The Yukon is a luxury statement and a hugely popular SUV that is loved by American families. It is certainly not cheap but it also offers you the freedom to choose the trim according to your budget. The Yukon is spacious, luxurious, and also powerful. The Denali trim even gives some luxury SUVs a run for their money. Also, what best defines the GMC Yukon is its sheer size and humongous body. Of course, being a three-row family luxury SUV is no small feat and it sits atop the GMC SUV hierarchy. However, as popular as the Yukon is among families, it is not without its fair share of problems.
First introduced back in 1992, it has been around for a very long time now. The Yukon recently underwent a generation change and it is now in its fifth generation. Its mechanical brother, the Chevy Tahoe, is also in its fifth generation. While the Tahoe and the Yukon are exactly the same, the Yukon offers the high-end Denali trim, for which the Tahoe has no direct counterpart. That is why the Yukon is often perceived to be the more successful and the more popular among the two.
However, no matter how popular a car is, no car is perfect. Every car has its fair share of cons to go along with its pros. Moreover, General Motors haven’t exactly etched their name in the history books for being the most reliable brand. According to RepairPal, the average reliability of GMC is around 3 out of 5 stars. As you can see, it is pretty average. Out of the 32 car brands that RepairPal lists on their site, GMC comes in at 22nd. Not exactly a bright result. Even though the reliability might be a bit shaky, GMC constantly brings out successful vehicles that include some pretty popular ones. The Sierra, Yukon, Hummer, Acadia are all very popular vehicles loved by the Americans.
So, what are the problems with the GMC Yukon? As it turns out, the Yukon has some common problems that any potential buyer should be aware of. These are some of the common issues that Yukon owners have faced over the years.
Upper dash issues
Upper dash issues seem to catch the Yukon like a plague. According to the site we mentioned earlier, RepairPal, it seems to be a very common issue inside the Yukon that the upper dash seems to crack easily. The site also reports that around 500 owners of the SUV have complained about upper dash cracking. Those owners also specifically complained about the model years 1993, 1999, 2004 to 2014. So, that is a pretty big window. You should probably avoid these model years if you are planning on getting a used Yukon.
Should that happen so easily? Well, upper dash cracking is not completely uncommon. However, it only occurs when the region is exposed to excessive heat or due to being left in the sunlight for a long duration of time.
Solution? Well, most owners usually tend to replace the entire upper dash panel. We would recommend you to do the same as even minor cracks can result in the dash cracking further and ultimately being unsafe.
Problems with door handles and power locks
RepairPal also mentions that the Yukon owners have problems with the SUV’s door handles and power locks. About 200 people complained about the door handles breaking. This issue was reported in a total of 11 model years. Both the interior and exterior door handles were affected by this.
Talking about the problem with the power locks, users complained that the power door lock actuators show some severe problems. Sometimes, they become too slow, and sometimes, they completely stop working. Owners have no choice but to replace the part for around $100. Similarly, exterior door handles can cost $60 to replace but interior door handles can cost quite a bit more.
Problems with the 2015 Yukon
If you are planning on purchasing a 2015 GMC Yukon for whatever reason, let us advise you against it. Not only is it known for causing a huge number of problems, but it is also considered to be the most unreliable Yukon of all time. Some common problems could include issues with the air conditioning, door handles, power locks, etc. None of them will actually break the SUV, but these can get very expensive to repair over time. Also, the taillights caused huge problems for the owners, as they would completely fail. If they do, expect to pay a minimum of $700 just to get them fixed. So, if you spot a 2015 Yukon for a lower price than usual, it is best to just avoid it, since you would have to spend more money on repairs anyway.
The new generation of the Yukon
So, those were some of the common problems associated with the Yukons of the older times. However, the new Yukon has been completely revamped. Also, GM ranks better in reliability ratings now than they used to before. It is safe to say that these common issues have been taken care of. The 2021 GMC Yukon gets a pretty good rating of 81 from JD Power. Everything about the vehicle is quite appreciably good. Of course, there are still some minor issues that might pop up every now and then, but those are nothing serious.
If you head over to the NHTSA page about the 2021 Yukon, you would find that there are only 18 complaints, which is a minuscule figure for such a popular SUV. But it did have 8 recalls, which does ruin the experience of owning it a bit, and makes life more hectic. However, it still proves that GMC is actually figuring out these issues and trying to get them fixed actively. Like we mentioned earlier, no vehicle is perfect. But the Yukon is certainly on its way to becoming one.
