2023 GMC Yukon: What to check before buying

Sudden, complete engine failure while driving is the main complaint. The engine quits at highway speed, sometimes with knocking or a burning smell first, often with no warning light at all. Power steering and power brakes can go with it. Dealers report spun rod bearings, failed lifters, and seized engines, and the fix is a full engine replacement. Failures cluster between about 15,000 and 40,000 miles, with one at 800 miles. Several engines failed after passing the 6.2L recall inspection and oil change. Replacement engines are back-ordered for weeks or months.

Most of these reports concern recall 25V274000 for the 6.2L engine, filed while the repair parts were unavailable. Many owners describe no failure and complain only about the wait. Others report stalling while driving, an unexpected shift to neutral, hard starts with sputtering, and seized engines. Metal shavings turned up in the oil in one case. In another, the lifter bank was destroyed and the owner paid for the repair because the VIN was not covered by the recall. One report is crash-related and involves a stall with a "transmission unable to shift" message.

Transmission valve body failures make up one pattern here. The 10-speed gets stuck in gear, shifts harshly, drops into limp mode, or shows "Service transmission now." One diesel owner reports rear wheel lockup at highway speed. These failures appear between about 20,000 and 47,000 miles, and parts can take months. The other pattern is engine seizure on the 6.2L gas engine. The vehicle shifts into neutral at highway speed and loses all power. Some vehicles are on their second replacement engine. Several owners see the recall's thicker-oil remedy as only a delay.

Total shutdowns at speed lead these reports. The dash, lights, and controls go dark, and in one case the problem returned shortly after a starter and fuse block repair. The OnStar and telematics module often fails right after recall software updates, which turns on the check engine light, and one dealer charged $600 to replace it. Other reports describe instrument cluster blackouts, low-battery no-starts, and brake and stability failure warnings with reduced speed. Two injuries are recorded, one from curtain airbags deploying with no collision. Smaller complaints cover mirror memory, fogging cameras, and a liftgate that opens by itself.

Power assist disappears when the engine seizes or shuts off, which drivers report at 50 to 86 mph on highways. In some of these cases the vehicle will not shift into neutral or release the parking brake for towing, and the cause turns out to be engine failure. A second pattern is a simultaneous wave of brake, ABS, ESC, and traction control failure messages with a 43 mph speed cap. Dealers often cannot reproduce it. A steering wheel lock warning that left the truck dead also appears.

Windshield wipers stop working in the middle of rain, sometimes at highway speed in heavy traffic. The outage lasts anywhere from a few seconds to hours or even days, and changing speed settings or turning off RainSense usually does nothing. The problem is intermittent, so dealers cannot diagnose it and decline to replace parts. Several owners have had it happen repeatedly. One separate report describes a backup camera that failed early in ownership and stayed unrepaired for months.

Brakes stop responding while driving, with messages such as "Brake System Failure" or "You Have no Brakes - Do Not Drive Over 40 MPH" and a speed limit. Drivers describe rolling through intersections. One vehicle ended up in a ditch, and the cause was traced to a detached battery terminal that knocked out 20 modules. Some reports are about recall 24V674000 for the hydraulic brakes, including a dealer that refused the free repair on a salvage-title vehicle. Another complaint says the diesel version brakes noticeably weaker than the gas version.

In parking lots, the cruise control dial on the steering wheel is easy to bump while turning. When that happens, the vehicle accelerates on its own to about 15 mph until the driver brakes. Other reports describe a do-not-drive warning with a 43 MPH speed cap in freezing weather, along with a hard brake pedal and weak braking. Unexpected shifts into neutral at 70 mph, and highway shutdowns linked to engine replacement, also appear here.

After recall module updates, the driver's lumbar and shoulder supports inflate to their maximum setting on their own and sometimes will not deflate. One owner reports that later updates made it worse. The fixed second- and third-row headrests tilt forward, so child seats cannot sit flush against the seatback as their manuals require. Long hair also catches in the "DENALI" emblem on the front seatbacks, and a dealer called that within spec.