The Worst GMC Yukon Model Year You Should Never Buy
The Yukon is one of GMC’s largest vehicles in the lineup, known for its spacious interior and super big appearance on the road. Powerful but luxurious in the interior, the Yukon has always brought style to the family hauler segment. But as the Yukon has been around for a few decades now, some model years have proven better than others. Here’s the one GMC Yukon model year to avoid at all costs.
The worst GMC Yukon of them all
CarComplaints.com collected all submitted complaints from owners of the GMC Yukon, from model years 1993-2020. In its model year comparison, it’s easy to see that some model years have more problems than others. Unimpressively getting more complaints than any other model year, the 2015 GMC Yukon has 155 total complaints.
Not only does the 2015 Yukon have significantly more complaints than any other model year, but it also takes Car Complaints’ title of “Worst Model Year” based on “several factors such as repair cost and average mileage when problems occur.”
The 2015 GMC Yukon’s biggest problem areas
Out of the top three worst-rated problems for the GMC Yukon by Car Complaints, two are found in the 2015 model year. Rated the worst overall problem for all Yukon model years, nearly 40 owners of the 2015 Yukon claim their taillights don’t work properly. Most owners are required to replace the taillight assembly at an average of around 60,000 miles and an average repair cost of $760. The “lights problems” category seems to be the 2015 GMC Yukon’s worst problem area, with more complaints than any other category (43).
The third-worst-rated overall problem for the GMC Yukon is also found in the 2015 model year. Earning a Severity Rating of 7.7 (out of 10), 18 owners report problems with the A/C not working. This is happening at an average of 65,000 miles and costs around $1,000 to fix. 26 total owners report problems with their 2015 Yukon’s A/C or heater, making A/C/heater problems the category with the second-most complaints.
While 43 owners have complaints about lights and 26 have complaints about the A/C, that’s a far cry from the 155 total complaints on Car Complaints. 17 owners say they experience hesitation, vibration, jerking, and random shifting with the transmission. 12 owners report problems with interior accessories, while 11 have problems in the body/paint category and nine complain of suspension problems.
According to Consumer Reports, the 2015 model year was a redesign for the GMC Yukon, but not in a good way. The 2015 GMC Yukon comes with a poor overall reliability rating from Consumer Reports of one (out of five), listing equipment, paint/body, suspension, and even brakes as its biggest trouble areas. The 2015 GMC Yukon also has 10 recalls reported by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) for its engine, powertrain, airbags, power steering, brakes, and electronic stability control.
Do some model years perform better than others?
Car Complaints ranks the 2015 GMC Yukon as its worst model year but places “interior accessories problems” as its overall worst category across all model years. “The most common Yukon interior accessories problems cost $700 to fix & occur at 82,000 miles,” with the 2015, 2007, and 2003 model years performing worst in the category. Conveniently enough, the 2007 and 2003 model years also receive the second- and third-highest number of complaints at 94 and 60, respectively.
While staying away from those three model years seems obvious, there are multiple model years that have little-to-no complaints at all. GMC Yukons from model years 2012-2014 all have less than five complaints, while even older model years 1995-1998 all have three or fewer total complaints.
