2023 GMC Yukon XL: won't start

Filed Apr 8, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · MI

I own a 2023 GMC Yukon Denali. In Nov. 2023, at about 4,000 miles, the vehicle suffered a complete engine and electrical failure at highway speed while I was traveling with my husband and three small children. It suddenly lost all power in the fast lane, including acceleration and engine function. Steering became extremely heavy, consistent with loss of power steering assist, and the electronics shut down. We had to guide the vehicle across traffic while coasting downhill to the shoulder beyond a guardrail. Traffic had to avoid us, creating a serious safety hazard. The vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed and required a complete engine replacement under warranty. After that replacement, additional issues followed. There was an HVAC/defrost concern. In June 2025, the vehicle again became inoperable without warning while parked at a store. It would not start despite repeated attempts, including by a dealership representative. A diagnostic scan produced over a page of error codes, but the dealership could not identify a cause and stated the vehicle was safe. In Dec. 2025, the vehicle engine was inspected under a recall and I was told there were no issues. In Feb. 2026, the vehicle lost heat and was found to have no coolant despite regular maintenance and recent inspection. In Mar. 2026, at about 37,700 miles, the vehicle developed a loud clunking noise while driving. I stopped driving and returned it to the dealership, where I was told the engine had failed again and required another full replacement. The vehicle has now had two engine failures and three engines installed in less than three years. There were no warning lights or prior indications before these failures. I no longer believe this vehicle is safe or reliable for transporting my family.

Filed Mar 30, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · NC

The vehicle has the L87 GM engine. It lost complete power and the engine seized up and would not start again. Fortunately I was able to roll into a neighborhood and get off the main road with no issues. The dealer has confirmed the seized engine and a replacement engine has been ordered with no ETA. There was no prior warning of the failure, besides a shuddering, like I was running out of gas, and then a lose of complete power.

Filed Mar 14, 2026 · Engine · CO

Drove vehicle to town and back, 20 mile round trip. When entering my property, the Engine stalled while pulling into driveway. Upon cranking, was very hard to start. When taking the next trip after engine stall, vehicle died in motion at 60mph approaching a traffic intersection with no warning, leaving very little time to navigate to the shoulder and off the roadway. Engine will not crank over, suspect Engine has failed again, currently at dealer awaiting diagnostics. No lights, warnings, noises or indications of Engine failure were observed during the drive cycle.

Filed Feb 9, 2026 · Engine · CO

On 12/22/2025 I took my 2023 GMC Yukon in for the L87 recall. After receiving information that my vehicle passed the recall they told me that the oil would be change to from OW-20 to OW-40 and that my oil changes would go up in price (double the price) due to the oil being a high performance oil. On 01/05/26 exactly two weeks and 616 miles later our engine and lights completely stopped working while driving it on the road!!! The vehicle would not start or switch into neutral so we could get the vehicle off the road due to blocking traffic! The vehicle was towed the GMC dealership and had to have a new engine replacement. We were out of our vehicle for 31 days. Now our vehicle rear view camera guidelines have stopped working and now have to put that under warranty claim.

Filed Dec 25, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · NC

Vehicle has 56000 miles currently and at 47000 transmission had to be replaced due to defective valve body. At 56000 miles, motor was replaced due to broken lifter. The vehicle currently will not start.

Filed Jul 7, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · MO

Speed control became stuck and I had to hit my breaks to stop acceleration. Vehicle stopped shifting while driving down the road periodically. Warning collision lights and traction control lights randomly come on with nothing in front of vehicle. Yesterday vehicle would not start or even unlock. When I did get the vehicle to start by manually unlocking it and trying over and over it would not go forward or backward although the engine did rev up. All warning lights were on including traction control and check engine. It did randomly start moving but the “service steering column” light and check engine light are still on . The car periodically revs up while going down a hill when it needs to downshift instead. It has completely shut off driving down the road through town and stopped. I had to hurry and turn it back on as there were cars behind me. It’s a 2023 and I don’t feel safe driving it with my kids.

Filed Apr 22, 2025 · Engine · WI

While driving on the freeway at about 70mph, the lights on the dash lit up and the message "Push Button to Start" showed up. At that point the vehicle started decreasing in speed. When the accelerator was depressed, nothing happened. Luckily the freeway was not crowded and the vehicle was able to coast the side of the road where it came to a stop. Pushing the start button did nothing except bring up the dash information. Engine would not start or even try to start. AAA was called and the car was towed to a dealership. The dealer has since determined that the engine is locked up. The oil had metal in it and an engine replacement will be needed. They have put in an order for a new engine. There were no warning lights or CELs of any kind. The engine just stopped working without any warning. The 6.2l engine on the GM line of SUVs and trucks seems to be known for doing this. If this were a busy time of day or there was more traffic it may not have been so easy to pull to the side of the road. It is only a matter of time before these engine issues result in an injury or worse, a fatality. The solution to replace a faulty engine with another engine that has not been redesigned or fixed is an unsafe and risky solution.

Filed Feb 14, 2025 · Engine · AL

While driving on the interstate at 75mph the vehicle shutdown and would not allow a restart. I had to coast over to the emergency lane with no engine power. Once stopped the vehicle would not start. After having the vehicle hauled to the dealership I was informed that the engine had locked-up and a new engine would have to be ordered and replace the engine. The dealership could not provide me with a repair date because they said GMC has lots of problems with this engine and it would be backordered.

Filed Feb 12, 2025 · Engine · PA

Engine blew up on interstate and left the vehicle in mobilized with only 60,000 miles and all regular maintenance was completed just catastrophically shut off and would not start in the middle of the interstate

Filed Feb 11, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · UT

We were driving uphill on the highway, about 60 mph when the engine appeared to loose some power for about 10 seconds even though the engine was reving higher, and the ln the engine cut out. We coasted to a stop and then the electrical system was cutting out. I tried to restart the engine but it would not turn over at all, and the car’s electrical was intermittent. There was no warning or error lights before or during the engine failure. Photos provided are the messages on the instrument cluster when attempting to restart the engine. Vehicle was towed to the local GMC dealership, and they are replacing the engine under warranty. No eta on the engine replacement at this time.

Filed Jan 23, 2025 · Engine · FL

On [XXX] while on vacation out of state with my family our 2023 GMC Yukon XL Denali stalled out on [XXX]. After safely navigating through 5 o'clock traffic just outside of Atlanta, the vehicle would not turn over or even attempt to start back up. We contacted onstar for assistance and was advised to stay with the vehicle while they dispatched a tow truck. After approximately 2 hours we contacted onstar again and was advised a tow truck wouldn't be available until morning. We then were able to obtain a ride with Lyft that totaled over $100 with 5 people and was given a $50 credit. I was forced to use Hilton Honors points to book a hotel. Then after the next morning around 10am I was advised the tow truck was enroute to the car. I then took an Uber to Enterprise where I was able to get a rental vehicle. And made my way to the dealership that our Yukon was towed to. After speaking with the service advisor I was told they wouldn't even have a diagnosis for a couple weeks. So we proceeded to head home (with the rental breaking down and several other issues we had to overcome). After we were able to get another rental vehicle, we made it home around 2am. We returned this rental vehicle as it was not suitable for our family, and contacted GM in hopes to get a rental vehicle while our $120k vehicle is sitting in the parking lot of a dealership 8 hours from our home. Only to be told they'd allow $44/day for a rental and we would need to rent it initially and they would reimburse us after we submitted our receipts. Unfortunately $44/day does not get us anything that can accommodate our family and finances are not allowing for this at this time. So we are managing with 1 car. On 1/9, we received a call from the dealership stating our engine was locked up, non repairable and they were waiting for guidance from GM. Then on 1/23 I was then advised by my GM rep that she was transferring the case to someone else and they would advise when the new engine has shipped. Unacceptable INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF I

Filed Jan 22, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · OR

My engine stopped while I was driving. Unable to accelerate and the car will not start and is dead. Transmission light and DEF service lights came on. Luckily I was able to pull over to safety, barely. It was towed to the GMC dealership and waiting for it to be looked at. There were NO warning lights that came on previous to when this happened. This is a HUGE SAFETY concern for GM and it needs to be a recall because many, many others have reported the same complaints.