2023 GMC Yukon: won't start

Filed Oct 11, 2026 · Engine · NC

On September 20, 2026 around noon while traveling in the left lane on interstate 40W in North Carolina the engine of my 2023 Yukon Denali seized up with no warning. The screens shut off, then turned back on, and as I attempted to avoid hitting anyone or causing an accident on the road, I tried to shift it back into gear and it would not shift back into gear. Unable to use the gas pedal I put my right turn signal on along with my hazards and slowly made my way over to the right breakdown lane carefully to avoid causing an accident. I tried to start the engine again and the screens would turn back on, tell me to push the start/stop button again, then the screens would turn back off and on again and the engine would not start back up. In the breakdown lane I checked the battery connections and a couple other things that I thought might be the issue, but I had a feeling this was the engine issue that caused the safety recall on the 6.2 L GMC engine. My safety, my wife’s safety, and every other vehicle around me was put at risk because of this, and it could’ve ended horribly in injury or possible death. Prior to this, I brought the vehicle in for the safety recall inspection, it passed, and they changed the oil and type of oil filter to “fix the issue“. I used OnStar to set up a tow (which we paid for out of pocket), the estimated wait time was four hours, so we called an Uber (which we also paid for out of pocket) that took over an hour and a half to pick us up due to location on the highway. Vehicle was towed to a dealership and is available for inspection if requested. The next business day, the dealership was unable to get the engine to start and diagnosed with complete engine failure. They began the process of setting up a complete engine replacement. Said it may take 3 to 4 weeks. I am skeptical and think it will take more time. There were zero warning lamps, messages, or noises that could be heard prior to the failure which makes this incident so dangerous.

Filed Aug 27, 2026 · Transmission · AL

The powertrain malfunctioned and it at the dealership for an engine replacement. The vehicle lost propulsion on a 2-lane road while passing another vehicle. It cut off completely and started to decelerate. There was no warning or indication that this would happen and was dangerous in that I was accelerating to pass another vehicle when the event occurred. I was able to safely pull into a driveway, but the vehicle would not crank as it could not detect what gear it should be in. It was towed to a GMC dealership locally who confirmed 2 days later that the engine would have to be replaced. It is under warranty and will take 3-4 weeks.

Filed Aug 24, 2026 · Engine · NC

This car was subject to the GM Recall N2524940000 – This is related to engine failure in the vehicle. My Yukon Denali received the recall service on XXX at Liberty Buick GMC in XXX. It was determined that my engine would not fail and the car needed the heavier oil and a new oil filter. The car also received a 10 year warranty on the engine as part of the recall. XXX We were traveling down XXX Southbound on XXX headed to Atlanta to see family for Easter Break. My wife, son CJ (Age -XXX), XXX (XXX), and our English Cream Golden Retriever , Goose. We were traveling at 75 MPH on cruise control when a car came out in front of me. The car slowed down to adjust for the car moving out in front of us and then the engine completely shut-off and the car shifted into neutral. The car electronics turned off briefly, then came back on, with the dashboard saying “Push Start to turn on”. I hit the start button and nothing happens, I pushed the button several more times and still nothing happened. This occurred between 1:45 - 2:00 At this point, I begin to move into the right lane as we are approaching Exit XXX in [XXX]. I pull off on the exit, go about half way down and pull to the side, stopping the car. I place the car into Park and then push start on the car, nothing happens. I attempt to do this for about 5 Minutes and the engine still will not start and the car will not shut off completely (All electronics are still working). There were no warning signs that the vehicle would fail. The vehicle was inspected by GMC who determined that the engine had failed and would require full replacement. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Mar 16, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · NV

My 2023 GMC Yukon Denali with the 6.2L V8 suffered a sudden loss of propulsion while traveling at approximately 70–75 mph on the highway with my wife and young daughter in the vehicle. The engine RPM dropped immediately to zero and the vehicle displayed a message instructing me to press start. I do not recall any meaningful prior warning lamps or symptoms before the failure. I did not hear a loud bang or other dramatic engine noise; the vehicle simply lost power and would not continue driving under engine power. I had to coast across lanes/shoulder to a stop, which created a serious safety risk to my family and other drivers because the vehicle lost propulsion at freeway speed without warning. After stopping, the vehicle would not restart. Pressing the start button produced only a click from under the hood and the engine would not crank. The vehicle was towed to a GMC dealership in Victorville, California. The dealer has since confirmed that the engine requires full replacement. The failure has therefore been confirmed by an authorized GMC dealer and the vehicle should be available for inspection through that dealership/manufacturer if requested. This is especially concerning because this vehicle was already part of the known GM 6.2L recall population and had supposedly passed the recall inspection/remedy before I purchased it. Despite that, the engine still failed catastrophically only about 1,355 miles into my ownership. Purchase mileage was approximately 26,343 and failure occurred at approximately 27,698 miles. Based on what the dealer told me, the failed component/system is the engine assembly.

Filed Jan 21, 2026 · Engine · GA

We received a notification that our 2023 GMG Yukon Denali Ultimate engine needed to be tested as a part of a recall. We took the vehicle to our local GMC dealership. The engine was tested and determined to "pass". The "pass", we were told, meant that we did not need a new engine, just thicker oil, and that the engine was safe. Mind you, our car was a custom order, took 8 months to receive, and is not even 3 years old. The vehicle is my everyday driver. I have two kids and live in a large city with a lot of traffic. A few months after it was determined to "pass", I was driving with my kids and dog in the car. The abruptly stopped, putting itself in neutral. Luckily, I had just turned off of a major interstate and onto a side road. The car would not start or move out of neutral leaving me and my kids in the middle of the road. It now needs a new engine. Prior to this issue, the battery died a few weeks after we took delivery of the vehicle. SAFETY!!!! If this happened just a few minutes prior, I would have been on a major interstate in one of the nation's worst traffic cities. My car would have abruptly shut down absolutely risking other cars hitting my car. All of this could have been avoided if GMC recalled AND REPLACED all impacted engines. The GMC service tech admitted that they (GMC) knew it was a "band-aid" that wouldn't work. GMC is putting lives at risk. In addition, we now have a vehicle we paid more than $150k for that is virtually worthless.

Filed Aug 11, 2025 · Brakes, Steering · VA

1.    First incident While driving, the brakes failed and the entire infotainment/tablet system locked up. This presented a severe safety risk to my family and others on the road. The vehicle had to be towed to DEALER where I was told that “no problems were found.” I documented the incident with photos and videos showing the warning messages and system status.     2.    Second incident Approximately one week ago, after shutting off the vehicle, a “steering wheel lock” warning appeared and the truck became completely disabled. Even with jumper cables, it would not start. The vehicle had to be flatbed towed to DEALER. I again documented the incident with photos and videos showing the warnings.

Filed May 1, 2025 · Engine · CO

Driving on freeway, engine shut down and transmission shifted to neutral. Contacted onstar and remote diagnostics showed no issue. Truck would not start. Towed to dealership. After a week could not diagnose problem. Dealer had GM specialist diagnose vehicle who said required new engine. Claimed metal shavings in oil system but did not specify cause. Engine replaced at manufacturer expense. Did not receive reimbursement for rental car as promised. Dissatisfied with vehicle, traded out after owning for only a year.

Filed Apr 17, 2025 · Engine · SD

[XXX] [XXX] [XXX] April 17th, 2025 Spearfish Cadillac Attn: [Service Manager or General Manager] North Main Spearfish, SD 57783 Subject: Engine Failure and Safety Concerns – 2023 GMC Denali Ultimate (6.2L V8) Before ordering my 2023 GMC Denali Ultimate (MSRP $96,000), I raised concerns about online reports of engine problems with the 6.2L V8. I was assured by your staff that there were no known issues with this engine and that I had nothing to worry about. However, within the first year of ownership, I began reading verified reports about widespread engine failures involving this same 6.2L engine across various GM models. I contacted your dealership again and was told that my vehicle’s VIN did not indicate any problem or need for replacement. Since that time, I have experienced two severe engine failures, both at highway speeds of approximately 80 mph. Each failure caused my vehicle to abruptly shut down and lurch into a different lane of traffic—creating traumatic and extremely dangerous situations for both myself and surrounding drivers. In addition, I encountered another instance in which the engine would not start. A stranger helped me jump-start the vehicle on two separate occasions. Believing the issue could be battery-related, I replaced the battery (which was less than three years old), only to suspect later that the engine may have partially locked up. I am formally requesting the following: A written response confirming whether a replacement engine has been or will be installed in my vehicle, and if so, whether it is a new build, remanufactured, or an identical L87 engine model. Confirmation of whether any updated parts or engineering revisions were made to resolve known lifter or bearing issues. Full disclosure of any Customer Satisfaction Programs (CS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 28, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 20,549 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle independently shifted into neutral and stalled in the middle of the highway. An unknown message was displayed. In addition, after restarting the vehicle, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the transmission then shifted into neutral(N) independently after driving for several miles. The contact stated that the vehicle would not crank and was towed to a local dealer. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into neutral and was towed while in park(P). The vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the local dealer for further investigation. The contact related the failure to GM investigation: PE25001. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,549.

Filed Feb 11, 2025 · Engine · OK

My vehicle was being driven by my Nanny and had my children in the car, the engine started making a strange noise so she was required to pull over on a busy highway bridge in Tulsa, OK. There was no warning of any issues with the vehicle before this incident. It then would not start and had to be towed to a GMC Dealership in Broken Arrow, OK. They informed me the entire engine is locked up and has to be rebuilt.

Filed Feb 8, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · AK

While driving the 370 miles from Fairbanks to Anchorage with our family and dogs, our vehicle shut down completely with no warning. The drive is through a very remote section of Alaska. While passing a slower vehicle, our Yukon completely shut down, to include the all controls including the dash and lights. We were unable to complete the pass, leaving us in direct line with on coming traffic with no ability to speed up to get around the other vehicle. The other vehicle, not knowing we had lost all power, continued driving the same speed and eventually we were able to get back into the proper lane and coast to a stop on the side of the 2 lane highway. The vehicle would not start and with the temperatures outside at 12 degrees it got chilly fast. Luckily we travel with all of our winter gear. Had this incident happened on one of the many steep descents or curves with snow and ice, the outcome could have been disastrous. My wife has decided that if the vehicle does get fixed, she does not feel safe driving home in it. Reading online forums show that this is a very common occurrence and individuals are looking into a class action lawsuit against GM due to the safety issues associated with this. An individual passing by had a code reader and tried to reset the ECM but could not. I will include the report.

Filed Feb 6, 2025 · Engine · TN

January 16, 2025: Driving down the interstate near Atlanta Ga going 75 MPH, our 2023 Yukon Denali with 28,585 miles on it, abruptly started gearing down. The vehicle would not accelerate, it was coming to a stop on its on. Traffic was very heavy and it was a very scary situation. After managing to get the vehicle barely off the interstate it totally lost power and would not start. The vehicle was towed to the local GMC Dealership and within 30 minutes they told us the engine had locked up. We had to get a rental car to continue our trip and haven’t had much luck, so far, getting reimbursed. As of today February 6th, GMC cannot give us an estimated repair date as our engine is on back order!