2021 GMC Yukon Problems, Recalls & Reliability
439 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2021 GMC Yukon, alongside 13 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 49/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 81,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2021 sits among all Yukon years
What owners report
“I habe a 2021 Yukon Denali and i have had engine failure on the road. Lifter issues and rod issues. I have paid out of pocket to fix it because my truck wasnt part of the recall. But i had the first failure in November 2024. Second failure January 2026.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Yukon
“Recall N212332040 Car lost power and stalled on highway, at highway speed Dangerous Recall on fuel pump PCM did not cover this year vehicle based on VIN.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Yukon
“Loss of power while driving on highway, would not speed up. Shaky driving. Appeared to go into limp mode. Dealer informed me that the transmission valve body will need to be replaced. No prior messages or alerts, check engine light came on after power loss.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Yukon
“Font Camera failure. Front camera controls many "safety features" which fail without the camera. Vehicle under mileage warranty amount but not under time warranty ( 3 years ). Camera only covered under bumper to bumper.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Yukon
“The vehicle shifted into Neutral while driving, locked out gear selection, triggered a transmission warning, and now will not restart.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Yukon
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 93 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 60,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 20,000 and 89,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (13)
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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,…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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;…
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon vehicles. Dealer service technicians may have calibrated the brake system incorrectly, affecting Electronic Stability Control (ESC) , traction control, Anti-Lock Brake System…
Fix: Dealers will recalibrate the brake system control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1202;…
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.
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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,…
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon vehicles. The fuel tank assemblies may be missing adhesive between two layers of the fuel tank shell which may result in a fuel leak.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer…
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,…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: ENGINE
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 36 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging engine failure in vehicles subject to Recall 25V274. In each VOQ, the engine had the recall remedy completed prior to the reported failure incident. Recall 25V-274 addresses vehicles equipped with…
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 1,157 reports of engine bearing failure failures in the L87 6.2L engine produced by General Motors (GM). Of the 1,157 reports received, 173 are outside of the scope of recall 25V-274. These engines are installed in Model Years (MY) 2019–2024…
Led to recall campaign 25V274.
Technical service bulletins
1,234 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2021 GMC Yukon. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2021 GMC Yukon reliable?
The 2021 GMC Yukon drew 439 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 49/100, scored against the model's worst year (2007).
What are the most common 2021 GMC Yukon problems?
The top reported problems for the 2021 GMC Yukon are engine (191 complaints), fuel system (52), and transmission & drivetrain (48).
At what mileage do 2021 GMC Yukon problems show up?
Owners most often report 2021 GMC Yukon problems around 60,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 20,000 and 89,000 miles.
Does the 2021 GMC Yukon have recalls?
13 recall campaigns apply to the 2021 GMC Yukon. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.