2026 GMC Yukon XL Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 26about this part
- Share
- 65%of 40 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 3,500miles
- Trend
- Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
NHTSA recorded 26 complaints about the engine of the 2026 GMC Yukon XL, 65% of the 40 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 3,500 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I purchased my vehicle from GMC on April 13th and had approximately 4,500 miles on it. It was sold as new and drove it for about a week at 4,994 miles on the highway. During this time, it shifted from drive to neutral , but the vehicle was towed back to the dealership. Upon inspection, it was diagnosed with a seized engine.”
NHTSA complaint #11758829, filed 2026-08“We own 2026 GMC Yukon XL Denali with 6.2L V8 engine with just under 4600 miles. On Monday October 19, 2026 while driving the engine seized up. It is at dealer and the are replacing the engine, radiator and about 65 other parts under hood. We do have a very short phone video of the noise it made right as it seized up!! We heard about investigation ongoing and wanted to help.”
NHTSA complaint #11773018, filed 2026-10“Unknown brought my car in on July 24, 2026. They reported they do not know what is wrong with the engine, but stated GM is not letting them take it apart and told them to replace the engine. While the car was parked and during acceleration, my car was making a weird noise that got louder during acceleration. A few days prior to this happening, while driving on the highway, my car's emergency lights came on. I had to pull over to turn it off.”
NHTSA complaint #11755802, filed 2026-08“9 months into ownership, with 24,000 miles I had complete engine failure pulling into an intersection. Slamming into park while moving and shutting down. This is a known issue with the GM 6.2 liter engines but I specifically waited to order a 2026 as this was far outside the recall window GM had in place for this known issue and was led to believe the issue was fixed going forward. The car was towed to a GM dealer and sat for 39 days for a complete engine replacement. …”
NHTSA complaint #11758602, filed 2026-08“Purchased brand new vehicle 2026 XL Denali, hadn’t even had my first oil change, and had a complete engine failure in the middle of the road. Prior to engine failure, car ran fine without an issue - so failure came out of nowhere. Towed, where GMC and dealer determined entire engine needed to be replaced. GMC did cover and dealer did install a new engine. However: 1. I was out of a vehicle for almost a month. 2. I have incurred a depreciation cost of 10-15% on my vehicle due to this problem. 3. …”
NHTSA complaint #11716813, filed 2026-02Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 65% |
| 2025 | 17 | 61% |
| 2024 | 56 | 75% |
| 2023 | 154 | 68% |
| 2022 | 114 | 66% |
| 2021 | 141 | 61% |
| 2020 | 24 | 51% |
| 2019 | 34 | 50% |
| 2018 | 16 | 29% |
| 2017 | 26 | 18% |
| 2016 | 27 | 13% |
| 2015 | 26 | 8% |
| 2013 | 1 | 5% |
| 2012 | 2 | 15% |
| 2011 | 3 | 6% |
| 2010 | 3 | 11% |
| 2009 | 3 | 13% |
| 2008 | 3 | 4% |
| 2007 | 10 | 10% |
| 2006 | 2 | 12% |
| 2005 | 7 | 17% |
| 2004 | 2 | 2% |
| 2003 | 1 | 1% |
| 2002 | 2 | 2% |
| 2000 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2026 GMC Yukon XL
6 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaintsForward collision avoidance
2 complaintsSeats
2 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaintsBack-over prevention (rear camera)
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsFuel system
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaintsWheels
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2026 GMC Yukon XL
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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