Recalls (3)
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2016 GMC Yukon XL. Check whether yours was repaired with NHTSA's free VIN lookup ↗
Only NHTSA and your automaker know whether your specific car was repaired. PlainVIN shows every recall campaign listed for a model year, with the official text and how many cars have been fixed so far.
Check on NHTSA ↗Listed for 2016 GMC Yukon XL. Not checked against your VIN.
Frontal Air Bags May Not Deploy
Air bags · frontal
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- 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.
84.4% repairedof 40,683 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 17V437000
Listed for 2016 GMC Yukon XL. Not checked against your VIN.
Frontal Air Bags May Not Deploy
Air bags · frontal
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- 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.
90.3% repairedof 3,640,162 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 16V651000
Listed for 2016 GMC Yukon XL. Not checked against your VIN.
NHTSA: Do not drive. NHTSA says owners should not drive these vehicles until the recall repair is done. What a Do Not Drive recall means
Upper Control Arms May Have Insufficient Welds
Suspension · front · control arm
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. The front upper control arms may have inadequate welds near the control arm bushing.
- Consequence
- Inadequate welds may allow the control arm to separate from the bushing, compromising steering and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been made, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 42190.
99.4% repairedof 3,738 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 16V256000
PlainVIN shows public government records for education. It isn't a vehicle inspection or legal advice. Check your own VIN with NHTSA or your dealer.
Owner complaints (230)
230 complaints filed with NHTSA (owner reports, not verified findings). The exterior lighting is mentioned most often.
9involved a crash
2involved a fire
3injuries reported
0deaths reported
As reported by owners in their complaints. These are reports, not NHTSA findings.
Most-reported components
| Component | Complaints | % of 230 |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior lighting | 99 | 43% |
| Service brakes | 42 | 18.3% |
| Power train | 36 | 15.7% |
| Electrical system | 34 | 14.8% |
| Engine | 28 | 12.2% |
| Unknown or other | 16 | 7% |
| Suspension | 11 | 4.8% |
| Steering | 9 | 3.9% |
| Structure | 7 | 3% |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 5 | 2.2% |
How 2016 compares with other Yukon XL years
Best and worst Yukon XL years →201241
201335
201416
2015372
2016230
2017151
201855
201968
202047
2021227
| Model year | Complaints | Recall campaigns |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 41 | 4 |
| 2013 | 35 | 4 |
| 2014 | 16 | 3 |
| 2015 | 372 | 2 |
| 2016 | 230 | 3 |
| 2017 | 151 | 1 |
| 2018 | 55 | 2 |
| 2019 | 68 | 2 |
| 2020 | 47 | 2 |
| 2021 | 227 | 12 |
This year (2016)Other yearsStill collecting reports
Counts are owner reports, not failure rates. Higher sales years tend to draw more reports. Owners are still filing reports for recent model years, so these counts will grow. Source: NHTSA ODI, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
Crash tests: 4 stars overall
Overall★★★★☆
Frontal crashDriver 4★ · Passenger 4★★★★★☆
Side crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 5★★★★★★
Side pole★★★★☆
RolloverRollover risk 20.3%★★★☆☆
Compare fairly. Compare stars only between vehicles of similar size and weight. Ratings apply to the tested configuration.
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP), 2016 GMC Yukon XL suv 4wd, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
Looking at a 2016 Yukon XL for sale?
Print a one-page buyer's checklist: each recall campaign with a box to tick when the seller shows proof of repair, the top complaint areas to inspect, crash stars, MPG, and a link back to this page.
Where to next
2016 GMC Yukon XL FAQ
How many recalls does the 2016 GMC Yukon XL have?
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns: 17V437000 (air bag), 16V651000 (air bag), 16V256000 (suspension). Use NHTSA's VIN lookup to see whether a specific car was repaired.
What are the most common 2016 GMC Yukon XL problems?
Owners filed 230 complaints with NHTSA. Exterior lighting (99), Service brakes (42), Power train (36) are mentioned most. These are owner reports, not verified findings.
What safety rating did the 2016 GMC Yukon XL get?
NHTSA rated the 2016 GMC Yukon XL suv 4wd 4 stars overall, with 4 stars frontal, 5 stars side and 3 stars rollover (20.3% rollover risk).
How does the 2016 Yukon XL compare with other years?
Among the 2012–2021 GMC Yukon XL model years at least five years old, the 2014 drew the fewest complaints (16) and the 2015 the most (372). The 2016 drew 230. Counts are owner reports, not failure rates.
How this page was madeSources, processing, limits, review and changes
Data sources
- NHTSA recalls by vehicle
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - US DOT recall completion rates (data.transportation.gov)
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - NHTSA ODI owner complaints
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - NHTSA NCAP 5-Star Safety Ratings
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - EPA fuel economy data (licence confirmation pending)
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - EIA weekly retail gasoline prices
Weekly, all taxes included
Processing
- Complaints are counted per component. One complaint can list several, so component totals add up to more than the total.
- Fuel cost = miles per year ÷ EPA combined mpg × EIA weekly price for your region.
Limitations
- Complaint counts are owner reports, not verified findings or failure rates. There is no sales denominator.
- Recall campaigns are listed for the model year. Only NHTSA and the automaker know whether a specific car was repaired.
- Recent model years are still collecting reports.
Review
Data compiled automatically from the official files listed here.
Changelog
- 2026-10-06 Data refreshed from the official files.
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