1996 GMC Yukon Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe braking complaints — a low or slow-responding pedal, longer stopping distances and, in several cases, collisions — plus windshield wipers that work intermittently or quit entirely. Reports are spread across the vehicle's life, from near-new to well past 150,000 miles, and many owners note the wiper service campaign did not cover their vehicle by VIN.

1. 1
   Brakes

   Brake pedal slow to respond / long stopping distance

   • 12 complaints (17%)
   • typically at 3.2 yrs old
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2001

   Complaints describe the brake pedal going low or to the floor, or a delay of roughly a second or more between pressing the pedal and any braking, which owners say lengthens stopping distance. Several report this during hard or panic stops and describe collisions or near-misses as a result. Some say dealers replaced drums, rotors or the ABS system without resolving it, and others were told the problem could not be found or needed to be repeated before any repair. Reported at a wide range of mileages, mostly on higher-mileage trucks, and several owners mention it in cold weather or when fully loaded.

   What to check: Drive the truck and test the brakes cold and warm, including a firm stop from highway speed, and ask for any brake or ABS service records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “No braking action is experienced for over 1 second after emergency hard braking. Try brakes hard, with full body weight, when moving 3 MPH in simulated emergency and then letting of--the vehicle will not show down. I had a accident last year in which a additional 3-5' of stopping distance would have prevented the accident. I avoided an accident last week by swerving after an elderly lady rolled in front of me while I was traveling 25mph. I avoided it by swering, the brakes did not start slowing the vehicle until it was to late. …”

   NHTSA complaint #540234, filed 1998-08

   “While trying to come to a stop from 55 MPH consumer had applied brakes. Slowed down to 30-35 MPH and pedal went to floor. No braking action and vehicle rear ended vehicle in front. $ 5100 damage. Seat belt did not lock and the driver bruised his chest. The air bags failed to deploy as well. The vehicle had been repaireed and the belts, air bag and brake system had been checked.”

   NHTSA complaint #886945, filed 2001-04
2. 2
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield wipers stop or work intermittently

   • 11 complaints (16%)
   • median 84,690 mi at 7.8 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1998–2004

   Owners describe wipers that work intermittently or stop mid-stroke, sometimes leaving them with no wipers during heavy rain; some hear the motor running while the blades do not move. Complaints note that the wiper motor or module was replaced at the owner's expense, and several say the dealer found the vehicle was not covered by the wiper campaign because of its VIN. Reported across many model years of use, usually when driving in rain or storms, with no consistent mileage.

   Recall 98V150001Recall 03V159000

   What to check: Run the wipers at every speed setting, front and rear, and ask whether the wiper motor or controller has ever been replaced; check the VIN against the wiper campaigns.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving in a heavy storm, the windshield wipers work intermittently. Wipers stop occasionally on the windshield causing dangerous driving hazard. Contacted dealer, vehicle was not under warranty.”

   NHTSA complaint #853494, filed 1999-11

   “Recall 98v150; windshield wipers suddenly stopped working. Dealer contacted, and repairwork was done to remedy problem at owner's expense. Vehicle does not comply with recall due to VIN.”

   NHTSA complaint #836553, filed 1999-04
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Coolant loss from intake manifold gasket

   • 9 complaints (13%)
   • median 68,000 mi at 8.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 1997–2004

   Complaints describe coolant disappearing or entering the engine, traced to the intake manifold gasket on the 5.7L V8, with owners reporting repair bills around a few hundred dollars. Others mention a broken aluminum heater hose fitting on the manifold and related overheating concerns. One owner reports the engine stalling without warning after service work. One owner reported this around 68,000 miles; other cooling and stalling complaints came at unspecified higher mileages.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the coolant level and look for coolant residue or a sweet smell around the intake manifold and heater hose fittings; ask whether the intake gasket has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This vehicle only had 68,000 miles on the odometer and the intake manifold gasket went out allowing coolant to enter the engine. This happens on alot of these 5.7 liter 350 engines. Repair was approximately 500 dollars. Crazy.”

   NHTSA complaint #10079072, filed 2004-06, 68,000 miles

   “While traveling vehicle stalled without any indication. Dealer has been notified. Owner believes that incident was due to an improper check-up that was performed 2 days earlier. Battery hot cables and lug were found completely out of battery.”

   NHTSA complaint #865070, filed 2000-07

Buying note. These are old, high-mileage trucks, so condition matters more than the complaint list: have the brakes and ABS inspected and tested, confirm the wipers and airbag warning light work correctly, and check for coolant loss around the intake manifold before buying.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 35 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.