Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
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).
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.
Drivers side door lock actuator went out; had replaced by GM dealership in wilkesboro, north carolina. Approximately 1 year later, the drivers side rear passenger door lock actuator failed requiring one to manually activate the door lock each time. When needing to unlock the door, it is impossible for the regular driver of this vehicle to reach the door lock latch to manually unlock the door. Now. 2 weeks ago, the passenger side front door lock actuator no longer works. This poses a significant safety hazard as small children are able to manipulate the door latch and open the door at any time while in motion. Also; for safety of the primary driver of this vehicle; having to unlock the door manually is a tremendous feat "opening the door" for someone to potentially rob, mug, etc. …
First owner of a 2009 GMC Yukon has had 3 door lock failures, which not only qualifies under the lemon law, but also poses a major safety issue. The first door lock failed. GMC does not consider door locks as a warranty item or safety item so I was forced to pay for a replacement. The next week, another door lock failed. The dealer did not charge for the replacement. Now, a third door lock failed only 10 days after the last repair. Why is this a safety concern? My child was able to open the door while all doors were locked. Due to e failure, the door was unlocked unknowingly. My child and any child or person risks falling out of a moving vehicle. Secondly, should a car accident occur, unlocked doors could result in a door opening and ejecting the passenger leading to death. There is a flood of complaints on the web for this issue. …
The rear passenger door does not lock or open with the remote or front drive door switches. Turns out that the lock actuator has gone bad and has to be replaced. My son is 4 years old and due to the fact that we can not lock the door from the front - he opened the rear door while car was driving . Luckily he was in car seat. This could pose a serious problem for parents with young children. While the car was under warranty the same rear passenger door side lock actuator was replaced 3 times. Unfortunately the car is out of warranty and the problem continues for us. Need to have GMC look into this matter. Online there's so many people with the exact same issue. Poses a serious issue for parents with this type of vehicle. Please have GMC recall and investigate this matter before someone truly gets hurt.
Door lock actuators. Three of four door actuators are broken and locks must be controlled manually. GMC wanted 655.00 to fix the two I knew were broken. GMC is well aware of the thousands of complaints of this defective part. I was not aware the third lock had failed until my son opened a back door and stepped into traffic. I was under the impression his door was locked. All I could do was scream at the top of my lungs in an attempt to keep him from getting hit by traffic. Does it take a death or several deaths before GMC recalls this defective part?!!! This is a serious safety issue when you have a child in the car and should be looked at before an injury of death occur.
Tl contact owns a 2008 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that the vehicle was shut off and locked with the key fob. When she attempted to enter the vehicle again, she was able to open the driver side door without using the key fob but the anti-theft system began to sound. She disengaged the system using the key fob but the driver side door would not lock. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was informed that driver side door motor failed; it was repaired. The following day, the failure occurred on the rear driver side door. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 39,600 and the current mileage was 39,680.
I own a 2008 GMC Yukon. The vehicle has power door locks and the actuator on the door locks has gone out on all four doors. They replaced the first 3 under warranty, but they would not do it on the last one as vehicle was out of warranty. My son helped me install a new one in the last one, but we had to buy the parts. My sorry dealership wanted $300 to fix something that is obviously flawed in the first place. The door lock has now gone out again on a back door that they had already fixed, supposedly they will repair this one free of charge. I guess I will take it in and see if they will honor their repair warranty.
Cpsc:I have a 2008 GMC Yukon denali with 80K miles. All 4 exterior door handles are broken because of a manufacturers defect which has been recalled in previous years. The doors will close and lock the passengers in the car on occasion and could cause a serious safety hazard in an emergency. Also the interior of each door handle is coated with a "chrome" surface covering that peels back and has incredibly sharp edges which have cut all 5 of my family members, this is also a known issue with denali's and has been recalled in the past.
Door locks have failed on 3 out of 4 of the doors. Sometimes in the locked position, sometimes in the unlocked position. Some postings on this topic are referencing issues with wiring harness. If the locks were to not unlock in an car accident, or god forbid rolling over down a hill that there is the potential for loss of life. There are multiple complaints regarding this on the internet. GM is well aware of these failures. I really believe this should fall into the recall catagory of vehicles.
Drivers door lock failure. According to the auto forums on the internet, this is a widespread failure, for all doors, not just the drivers. Its an electrical wiring problem with the lock actuator. GM refuses to fix them out of warranty and has issued no recall. I read a woman's post where her toddler child almost fell out of the back seat while moving because the door failed to lock, seat belt was the only reason child survived. GM should be ashamed for not recalling this hazard.
NHTSA investigations
Interior Door Handle Laceration Risk
The statistical data regarding problem experience in the table above are net counts for unique vehicles.Review of information in this PE discloses that while accounting for approximately two-thirds of the total population, MY 2007 subject vehicles are cited in more than 90 percent of the consumer complaints, injury reports, and warranty claims, respectively.In addition, improvements in the door handle manufacturing…
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other Yukon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2008 GMC Yukon?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2008 GMC Yukon, 10% of the model year's 245 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 GMC Yukon door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2008 GMC Yukon, though it has 4 recalls for other components. 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 2008 GMC Yukon door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 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.