2017 GMC Yukon Exterior Lighting
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
We noticed the passenger side taillight was out. It’s not a simple bulb replacement but an entire assembly. It was put back in place and it lit up again. A few weeks later it wasn’t working. Pounded and tapped on it and it works again. We're guessing there is some sort of short so we asked for an estimate on getting an assembly replacement when it was in for a regular oil change. Shocked that a necessary part would cost $1,112.77!!! Whatever happened to changing a bulb for a few dollars?
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the driver’s and passenger’s side taillights failed to illuminate as designed. The contact called the dealer about the failure and was informed that there were no recalls or warranties on the vehicle associated with the failure. The contact was also informed that the repair would be an out-of-pocket expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
Rear LED taillights circuit boards broken. Disabling both Stop tail lights causing serious safety hazard. We had no clue driving around and we didn't have any brake lights another driver had to tell us. So we googled this problem and it turns out that all of 2017 GMC Yukon have the same issue. There's even multiple websites to repair them as well as auto supply stores selling replacements for $1,000 and the dealership wants $1,500. This is a real problem and GM needs to make this right and recall all of these and replace them before somebody gets hurt if they haven't already.
Rear (Tail/Stop) lights on both sides, would work intermittently. Turns out it’s a known issue with the LED circuit boards. They consistently break in 2 places, leaving the vehicle with no tail lights/stip lights. GM knows of the issue , but since it’s NOT CONSIDERED a Safety Issue, they do nothing. It’s clearly a safety issue, as following drivers may not see lights, on the rear. Clearly, it is definitely a safety issue, as it can easily cause an accident, not knowing a car is there in the dark , or not knowing that the vehicle in front of them is on the brakes, and slowing.
The right side break light works intermittently. It is out more than on. I was informed that there is a shortage in it and the entire assembly has to be replaced. I see countless GMC Yukons with the same light out. This is a huge safety issue.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was parked, the passenger’s side rear taillight failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the full assembly light kit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The rear taillight has gone out. The LED board has a crack in the soldering causing the entire unit to malfunction.
Rear brake lights fail due to an issue known by GMC - MULTIPLE GMC YUKON and YUKON XL have this issue. All within the same year. The metal connector in the Brake housing fails and requires it to be soldered or a complete replacement costing consumers $800+ for replacement. A severe safety issue as the Brake Lights quit working!!
Rear tail lights failure.
The passenger taillight failed.
LED brake lights and tail lights not working on passenger side. Partial LED failure on driver side.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop sign, the brake pedal was depressed however, the passenger’s side rear taillight failed to illuminate. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,570.
Passenger brake light stop working. Had the dealer ship inspect the light and was informed that the whole unit had to be replaced at a cost of $1000. so I purchased the part for $800. and replaced it myself tech. informed me that GM had a recall on the 2015 and 2016 model's but has not included the 2017 model year
Rear tail / break light no longer works .
Taillights and Brake light LEDs go out unexpectedly or work intermittently creating a safety hazard that drivers behind the Yukon are unable to see your taillights at night or when your braking causing Potential rear end collisions. For this common problem GM recalled the taillights of 2015-16 models, but the 2017+ models that still have the same exact taillights with the same issue but has not been recalled yet. Costing owners out of warranty $800 per taillight assembly. Please look into this safety issue.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while using the remote start-up feature, he noticed that the rear passenger's side brake light and taillight were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the taillight assemblies needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 41,169.
Tail lights do not work when I press the brakes. I have been warned multiple times by drivers.
The left rear tail light has gone out. There is no user replaceable bulb and this is a sealed unit. The deal has quoted almost $800 to replace. I feel a sealed unit should not fail prematurely and should last the entirety of the life of the vehicle. Had it been user serviceable, this would be a simple repair/fix.
Brake light on the passenger side has failed and non operational. I have researched this and found it is way to common to not be a manufacturer design issue.
LED taillights have both gone out. One was replaced by a "service bulliten" and it didn't cost us. The other recently went out at approx 80k miles. These are supposed to last the life of the vehicle. Replacement cost is $750. After doing research, there is a recall for 2015-2016 GMC Yukon taillights that are the exact same product. I contacted GMC and they refuse to replace the known defect part. This is going to cause someone to get seriously hurt. They know the part is defective or they wouldn't have had a recall on the 2015-2016 models.
My tail light is faulty. It is working some, shorts out, stops working, I hit a bump, it starts working again. Almost caused a crash, the lady followed me to the store to tell me it was out. Took it to the mechanic and it was working again without any repair. Does this everyday.
LEFT AND RIGHT BRAKING LIGHTS SOME TIME DO NOT WORK WHEN BRAKING. ONLY THE REVERSE LIGHT WILL WORK WHILE THE BRAKING LIGHT WILL NOT. TO ADD, WHEN THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS ARE ON, SOME TIMES THE LEFT AND RIGHT TAIL LIGHTS (LIGHT THAT IS ON WHEN NOT BRAKING) AND BRAKING LIGHTS WILL NOT WORK. I HAVE HAD TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE PULL UP NEXT TO ME SAYING MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE OUT IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. HOWEVER, I HAVE OBSERVED WHEN THEY ARE WORKING IN THAT SAME TIME SPAN. THE LAST TWO DAYS, ONLY THE RIGHT TAIL/BRAKING LIGHT IS NOT WORK.
The driver's side brake light and tail light has failed completely and the passenger side brake light and tail light fails intermittently. This is a safety issue that should be recalled. The vehicle only has 50k miles on it and I should not have to pay $800 per tail light to fix it!
Brake lights quit working
THE BRAKE LIGHT IS OUT AND A SINGLE TAIL LIGHT IS OVER 500$
Trend Over Time
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Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2017 GMC Yukon has 40 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.