Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 GMC Yukon owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
It started shutting off at a light for autostop.but when it would turn green it would intermittently just drop out of autostop without restarting. Then may start back up or maybe not, many time after restarting at the light it would died in the middle of the inspection. A parasitic draw kept killing the accessory 12 V battery replaced the 12 V battery but the problem continued. When the truck was running it would run flawlessly,before stalling. The code said to replace the auxiliary fluid pump. I had it a new auxiliary fluid pump installed. After this the vehicle wouldnt crank. They then worked through a service bulliten fixing a list of areas were the harness was chaffed and shorted. The truck has been out of commission the past 10 months and intermittently started twice during this time, it ran rough for 5 mins and died out at the first stop sign and wont crank again. …
The vehicle caught fire while parked and ignition turned off. Fire appeared to start in the engine area. Vehicle had been parked and turned off for approx 1.5 to 2 hours before the fire was reported.
Doors locked with remote. 2nd row passenger door behind drivers door failed to actuate with remote or with door locks. Was able to work with the manual lock on the door from the inside to free the door. Once freed, the door failed to return to the closed position and remained stuck until the key fob was pushed. Repeated the lock with the key fob, door still will not actuate to the open position. Child can unlock as this bypasses the child locks on that door. Child could also get trapped in the car-could not be unlocked without manual agitation of the internal locks. Internet is full of his same issue on the same model vehicle. This is a serious hazard.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 GMC Yukon denali. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer (reedman toll auto world, 1700 east Lincoln hwy #101, langhorne, pa 19047) where it was diagnosed that an air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the vehicle being included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V383000 (air bags) and the decision on the petition was pending. The repair for the warning sensor would cause the bumper to have to be removed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
Intermittent electrical issues. Doors locks and windows don't always work. Sometimes when I shut my car off it dies. Like I can't turn it back on. Running boards don't go up, can't lock it, nothing. Dead. Then 15 minutes later it's fine. Sometimes when driving, it's like it's cutting out, not getting enough power or different warning lights will randomly flash. I just never know when it's going to be working properly. I'm just afraid something will happen while we are driving. We also use the Yukon to tow a trailer. I need to be able to depend on it. The shop can never duplicate the issue and they just look at me like I'm crazy.
On all 4 occasions, the 2008 Yukon hybrid, lunges forward at low speeds, looses brakes, power steering and all power. Every time it has to be towed to the dealer. This has happened 4 times since August 2008. The first time there was a fire in the fuse box, then while the dealer had the vehicle, it caught on fire again. The dealer keeps telling me that it is fixed and safe to drive. The Yukon is back at the dealer and I am not taking it back. This vehicle is very dangerous and the government needs to look into this right away. I now have an attorney and we are contacting GM as well.
While we are driving on a freeway the car suddenly stop and will have a "stability lose control" message on a dash board. The car will stop momentarily and then it will run again after we start the car. The car has no power at all once it stopped. It happens a lot so right now we're not using it due to safety issue. A big safety issue because we use this to travel with family. I brought this to the mechanic but they don't seem to find what's wrong with it. They did a diagnostic test but they did not get an error message at all. Engine light is not even on.
The car flashes reduced engine power, stabilitrack off and the car can barely go 30 MPH. The engine runs very rough when it is doing this also. My code scanner displays code 641 which is open 5volt reference on bank 1. It does this more when the weather outside is warmer or the car has been sitting still while running. On more than one occasion it has happened while pulling out into traffic causing near misses and other times while driving down the highway. Just yesterday it did it 20 times in a four mile stretch. This car is no longer safe to drive.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 GMC Yukon. While at a complete stop, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart on the first attempt; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the chassis electronic control module failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V614000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure ]mileage was approximately 160,000.
While traveling on the interstate at speed (70) the stabilitrac light came on and reduced engine power message displayed. The RPM's went over 4K, then the Yukon slowed in traffic and I had to pull to the side before being run over. The accelerator was unresponsive at that time. I turned off the engine, waited about 5 minutes and then resumed driving using '3' to engage transmission instead of 'd' the check engine light remained on, but I made it to my destination 2 hours away.
Related recalls
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…
Electrical system
GM is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 Buick lucerne; Cadillac dts; Hummer h2; my 2007-2008 Cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; Chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; GMC acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, Saturn outlook; and my 2008 Buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system.
Remedy: Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on September 12, 2008. Owners May contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080; Cadillac at 1-800-982-2339 or http://www.Cadillac.com;…
NHTSA investigations
Non-crash engine compartment fires
In response to an information request letter sent by the office of defects investigation(odi) during preliminary evaluation pe08-010, GM provided odi with 41 allegations of non-crash engine compartment fires including 16 allegations of fires originating with the ignition in the off position.one of the fires was determined to be caused by an arson event.odi has also received 5 reports, 4 of which are of duplicative…
Non-crash engine compartment fires
In a letter dated August 27, 2008, general motors corp. (GM) notified NHTSA that it will conduct a safety recall (NHTSA recall number 08v-441) to address a safety relateddefect that can result in engine compartment fire in approximately 850,000 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid option.the subject vehicles of this investigation comprise over three-quarters of the recall population.
Electrical complaints in other Yukon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2008 GMC Yukon?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the electrical system of the 2008 GMC Yukon, 15% of the model year's 245 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 GMC Yukon electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-240 (electrical system, Jun 4, 2010); NHTSA recall 08V-441 (electrical system, Aug 28, 2008). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 GMC Yukon electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 4 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.