Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL. The contact stated that the passenger's side taillight failed to illuminate intermittently while depressing the brake pedal. Over time, the driver's side taillight also would fail to illuminate with the brake pedal depressed. The contact then received a warranty notice from the local dealer about the failure however, the contact was informed when speaking to the dealer that due to the mileage on her vehicle, the vehicle no longer qualified under the warranty program. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Our passenger taillight went out and the dealership cost to replace it was $811. I called GMC customer service and after 4 days and multiple phone calls the best they could offer in financial assistance was $80. I asked the dealership if I could have the broken light and they wanted me to pay $50 to take it with me. A google search turned up many instances of this happening. The dealership told me that they replace 1-2 per week. The taillight replacement on the Yukon family is a scam. It is unethical for them to charge that much for a replacement when it is inown to be defective. The car is less than 4 years old and has 66K miles and has not been in any collisions. Just normal routine use resulted in a costly repair and, more importantly, irresponsible customer service from the GMC employees who were in charge of handling my case.
'Takata recall' we just purchased our 2015 Yukon dinali XL December 20, 2018 and have had nothing but problems with brake light ( while in motion ) on driver-side working intermittently, so we replaced both taillights with brand new ($700) enclosed rear light assembly and now we are having an issue with driver side once again. I'm very proud to buy American made products but after seeing how many GMC monthly complaints with this same issue, you would think that GM would stand behind their product. I know myself being in business if I had a complains more than three times a month I would try my best to correct the problem to keep from having a bad reputation and have a future customers!! I take pride in my work for what our customer pays, and expect the same for what I pay!!
The tail lights on both sides are LED lights. They are working intermittently. One side will sometimes come back on if I bump it with my hand. My vehicle had less than 50,000 miles on it when this started occurring but was out of warranty. I have been told that it will cost approximately $1500 to fix. I have also been told by the dealer that this is a commen problem with the 2015 model. I feel that this is an extreme safety issue and should be replaced by GM through a recall. Because the lights work intermittently, it is obviously a short or defect of some kind.
Vehicle tail lights and brake lights quit working. The LED circuits break causing the connection to short out. Both the tail lights and brake lights do not work once the circuit is broke. The owner can't simply fix the burnt out tail light. One must completely replace the entire assembly, costing upwards of $1,000 for both. This is not cost effective and is downright hazardous when both tail lights go out, for both the owner and other drivers on the road. The tail light assembly should be able to resist road bumps and vibrations.
Vehicle was manufactured mid 2014, 2015 model, currently has just over 52K miles. Drivers side taillight is being temperamental; no warning lights inside to indicate a failure. When you press on the taillight it still illuminates, there are no leds out, but taillight and brake light won't illuminate. Called the dealership and they've stated if found faulty it requires complete replacement of the taillight and it was quoted at roughly $850 installed, which seems really excessive when a taillight goes out.
Vehicle has under 45,000 miles and both headlights need to be replaced due to malfunctioning LED's from water intrusion. This happens after washing my car and now it will not pass state inspection due to driver side daytime LED not turning on, and passenger side drl not turning off. I can not get this fixed because the passenger side light is on backorder, yet my local dealer said this isn't a known problem. Take a look on the internet and it's clearly a manufacturing issue (hence backordered headlights)
Vehicle started having a vibration at cruising speeds after 100K miles. Dealership states the driveshaft is wharped and needs replacing.. Rear taillights also are going in and out intermittently. Dealer claims the leds are bad and the whole light assembly needs replacing. I have owned many vehicles and have never had issues with a bent driveshaft or defective taillights that require the whole assembly to be replaced. The light assembly is $750 quoted by dealership.
Approximately 51,000 miles on vehicle: rear passenger tail light is inop. We were on a trip when we noticed, if you tap the side of it the light would come on for just a second. LED strip for brake light is defective. Replacement cost is about $800 dollars. Lots of complaints and online forums regarding this issue. GMC really need to resolve this isssue. These rigs cost way to much for that poor quality!
The passenger side taillight started 'going out' right after the warranty expired-meaning, it would work off and on at various times. Then the drivers side taillight has started doing the same thing. This is a known issue with the GMC taillights and yet GMC has yet to recognize any issue. This is a major safety issue for anyone driving these models with failing taillights. This needs to be investigated
Headlight complaints in other Yukon Denali XL years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the lights of the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL, 55% of the model year's 65 complaints. The component named most often is tail lights (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 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.