2004 GMC Yukon problems & reliability
158 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 GMC Yukon, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
5 complaints report injuries (10 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 GMC Yukon vehicles were involved in 95 fatal crashes with 58 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 57 | 36% |
| Service Brakes | 27 | 17% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 14 | 9% |
| Engine | 12 | 8% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 3% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 3% |
| Steering | 5 | 3% |
| Visibility | 5 | 3% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 4 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 75,561 miles (middle 50% between 48,875 and 118,500 miles), based on 120 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“275 55r20 Sidewalls are separating like dryrotted. Bad and severe problems and have been reported to Bridgestone warranty and recall department with no actio taken at this time.”
Tires · filed Dec 23, 2025
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2004 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while attempting to trade the vehicle in, the dealer discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy, per the Carfax report. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 165,563. The actual mileage could…”
Electrical System · filed Dec 22, 2025
“The contact owns a 2004 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The check engine warning light and another unknown warning light were illuminated, and a message was displayed that the gas port was reducing power. On a separate occasion, the vehicle started to lose…”
Electrical System · filed Mar 5, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
773 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 GMC Yukon. The 10 most recent:
This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
PIP5601C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 18, 2025
This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on OnStar Module 2G Sunset Information.
23-NA-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 28, 2025
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 25, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician…
PIT5099H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 12, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician…
PIT5099H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 12, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized…
PIT3271P · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 6, 2024
Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to…
General Communication · Service Campaign · issued Aug 26, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the speedometer needle appears to be inaccurate. Dealer should advise the customer the specification for speedometer…
PIT5195H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 13, 2024
GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities. The damage is being caused either in the removal process by the technician, or inadequate packaging or shipping. This…
24-NA-141 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 24, 2024
This service bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank or misfire, MIL with DTCs, and explains how…
16-NA-383 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 28, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 GMC Yukon has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 GMC Yukon?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 75,561 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.