2004 GMC Yukon Denali

Typical pattern

2.8% of complaints about the 2004 GMC Yukon Denali came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2004 vehicle — around the middle of the 236 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (57 complaints), typically at 4.3 yr or about 65,000 miles.

Complaints: 141
Median age at failure: 5.3 yr
Median mileage: 80,000 n=120
Crash / fire / tow: 8.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Electrical system 41,130 mi 2.4 yr in service

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT NO CERTAIN SPEED, THE SPEEDOMETER BECOMES INOPERATIVE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN DRIVING AT 10MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER READS 110MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER. THE SPEEDOMETER NOW READS CORRECTLY.

Electrical system 51,000 mi 2.9 yr in service

MY SPEEDOMETER BROKE AT 51,000 MILES. I HAVE TALKED TO 5 OTHER YUKON,TAHOE OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB

Electrical system 36,128 mi 3.2 yr in service

I HAVE NOTICED SEVERAL TIMES THAT MY SPEEDOMETER WILL STICK OR STOP WORKING ALL TOGETHER. AFTER SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET, I SEE THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR CHEVROLET AND GMC TRUCKS AND LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS. *NM

Other Yukon Denali model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2004 GMC Yukon Denali

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other Yukon Denali model years

How to read this