Most common 2009 GMC Yukon XL problems
Share of the 23 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
GMC Yukon XL complaints by model year
Best Yukon XL years: 2014, 2012, 2013. Years to avoid: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2015, 2024. Compare all years →
2009 GMC Yukon XL recalls (5)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida,…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas,…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021.
Electrical system
GM is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Buick, lucerne; Cadillac dts; Hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 Buick enclave; Cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 Cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; Chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; GMC acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; Saturn outlook; and model year 2009…
Remedy: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently…
Fuel system, gasoline
GM is recalling 27,188 my 2009 Cadillac escalade, escalade hybrid, escalade esv, and escalade ext; Chevrolet avalanche, suburban, tahoe, tahoe hybrid, and colorado; and GMC yukon, yukon hybrid, yukon xl, and canyon vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new fuel system control module free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2009. Owners May contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and GMC at 1-866-996-9463 or at…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2009 GMC Yukon XL:
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
What 2009 GMC Yukon XL owners say
Air bags
Dash is cracked beside passenger airbag. GM stated that nobody has died yet, so they will not issue a recall. The dash is brittle and cracking more every day. When the airbag deploys, I am terrified that dash shrapnel will be thrown into my children's faces. The crack occurred overnight, when the car was garage kept.
Takata recall. I have contacted GM, dealerships as GM told me and now here. I do not feel safe driving my vehicle with this current situation and no fix for this make of vehicles. I'm requesting some better answer other than "don't put a passenger in that seat" or "disengage the airbag". I would like either my vehicle to be out of my hands free and clear or some other solution not putting me in any more of an inconvenience. This is a severe issue that could result in many problems. There are no photos or more details as a consumer we can not view the airbag. I live in texas where conditions are hot and humid in which the recall specifically states is more of a cause for the deterioration. Please contact me to remedy this situation, and doing nothing is not acceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter. …
Engine & cooling
Driving down the road and had loss of power and traction control was turning on and off. Motor started with a loud ticking sound. Stopped vehicle to check under hood checked oil level good, oil pressure fine, temp fine,shut unit off and restarted. Called triple a for a tow. After further investigation found number 7 cylinder collapsed ordered parts and replaced. Pulled rest of lifters on driver side and checked for wear and replaced to service. Ran vehicle for 10 minutes and started with a failed lifter on cylinder #1. This motor was redone by GMC do to heavy oil consumption 25000 miles ago. You seriously need to look into how many afm lifter failures there have been. The GMC shop I got my parts at have a crew thats all they do is replace lifters
We just took in to have vehicle looked and and said it was first the electrical and now is the membrane of the vehicle, causing the remote start and engine light to not work. Also causing the vehicle to cut out due to a problem in the fuel system. Looking up the VIN I see some of these vehicle has this issue but doesn't show under my VIN. Also have been told using tons of oil and this has been seen with the GMC yukons. We just had a very expensive visit to the shop and want to know why this particular issues are not covered under the recalls for my vehicles VIN. Your response will be appreciated.
Body & structure
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that the dashboard cracked above the passenger side air bag and the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
The chrome door handles in the SUV are pealing and the material will cut your hand. Both my wife and I have received cuts from these handles. From reading on line it appears that this a problem with a lot of the GM suvs'. I read that you started looking into this but I can't find where there was any conclusion. The dealer is happy to replace these if I am willing to pay for it, but will no guarantee that the new ones won't have the same problem.
2009 GMC Yukon XL engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 20 / 16 |
| 6.0L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 6.2L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 19 / 15 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 GMC Yukon XL a good car?
Based on 23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Yukon XL rates better than average: 58% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Yukon 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 XL?
The air bags — 10 complaints, 43% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the engine & cooling (4) and body & structure (3).
How many recalls does the 2009 GMC Yukon XL have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2009 GMC Yukon XL, the most recent from February 5, 2021 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the GMC Yukon XL?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2014, 2012 and 2013. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2015 and 2024. See the full GMC Yukon XL years comparison.
At what mileage do 2009 GMC Yukon XL problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 61,000 miles; 50% 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.