2011 GMC Yukon Denali XL problems
NHTSA has received 91 complaints about the 2011 GMC Yukon Denali XL, and 30% of them involve air bags. Next are body & structure (22%) and electrical system (4%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 91 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 78 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 11 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 24 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 20 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 11 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 78 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 80,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 80,000 miles (22 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 2 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 83% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 11 model years of the GMC Yukon Denali XL with enough data (52 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Takata recall: I am wanting to know when the recall will have a remedy? I had an accident in dec 2016 and the air bags didn't deploy. I had a pretty severe wreck running into 3 vehicles with substantial front end damage including broken tire rod. Below is just a picture of the damage. Body shop was in disbelief that the airbags didn't deploy??
The seat heater in the rear right seat overheated and caught on fire while my 10 yr. Old child was seated in it. We were in motion at the time on the interstate. I believe the heat mechanism failed and overheated and would not shut off causing the cushion to catch on fire. My insurance will not cover it (I did get a estimate to fix cover and cushion) and they suggested GM should investigate and fix the seat due to a major defect. GM was no help and wanted to charge me $800 to fix or turn it into insurance.
I got into the car to crank it and heard a loud "pop" and saw a crack above the instrument panel. I have contacted GMC and they are not willing to help out with this. I am concerned how this will affect the airbag deployment especially with the recall notice that I received in the mail from GMC stating that my front airbags are defective and are already at risk of puncturing if the propellant degrades to a certain level during deployment due to the air bags degrading over time and being exposed to heat and…
Takata recall GM recall 49151 to replace the passenger side air bag inflator. This has yet to be resolved, no further notice has been made of any actions, and research of the matter indicates that 'incomplete remedy not yet available'. After all this time, and that notice was made july 2016, the condition had been investigated by the NHTSA and found no solution. That is unacceptable! My wife, my kids, my friends travel in that seat.