPENSION LIGHT THAT CONTINUES TO POP UP ON DASHBOARD THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IS THE BRAKE LIGHTS. I have previously had the passenger side brake light stop working. In order to repair this you have to order a whole new taillight. My vehicle was approximatly 6 years old when this started happening. First incident (2022 with approximately 65000 miles) Yesterday, I was pulled over by a policeman and both of my brake lights are not working. We found a way to sauder (I know this is incorrect spelling) the broken metal piece back together in the taillight; however, this is not the correct way to fix the underlying problem and clearly it is only a temporary fix because the passenger side broke again in a new spot.

NHTSA ID
11614329
Incident
Sep 11, 2024
Brakes
Filed Jul 20, 2024

Brake light keeps going off and on it’s like a short but when checked everything is connected

NHTSA ID
11603526
Incident
Jan 1, 2023
Brakes
Filed Jun 14, 2024

During standard braking operations the vehicle (not a hard emergency situation) on dry ground the vehicle seems to activate the abs system or something similar which makes the braking effort non standard and increases stopping distance. The issue has occurred occasionally for over a year but is becoming more frequent. It has occurred at both highway speeds of 55 mph and almost stopped during parking activities of 2mph.

NHTSA ID
11594319
Incident
Jun 1, 2023
Brakes
Filed Mar 20, 2024

GMC is stating that due to a recall my brake booster vacuum pump failed and now they are that is is not covered and I will be out of pocket on the issue after numerous phone called with GM they are still of no help and the vehicle is not safe to drive which is my only means of transportation

NHTSA ID
11578539
Incident
Mar 18, 2024
Brakes
Filed Nov 26, 2023

My 2016 GMC Yukon is hard to stop when pressing brake pedal. Vehicle shimmy’s when pressing the brake and it must be pressed very hard. Have read and watched many videos this is very common issue on 2014-2018 Yukons and Tahoes. This could be very dangerous and my question is, why has these vehicles not been recalled to prevent accidents when it seems to be a common issue and expensive to fix?

NHTSA ID
11556882
Incident
Nov 23, 2023
Brakes
Filed Aug 20, 2023

“Service Trailer brake system” warning continually going off when driving

NHTSA ID
11539639
Incident
Aug 16, 2023
BrakesElectrical
Filed Jul 26, 2023

The vehicle consistently alerts with service trailer brake system warnings and has progressively become more of a frequent problem with the system doing it constantly even when no trailer is being towed This has been occurring since time of purchase in March 2021 when we purchased the vehicle and has become consistently more frequent over time

NHTSA ID
11534703
Incident
Jul 26, 2023
Brakes
Filed May 14, 2023

Brakes will randomly stop working. When the brakes are pressed you have to press all the way down and then vehicle still won’t stop and the only way for the vehicle to come to a complete stop is to press the parking brake. Brakes and rotors have been replaced already and it still happens

NHTSA ID
11521931
Incident
Feb 15, 2023
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Sep 17, 2022

When I was merging on the fwy my car accelerated and I couldn’t slow it down. I had to get off the fwy and break really hard. Driving on the fwy and not being able to control the speed or breaks could of caused an accident or cost us our lives. I have an appointment with the dealer service center on Sept 20, 2022. A few weeks ago I noticed the car was having trouble sifting gears.

NHTSA ID
11484918
Incident
Sep 14, 2022
Brakes
Filed Jul 28, 2022

Vacuum

NHTSA ID
11476388
Incident
May 13, 2022
Brakes
Filed Jul 19, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, he was notified by other motorists that the brake lights were inoperable. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the brake lights were intermittently inoperable while depressing the brake pedal. The dealer was notified about the failure and scheduled an appointment. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

NHTSA ID
11474782
Incident
Jul 12, 2022
Mileage
77,000 mi
BrakesElectricalEngine
Filed Jun 21, 2022

In my experience of transmission failure with my 16’ GMC YUKON, there was no warning. I had not experienced any issues with the slipping or jerking feel when accelerating or braking as described in the class action law suit. My vehicle had 105k miles, I took it in for regular maintenance including having the transmission flushed as I was told to do so for preventative maintenance. The transmission failed when I was traveling on the interstate with my family and I came upon some traffic so I applied the brake and the whole vehicle bucked and jerked as it shifted into down gear. I was traveling at 30-35 mph in the traffic and the whole time I felt a slipping motion in the car. I made it to a gas station, refueled, and tried to restart my journey. As I leery the gas station accelerating to get back on the interstate, the vehicle would not accelerate above 35 mph and the RPMs we’re to the max. At this point, my vehicle was in drivable. No prior warning, no issues that had been occurring over time, this all happened the same day. I towed my vehicle to a Chevrolet dealer where the problem was identified as a failed transmission in need of replacement and failed ABS braking system. The cost came at $6800.

NHTSA ID
11470172
Incident
Jun 14, 2022
Brakes
Filed Jun 16, 2022

2016 GMC Yukon. I received a letter that stated my Yukon may have a condition where the brake lights intermittently do not illuminate. In March 2020 the drivers side rear brake light did not illuminate. I brought it to a Chev/GMC dealer that replaced the tail light no charge. Now my passenger rear tail brake light does not illuminate. My Yukon has 68800 miles on it and it is going on 6 years old. I still have my letter I received about this issue. Without my tail/brake light it is unsafe to drive my vehicle until I get that brake unit replaced. Will I still be able to my passenger side brake unit replaced at no charge? I haven’t been able to get it replaced due to I had total knee replacement surgery in February 2022

NHTSA ID
11469697
Incident
Feb 5, 2022
Brakes
Filed May 9, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop sign, the driver behind her notified her that the brake lights were inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed with brake light failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 134,000.

NHTSA ID
11463864
Incident
May 7, 2022
Mileage
134,000 mi
BrakesElectrical
Filed Apr 26, 2022

I was driving with a trailer that has brakes. A warning system light came on “trailer brake system” service came on blind the digital speedometer. Brakes would not engage. A couple of day later same thin came on now with out a trailer. The warning would not go away and kept on chumming every 10 seconds.

NHTSA ID
11462327
Incident
Apr 26, 2022
Brakes
Filed Jan 24, 2022

The trailer break service light is coming on. There is not a way to dismiss the sound and comes on every few seconds, it's very distracting a HUGE safety risk. I have contacted GMC Valencia California and they have have several vehicles with the same issue / hazard. This has apparently been going on for years yet GMC refuses to put a recall on the vehicles nor take action on correcting this on this critical issue. This is very upsetting and with all the complaints / concerns it appears nobody cares for the lives this defective issue could cause, especially when towing. Thank you.

NHTSA ID
11448620
Incident
Jan 22, 2022

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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Data sources

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