GMC YUKON DENALI XL · model year

2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL

16 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2006GMCYUKON DENALI XL carries 16 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2006 YUKON DENALI XL is service brakes with 5 filings, followed by electronic stability control (esc) (3) and engine (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 2006 YUKON DENALI XL. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

16
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

16 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES5
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)3
ENGINE2
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
POWER TRAIN1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1
STRUCTURE1

Recent Complaints

20181229SERVICE BRAKES

BRAKES FAILED WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS OR AND KIND OF INDICATION . FLUID DRIPPING OUT REAR OF VEHICLE. I WAS ALMOST IN A BAD ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS ,ALSO WENT INTO A PANIC ATTACK. HAD OTHER PEOPLE AND MY LIFE IN DANGER.

Mileage: 101,000

20171025ENGINE

EXHAUST LEAK. BOLT BROKEN ON DRIVER SIDE

Mileage: 158,080

20170906ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

TRACTION CONTROL IS COMING ON WHEN I TAKE OFF FROM A COMPLETE STOP CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOSE SPEED. I WAS ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS!

Mileage: 201,856

20160426STRUCTURE

ROOF HAS CONSTANT LEAK WHEN IT RAINS. IT LEAKS THROUGH THE FRONT SIDE ON DASHBOARD/RADIO, AND THROUGH DVD PLAYER LOCATED ON ROOF. WE HAVE TO COVER VEHICLE EACH TIME WE HEAR IT IS GOING TO RAIN. I HAVE SEEN THERE ARE MILLIONS OF OTHER DRIVERS WITH YUKONS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. CHECKING TO SEE IF THIS WOULD BE AN ISSUE GMC WOULD RESOLVE FOR OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

20151104SERVICE BRAKES

AGAIN, I AM WRITING. I IMPLORE YOU TO REINVESTIGATION GMC FOR RUSTED BRAKE LINES. WE REPLACED OURS AFTER THEY WERE SO RUSTED, BEING A CAMPING FAMILY, TOWING A TRAILER WE COULD HAVE ALL DIED. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR OFFICE HAS INVESTIGATED THIS AND FOR WHATEVER REASON DETERMINED IT WAS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR BUT I THINK THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT IS ON OVERLOAD AND DIDN'T WANT TO HANDLE ANOTHER GM RECALL. GM AND CONSUMERS KNOW THAT THE COMPANY GOT AWAY WITH NOT ISSUING A RECALL. YES, I AM ANGRY AT THE $800 WE HAD TO PAY TO REPAIR THIS BUT I AM MORE ANGRY THAT AFTER GM WAS CONTACTED FOR REIMBURSEMENT I GOT NO WHERE AND THEY WERE SNARKY AND ADMITTED AS MUCH THAT THEY WEREN'T MADE TO BE RESPONSIBLE. AGAIN, I ASK THAT YOU REOPEN THIS INVESTIGATION ON BEHALF OF CONSUMERS. AFTERALL, IF IT WAS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND AN INDUSTRY WIDE PROBLEM WHY IS IT ONLY GM CARS. YES, I LIVE IN PA BUT I LIVE IN SOUTHERN PA WHERE WE DON'T TYPICALLY GET ALOT OF SNOWY OR ICY WEATHER. MY CAR IS GARAGE PARKED AND ONLY DR

Mileage: 125,000

20150921ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP OR AT A SLOW SPEED THE CAR STALLS LIKE ITS RUNNING OUT OF GAS, WHEN THAT HAPPENS ON THE DIAGNOSTIC CENTER ON THE CAR READS "TRACTION ACTIVE", AND THEN CAR BEHIND ME BLOWS THEIR HORN TELLING ME TO MOVE, THEN THE CAR TAKES OFF. ITS REALLY SCARY WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC IN THE INTERSECTION OR TRYING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND TRYING TO GO AND IT STALLS. SOONER OR LATER SOMEONE IS GOING TO RUN INTO THE BACK OF ME OR WHEN I'M IN THE INTERSECTION I WILL BE T-BONE AND SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. I TOOK IT TO THE GM REPAIR CENTER AT ART MORAN 9/10/2015 AND THEY TELL ME THERE'S NOTHING WRONG. THE SERVICE ADVISOR REGGIE GARRETT ASK IF THEIR WAS A CERTAIN TIME IT WOULD ACT LIKE THIS AND I TOLD HIM IT SEEMS LIKE WHEN ITS HOT OUTSIDE IS WHEN I NOTICE IT. THEN, THE VERY NEXT MORNING ABOUT A HALF MILE INTO THE DRIVE IT DID THE SAME THING. SO I CALLED REGGIE UP AND TOLD HIM IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF ITS HOT OUTSIDE OR COOL IT DOES

Mileage: 57,200

20150921ENGINE

WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP OR AT A SLOW SPEED THE CAR STALLS LIKE ITS RUNNING OUT OF GAS, WHEN THAT HAPPENS ON THE DIAGNOSTIC CENTER ON THE CAR READS "TRACTION ACTIVE", AND THEN CAR BEHIND ME BLOWS THEIR HORN TELLING ME TO MOVE, THEN THE CAR TAKES OFF. ITS REALLY SCARY WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC IN THE INTERSECTION OR TRYING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND TRYING TO GO AND IT STALLS. SOONER OR LATER SOMEONE IS GOING TO RUN INTO THE BACK OF ME OR WHEN I'M IN THE INTERSECTION I WILL BE T-BONE AND SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. I TOOK IT TO THE GM REPAIR CENTER AT ART MORAN 9/10/2015 AND THEY TELL ME THERE'S NOTHING WRONG. THE SERVICE ADVISOR REGGIE GARRETT ASK IF THEIR WAS A CERTAIN TIME IT WOULD ACT LIKE THIS AND I TOLD HIM IT SEEMS LIKE WHEN ITS HOT OUTSIDE IS WHEN I NOTICE IT. THEN, THE VERY NEXT MORNING ABOUT A HALF MILE INTO THE DRIVE IT DID THE SAME THING. SO I CALLED REGGIE UP AND TOLD HIM IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF ITS HOT OUTSIDE OR COOL IT DOES

Mileage: 57,200

20150921FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP OR AT A SLOW SPEED THE CAR STALLS LIKE ITS RUNNING OUT OF GAS, WHEN THAT HAPPENS ON THE DIAGNOSTIC CENTER ON THE CAR READS "TRACTION ACTIVE", AND THEN CAR BEHIND ME BLOWS THEIR HORN TELLING ME TO MOVE, THEN THE CAR TAKES OFF. ITS REALLY SCARY WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC IN THE INTERSECTION OR TRYING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND TRYING TO GO AND IT STALLS. SOONER OR LATER SOMEONE IS GOING TO RUN INTO THE BACK OF ME OR WHEN I'M IN THE INTERSECTION I WILL BE T-BONE AND SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. I TOOK IT TO THE GM REPAIR CENTER AT ART MORAN 9/10/2015 AND THEY TELL ME THERE'S NOTHING WRONG. THE SERVICE ADVISOR REGGIE GARRETT ASK IF THEIR WAS A CERTAIN TIME IT WOULD ACT LIKE THIS AND I TOLD HIM IT SEEMS LIKE WHEN ITS HOT OUTSIDE IS WHEN I NOTICE IT. THEN, THE VERY NEXT MORNING ABOUT A HALF MILE INTO THE DRIVE IT DID THE SAME THING. SO I CALLED REGGIE UP AND TOLD HIM IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF ITS HOT OUTSIDE OR COOL IT DOES

Mileage: 57,200

20150127CrashSERVICE BRAKES

ON JANUARY 21, 2014 I HAD WRECK IN MY 2006 GMC YUKON THAT ONLY HAD 31K ON IT HITTING A 2011 CHEVY CRUZE THAT WAS STOPPED AT A RED TRAFFIC SIGNAL; I TRIED TO BRAKE AT SPEED OF 45 HOWEVER THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR, DUE TO COMPLETE BRAKE LINE FAILURE DUE TO CORRODED BRAKE LINES. ON DECEMBER 13, 2013 I HAD JUST GOTTEN A VIRGINIA STATE SAFETY INSPECTION. *TR

Mileage: 31,585

20140701SERVICE BRAKES

AFTER A FULL DAY OF DRIVING WITH MY CHILD IN THE CAR I WENT OUT ON MY OWN TO GET HIM MEDICINE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP AT THE END OF MY BLOCK THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT FUNNY. I WENT TO THE NEXT STOP SIGN AND ATTEMPTED TO STOP AND MY VEHICLE WOULDN'T STOP. I ENDED UP ROLLING RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. I REALIZED THERE WAS A BIG PROBLEM SO CRAWLED BACK TO MY DRIVEWAY. I THEN NOTICED THE WHOLE UNDERSIDE OF MY VEHICLE WAS WET AND NOW MY DRIVEWAY WAS SOAKED WITH BRAKE FLUID. ONE OF THE STEEL LINES BURST. AFTER I LOOKED AT THEM I NOTICED THEY ARE ALL RUSTED AND IN VERY BAD SHAPE. I NOW HAVE A MECHANIC HAVING TO REPLACE ALL THE BRAKE LINES IN THE CAR SO THAT I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHEN DRIVING MY 1 YEAR OLD AROUND WITH NO BRAKES. *TR

Mileage: 132,000

20131202POWER TRAIN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD ABNORMALLY UPON ENGAGING. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO DECELERATE UNTIL AFTER THE GEAR LEVER WAS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED BRAKE FLUID LEAKING ON THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE DRIVER'S SIDE BRAKE LINE WAS REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE TRANSMISSION OIL LINE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000.

20131202SERVICE BRAKES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD ABNORMALLY UPON ENGAGING. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO DECELERATE UNTIL AFTER THE GEAR LEVER WAS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED BRAKE FLUID LEAKING ON THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE DRIVER'S SIDE BRAKE LINE WAS REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE TRANSMISSION OIL LINE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000.

20111115ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

RECENTLY, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY 2006 YUKON DENALI XL W/ A 6.0 ENGINE. THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST SHOWED A GAS CAP PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER, THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A CLICKING SOUND. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. WHILE IN THE SHOP, THE MECHANIC DISCOVERED 2 BOLTS THAT WERE BROKEN ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND IT WAS FOUND THAT ONE OF THE BOLTS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IS BROKEN, BUT THE PASSENGER SIDE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WAS NOT YET LEAKING. THE AUTO SHOP WAS ABLE TO EXTRACT ONE OF THE BOLTS, BUT HAS FOUND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE OTHER ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WITHOUT PULLING THE ENGINE. THIS IS A NECESSARY REPAIR BECAUSE IMPROPER EXHAUST IS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF EPA STANDARDS. FURTHERMORE, ENGINE FIRES CAN RESULT FROM THIS TYPE OF ISSUE. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS OTHER GM VEHICLE OWNERS WITH A SIMILAR EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLT PRO

Mileage: 102,000

20100111TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM

INTERMITTENTLY, WHEN MY 2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL IS AT A STOP LIGHT OR SIGN AND I AM DRIVING LESS THAN 10MPH AND I GO TO ACCELERATE (NOT SPINNING THE TIRES AND NOT ON WET OR SLIPPERY SURFACES) THE "TRACTION ACTIVE" MESSAGE DISPLAYS AND I LOSE ALL POWER FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS. THIS MANY TIMES HAS LEFT ME IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WITH ON-COMING TRAFFIC. I HAVE GOOGLED THIS TRACTION ACTIVE AND THERE ARE MANY ARTICLES FROM OTHER YUKON OWNERS STATING THEY HAVE THE EXACT SAME ISSUE THAT I AM HAVING. I PRINTED OFF 9 PAGES AND TOOK TO MY DEALER/SERVICE DEPARTMENT (SIMMONS ROCKWELL IN BATH, NY) AND AFTER LOOKING AT THE VEHICLE, THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. I EVEN SUPPLIED THEM WITH AN ABS RECALL DOCUMENT ID # 1819672 OF WHICH THE SUBJECT IS 'PRODUCT SAFETY ' FRONT WHEEL SPEED SENSOR CORROSION #05068B. THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A CONDITION PERMITTING CORROSION TO OCCUR BETWEEN THE FRONT HUB/BEARING ASSEMBLY AND THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR. IF THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED WHILE TH

Mileage: 76,000

20100111VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

INTERMITTENTLY, WHEN MY 2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL IS AT A STOP LIGHT OR SIGN AND I AM DRIVING LESS THAN 10MPH AND I GO TO ACCELERATE (NOT SPINNING THE TIRES AND NOT ON WET OR SLIPPERY SURFACES) THE "TRACTION ACTIVE" MESSAGE DISPLAYS AND I LOSE ALL POWER FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS. THIS MANY TIMES HAS LEFT ME IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WITH ON-COMING TRAFFIC. I HAVE GOOGLED THIS TRACTION ACTIVE AND THERE ARE MANY ARTICLES FROM OTHER YUKON OWNERS STATING THEY HAVE THE EXACT SAME ISSUE THAT I AM HAVING. I PRINTED OFF 9 PAGES AND TOOK TO MY DEALER/SERVICE DEPARTMENT (SIMMONS ROCKWELL IN BATH, NY) AND AFTER LOOKING AT THE VEHICLE, THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. I EVEN SUPPLIED THEM WITH AN ABS RECALL DOCUMENT ID # 1819672 OF WHICH THE SUBJECT IS 'PRODUCT SAFETY ' FRONT WHEEL SPEED SENSOR CORROSION #05068B. THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A CONDITION PERMITTING CORROSION TO OCCUR BETWEEN THE FRONT HUB/BEARING ASSEMBLY AND THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR. IF THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED WHILE TH

Mileage: 76,000

20100111ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

INTERMITTENTLY, WHEN MY 2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL IS AT A STOP LIGHT OR SIGN AND I AM DRIVING LESS THAN 10MPH AND I GO TO ACCELERATE (NOT SPINNING THE TIRES AND NOT ON WET OR SLIPPERY SURFACES) THE "TRACTION ACTIVE" MESSAGE DISPLAYS AND I LOSE ALL POWER FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS. THIS MANY TIMES HAS LEFT ME IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WITH ON-COMING TRAFFIC. I HAVE GOOGLED THIS TRACTION ACTIVE AND THERE ARE MANY ARTICLES FROM OTHER YUKON OWNERS STATING THEY HAVE THE EXACT SAME ISSUE THAT I AM HAVING. I PRINTED OFF 9 PAGES AND TOOK TO MY DEALER/SERVICE DEPARTMENT (SIMMONS ROCKWELL IN BATH, NY) AND AFTER LOOKING AT THE VEHICLE, THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. I EVEN SUPPLIED THEM WITH AN ABS RECALL DOCUMENT ID # 1819672 OF WHICH THE SUBJECT IS 'PRODUCT SAFETY ' FRONT WHEEL SPEED SENSOR CORROSION #05068B. THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A CONDITION PERMITTING CORROSION TO OCCUR BETWEEN THE FRONT HUB/BEARING ASSEMBLY AND THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR. IF THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED WHILE TH

Mileage: 76,000

Compare 2006GMCYUKON DENALI XL to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL have?
The 2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL has 16 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL?
The most-complained component for the 2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL is SERVICE BRAKES with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) and ENGINE.
Is the 2006 GMC YUKON DENALI XL safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.