2016 GMC Yukon Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2016 GMC Yukon has 285 NHTSA complaints, 5 recalls (1 do-not-drive), and a complaint index of 75, ranking 6th worst of 21 model years and rated Avoid. Electrical System complaints make up 52% of reports.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 75/100
- #6 of 21 Yukon years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 285
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 5
- 1 Do Not Drive
- Crashes
- 5
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 6
- Top issue
- Electrical System
- NHTSA overall rating
- 4 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- 18
- 15.5 city / 22 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 6 / 0
Top 2016 GMC Yukon problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Electrical System149 (52%)
- Brakes58 (20%)
- Engine41 (14%)
- Transmission & Powertrain38 (13%)
- Other36 (13%)
- Steering13 (5%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires10 (4%)
- Structure & Body8 (3%)
- Fuel System7 (2%)
- Airbags5 (2%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Airbags failed to deploy in low-speed and moderate-speed crashes, including a parking-lot impact and a T-bone collision at 25 mph, sometimes leading to injuries.
- Brake pedal reportedly became hard to press or traveled to the floorboard, requiring pumping to slow the vehicle, in one case near 70 mph.
- A vibration around 40 to 60 mph felt like a window left open and reportedly caused nausea and headaches for some owners.
- Transmission reportedly slipped out of gear between 20 and 35 mph shortly after purchase, leaving the vehicle without forward power.
- Engine reportedly stalled multiple times after turns on a nearly new vehicle, with dealers unable to diagnose the cause.
- Headlights were described as too dim for safe night driving even after bulb replacement.
2016 GMC Yukon recalls
5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 19V761000Oct 24, 2019Brakes652,967 vehicles
Service brakes
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.
Risk: Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.
- NHTSA 19V645000Sep 6, 2019Brakes3,456,719 vehicles
Service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.
Risk: As the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192268490.
- NHTSA 17V437000Jul 10, 2017Seat Belts40,683 vehicles
Seat belts:pretensioner
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, 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 17287.
2016 GMC Yukon fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 15.5 MPG
- Highway
- 22 MPG
- Combined
- 18 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $3,600
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2016 compared with other Yukon years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2016 GMC Yukon reliable?
- NHTSA data shows 285 complaints and a complaint index of 75 for the 2016 Yukon, ranking 6th worst among 21 model years covered. It carries an Avoid verdict relative to other Yukon years.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2016 GMC Yukon?
- Electrical System issues account for 52% of complaints (149 of 285), the largest share of any problem area, followed by Brakes at 20% and Engine at 14%.
- Does the 2016 GMC Yukon have a brake recall?
- Yes. NHTSA lists two brake-related recalls covering the 2016 Yukon (campaigns 19V761000 and 19V645000) involving EBCM reprogramming, plus a do-not-drive suspension recall (16V256000) for front upper control arms.
- How does the 2016 Yukon compare to other years?
- The 2016 model's complaint index of 75 is worse than years like 2012 and 2014, both rated Best with indexes of 15 and 10, but better than 2021's index of 100, the worst year in the lineup.
- At what mileage do 2016 Yukon problems typically appear?
- Median mileage at failure across all complaints is 54,000 miles, with electrical issues appearing around 52,000 miles and brake issues around 52,989 miles.