repaired · 2018 Q4
Air bags: frontal
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…
2016 GMC Yukon XLProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 202 owner complaints about the 2016 GMC Yukon XL, most often about the exterior lighting. It is covered by 3 safety recalls, and for recall 17V-437 the manufacturer reports only 84% of affected cars repaired.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through October 23, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.
Complaints by system
Where the 2016 GMC Yukon XL has problems
202 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
84Exterior lighting
40Service brakes5 crash/fire/injury
33Power train
30Electrical system4 crash/fire/injury
27Engine1 crash/fire/injury
9Suspension
9Steering
7Structure
5Fuel/propulsion system
169 other systems4 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior lighting | 84 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 40 | 5 |
| Power train | 33 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 30 | 4 |
| Engine | 27 | 1 |
| Suspension | 9 | 0 |
| Steering | 9 | 1 |
| Structure | 7 | 1 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 5 | 0 |
| 9 other systems | 16 | 4 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
3 recalls
2016 GMC Yukon XL recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
repaired · 2018 Q2
Air bags: frontal
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…
repaired · 2018 Q2
Front: control arm
Do not driveRisk. Inadequate welds may allow the control arm to separate from the bushing, compromising steering and increasing the risk of a crash.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with GMC.
Mileage at failure
When do exterior lighting problems start?
52kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 61 exterior lighting complaints. 98% were reported before 100,000 miles.
4under 30k miles60under 100k miles1100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Exterior lighting
27 owners mentioned a cost$800median
Middle half: $700 – $825
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2016 vs. every other Yukon XL year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Yukon XL median. How we score
'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
1 investigation
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2016 GMC Yukon XL, and the recalls they led to.
- Brake Vacuum Pump FailureLed to recall 19V-645
In owners' words
What Yukon XL owners report
Recent exterior lighting complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
The OEM LED taillights can fail due to a manufacturing deficiency. A metal strip that connects the LED's to the cars taillight circuit develops a crack and interrupts current flow to the taillight LED's. The above is common knowledge to the car community and is searchable on line. Concerns: 1) If…
There is a special policy to replace faulty tail lamps. However, the policy is only extended through 72,000 miles or 5 years which is ridiculous, and should be a recall. I had my drivers side tail lamp replaced in February 2022 because it was not working. I wasn’t aware of the mileage and year…
The taillights, which included both the brake lights and running lights, quit working or only worked intermittently. Safety was put at risk because anytime we drove the vehicle in the dark (which is often!) the rear of the vehicle could not be seen, and the brake lights would not be activated when…
Own a 2016 Yukon XL?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.