2008 GMC Yukon XL: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 69 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (59% of complaints); the 2006 and 2009 and 2010 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 69 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“My driver side back glass (quarter panel long glass) spontaneously exploded this morning with my young child in her car seat. No one was nearby, the car was in park. Nothing caused the glass to break it just randomly occurred.”Owner report · Structure · Jul 2021
“The hatch will not stay open when the temperature goes down into the 50's it shuts on my head and won't stop. It is stationary when I am loading or unloading the back hatch.”Owner report · Electrical System · Mar 2021
“Sorry I speak Spanish Le cambiaron sensor bolsa de aire pero sigue teniendo lo el mismo problema y después de eso no se si le esta afectando porque ya no me sirve la alarma, el tablero en ocasiones se detiene o no prende nada, el stereo derrepente deja de oÃrse incluso lo de navegación yo regrese ese mismo dÃa y reclame pero me dijo la señora de atención a clientes que con el tiempo se iba arreglar hasta que acepte el sensor y ya paso algo de tiempo y cada vez más ahà problemas si llega a explotar la bolsa de aire yo tengo el recibo por cualquier acción que tenga que hacer por si llega haber un accidente que dios no lo quiera espero respuesta de ustedes y por dentro por no hablar ingles”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“Large dashboard cracks near airbags. Apparently widespread problem among GM products. I do not know if this will affect airbag safety or not. No incident involved yet.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jan 2021
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 gmc yukon xl. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v381000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that recently, the passenger's side air bag warning light illuminated. Frank kent chevrolet (401 I-45, ennis, tx 75119) was contacted and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that he was assured by the dealer that the vehicle was safe to drive. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2020
“NHTSA has not resolved the takata airbag issue on these vehicles even though it has been more than 4 years and 1 year since gm's last petition to ignore the safety issue. When is NHTSA going to act on NHTSA-2016-0124?”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2020
“Vehicle unexpectedly caught fire in the front passengers side. The vehicle had been parked for several hours at the time of the fire. Fire investigators believe the fire was electrical and paid substantial attention to the front passengers side dash area on both the inboard and engine compartment sides of the dash. This is consistent with past reports of fires starting due to the heated washer fluid system which this vehicle had. There was no active recalls on this car.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2020
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 gmc yukon xl. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v383000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. An unknown dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2020
“Intermittent power steering loss, low speeds. The steering rack was recently replaced. I see online that there is an electric panel that might cause this. Will bring back to local shop tomorrow. Not sure how that is tested vs pump/line or the new rack defective”Owner report · Steering · Jan 2020
“There was a recall in 2016 for my vehicle's air bags and the local dealer service dept. Told me there is no remedy yet. I live in one of the hottest and humid parts of the us which is known to cause the airbags to degrade. I am concerned for my safety knowing this problem is unaddressed by the manufacturer.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 6 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328780.
GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WIPER WASHER FLUID SYSTEM. A SHORT CIRCUIT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE WASHER FLUID HEATER MAY OVERHEAT THE CONTROL-CIRCUIT GROUND WIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM, GMC AT 1-866-996-9436; OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .
How other years compare
Check your exact Yukon XL by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2008 GMC Yukon XL reliable?
NHTSA has 69 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2008 GMC Yukon XL. The most complained-about area is air bags (59% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2008 GMC Yukon XL problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 113,583 miles or less.
Does the 2008 GMC Yukon XL have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.