2021 GMC Yukon XL: problems, recalls and reliability
12 recalls and 201 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine (50% of complaints); the 2019 and 2020 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 9 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Apr 2025
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 201 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Engine seized while driving on the highway. This is the same engine that is being recalled and GM has said that the vin is not covered. The vehicle stopped running on a major highway with my [XXX] old son in the car. The dealership is saying this is the exact issue that is part of the larger investigation for GM v8 engines. There were no warning lights at all prior to the engine seizing. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2026
“The infotainment screen on my 2021 GMC Yukon was previously replaced at the GMC dealership, and this will be my second replacement. It has now cracked even though there was only very light contact. This doesn't seem like normal wear and tear. I'd really appreciate it if the screen could be inspected, as I suspect there might be a manufacturing issue with these screens. I'm quite concerned about this problem because it almost caused injury to my six-year-old. Please understand my worries, I'm sure many other parents are facing similar concerns with these screens. The cracked glass can be dangerous, especially for families with children.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jun 2026
“This is from dealership "found customers concern of engine light is on and ticking noise found cylinder 4 lifters to be collapsed causing the exhaust gasses to be trapped in the cylinder causing the cylinder wall to dry out and leaving scratches on the cylinder wall recommend replacing motor due to this problem at this time"”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“My family and were traveling to visit family, and the transmission stalled on me on the interstate. I almost had a horrible accident with my kids in the vehicle. The vehicle is in the shop currently and dx with transmission issues. GMC needs to recall and or fix the transmissions in all of their vehicle.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2026
“The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine stalled and the vehicle failed to start. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the fuel pump power control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V739000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Jun 2026
“Check engine light comes on and an alert says "acceleration reduced" dealer says the coolant control valve is bad but the engine never overheats but the fans are running max speed 100% of the time.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2026
“I took my GMC Yukon in for a recall. They changed the oil, programmed my module, changed the cap, and tested the engine, saying it was good. I took it on a trip, 7000 miles later engine locked up.”Owner report · Engine · May 2026
“When turning on the car, a message pops up on the dash and will not go away. Dashboard says " service safety restraint system"”Owner report · Seat Belts · Apr 2026
“Our 2021 GMC Yukon XL with the 6.2L engine suffered a catastrophic failure requiring the engine to be replaced. The diagnosis was very similar to the GMC 6.2L engines that have been recalled for safety and failure reasons however our vehicle was not included in the recall. The engine only had 75,924 miles and was maintained to the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. The cost to replace the engine was $11,309.87.”Owner report · Engine · Apr 2026
“We brought vehicle in while still in warranty complaining of rough running engine and dealership said they couldn't find anything wrong. 2000 miles over warranty the Engine fails with all characteristics of the L87 bearing lifter issue. Now GMC does not want to replace without charging us a ton of money.”Owner report · Engine · Apr 2026
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 12 campaigns
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump power control module may cause the fuel pump to fail or operate intermittently, which can interrupt fuel flow to the engine, and cause an unexpected engine stall.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump power control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 14, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212332040.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.
Remedy: Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, GMC customer service at GMC 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242454440.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, Cadillac Escalade, and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles. The daytime running lights (DRLs) may not deactivate when the headlights are on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: Dealers will provide an over-the-air (OTA) update for the Body Control Module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 15, 2022. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N222382220.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles. During general assembly, a repair involved removal of one or both front seats. The attachment bolts for the front seats may not have been properly reinstalled after the repair was completed.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat attachments for both front seats and install attachment bolts as needed, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N202312720.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles with third-row seating. The third-row outboard seat belts may have been entrapped or misrouted behind the outboard seat-folding mechanism, which could result in damaged seat belts.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third-row outboard seat belts, replacing any damaged seat belts, and rerouting them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313000.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. A software issue may cause a loss of power steering assist at startup or while driving.
Remedy: The power steering module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 13, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212333900.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM), causing the air bag malfunction indicator light to inconsistently illuminate.
Remedy: The communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021. 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 N212338110.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, and Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles. The rear wheel driveshaft assemblies may have internal components that were not heat-treated properly, possibly resulting in driveshaft failure.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the left and/or right rear driveshaft assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 14, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212351030.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.
General Motors, LLC (M) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with third-row seats. The rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left or right side third-row seat belt buckle assembly may have been improperly formed.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rivet head formation on both the left and right side third-row seat belt buckle assemblies and replace seat belt buckle assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 28, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 1, 2022. 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 N222372380.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with a 6.2L V8 gas engine. The connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage and engine failure.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the engine, and as necessary, repair or replace the engine. For vehicles that pass inspection, dealers will add higher viscosity oil, install 6 oil fill cap, replace the oil filter, and update the owner's manual. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 18, 2025. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N252494000.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
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 2021 GMC Yukon XL reliable?
NHTSA has 201 owner complaints and 12 recall campaigns on record for the 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The most complained-about area is engine (50% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2021 GMC Yukon XL problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 66,000 miles or less.
Does the 2021 GMC Yukon XL have open recalls?
12 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump:control/drive module. 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.