2013 GMC Yukon XL recalls and problems

The 2013 GMC Yukon XL has 4 safety recalls and 22 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any GMC dealer.

Recalls
4
Complaints
22
Crashes / fires
1 / 0
Injuries / deaths
0 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2013 GMC Yukon XL vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2013 GMC Yukon XL recalls

Recall 21V-054: Air Bags

Reported Feb 5, 2021 · 1,778,128 vehicles affected · General Motors, LLC

Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.

Recall 21V-053: Air Bags

Reported Feb 5, 2021 · 692,526 vehicles affected · General Motors, LLC

Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.

Recall 14V-614: Electrical System

Reported Oct 1, 2014 · 106,307 vehicles affected · General Motors LLC

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.

Risk: If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM’s number for this recall is 14515.

Recall 13V-001: Power Train, Steering

Reported Jan 2, 2013 · 54,686 vehicles affected · General Motors LLC

Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Express, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, and Tahoe; and GMC Savana, Sierra HD, Sierra LD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles, manufactured between November 7, 2012, through December 18, 2012, for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect", and FMVSS No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention." The vehicles may have been built with a fractured park lock cable or a malformed steering column lock actuator gear in the lock module assembly.

Risk: As a result, the vehicle may shift from Park with the ignition key removed or the ignition key in the OFF position. The vehicle may also shift out of Park without application of the brake pedal while the key is off. Either of these scenarios may cause the vehicle to roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible vehicle crash and/or injury.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and replace the steering column as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 21, 2013. Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463.

2013 GMC Yukon XL problems reported by owners

Problem areaReports
Structure10
Unknown or Other7
Air Bags5
Service Brakes1
Visibility1
Seat Belts1
Engine1

Most reported parts

  • Structure › Body — 9
  • Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 65,000 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2013 GMC Yukon XL complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Engine · at 150,000 miles · reported Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning light was illuminated; however, the "Service Engine" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the lifters needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the lifters needed to be replaced once again. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted.…
Air Bags · at 156,000 miles · reported Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V053000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The dealer informed the contact that should the dashboard get cracked, replacing the dashboard would be at his expense. The contact called another local dealer, Cannon Motors LLC (100 N Thacker Lp., Oxford, MS 38655), who informed the contact about the dashboard possibly being cracked and the associated fees. The…
Air Bags · reported Oct 4, 2018
I have a message on my dash stating to service airbag I'm afraid for my safety or the safety of my passenger due to this message involving the airbag
Structure · reported Mar 29, 2018
Defect caused dash to crack at the passanger airbag, I AM concerned about my children being injured from the cracked dash as well as the shards flying and injuring my child if I were to be in an accident.
Air Bags · at 60,000 miles · reported Dec 18, 2017
Dashboard cracked by front passenger airbag. Spontaneous crack with no external cause. It was not a hot day. Stationary vehicle.

Other GMC Yukon XL years

Compare all GMC Yukon XL years · All GMC models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2013 GMC Yukon XL have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2013 GMC Yukon XL: 21V-054 (air bags), 21V-053 (air bags), 14V-614 (electrical system), 13V-001 (power train, steering). Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2013 GMC Yukon XL?

Owners report structure problems most often (10 reports), followed by unknown or other (7). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 65,000 miles.

Are GMC recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized GMC dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.