Vehicle randomly goes into reduce engine power mode and stalls while driving. This has happened multiple times while driving on a highway and going up a hill where it nearly caused a three catastrophic accidents. Basic research shows that gm has known about this issue since the vehicles were a few years old and it affects many years of gm vehicles. There is a problem with bad grounding connectors related to the throttle body sensor and and wiring harness.
The worst 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical24
- Brakes17
- Acceleration8
- Engine8
- Steering7
- Transmission6
- Body4
- Visibility3
- Driver assistance2
- Airbags1
- Fuel system1
- Suspension1
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Technical service bulletins for the 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500 94
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on OnStar Module 2G Sunset Information.
- This service bulletin explains how to measure for oil consumption and possible reasons for loss of oil.
- Unknown or other
- Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles
- GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities
- This service bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves...
- This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as...
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS)...
- This Warranty Administration bulletin provides retail and wholesale service personnel with the...
What 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Brake lines corroded resulting in loss of brakes and rear ending school bus. Replaced all brake lines at my cost as well as the damage to the front end of the truck. Now, the known ABS brake sensor issue is activating the ABS at low speeds.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc yukon xl 1500. The contact mentioned that the previous owner of the vehicle experienced a failure with the reduced engine power warning indicator. The dealer replaced the throttle body, but the failure continued before the contact owned the vehicle. The contact experienced the warning light randomly flashing, which drastically reduced the speed to less than 20 MPH. The contact had to constantly turn off and restart the vehicle, but the failure continued to progress randomly. The dealer replaced the wiring, 02 sensor, the throttle body was replaced a second time, the battery, and the alternator. The repairs failed to provide a permanent solution and the warning light continued to illuminate for the reduced engine power. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 188,000.
Antilock brakes began to apply themselves in right hand turns going up and down hill at speeds up to 45 MPH. Almost causes me to loose control of vehicle. Had to take to hurricane chevrolet several times to get fixed cost almost $4000
Reduced engine power mode on hwy at 70 MPH
While traveling to work my vehicles check engine light came on and the reduced power warning came on at which time I had complete loss of acceleration, complete loss of braking, and complete loss of steering power. I then had to coast to a stop and attempted to restart the vehicle 6 times before I was able to get the reduced power warning to go off and was able to drive although the check engine light stayed on. This is the 2nd time this has happened to me in 2 days with the loss of power. I have had the reduced power warning on numerous occasions years past but never have I lost total / absolute power to control the vehicle, this is a total death trap for anyone who has had this experience, especially on the freeway or highways at high speeds. I have read numerous accounts of this same issue affecting other gmc owners and have seen no resolutions or any recalls from gmc. I have already replaced the throttle housing and harness components, acceleration pedal sensor and yet the issue continues, someone is going to ( die ) because of gmc's lack of concern and responsibility to owners of their products. I will never ever own another gmc associated product.
There is an error message that displays on the dash for myself and thousands of others who own gmc/chevy trucks with these motors. They have a defective throttle position sensor with the truck where it says "reduced engine power". I've found 2 technical service bulletins that somewhat address the issue, but many people take their trucks to mechanics and dealerships to get the issue fixed and spend thousands of dollars in repairs and troubleshooting to get the issue resolved, to no avail. The 2 technical service bulletins that I found were #pip3089b (dated 10/31/2006) and #pip3042a (dated 8/30/2004). I've seen on many many forum posts about this issue and possible fixes, which when I read deeper into them, seem to not be true fixes.
I keep having the display say "reduced engine power". I'll be driving on the highway, doing 65 in rush hour traffic, when all of the sudden the accelerator no longer accelerates and it displays "reduced engine power" on the gauge cluster display. From what I've seen online it appears to be an issue with the throttle position sensor on thousands of other similar vehicles with the same engine, chevy suburban's, silverado's, tahoe's, etc. I replaced the throttle position sensor and the harness (because I heard the harness might also be an issue) and I am still having the same problem with my truck. It has done it over a dozen times on one trip back from work (80 miles for me). I have to pull over to the side of the road (if possible) and turn off the truck, then wait a short period of time, then turn the truck back on. This usually fixes the issue, but it did not help me when it happened to me in the tunnel and I was going 5 MPH (top speed during the "reduced engine power" mode, once your drifting stops (because you drift, it doesn't engage the brakes). I was extremely worried that I wouldn't make it out of the tunnel without get rear ended, and once I made it out, I was just outside of the tunnel awaiting roadside assistance, it was very frightening, with my daughter in the car.
Iwas driving at low speed went to stop at stop sign when brake peddle went to floor.I crashed into stop sign to stop . Truck was towed to dealer. I was told to major brake line burst. Truck is now at dealer being fixed. At a price of 2800.00. Something has to be done. This can't go on any longer.
Vehicle has been serviced several times since first occurrence in september 2014. "reduced engine power" and service engine soon signals appear on vehicle panel causing engine power to be reduced in a matter of seconds. Has happened to me going 10mph, 55mph, and 70mph on highway, causing a near rear collision because I lost power so quickly. I have had it serviced 6 or 7 times since september 2014 and this issue is not getting resolved. Throttle body sensor replaced twice, throttle body harness replaced, all wires, and sensors have been cleaned and thoroughly inspected. Reduced engine power occurs weekly even after being serviced.
Compare the 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500
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Questions about the 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500
Is the 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500 reliable?
Owners have filed 63 complaints about the 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500, 2.7 times a typical Yukon XL 1500 model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.
What is the 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500 year score?
The 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500 scores 33 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the GMC Yukon XL 1500: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500?
Electrical system, with 24 complaints, typically around 95,000 miles. Next is brakes (17).
How many recalls does the 2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500 have?
No recalls on record.
What year does the GMC Yukon XL 1500 have the most electrical problems?
The GMC Yukon XL 1500 model years with the most electrical complaints are 2003 (24 complaints), 2004 (18 complaints) and 2007 (11 complaints).
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