AutoUtility currently tracks 206 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 GMC Yukon XL. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 124 complaints (60.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 2 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 3 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 206 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (124 reports • 60.2% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (46), Fuel & Propulsion System (30)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 3 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2021 GMC Yukon XL
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #25V274000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
Powertrain & Transmission
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #22V036000 POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
- Campaign #24V797000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
Fuel & Propulsion System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #21V739000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP:CONTROL/DRIVE MODULE
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Electrical System
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2021 GMC Yukon XL
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Engine Stalling / Sudden Shutdown
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2021 GMC Yukon XL
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"2022 GMC Yukon XL suffered catastrophic transmission failure at approximately 87,000 miles. An ASE-certified transmission repair facility determined that the torque converter failed, resulting in transmission damage requiring over $7,000 in repairs. GM declined any assistance solely because the..."
"Engine failed. Had to be towed to the dealer to get a new motor. It was part of the 6.2l L87 recall"
"Was driving the vehicle at 70 mph on the highway without any issues for several hours and suddenly the vehicle lost power and had no propulsion. It went into neutral automatically and the engine shut off while driving. Thankfully I was on a downward slope and could steer the vehicle off the very..."
"Driving on busy road when heard a squealing from the engine bay of the vehicle. Moments later the vehicle lost power. It was a very dangerous situation traveling approximately 45mph on a multi-lane road in urban St. Louis Missouri. There was not a check engine light prior. The vehicle had a recall..."
"I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2021 GMC Yukon. While driving on the highway during a long-distance trip from [XXX] to [XXX], my vehicle suddenly experienced a serious loss of power, drivability issues, and loss of propulsion. The vehicle began shaking violently, slowing down..."
Complaint History for GMC Yukon XL
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2021–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 GMC Yukon XL Current Page | 206 | 2 | 12 | Current |
| 2022 GMC Yukon XL | 154 | 3 | 4 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 GMC Yukon XL | 197 | 1 | 4 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 GMC Yukon XL | 63 | 0 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 GMC Yukon XL | 23 | 1 | 1 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 GMC Yukon XL | 0 | 0 | 3 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2021 GMC Yukon XL
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 52 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CHEST CLIP, BUCKLE, HARNESS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SEAT BELTS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.