Skip to content
Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2005 GMC Yukon Denali XL Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
12%of 34 total for the year
Median mileage
82,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2005 GMC Yukon Denali XL, 12% of the 34 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 82,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Purchased new Yukon Denali Xl on 3/19/05. Initially my husband and I noticed the seat position memory was faulty. Problem was minor did not report it. Replaced the head lights every 2 months ~ drove us crazy but we did not complain. Less than 8 months paint on the console and accessory buttons peeled. Finally on 3/2/07 I was driving to work and got a transmission hot message. Furious and concerned I drove straight to the dealer for assistance. …”

NHTSA complaint #10184650, filed 2007-03, 66,152 miles

“Winter 2014, connecticut - backing out of driveway peddle felt mushy and going down farther than normal. Drove son to school quarter mile to school and noted the lack of braking ability. Luckily rolling stops and keeping distance from other cars allowed me to get back home. Looked under car, dripping brake fluid from under middle of card. Had the sense to have it towed to the dealer; for the $2400 estimate, they also said that my transmission lines were leaking so estimate also included the labor/parts to replace both sets of lines to fix both line related issues. …”

NHTSA complaint #10563444, filed 2014-02, 98,680 miles

“Vehicle safety standard no. 102 concern transmission shift lever. The shift indicator in the instrument panel does not illuminate. When the shift lever position indicator does not illuminate, the driver does not know which gear the vehicle is in. D,r,n,p..ect.”

NHTSA complaint #10365497, filed 2010-11, 82,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2005 Gmc Yukon Denali Xl. The contact stated that the gear indicator on the instrument panel no longer illuminated. As a result, the contact was unaware as to what gear the vehicle was engaged. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown. Updated 7/16/12 updated 07/18/12”

NHTSA complaint #10459928, filed 2012-05

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2016310%
2015914%
201214%
200915%
200825%
200712%
200619%
2005412%
200424%
200326%

Other parts of the 2005 GMC Yukon Denali XL

Electrical system
10 complaints
Brakes
8 complaints
Exterior lighting
4 complaints
Engine
3 complaints
Engine cooling
3 complaints
Electronic stability control
2 complaints
Fuel system
2 complaints
Other or unknown
2 complaints
Steering
2 complaints
Body and structure
2 complaints
Tires
2 complaints
Air bags
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 GMC Yukon Denali XL

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology