GMC Yukon 2021–2025
5th generation · GMT T1XX
NHTSA data through 12 August 20261,181 complaints, 189 with mileageMethod
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 16,000 and 75,000 miles.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 1 complaints (0.5%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 4,000
- 25%
- 16,000
- Median
- 37,000
- 75%
- 75,000
- 90%
- 100,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20,000 | 57 | 30.2% |
| 20,000–40,000 | 42 | 22.2% |
| 40,000–60,000 | 28 | 14.8% |
| 60,000–80,000 | 22 | 11.6% |
| 80,000–100,000 | 18 | 9.5% |
| 100,000–120,000 | 11 | 5.8% |
| 120,000–140,000 | 6 | 3.2% |
| 140,000–160,000 | 2 | 1.1% |
| 160,000–180,000 | 2 | 1.1% |
| 200,000+ | 1 | 0.5% |
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 1,181 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021–2025 GMC Yukon, and 189 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 16,000 and 75,000 miles. The median is 37,000 miles.
The most-reported areas are the engine (40.6% of complaints, typically around 38,000 miles), the transmission and driveline (10.9% of complaints, typically around 42,000 miles), the electrical system (8.8% of complaints, typically around 18,000 miles).
20 recall campaigns cover this generation.
What fails, and when
- Engine38,000median 38,118 miles, middle half 21,000 to 82,000
- Transmission and driveline42,000median 41,935 miles, middle half 24,000 to 72,000
- Electrical system18,000median 18,000 miles, middle half 6,000 to 46,000
- Engine and its cooling system50,000median 50,000 miles, middle half 26,000 to 87,000
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 479 | 40.6% | 38,000 | 21,000–82,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 129 | 10.9% | 42,000 | 24,000–72,000 |
| Electrical system | 104 | 8.8% | 18,000 | 6,000–46,000 |
| Fuel and propulsion system | 67 | 5.7% | — | — |
| Engine and its cooling system | 65 | 5.5% | 50,000 | 26,000–87,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 60 | 5.1% | — | — |
| Forward collision avoidance | 51 | 4.3% | — | — |
| Brakes | 27 | 2.3% | — | — |
| Steering | 26 | 2.2% | — | — |
| Airbag system | 22 | 1.9% | — | — |
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 37,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine accounts for 40.6% of complaints (479 reports, 51 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 38,118 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 20,549 and 82,000 miles.
A single system taking 40.6% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 10.9% of complaints (129 reports, 18 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 41,935 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 24,000 and 72,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 8.8% of complaints (104 reports, 18 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 18,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 6,000 and 46,400 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 5.5% of complaints (65 reports, 39 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 50,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 25,734 and 87,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2021 model year drew the most — 432 complaints — while 2025 drew the fewest at 75. The median year sits at 237.
The first year of the generation, 2021, sits above the median. That is a common pattern — early production of a redesigned vehicle tends to surface problems that later years do not repeat — and it is worth weighing when choosing between years.
Recalls and what they cover
NHTSA records 20 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
The campaigns cluster around the transmission and driveline (3), the seat belts (3), the hydraulic brake circuit (2). Repeated recalls against the same area of the car generally mean the first remedy did not fully resolve the underlying problem.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Reported severity
Of the 1,181 complaints filed against this generation, 20 reported a crash; 27 reported an injury. Crash-involved reports represent 1.7% of the total.
These are owner-reported outcomes, not verified investigations, and they are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. They are included because the distinction between a fault that strands a car and a fault that causes a collision is the one that matters most, and it is not visible in a complaint count alone.
What this means if you are buying one
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 16,000 and 75,000 miles, with a median of 37,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the engine and the transmission and driveline are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The engine in particular shows a median failure mileage of 38,118, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
Documented problems
Engine - Bearings 2021–2024 (6.2L L87); investigation extends to adjacent years
6.2L L87 V8 connecting rod and crankshaft main bearing failure. Mechanism per GM's own filing: manufacturing defects including machining sediment left in oil passages and out-of-specification crankshaft/rod components, causing bearing wear, knocking and sudden loss of propulsion. NHTSA recall 25V-274 (April 2025) covered roughly 597,000 2021-2024 Yukon, Yukon XL, Tahoe, Suburban, Silverado 1500, Sierra 1500 and Escalade. NHTSA ODI opened an engineering analysis in October 2025 after 1,157 bearing-failure reports, including 173 on vehicles outside the recall population, and is reviewing whether the recall remedy is effective.
Engine - Valvetrain 2021–2025
Dynamic Fuel Management lifter failure on the L84/L87, the successor pattern to the earlier AFM lifter problem.
Suspension 2021–2025
Air ride / adaptive damping module and compressor faults on the independent rear suspension models, new to this generation.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 432 | 96 |
| 2022 | 237 | 41 |
| 2023 | 295 | 32 |
| 2024 | 142 | 16 |
| 2025 | 75 | 4 |
Recalls (20)
| Campaign | Date | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 26V304000 | 2026-06-18 | Wheels:hub |
| 26V085000 | 2026-04-07 | Power Train:automatic Transmission:fluid/Lubricant:valves/Valve Body |
| 25V876000 | 2026-02-05 | Equipment Adaptive/Mobility:wheelchair Restraints/Securement:latch/Anchor: |
| 25V619000 | 2025-11-05 | Fuel System, Diesel:storage:tank Assembly |
| 25V274000 | 2025-06-18 | Engine and Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/Mechanical |
| 24V797000 | 2024-12-12 | Power Train:automatic Transmission:fluid/Lubricant:valves/Valve Body |
| 24V674000 | 2024-10-25 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:electric:control Module:software |
| 23V642000 | 2023-11-14 | Suspension:rear |
| 22V903000 | 2023-01-23 | Exterior Lighting:lighting Control Module:software |
| 22V827000 | 2022-12-15 | Exterior Lighting:lighting Control Module:software |
| 22V617000 | 2022-11-01 | Seat Belts:critical Fasteners |
| 22V036000 | 2022-03-14 | Power Train:driveline:driveshaft |
| 21V739000 | 2021-10-14 | Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump:control/Drive Module |
| 21V579000 | 2021-08-27 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:electric:control Module:software |
| 21V455000 | 2021-07-13 | Steering:steering Control Module |
| 21V421000 | 2021-07-01 | Air Bags:srs Malfunction Warning Lamp/Light |
| 21V190000 | 2021-04-21 | Seat Belts:rear/Other |
| 21V064000 | 2021-03-06 | Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly |
| 20V811000 | 2021-01-29 | Seat Belts:critical Fasteners |
| 20V735000 | 2020-12-21 | Seats:critical Fasteners |
What owners reported
Vehicle will not shift into gear from park. When it's in gear (you can hold the button to select a gear to move), but as soon as you release the button - it goes right back into park. It comes and goes. I've been stuck in my driveway. Stuck at the grocery store. Had it once surprise me at a stoplight and…
2021 · 1,000 miles · Transmission and driveline
We were coming back from a trip with my children and this vehicle was barely 2 weeks old with 0 miles and we were on a highway when all the emergency lights on the dash went off. It was flagging the electrical system, the engine, the brakes. Honestly all the lights possible went off. The vehicle was lagging and it…
2021 · 2,000 miles · Electrical system
Travelling down the highway 69 MPH with my wife and three small children when the dash flashed multiple error codes, engine speed limited to 62 MPH, and brakes essentially went out. Was able to get safely stopped. Contacted dealership and they advised shutting it off for 20 min and it would "reset". It did not reset…
2021 · 4,000 miles · Brakes
Built from 189 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-12 · open data · reproduce this page