Most common 2009 GMC Yukon Denali XL problems
Share of the 22 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
GMC Yukon Denali XL complaints by model year
Best Yukon Denali XL years: 2006, 2014, 2003. Years to avoid: 2011, 2015. Compare all years →
What 2009 GMC Yukon Denali XL owners say
Air bags
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owned a 2009 GMC Yukon Denali XL. The contact stated that while making a left turn driving at 40 MPH, another vehicle came across the drivers path and crash directly head on into the drivers vehicle. None of the air bags deployed. The steering wheel fractured and the vehicle was destroyed. No police report was filed. The driver sustained whip lash as well as the two child passengers but medical treatment was not received. The vehicle was towed to a yard and the insurance company was to inspect the damages. The contact later received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V381000 (air bags). The failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I purchased my vehicle used. Its the same problem so many others are having. My dashboard is cracked on both drivers and passengers side all the way to the airbag. We have extremely concerned that if the airbag goes off, that whoever is driving or a passenger will get hit with pieces of plastic from the dash causing serious injury. I could keep passengers out of the front, but the driver I cannot..we need to have this repaired. I work at a Honda dealership and have been advised that this is a safety concern.pax side had a small crack when purchased but it is now about 3 inches long each..
Locks & latches
Door lock actuators not operating. 2 of our doors fail to lock or unlock with the power door lock button or key fob. We must manually push or pull the door locks to get them to fully lock or unlock causing a safety issue. Our young kids could open the rear doors at any time if we don't manually lock them. Also doors will not lock leaving the vehicle with the key fob. This issue is all over the internet and there's even a youtube video on how to replace them! This should be a recall.
Since March of this year we have 3 of the 4 door locking actuators fail and replaced on our 2009 GMC Yukon Denali with only 39000 miles on it. We contacted GM via e-mail with our concerns. GM are not concerned with it being a safety issue. The only thing they were concerned with was if it was reported to a GM dealer, if not it was not a concern of theirs. We had our local mechanic fix the issue due to the distance to our dealership and our vehicle being just out of warranty . My wife and children have had crawl across the vehicle to exit. My concerns after looking up this major safety issue, on the internet, is that there are a lot of similar complaints regarding this safety issue, but GM has classified this a problem as a "non-safety issue". …
Engine & cooling
I was driving on the highway and all of a sudden a message on the dashboard said ''engine power is reduced" and my engine shut off, brakes were hardly working and I could hardly steer or turn the wheels. My car copmletly lost control and I was lucky there were no cars by me otherwise an accident would have been inevitable. When I went to the dealer they told me they have no answer and they suggested to replace my ignition switch and camshaft sensor to begin with. No guaranty that it'll fix my problem they said. Reading online forums looks like I am not the only one. Please do something about it otherwise sooner or later lifes will be lost.
Driving at roughly 50 MPH. Went to pass car on two lane highway. Accelerator stuck to floor (not stuck on floor mat or other object). Vehicle accelerated to 95 MPH, slowed to 70 with brake depressed fully. Slowed to 50 with brake and emergency brake depressed. Accelerated when downshifted into manual. Finally put in neutral and was able to stop. Had complained of rough idle, stalling and reduced power for 3 years (since we had car for only a few months). See some discussion that a dirty throttle body could lead to all of these problems. 3 years with 3 different GM service shops and no solution. Fortunately the road was not crowded and was straight. Obviously, this could have been a fatal problem for us. It was my wife, myself, and our three children under 4 years of age in the vehicle.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 GMC Yukon Denali XL a good car?
Based on 22 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Yukon Denali XL rates average: 22% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Yukon Denali XL at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 GMC Yukon Denali XL?
The air bags — 7 complaints, 32% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the locks & latches (3) and engine & cooling (3).
How many recalls does the 2009 GMC Yukon Denali XL have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2009 GMC Yukon Denali XL. You can still confirm with your VIN using our VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the GMC Yukon Denali XL?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2006, 2014 and 2003. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2011 and 2015. See the full GMC Yukon Denali XL years comparison.
At what mileage do 2009 GMC Yukon Denali XL problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 74,000 miles; 25% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.