2015 Gmc YUKON XL: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
306 owner complaints analyzed
2 distinct recall campaigns
70,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2015 model year. Data snapshot: . 200 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Exterior Lighting is the most frequently named component, appearing in 136 of 306 complaints (44.4%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 150 | 49.0% |
| Transmission and shifting | 31 | 10.1% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 16 | 5.2% |
| Steering behavior | 15 | 4.9% |
| Engine operation | 6 | 2.0% |
| Fuel system concerns | 5 | 1.6% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | 136 |
| Service Brakes | 62 |
| Electrical System | 58 |
| Power Train | 32 |
| Engine | 26 |
| Unknown Or Other | 26 |
| Steering | 11 |
| Structure:Body | 10 |
Exterior Lighting: 136; Service Brakes: 62; Electrical System: 58; Power Train: 32; Engine: 26; Unknown Or Other: 26; Steering: 11; Structure:Body: 10
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 12 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 30 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 71 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 47 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 33 |
| 150,000 and above | 7 |
Under 25,000: 12; 25,000 to 49,999: 30; 50,000 to 74,999: 71; 75,000 to 99,999: 47; 100,000 to 149,999: 33; 150,000 and above: 7
50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (71). 106 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 4 |
| 2016 | 10 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 52 |
| 2019 | 87 |
| 2020 | 54 |
| 2021 | 21 |
| 2022 | 20 |
| 2023 | 10 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 25 |
| 2026 | 6 |
2015: 4; 2016: 10; 2017: 6; 2018: 52; 2019: 87; 2020: 54; 2021: 21; 2022: 20; 2023: 10; 2024: 11; 2025: 25; 2026: 6
Pattern summary
Exterior Lighting leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 150 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 31 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 16 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10761831 · 2015-09-06 (September 6, 2015)
...WIFE STOPPED ON HILL TO SPEAK TO SON.. I BELIEVE AT THIS POINT THE VEHICLE WENT TO NEUTRAL, WHEN SHE TRY TO GO FORWARD, IT WENT DOWN THE HILL HIT A POLE AND ROLLED OVER.
Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10761831 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10763631 · 2015-09-10 (September 10, 2015)
WIFE AND THREE KIDS IN VEHICLE, STOPS ON HILL SEEMS TO HAVE SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. GOES BACKWARDS DOWN HILL FLIPS OVER LANDS ON ROOF. NO INJURIES THANK GOD! VEHICLE HAD BEEN BACK FOR TRANSMISSION RECALL TWICE, THE LAST TIME THEY SAID THEY HAD TO WAIT FOR PARTS... MIND YOU THE VEHICLE IS BRAND NEW. SOMEONE NEEDS TO GET THESE OFF THE ROAD NOW!
Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10763631 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10809923 · 2015-12-13 (December 13, 2015)
VEHICLE EXHIBITS A "BUFFETTING" OR PRESSURE SENSATION THAT CAN BE FELT PRIMARILY IN THE EARS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH. AFTER ANY AMOUNT OF TIME AT THESE SUSTAINED SPEEDS IT BEGINS TO CAUSE DIZZINESS, EAR PAIN, AND HEADACHES. THIS CONDITION WAS CONFIRMED BY THE DEALER WITH 3 SEPARATE DRIVERS INCLUDING A TECH, THE SALES MANAGER, AND THE OWNER. GM HAS A TECHNICAL PI ISSUED, AS THE PROBLEM IS APPARENTLY RELATIVELY COMMON IN THESE VEHICLES. SUGGESTED REPAIRS INCLUDE RE-BONDING THE ROOF SHEET METAL TO THE FRAME, REPAIR/REPLACEMENT OF THE REAR DIFFER…
Owner-reported narrative. 200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10809923 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10810641 · 2015-12-16 (December 16, 2015)
HORRIBLE CABIN PRESSURE AND BUFFETING ABOVE SPEEDS OF 40MPH. PASSENGERS HAVE COMPLAINED OF HEADACHES, DIZZINESS, EARS POPPING, ETC. OCCURS WITH ALL WINDOWS AND SUNROOF CLOSED. DURING LONG PERIODS IT CAN SOMETIMES CREATE NAUSEA AND SICK FEELING EVEN HOURS AFTER EXITING TRUCK.
Owner-reported narrative. 20,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10810641 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10822332 · 2016-01-26 (January 26, 2016)
WITH ALL WINDOWS UP, VEHICLE EXHIBITS A BUFFETING / PRESSURE SENSATION THAT CAN BE FELT PREDOMINATELY IN THE EARS BETWEEN 30 AND 50 MPH. SIMILAR TO WHEN ONLY THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOWS ARE DOWN IN MANY VEHICLES. I SECOND THE FACT THAT AFTER ANY AMOUNT OF TIME AT THESE SUSTAINED SPEEDS IT BEGINS TO CAUSE DIZZINESS, EAR PAIN, AND HEADACHES. GM FORUMS ARE FLOODED WITH COMPLAINTS. THIS VEHICLE OBVIOUSLY WAS MANUFACTURED WITH A SIGNIFICANT, KNOWN FLAW THAT THEY CANNOT CURRENTLY FIX. THIS SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE A SAFETY ISSUE STRICTLY BASED UPON THE PH…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10822332 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10837055 · 2016-02-18 (February 18, 2016)
ON THE DAY I TEST DROVE MY YUKON MY HUSBAND AND I NOTICED A VIBRATION IN THE VEHICLE. WHEN WE RETURNED TO DEALER NOTICED ONE OF THE RIMS WAS DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER THREE SO WE ALL BELIEVED IT WAS THE CAUSE. WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE HANDLED. SO WE CAME BACK TO PICKUP AND THAT'S WHERE IT ALL BEGAN. THIS VEHICLE HAS SEVERE REVERBERATION AND VIBRATIONS. REVERBERATION CAUSES SEVERE HEADACHES AND NAUSEA. MY DRIVING LEG GOES NUMB FROM THE VIBRATION THAT COMES THRU THE GAS PEDAL. SO UNSAFE. SEVERE TUNNELING VIBRATION THEY HAVE DONE THE TIRES NOT THE PROB…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10837055 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10839172 · 2016-03-01 (March 1, 2016)
MY 2015 GMC YUKON XL WITH 5000 MILES EXHIBITS A BUFFETING / PRESSURE SENSATION THAT CAN BE FELT PREDOMINATELY IN THE EARS BETWEEN 30 AND 70 MPH WHEN ONLY THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOWS ARE DOWN . AFTER A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME IT BEGINS TO CAUSE DIZZINESS, EAR PAIN, AND HEADACHES. SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG AND MUST BE FIXED
Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10839172 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10874190 · 2016-06-14 (June 14, 2016)
REPLACED TRANSMISSION WITH DEALER 2 TIME
Owner-reported narrative. 1,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10874190 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
2 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
16V651000 · Seat Belts:Pretensioner | Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-Inactive | Air Bags:Frontal
Reported: 2016-09-08 (September 8, 2016)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
NHTSA campaign record ↗17V437000 · Seat Belts:Pretensioner | Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-Inactive | Air Bags:Frontal
Reported: 2017-07-10 (July 10, 2017)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
NHTSA campaign record ↗