Gmc Yukon 2021–2025

5th generation · GMT T1XX · 1,181 complaints, 189 with mileage

When failures happen

What fails, and when

By model year

Which systems, and when

Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 37,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.

The engine accounts for 40.6% of complaints (479 reports, 51 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 38,118 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 20,549 and 82,000 miles.

A single system taking 40.6% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.

The transmission and driveline accounts for 10.9% of complaints (129 reports, 18 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 41,935 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 24,000 and 72,000 miles.

The electrical system accounts for 8.8% of complaints (104 reports, 18 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 18,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 6,000 and 46,400 miles.

The engine and its cooling system accounts for 5.5% of complaints (65 reports, 39 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 50,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 25,734 and 87,000 miles.

Differences between model years

Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2021 model year drew the most — 432 complaints — while 2025 drew the fewest at 75. The median year sits at 237.

The first year of the generation, 2021, sits above the median. That is a common pattern — early production of a redesigned vehicle tends to surface problems that later years do not repeat — and it is worth weighing when choosing between years.

Recalls and what they cover

NHTSA records 20 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.

The campaigns cluster around the transmission and driveline (3), the seat belts (3), the hydraulic brake circuit (2). Repeated recalls against the same area of the car generally mean the first remedy did not fully resolve the underlying problem.

Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.

Reported severity

Of the 1,181 complaints filed against this generation, 20 reported a crash; 27 reported an injury. Crash-involved reports represent 1.7% of the total.

These are owner-reported outcomes, not verified investigations, and they are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. They are included because the distinction between a fault that strands a car and a fault that causes a collision is the one that matters most, and it is not visible in a complaint count alone.

What this means if you are buying one

For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 16,000 and 75,000 miles, with a median of 37,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.

On inspection, the engine and the transmission and driveline are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The engine in particular shows a median failure mileage of 38,118, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.

None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.

Documented problems

Recalls (20)

What owners reported

Other generations

• Gmc Yukon 1992–1999
• Gmc Yukon 2000–2006
• Gmc Yukon 2007–2014
• Gmc Yukon 2015–2020