2019 GMC Yukon XL

Do not drive

Owners filed 67 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. It has been recalled 2 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine33
000
Power Train10
000
Engine and Engine Cooling4
000
Steering3
000
Service Brakes3
000
Electrical System3
100
Air Bags3
305
Vehicle Speed Control2
000
Unknown or Other2
000
Visibility › Sun/Moon Roof Assembly1
000

2 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Power Train › Transfer Case (4-wheel Drive)26V289000Do not drive
Filed May 7, 202666 vehiclesGeneral Motors, Llc

Defect. General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2026 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, and GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles with four-wheel (4WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), and certain 2015-2020 Suburban, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Tahoe vehicles. A component missing from the drivetrain transfer case may cause the front and/or rear wheels to lock up without warning to the driver.

Risk. Front or rear wheel lockup increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transfer case assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 18, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. GM's number for this recall is N262557620. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 7, 2026.

Seat Belts › Rear/Other18V673000
Filed Sep 26, 201815,800 vehiclesGeneral Motors Llc

Defect. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Cadillac CT6, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Volt, and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. Certain second-row or third-row rear seatbelts retractor assemblies may not automatically lock when the seatbelt is fully pulled out of the retractor, possibly preventing a child seat from being properly secured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk. If the child seat is not properly secured in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seatbelt retractors and replace them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 7, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18315.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine
Filed Aug 25, 2026CO

Vehicle started showing a po308 code. Called sewell gmc In midland where I purchased the vehical they were 2 months out on diagnostic services. So I took it to another shop. They ran a camera into the problem cylinder and for scaring on the walls. They said it was due to the afm system and the engine was unrepairable. So now I am out 17,000 dollars and stranded over 700 miles from my home due to a manufactured defect.

Engine
Filed Aug 15, 2026NY

Unknown Truck engine will cut off in the middle of high speed traffic. More than three times.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jul 26, 2026NY

My vehicle keeps showing a front camera warning and we went to the dealership multiple times and they were unable to diagnose the problem. This seems to be a widespread common problem among many owners and it’s a safety concern affecting parking and forward collision.

Engine
Filed Jul 15, 202647,000 milesNY

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and coming to a stop at a stop sign, the vehicle started shaking violently, with an unknown flashing warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with a lifter failure. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was covered under warranty; however, upon a further follow-up, the dealer informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,000.

Engine
Filed Jul 13, 2026158,000 milesMD

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving and while the vehicle was parked on several occasions, there was a tapping sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the lifters were inoperable, and the lifters and or the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.

Engine
Filed Jun 17, 2026MA

I was driving vehicle and came up to a stop sign, once I was clear to go I stepped on the gas heard a clunking sound and the car shut off.

Engine
Filed May 20, 2026CT

Truck Trembling/Rumbling notices when idle . The truck has seen 2 mechanics dealers inspection, concluding that the truck needs a new engine.

Power Train
Filed May 13, 2026135,000 milesVA

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that on several occasions while stopped and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle reversed inadvertently and then jerked forward to accelerate. The contact added that the battery was drained but the failure was not the most important to report at this time. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. The issue reoccurred the same day. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

Engine
Filed May 4, 2026134,127 milesKY

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle loss automotive power while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the lifters and cam shaft needed yo be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,127.

Engine
Filed Apr 30, 2026123,000 milesKY

The contact owns a 2019 Yukon Denali. The contact stated that while making a right turn the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not able to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lifter went out and caused shaving to go into the oil and then the engine seized up and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,000.

Engine
Filed Apr 29, 2026SD

We have had no issues with this vehicle at all. then one day notice a ticking in the area of the valve covers. Sounded to be more on drivers side. Thought maybe just the oil was low which has never happened before. Oil level was fine. I always change oil on regular intervals and there were no check engine lights and engine continued to run fine with no loss of power or ticking changing. It was our only vehicle so we had to continue to drive that day. Wife was driving and said vehicle shuddered and started sounding funny and check engine light came on she was able to drive back home. Now ticking is worse with a clucking rattling sound now coming from oil pan. After some internet searching it very much sounds like issues many others are having with the 6.2l GM engine.

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Apr 28, 2026OH

At 70 mph the adaptive cruise control system applied the brakes hard enough to engage the abs system even though my lane of travel was clear. There was a car on the exit ramp to the right applying their brakes not in my path that I believe my vehicle picked up. There were several vehicles behind me and it almost caused an accident. There needs to be a way to disable the adaptive cruse on this vehicle for safety concerns. This has happened to me on multiple occasions and I reported it to the General Motors hotline with absolutely no feedback on the issue.

Engine
Filed Mar 18, 2026CA

P0304 and P0306 misfiring and compression on both cylinders is 0. Both lifters have broke and collapsed. It started with a noise, once checked by the mechanic, we were told the lifter was going bad, before we could get it repaired it completely broke and that is when the check engine light came on and went off repeated times. At this time it is pouring out black smoke when driving and must have a complete engine replacement. The replacement work has been quoted for $10479.57.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 9, 202662,008 milesCO

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 - 55 MPH, and slowing down to approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine started knocking. The contact noticed that the engine was one quart of oil low after an oil change and driving less than 2,058 miles. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer, but was not repaired. As a certified mechanic, after searching NHTSA.GOV, the contact became aware of NHTSA ID Numbers: EA25007 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) and RQ26001 (Engine); related the failure to the campaigns. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,008.

Air BagsCrash3 injured
Filed Feb 6, 2026170,000 milesAL

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, a second vehicle traveling approximately 65 MPH crashed into the front drivers side of the vehicle. During the crash, the vehicle sustained severe front-end damage, but no airbags in the vehicle deployed. The contact sustained injuries that included fractured ribs and a fractured left hip, and a sternum contusion. The contact was air-lifted to the hospital. Two occupants in the second vehicle were transported to the hospital with unknown injuries. A police report was taken at the scene, and the vehicle was towed away. The contact indicated that the vehicle was destroyed during the crash. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 170,000.

Engine
Filed Feb 1, 2026NJ

I suddenly noticed a noise coming from the engine that sounded like a noisy lifter and stopped using the car after hearing it. The next day I called Circle Chevrolet to check and verify if they could check the car and do any work required under the CPO Warranty. They advised that they could since they were part of the GM Family and could do any work required under the CPO Warranty. I then arranged to have the car towed to Circle Chevrolet to prevent any further damage, that was on Oct 20, 2025. The CPO Warranty was due to expire on Oct 27, 2025 due to time, not mileage. The dealership advised that the vehicle would need to be examined by one of only 3 qualified mechanics in their shop who could do this evaluation and determination if the issue(s) were covered under the CPO Warranty and it would be about 3 days before they could have one of their 3 qualified technicians check the car. The Service Adviser called me back on October 22nd, 2025, and advised that Cylinder 5 had noisy lifters and that they would be changing out the engine with a newly rebuilt engine, all under the CPO Warranty. The Service Adviser said it would take 3-5 days to get the replacement engine in and then about 2-3 days to replace the engine. However, less then 24 hours after getting my car back, the check engine light came on, which was not on when I had the car towed to the dealer. They said the catalytic converter needed to be replaced and said it would be ~$6000. They refused to cover the replacement

Power Train
Filed Jan 16, 2026VA

The transmission is shaky, Lower gears the truck seems to fight it way into the next gear, I feel this is happening around 3 to 5 gears. One garage told me the power converter was failing. I changed the transmission fluid and filter and it got better, but sill, this is an expensive truck. This is power train, this should be covered to 100,000 miles.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Dec 16, 2025104,389 milesTX

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was a misfire in the engine, with a ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact was referred by the manufacturer to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance with having the VIN linked to NHTSA Action Number: PE25001 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 104,389.

Engine
Filed Dec 11, 2025TX

Camshaft/Lifter broken and need replaced

Engine
Filed Dec 9, 2025LA

Engine began knocking noise at around 150k miles, noise became faster with throttle speed. Brought in to repair shop, mechanic confirmed connecting rod failure, suggested replacing engine. Replaced engine as suggested.

20 of 67 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2015
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
202632300Do not drive
202527100Routine
202470200Routine
2023212400Above average
2022164400Routine
20212201210Above average
202046210Routine
2019 — this page67200Do not drive
201853210Do not drive
2017147100Routine
2016200320Do not drive
2015306230Above average
201411300Routine
201322400Routine
201213400Routine
201147310Routine
201028300Routine
200923500Routine
200869410Routine
200797400Routine
200617300Routine
200542600Routine
200487420Routine
2003102400Routine
200295210Routine
2001120502Fatalities reported
200069700Routine
19993000Routine

Compare every Yukon XL year →

Reading this record

NHTSA has issued a do-not-drive warning for a recall on this vehicle.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: May 7, 2026. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.