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Reliability report · 2023 GMC Yukon · Updated July 2026 · ~$3,650/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

Complaints rise again and half are the engine — GM wrote two separate programmes for this build that both end in a new engine.

By 2023 the fifth-generation Yukon has settled everywhere except under the hood. The seat-belt campaigns are gone, the software chaos of 2021 is gone, and the four remaining recalls are a lighting compliance fix, a rear suspension bolt, a brake-warning-lamp software update and the engine. But complaints go up rather than down, and the reason is visible in the components field: engine, engine, engine. GM's paperwork agrees. Three separate documents cover engine failure on this build — recall 25V274 for connecting rods and crankshafts on the 6.2L, a customer satisfaction programme for engines whose lifter bores were machined oversized, and a second programme for a mis-built overhead camshaft ladder assembly. The remedy on both programmes is the same four words: dealers will replace the engine.

That sounds worse than it is to own, because all of it is free and the coverage is unusually long — ten years or 150,000 miles from first service for the 6.2L failure, regardless of ownership. It is worse than it looks to buy, though, because a truck can pass the recall inspection and fail anyway: the passing remedy is higher-viscosity oil, a new fill cap and a new filter, and GM's field action makes the switch to 0W40 permanent. Also new for 2023: recall 23V642 covers rear suspension control-arm bolts that were not heat-treated properly and can break, which is an independent-rear-suspension-era problem the old truck could not have had. Check the VIN against all four campaigns and both engine programmes. Same truck under the skin — see the 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe report.

Evidence: 211 NHTSA complaints · 4 recall campaigns · 5 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Squawking

What that means: 211 federal complaints, up from 164 in 2022, and the file is dominated by one component: roughly half the recent sample carries an engine tag. Four recalls, all free. What sets this year apart is GM's own response to it — beyond recall 25V274, this build carries two additional customer satisfaction programmes whose remedy is written identically: replace the engine. One is for oversized lifter bores, one for a mis-built camshaft ladder assembly. Squawking because the coverage is real and long, but the engine is the whole conversation on a 2023.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

211

Federal complaints

4

Recalls

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Three documents, one engine — and two of them just replace it

major
  • 5.3L V8
  • 6.2L V8

Recall 25V274 covers 2021–2024 trucks with the 6.2L V8 whose connecting rods or crankshaft may have manufacturing defects leading to engine damage and failure. Dealers inspect and repair or replace the engine free; a truck that passes gets higher-viscosity oil, a new oil fill cap, a new filter and a manual update, and GM's field-action bulletin makes that oil change permanent — 0W40 for the life of the engine. A Special Coverage of ten years or 150,000 miles from first service, regardless of ownership, sits behind it. Then there are two customer satisfaction programmes written specifically against this build. The first: "Certain vehicles may have a condition in which the engine lifter bores may be oversized. Dealers are to replace the engine." The second: "Certain vehicles may have a condition in which the overhead camshaft ladder assembly was mis-built and installed on the engine. Dealers will replace the engine." Three defects, one component, and roughly half this year's complaint sample tagged to it.

This is a 5.3L V8 and 6.2L V8 problem. The 3.0L Duramax diesel doesn’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Inspection, repair or engine replacement under recall 25V274

$0

Engine replacement for oversized lifter bores (GM programme)

$0

Engine replacement for a mis-built camshaft ladder assembly (GM programme)

$0

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 GMC Yukon · NHTSA recall database and GM manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and field action N252494000; oversized lifter bore engine-replacement programme; camshaft ladder assembly engine-replacement programme; transmission control valve Special Coverage; engine coolant control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor-shortage retrofit programmes; Super Cruise map programme; air-levelling suspension preliminary information bulletins)

Rear suspension control-arm bolts can breakmajor

Recall 23V642 covers 2023 Escalade, Escalade ESV, Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles where "the rear suspension outer control arm bolts may not have been properly heat-treated, which can cause the bolts to break." GM's consequence: "A broken suspension bolt can result in misalignment of the rear wheel, increasing the risk of a crash." Dealers replace both rear suspension outer control-arm bolts free, and owner notification letters were mailed on 14 November 2023. This is a problem the previous-generation truck could not have had — it belongs entirely to the independent rear suspension introduced in 2021. It is a quick fix but a structural one, so confirm it was actually done rather than assuming the truck was sold with it complete.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and GM manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and field action N252494000; oversized lifter bore engine-replacement programme; camshaft ladder assembly engine-replacement programme; transmission control valve Special Coverage; engine coolant control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor-shortage retrofit programmes; Super Cruise map programme; air-levelling suspension preliminary information bulletins)

$0

Rear suspension control-arm bolts under recall 23V642

Brake fluid can run low with no warning lightmajor

Recall 24V674 covers 2023 Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 and 2023–2024 Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, Yukon XL, Escalade and Escalade ESV vehicles where "the electronic brake control module software may fail to display a warning light when a loss of brake fluid occurs," a noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 135. GM's consequence line is the point: "Without a warning light, the vehicle may be driven with low brake fluid, which can reduce braking performance." The module software is updated over the air or by a dealer, free, and owner letters were mailed on 25 October 2024. It costs nothing and takes minutes, but until it is done the truck will not tell you it is losing brake fluid — so check the reservoir yourself as well as checking the campaign.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and GM manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and field action N252494000; oversized lifter bore engine-replacement programme; camshaft ladder assembly engine-replacement programme; transmission control valve Special Coverage; engine coolant control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor-shortage retrofit programmes; Super Cruise map programme; air-levelling suspension preliminary information bulletins)

$0

Brake module software under recall 24V674

Ten-speed control valve — covered for fifteen yearsmoderate

The ten-speed's control valve wears and loses hydraulic pressure, producing harsh shifting, a service-engine-soon message, reduced performance and diagnostic code P0747. GM's Special Coverage runs fifteen years or 150,000 miles from first service, regardless of ownership, and pays for a new valve body. Note that the two transmission recalls in this family do not reach this model year — 24V797 covers the 2021 diesel and 26V085 covers 2022 gas trucks with ETRS — so on a 2023 the special coverage is the mechanism, not a recall. That is still generous coverage on a truck this new. Drive it long enough to feel shifts under load, and ask whether the valve body has ever been replaced.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 GMC Yukon · NHTSA recall database and GM manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and field action N252494000; oversized lifter bore engine-replacement programme; camshaft ladder assembly engine-replacement programme; transmission control valve Special Coverage; engine coolant control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor-shortage retrofit programmes; Super Cruise map programme; air-levelling suspension preliminary information bulletins)

$0

Control valve body under GM Special Coverage (15yr/150k)

It may be missing features it was invoiced formoderate

The semiconductor shortage ran into this model year and GM's language is plain: "Due to the industry-wide semiconductor shortage, the front heated/ventilated seats, front heated seats, or rear heated seats are not functional on certain 2022-2023 model year vehicles listed above, built beginning November 15, 2021. The affected vehicle owners should have been made aware of the condition at sale, and notified that once parts are available, they would be eligible for a no additional cost retrofit." Companion programmes cover the heated steering wheel and park assist. A separate 2023 programme is stranger and worth knowing: vehicles "invoiced for a lighted sill plate" but fitted with a standard one, where "dealers will provide the customer with a reimbursement check in the amount of $495.00 USD." Compare the window sticker against what the truck actually does.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and GM manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and field action N252494000; oversized lifter bore engine-replacement programme; camshaft ladder assembly engine-replacement programme; transmission control valve Special Coverage; engine coolant control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor-shortage retrofit programmes; Super Cruise map programme; air-levelling suspension preliminary information bulletins)

$0

Heated seat, heated steering wheel and park assist retrofits

$495 reimbursement

Lighted cargo sill plate shortfall

Coolant control valve, battery drain and Super Cruise mapsmoderate

Three software-and-electrics programmes cover this build. The engine coolant control valve can fail an on-board diagnostic test, setting a code and lighting the check-engine lamp, and "in some cases, the engine cooling fans may run after the engine is switched off" — replaced at no charge on 2021 through 2023 trucks. A set of satisfaction programmes covers a battery that "is at risk for a drain following an over-the-air update," remedied by reprogramming the serial data gateway module and the radio. And on Super Cruise trucks, a programme covers the high-definition road maps the system depends on, with dealers reprogramming the automated driving mapping control module. None are safety items, but a flat battery on a dealer lot and a Super Cruise system that will not engage both have documented free fixes.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and GM manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and field action N252494000; oversized lifter bore engine-replacement programme; camshaft ladder assembly engine-replacement programme; transmission control valve Special Coverage; engine coolant control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor-shortage retrofit programmes; Super Cruise map programme; air-levelling suspension preliminary information bulletins)

$0

Coolant control valve under GM Special Coverage

$0

Gateway module and radio reprogram for battery drain

Air suspension, and what a leaking spring really costsmoderate

On air-levelling trucks the useful documents are GM's own bulletins: a pinched air inlet hose to the suspension compressor setting code C1197, air lines that were not fully seated, and — on the closely related long-wheelbase build — the levelling system "losing air pressure in very cold temperatures while sitting for several hours," remedied by replacing both front air springs. A 2023 bulletin also spells out the option codes to look for on the build sheet: RPO F47 for air levelling and RPO Z95 for Electronic Suspension Control. Two hands-on mechanic teardowns supply the economics: an air spring leaks, the compressor runs harder and more often to compensate, and eventually it burns out too. As one put it after ignoring a compressor that kept cycling, "then it went bad, so now I gotta replace the compressor too." Park it overnight and check for settling.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and GM manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and field action N252494000; oversized lifter bore engine-replacement programme; camshaft ladder assembly engine-replacement programme; transmission control valve Special Coverage; engine coolant control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor-shortage retrofit programmes; Super Cruise map programme; air-levelling suspension preliminary information bulletins) · Independent mechanic and owner channel transcripts (GM Z55 AutoRide air-suspension teardowns; GM AFM/DFM lifter teardown; fifth-generation used-Yukon overview)

Certain vehicles may have a condition in which the overhead camshaft ladder assembly was mis-built and installed on the engine. Dealers will replace the engine.
From the manufacturer’s own recall notice or service bulletin, in its words.

Open recalls

Free fixes at any GMC dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 25V2746.2L V8 connecting rod and/or crankshaft manufacturing defects can lead to engine damage and failure (2021–2024); engine inspected and repaired or replaced free, with higher-viscosity oil, a new fill cap and filter for engines that pass. Owner letters mailed 18 June 2025 (GM N252494000, NHTSA action PE25001).VERIFY BY VIN
  2. 24V674Electronic brake control module software may fail to display a warning light when brake fluid is lost, a noncompliance with FMVSS 135 (2023–2024); module software updated over the air or by a dealer, free. Owner letters mailed 25 October 2024 (GM N242447990).VERIFY BY VIN
  3. 23V642Rear suspension outer control-arm bolts may not have been properly heat-treated and can break, misaligning the rear wheel; both bolts replaced free. Owner letters mailed 14 November 2023 (GM N232415910).VERIFY BY VIN
  4. 22V903Daytime running lights may not deactivate when the headlights are on, causing glare (FMVSS 108, 2022–2023, expanding recall 22V-827); body control module software updated by dealer or over the air, free (GM N222386380).VERIFY BY VIN

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2023 Yukon

Three sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

17 MPG combined (15 city / 20 highway) for the RWD, 5.3L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 45627 (Yukon 2WD).
Other builds EPA lists: 4WD, 5.3L 17 MPG · RWD, 6.2L (premium fuel) 16 MPG · 4WD, 6.2L (premium fuel) 16 MPG · Diesel 4WD, 3.0L turbo 22 MPG.

$3,650/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Theft

Stolen about 16% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2022–24 models, published May 2025 (report WT-24). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: GMC Yukon 4dr 4WD.
Other series: GMC Yukon 4dr 44, where 100 = average.

84 vs 100

16% below average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Inspection, repair or engine replacement under recall 25V274$0
Engine replacement for oversized lifter bores (GM programme)$0
Engine replacement for a mis-built camshaft ladder assembly (GM programme)$0
Rear suspension control-arm bolts under recall 23V642$0
Brake module software under recall 24V674$0
Control valve body under GM Special Coverage (15yr/150k)$0
Heated seat, heated steering wheel and park assist retrofits$0
Lighted cargo sill plate shortfall$495 reimbursement
Coolant control valve under GM Special Coverage$0
Gateway module and radio reprogram for battery drain$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Confirm which engine the truck has, then check the VIN against recall 25V274 and against both engine-replacement satisfaction programmes — oversized lifter bores and the mis-built camshaft ladder assembly are separate documents.
  2. 02If 25V274 has been performed and the engine passed inspection, confirm the truck is now on 0W40 oil; GM's field action makes that permanent for the life of the engine.
  3. 03Do not treat a completed recall inspection as protection. The passing remedy is oil, a filter and a cap, and it does not change the hardware.
  4. 04Check recall 23V642 was actually completed — broken rear suspension bolts misalign a rear wheel, and this is a bolt replacement, not a software update.
  5. 05Check recall 24V674, then check the brake fluid reservoir yourself; until the software is updated the truck will not warn you that fluid is low.
  6. 06Drive it under load and feel for harsh shifts or a P0747 history; the valve body is covered for fifteen years or 150,000 miles.
  7. 07Get the original window sticker and test every listed feature — heated seats, heated steering wheel and park assist were omitted from builds after November 2021 and are retrofitted free.
  8. 08Listen for cooling fans running after shutdown, and ask whether the battery has ever gone flat after a software update.
  9. 09On an air-suspension truck, look for RPO F47 and Z95 on the build sheet, park it overnight to check for settling, and listen to the compressor on start-up.

Own one already?

The canary watches your VIN — new recalls and the mileage where known issues start.

Watch my VIN — free

vincanary.com/gmc/yukon/2023