NHTSA vehicle safety data

2008 GMC Yukon Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

The 2008 GMC Yukon has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns and 188 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized GMC dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2008 GMC Yukon, plus NCAP crash-test ratings. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

Pre-purchase inspection checklist → Reliability & 5-year cost forecast →

2008 GMC Yukon owner complaints

Owners have filed 188 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 GMC Yukon, describing incidents dated August 27, 2007 to July 31, 2026.

Most-cited components

Air Bags 96 complaints
Electrical System 30 complaints
Unknown or Other 29 complaints
Structure 26 complaints
Latches/Locks/Linkages 17 complaints
Engine 15 complaints

Of the 188 complaints on file, 3 report a crash and 5 a fire; across all 188 complaints, owners report 5 injuries (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

ODI #11773262 · Filed October 23, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2008 GMC Yukon. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was an independent dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 157,944. It was later discovered while checking the Carfax report, that the…
ODI #11753971 · Filed July 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Yukon. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer failed to repair the vehicle on the scheduled date and retained the vehicle without providing a…
ODI #11752455 · Filed July 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission shifted from first gear to second gear and the vehicle intermittently stalled. The contact shifted to park and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle was shifted into drive and returned…

Read all 188 complaints

Owner-reported

2008 GMC Yukon mileage at failure

92 of the 188 complaints on file for the 2008 GMC Yukon give the vehicle's mileage when the problem happened.

Mileage at failure by component, from owners' complaints to NHTSA
Component	Median	Middle half	Based on
Air Bags	Median 90,000 miles	Middle half 70,000–130,000 miles	Based on 30 complaints

A component's median is its 50th percentile, and its middle half runs from its 25th to its 75th percentile.

Owners give the mileage themselves, often as a round number, and NHTSA doesn't check it. A complaint that names several components counts under each one, and mileages that can't be right, such as 999,999, or 50 miles on a five-year-old car, are left out.

These figures describe the complaints owners filed. They don't predict when a particular vehicle will have a problem, and vehicles that never had one aren't counted.

Mileage from NHTSA's complaints file of October 31, 2026. How these figures are worked out

NHTSA defect investigations

NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2008 GMC Yukon in 4 investigations. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

Engineering Analysis EA21-002: Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Open since September 17, 2021
Preliminary Evaluation PE09-044: Interior Door Handle Laceration Risk
Closed May 23, 2010
Engineering Analysis EA08-010: NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Closed September 8, 2008
- Recall 08V-441
Preliminary Evaluation PE08-010: NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Closed June 12, 2008

Open and recently closed NHTSA defect investigations

Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode

NHTSA #21V050000 · Air Bags — Frontal — Passenger Side — Inflator Module · NHTSA notice

Reported February 5, 2021 · General Motors, LLC

Potentially affected: 2,641,272 vehicles

Repair completion: 44.01% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Manufacturer campaign N212328760 · Owners notified March 1, 2021 · Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation

Recall group: Takata airbag inflators

Defect description

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Safety consequence

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Manufacturer remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode

NHTSA #21V052000 · Air Bags — Frontal — Passenger Side — Inflator Module · NHTSA notice

Reported February 5, 2021 · General Motors, LLC

Potentially affected: 557,023 vehicles

Repair completion: 54.81% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Manufacturer campaign N212328780 · Owners notified September 20, 2021 · Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation

Recall group: Takata airbag inflators

Defect description

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Safety consequence

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Manufacturer remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328780.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

HEATED WINDSHIELD WASHER MODULE SHORT CIRCUIT

NHTSA #10V240000 · Electrical System · NHTSA notice

Reported June 4, 2010 · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Potentially affected: 1,365,070 vehicles

Owners notified June 11, 2010

Defect description

GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.

Safety consequence

IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

Notes

OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV>HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV</A> .

HEATED WIPER WASHER SYSTEM

NHTSA #08V441000 · Electrical System · NHTSA notice

Reported August 28, 2008 · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Potentially affected: 857,735 vehicles

Manufacturer campaign 08048 · Owners notified September 12, 2008 · Vehicles built April 30, 2007 – November 30, 2007 (per NHTSA) · Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation

Defect description

GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WIPER WASHER FLUID SYSTEM. A SHORT CIRCUIT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE WASHER FLUID HEATER MAY OVERHEAT THE CONTROL-CIRCUIT GROUND WIRE.

Safety consequence

THIS MAY CAUSE OTHER ELECTRICAL FEATURES TO MALFUNCTION, CREATE AN ODOR, OR CAUSE SMOKE INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM, GMC AT 1-866-996-9436; OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .

Notes

GM RECALL NO. 08048. CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV>HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV</A> .

2008 GMC Yukon 4-DR. w/SAB

—

out of 5

Overall Safety Rating

Not Rated

Frontal Crash

Not Rated

Driver: 5, Passenger: 5

Side Crash

Not Rated

Driver: 5, Passenger: 5

Side Pole

Not Rated

Rollover

23% rollover risk

Safety Technology

Electronic Stability Control

5 investigations

188 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2008 GMC Yukon.

Electrical System

ODI #11773262

Incident: November 15, 2025 · Filed: October 23, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2008 GMC Yukon. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was an independent dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 157,944. It was later discovered while checking the Carfax report, that the mileage was 312,118.

Air Bags

ODI #11753971

Incident: July 31, 2026 · Filed: July 31, 2026

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Yukon. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer failed to repair the vehicle on the scheduled date and retained the vehicle without providing a loaner vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Power Train

ODI #11752455

Incident: July 23, 2026 · Filed: July 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission shifted from first gear to second gear and the vehicle intermittently stalled. The contact shifted to park and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle was shifted into drive and returned to normal operation. The failure reoccurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Air Bags; Service Brakes; Engine

ODI #11691942

Incident: August 7, 2025 · Filed: October 7, 2025

the passenger-side frontal airbag inflators, The determination was made that the propellant in these inflators may degrade after long-term exposure to high humidity and temperature cycling, which could cause the inflator to rupture during a deployment.

Engine and Engine Cooling

ODI #11657669

Incident: October 15, 2024 · Filed: April 29, 2025

I purchased a MagnaFlow aftermarket catalytic converter system for my 2008 GMC Yukon SLT 5.3L through Walmart’s online marketplace, sold by a third-party vendor called OurDealsRock. The product was advertised as “50-state legal” and compatible with vehicles registered in New York State. However, shortly after installation, my check engine light turned on, and diagnostic codes P0420 and P0430 (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold) appeared. Initially, I thought this was a minor sensor issue, but over time, the vehicle’s performance gradually deteriorated. I noticed reduced acceleration, poor fuel economy, and eventually significant loss of power. The vehicle began shaking under load, misfiring, and overheating. These symptoms worsened steadily—not immediately—but progressively after continued driving with the aftermarket converter installed. I had the vehicle inspected by a certified mechanic, who confirmed that the MagnaFlow converter was not CARB-compliant, was not approved for use in New York, and that it had been illegally marketed as such. He also informed me that prolonged use of a non-compliant, malfunctioning converter caused excessive backpressure, leading to complete engine failure over time. The diagnosis was confirmed by a second mechanic before I committed to the engine replacement. The product was later removed from Walmart’s site, becoming unavailable for sale in my zip code [XXX] ) shortly after my initial complaint. This shows clear acknowledgment that it should never have been sold to a New York consumer in the first place. But by the time it was taken down, the damage had already been done. Component/system that failed: •MagnaFlow aftermarket catalytic converter system •Ultimately caused failure of the vehicle’s engine block Safety concerns: •My family and I were unknowingly driving with a damaged and failing engine •The vehicle’s degraded performance, overheating, and power loss could have compromised our safety during highway d INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Structure

ODI #11552253

Incident: October 27, 2019 · Filed: October 27, 2023

Dashboard is severely cracked & rattles so badly that it interferes with hearing outside & inside noises & communication. Has gotten worse over past year. Dealer confirmed that the problem was prevalent among several GM models, including my model. I was also told that a class action suit was filed against GMC for this problem, but was dismissed by judicial system.

Unknown or Other; Engine; Fuel/Propulsion System

ODI #11548163

Incident: October 4, 2023 · Filed: October 4, 2023

When beginning to drive forward after coming to a stop at an intersection. The vehicle will often stall in the middle of the intersection. Requiring me to switch it transmission into natural and restart it as it’s rolling. I almost gotten rear ended many times I always get honked at. It just a matter of time before it causes an accident. It sometime happens after turning as well. I looked at forums on this gmc Yukon hybrid. And it looks like many other owners are asking the same question and nobody is coming up with any answers. Other customers say the dealer told them the hesitation is Normal. I took my truck into a local repair shop and he called me after three weeks saying it was done, but it still had the check engine light on and still is stalling out in intersections. Charge me $2000. This has been happening daily since I got the vehicle

Power Train; Electrical System; Engine

ODI #11531148

Fire

Incident: July 23, 2022 · Filed: July 9, 2023

It started shutting off at a light for autostop.but when it would turn green it would intermittently just drop out of autostop without restarting. Then may start back up or maybe not, many time after restarting at the light it would died in the middle of the inspection. A parasitic draw kept killing the accessory 12 V battery replaced the 12 V battery but the problem continued. When the truck was running it would run flawlessly,before stalling. The code said to replace the auxiliary fluid pump. I had it a new auxiliary fluid pump installed. After this the vehicle wouldnt crank. They then worked through a service bulliten fixing a list of areas were the harness was chaffed and shorted. The truck has been out of commission the past 10 months and intermittently started twice during this time, it ran rough for 5 mins and died out at the first stop sign and wont crank again. Some times it will crank but not start.

Engine

ODI #11471937

Incident: June 28, 2022 · Filed: July 1, 2022

Oil leak in Engine in motor problem

Suspension; Power Train; Engine

ODI #11471936

Incident: June 28, 2022 · Filed: July 1, 2022

Truck stop without any warning for no reason oil is leaking from the truck for no reason just got it not long ago

Other GMC Yukon model years

Check your 2008 GMC Yukon VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your GMC Yukon at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

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