2009 GMC Yukon Denali

Typical pattern

1.7% of complaints about the 2009 GMC Yukon Denali came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2009 vehicle — around the middle of the 212 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 7.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is air bags (23 complaints), typically at 7.7 yr or about 70,000 miles.

Complaints: 59
Median age at failure: 7.3 yr
Median mileage: 73,000 n=41
Crash / fire / tow: 3.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Structure mileage not reported 4.2 yr in service

THE OUTER DOOR HANDLE ON THE DRIVERS DOOR AND FRONT PASSENGER DOOR ARE COMING OFF THE VEHICLE. *TR

Structure mileage not reported 5.7 yr in service

WHEN NOT IN USE MY AUTO IS STORED INSIDE AN ATTACHED GARAGE. ONE MORNING WHEN I ENTER THE VEHICLE TO GO TO WORK I NOTICE A CRACK ON THE DASH ABOVE THE GLOVE BOX. IT WAS NOT THERE THE DAY BEFORE. NO ONE HAD BEEN IN THE VEHICLE EXCEPT ME AND THAT WAS THE DAY BEFORE TO DRIVE TO WORK AND TO DRIVE HOME. IT SAT IN THE GARAGE OVERNIGHT AND THE CRACK WAS NOTICED THE NEXT MORNING. *TR

Structure 65,000 mi 6.0 yr in service

DOOR HANDLES ARE FAULTY, SOMETIMES THEY WILL NOT OPEN THE DOOR AND OTHER TIMES YOU CANNOT SHUT THE DOOR BECAUSE, THE DOOR HANDLE GETS STUCK. *TR

Air bags 70,000 mi 4.9 yr in service

A CRACK HAD APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD GOING TO THE DIRECTION OF THE AIRBAG. I HAD ATTEMPTED TO CONSULT WITH THE LOCAL GMC DEALERSHIP THAT STATED IT'S NO THREAT AND BASICALLY SENT ME ON MY WAY. IT'S BEEN A YEAR LATER AND NOW NOT ONLY HAS IT CRACKED IN THAT ONE AREA BUT I HAVE 2 ADDITIONAL CRACKS AND THE DASH HAS SEPARATED APPROX. 1/2" AT THE AIRBAG. IT SERIOUSLY CONCERNS ME CONSIDERING I HAVE CUSTODY OF MY GRANDCHILDREN (11 & 9) WHO ARE RIDING IN THIS VEHICLE 99.5% OF THE TIME. I'M DEATHLY AFRAID THE AIRBAG IS EITHER GOING TO DEPLOY ON ITS OWN OR WORSE NOT DEPLOY IF/WHEN IT'S NEEDED. *TR

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.

2009 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