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2005 GMC Yukon Denali Xl

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2005 GMC Yukon Denali Xl do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 29.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

31 reports with mileage · 3 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports

Power Train complaints

4 reports
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98,680 miles · Feb 7, 2014
Power TrainService Brakes

WINTER 2014, CONNECTICUT - BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY PEDDLE FELT MUSHY AND GOING DOWN FARTHER THAN NORMAL. DROVE SON TO SCHOOL QUARTER MILE TO SCHOOL AND NOTED THE LACK OF BRAKING ABILITY. LUCKILY ROLLING STOPS AND KEEPING DISTANCE FROM OTHER CARS ALLOWED ME TO GET BACK HOME. LOOKED UNDER CAR, DRIPPING BRAKE FLUID FROM UNDER MI…

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WINTER 2014, CONNECTICUT - BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY PEDDLE FELT MUSHY AND GOING DOWN FARTHER THAN NORMAL. DROVE SON TO SCHOOL QUARTER MILE TO SCHOOL AND NOTED THE LACK OF BRAKING ABILITY. LUCKILY ROLLING STOPS AND KEEPING DISTANCE FROM OTHER CARS ALLOWED ME TO GET BACK HOME. LOOKED UNDER CAR, DRIPPING BRAKE FLUID FROM UNDER MIDDLE OF CARD. HAD THE SENSE TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER; FOR THE $2400 ESTIMATE, THEY ALSO SAID THAT MY TRANSMISSION LINES WERE LEAKING SO ESTIMATE ALSO INCLUDED THE LABOR/PARTS TO REPLACE BOTH SETS OF LINES TO FIX BOTH LINE RELATED ISSUES. I'VE ALSO HAD THE MISS PLEASURE OF HAVING TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION ($3500) THIS YEAR AS WELL. SLIPPING AND EVENTUALLY IT WAS GOING TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT SO HAD TO OPEN THE WALLET FOR THAT. ANOTHER ISSUE (ELECTRICAL) - I SHUT THE CAR OFF WITH THE BLOWER MOTOR ON (HEATER IN THE WINTER) AND THE BLOWER MOTOR STAYED ON EVEN AFTER THE CAR WAS SHUT OFF, NO KEYS. IT CONTINUED TO RUN AND WOULD HAVE DRAINED THE BATTERY HAD I NOT DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. PULLING THE FUSE HAD NO EFFECT. ($600) I HAVE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE BOTH THE FRONT AIRBAG SENSORS IN THE FRONT BUMPER. ONE WENT AND TWO WEEKS LATER THE OTHER WENT. NO IMPACTS, THEY JUST DIED. ($1200 FOR BOTH). I HAVE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR AIR SHOCKS ($2500) I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED (SUPPOSEDLY GM CERTIFIED)) FROM A CHEVY DEALER NOT MORE THAN 3 YEARS AGO WITH 75K MILES. I NOW HAVE 99K MILES. AS I SIT AND TYPE THIS ALL DOWN FOR THIS SUBMISSION, I REALIZE JUST HOW MUCH HAS GONE WRONG WITH THIS CAR & MATCHES UP WITH OTHER OWNER STATEMENTS ON THIS WEBSITE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10563444

Mileage unknown · May 29, 2012
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 GMC YUKON DENALI XL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR INDICATOR ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL NO LONGER ILLUMINATED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE AS TO WHAT GEAR THE VEHICLE WAS ENGAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTAC…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 GMC YUKON DENALI XL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR INDICATOR ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL NO LONGER ILLUMINATED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE AS TO WHAT GEAR THE VEHICLE WAS ENGAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. UPDATED 7/16/12 *CN UPDATED 07/18/12

NHTSA ODI #10459928

82,000 miles · Nov 12, 2010
Power TrainCrash

VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 102 CONCERN TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER. THE SHIFT INDICATOR IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DOES NOT ILLUMINATE. WHEN THE SHIFT LEVER POSITION INDICATOR DOES NOT ILLUMINATE, THE DRIVER DOES NOT KNOW WHICH GEAR THE VEHICLE IS IN. D,R,N,P..ECT.

NHTSA ODI #10365497

66,152 miles · Mar 9, 2007
Electrical SystemEngine And Engine CoolingExterior Lighting

PURCHASED NEW YUKON DENALI XL ON 3/19/05. INITIALLY MY HUSBAND AND I NOTICED THE SEAT POSITION MEMORY WAS FAULTY. PROBLEM WAS MINOR DID NOT REPORT IT. REPLACED THE HEAD LIGHTS EVERY 2 MONTHS ~ DROVE US CRAZY BUT WE DID NOT COMPLAIN. LESS THAN 8 MONTHS PAINT ON THE CONSOLE AND ACCESSORY BUTTONS PEELED. FINALLY ON 3/2/07 I WAS DRI…

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PURCHASED NEW YUKON DENALI XL ON 3/19/05. INITIALLY MY HUSBAND AND I NOTICED THE SEAT POSITION MEMORY WAS FAULTY. PROBLEM WAS MINOR DID NOT REPORT IT. REPLACED THE HEAD LIGHTS EVERY 2 MONTHS ~ DROVE US CRAZY BUT WE DID NOT COMPLAIN. LESS THAN 8 MONTHS PAINT ON THE CONSOLE AND ACCESSORY BUTTONS PEELED. FINALLY ON 3/2/07 I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND GOT A TRANSMISSION HOT MESSAGE. FURIOUS AND CONCERNED I DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE DEALER FOR ASSISTANCE. LATER THAT DAY I FIND OUT THAT MY LESS THAN TWO YEAR OLD TRUCK COSTING ABOUT $50,000 NEEDED A NEW RADIATOR AND COOLANT SYSTEM, REPLACED RADIATOR HOSES UPPER AND LOWER,HEATER HOSES, REPLACED COOLANT JUG, REPLACED THERMOSTAT, REPLACE BYPASS HOSE AND TRUCK NEEDED AN EXTENSIVE ENGINE BLOCK COOLING FLUSH, FURTHER INDICATING THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR FLUID MIXED - TOTALING $2,100. TRUCK WAS IN THE SHOP ON 1/12/07 FOR REGULAR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE, WHICH INCLUDED INSPECTION OF THE RADIATOR, COOLANT SYSTEM AND HOSES. ON 3/6/07, CALLED TO CHECK ON MY TRUCK TO FIND OUT THAT THERE WAS SLIGHT DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION; HOWEVER, THE ADVISOR STATED " I WOULD NOT GET THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED RIGHT NOW, JUST BEGIN A SERVICE FOR A NEW VEHICLE" JUST THE WORDS YOU WANT TO HEAR AFTER WASTING YOUR MONEY ON A LUXURY SUV. I CONTACTED GMC CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY INDICATED THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON THE ISSUE. AFTER DOING AN IN DEPTH ONLINE SEARCH I AM NOW AWARE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. GMC AS WELL AS THE DEALER ACT AS IF IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL SO OWNERS HAVE NOT PRESSED THE ISSUE. MANY OWNERS STATE THAT THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN THE RUN AROUND SO THEY GET THE CAR REPAIRED AND DON'T PURSUE THE ISSUE. THIS MATTER NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION AND POSSIBLE RECALLS. NO AUTOMOBILE SHOULD HAVE TRANSMISSION / RADIATOR/ COOLANT/ ELECTRICAL (HEAD LIGHT) /MEMORY MALFUNCTION OR CHEAP INTERIOR ISSUES WITHIN 2 YRS. GMC NEEDS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND EXCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR POORLY MANUFACTURED YUKON DENALI. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10184650

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.