The OEM LED taillights can fail due to a manufacturing deficiency. A metal strip that connects the LED's to the cars taillight circuit develops a crack and interrupts current flow to the taillight LED's. The above is common knowledge to the car community and is searchable on line. Concerns: 1) If both taillights are failed at the same time the vehicle doesn't have any of the required visible markings, especially at night. 2) From an economic point of view, unlike vehicles that use incandescent light bulbs that are easily replaced when burnt out, these LED light assemblies have to be completely replaced to the cost of several hundred dollars plus labor which could/will lead to the neglecting of this repair because of the economics. 3) Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED's are should last much longer to the point of outlasting the life of the vehicle. This isn't the case when there is a manufacturing defect. In my case on 10/21/21 the defective taillight assemblies was replace under a defective taillight extended warranty agreement. I requested to have both replaced because of the odds of the second one failing. They refused. So when the opposite side assembly failed recently i was out of the extended warrant date resulting in a cost to me of $392.88 labor included. In conclusion, The well documented failure of the above taillight assemblies leads to vehicles being non conforming to FMVSS.
2016 GMC Yukon XL lights problems
84 complaints (42% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 52,000.
- owner complaints
- 84
- of this car's complaints
- 42%
- typical mileage
- 52,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Tail lights2
- Brake lights2
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
GMC Yukon XL lights problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2016 GMC Yukon XL owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
There is a special policy to replace faulty tail lamps. However, the policy is only extended through 72,000 miles or 5 years which is ridiculous, and should be a recall. I had my drivers side tail lamp replaced in February 2022 because it was not working. I wasn’t aware of the mileage and year restrictions at that time. Fast forward to today, I have my passenger side tail lamp intermittently working. Now out of the specific time frame, I’m left to encounter this expense out of my own pocket. Clearly GM is aware of the problem, but has not issued a recall on the tail lamp issue. It’s not just a burned out brake light, but apparently an electrical issue with the way they were initially wired. This is a very dangerous situation, as I have no idea if and when my brake light is out. God forbid if they were to go out and I were to be rear ended due to GMs lack of taking responsibility.
The taillights, which included both the brake lights and running lights, quit working or only worked intermittently. Safety was put at risk because anytime we drove the vehicle in the dark (which is often!) the rear of the vehicle could not be seen, and the brake lights would not be activated when braking would occur, either day or night. This made us more likely to be in an accident, in my opinion, though thankfully we were not. Our regular mechanic did confirm that the lights were only working only intermittently, thought he did not have a solution but for replacing them, which would cost $800 a piece. There was no warning for this problem, the issue first appeared a year ago and we've been dealing with it since. I was finally able to purchase remanufactured taillights.
r rear taillight and brake light does not work and no indicator light to warn me. Do not know how long its been out. Afraid to drive. Had it checked and found special policy n182180270 . I contacted dealer and they said it would be $69.00 to just verify issue. contacted manufacture and was told it was out of coverage by less than 100 days. The vehicle has less than 40,000 miles and stays in garage. Case # 9-8269822 they said it had to be inspected by dealer that is a 40 mile round trip though traffic with no brake light , not safe especially when the instructions on the policy states just to turn light on and verify if it works ,if not replace unit.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH with her husband driving behind her, he noticed that the taillights were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the taillight functions were inoperable. The contact was informed that the failure experienced was similar to the Special Coverage under N182180270. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of coverage. The manufacturer was contacted and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 32,022.
My issue pertains to a known problem. The driver's side tail light has failed. GM issued Special Coverage Adjustment N182180270 because of this issue where the part was covered for up to 6 years or 72k miles. Mine failed after 6 years and 4 or 5 months at 66k miles. It's utterly ridiculous that a defective, $800 light is fine to break after 6 years with no warranty assistance.
The driver’s side brake light assembly failure of no brake light when brake is applied. It can be inspected upon request. This may cause another driver to not notice intentions to stop or slowdown and cause an accident. This problem is constant. It has not been inspected. No warnings of the failure has been displayed.
Last month the passenger tail light stopped working. We took it out not realizing that you have to replace the entire unit. So we put the tail light back in and it magically started working again. Then yesterday the driver's side tail light stopped working, so we did the same. Took it out, waited and put it back (since we know we can't just run to the store and get a new one), except this time it didn't start working. I know there's a recall on the tail lights but I can't seem to find anyone to help me. The vehicle is only 6 years old and the tail lights at $800 each, should last a lot longer than that!
Both brake/tail lights intermittently not functioning.
LED tail light unit continues to crack (metal inside) and not work. Each replacement is over $500. You have to replace or you’ll be ticketed because it is a safety hazard. It is not a bulb replacement it is a faulty design that is costing people thousands to fix and it’s not right. GMC is aware of this defect and they aren’t doing anything about it. Please help and recall these taillights to be replaced by the updated lights!! Thank you for your time and consideration.
Questions about the 2016 GMC Yukon XL lights
Does the 2016 GMC Yukon XL have lights problems?
Owners have filed 84 complaints about the lights of the 2016 GMC Yukon XL, 42% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2016 GMC Yukon XL lights problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 52,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2016 GMC Yukon XL lights?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the GMC Yukon XL have the most lights problems?
The GMC Yukon XL model years with the most lights complaints are 2015 (140 complaints), 2016 (84 complaints) and 2017 (39 complaints).
Other 2016 GMC Yukon XL problems
Brakes 41Transmission 33Electrical 30Engine 29Steering 9Suspension 9Body 7Fuel system 5Acceleration 4Airbags 3Driver assistance 2Seat belts 1Seats 1
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