GMC Yukon Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2023 At least twice the 65.5 complaints of a typical Yukon year. Most described: engine failure.
Best years: No year stands out Only the 2018, 2019, and 2020 drew under three quarters of the 65.5 complaints of a typical Yukon year since 2016. The 2018 and 2019 each have a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 23 mpg combined, arrived in 2021 and has held since. Includes the longer Yukon XL (with a heavier-duty Yukon XL 2500 until 2013), the Denali trims and the 2010 to 2013 Yukon Hybrid.

Yukon problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Yukon year drew 65.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (20). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (65.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2023 Yukon Avoid Most described: engine failure or replacement	287	478	4
2015 Yukon Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	110	977	10
2016 Yukon Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	83	520	5
2021 Yukon Most described: engine failure or replacement	83	586	14
2017 Yukon Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	78	359	3
2022 Yukon Most described: engine failure or replacement	53	362	5
2018 Yukon Most described: engine failure or replacement	24	132	5
2019 Yukon Most described: engine failure or replacement	16	128	3
2011 Yukon Most reported: air bags	12	388	5
2020 Yukon Most described: engine failure or replacement	10	84	4
2013 Yukon Most reported: air bags	6	181	4
2014 Yukon Most reported: air bags	6	72	3
2010 Yukon Most described: loss of power or limp mode	5	226	3
2012 Yukon Most reported: air bags	4	134	4

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Yukon for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at GMC dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	3	90
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	2	87
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	3	181
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	4	478
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	5	362
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	14	586
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	4	84
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	3	128
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	5	132
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	3	359
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	5	520
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	10	977
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	3	72
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Hybrid	4	181
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Hybrid	4	134
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Hybrid	5	388
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Hybrid	3	226	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2023: 478 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, GMC Yukon
Model year	Complaints
2010	226
2011	388
2012	134
2013	181
2014	72
2015	977
2016	520
2017	359
2018	132
2019	128
2020	84
2021	586
2022	362
2023	478
2024	181
2025	87
2026	90

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 17 to 19 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2016. Hybrid: 21 to 22 mpg (2010 to 2013); highest in 2010.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 17 mpg · hybrid not offered

Show as a table

GMC Yukon best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	17	22
2011	17	21
2012	17	21
2013	17	21
2014	17	–
2015	18	–
2016	19	–
2017	19	–
2018	19	–
2019	18	–
2020	18	–
2021	18	–
2022	17	–
2023	17	–
2024	17	–
2025	17	–
2026	17	–

Every Yukon year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which GMC Yukon years should you avoid?

The 2023 Yukon is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 65.5 owner complaints of a typical Yukon year in its first three years. Owners of the 2023 most often describe engine failure. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at GMC dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best GMC Yukon years?

No year stands out as best. Only the 2018, 2019, and 2020 drew under three quarters of the 65.5 complaints of a typical Yukon year since 2016. The 2018 and 2019 each have a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. If you are shopping for one, check by VIN that the repair was done. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which GMC Yukon years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2023 (287) drew the most, then the 2015 (110). Owners of the 2023 most often describe engine failure or replacement.

Which GMC Yukon years have the most recalls?

The 2021 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (14), then the 2015 (10). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Two recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 16V-256 (2016 models) and NHTSA 26V-289 (2018 to 2020, 2026 models).

What are the most common GMC Yukon problems?

In the 4,985 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe engine failure or replacement (814 complaints, most of them for the 2021, 2022, and 2023); headlight or exterior light problems (668 complaints, most of them for the 2015 and 2016); and loss of power or limp mode (470 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which GMC Yukon year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 23 mpg combined, first reached by the 2021 diesel version and matched by every year since.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.