2017 GMC Yukon Powertrain & Transmission Problems

The 8-speed automatic transmission (Hydra-Matic 8L90) on this 2017 GMC Yukon SLT 5.3L V8 has failed. This is a repeat failure — the transmission was previously rebuilt in 2020 under a GM recall/service action for the same known defect affecting this transmission type. The transmission has now failed again in 2026, approximately six years after GM's prior repair. Prior to failure, the vehicle exhibited hard shifting, shuddering during acceleration, and hesitation between gear changes — symptoms consistent with the known defect pattern documented across 2015–2019 GM vehicles equipped with this transmission. The failure was confirmed by a service center. The vehicle is currently not safely drivable. Safety concern: erratic and unpredictable gear changes, including sudden lurching and hesitation during acceleration, create a dangerous condition for the driver, passengers, and other vehicles on the road. GM has been contacted through their Customer Assistance Center (case opened). GM's initial position was that they cannot assist because the vehicle is out of warranty. However, this is a repeat failure of a previously repaired known defect. GM issued 13+ technical service bulletins on this transmission and has been aware of the root defect since at least 2018. A federal class action (Speerly v. General Motors, E.D. Michigan) covering this exact vehicle type and transmission has been certified and upheld by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The prior GM repair did not remediate the underlying defect.

The contact own a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift from 2nd to 3rd gear while driving and remained stuck in gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that assistance would not be provided because the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

WHEN I BOUGHT THE YUKON 3 YEARS AGO THE TRANMISSION WENT OUT WITHIN MONTHS, THEY REPLACED IT WITH A USED ONE, NOW IT IS STARTED TO DO THE SAME THING, IT WILL SLIP IN AND OUT OF GEAR, WHEN YOU GIVE IT GAS IT WILL JUMP INTO GEAR AT AN IDLE IT WILL DROP OUT OF GEAR, IT'S BEEN DOING THIS EVERY SINCE THEY PUT THE USED ONE IN, I NOITIED THEM THEY SAID THAT IT IS NORMAL???? I HAD THE WORK DONE @ PAHRUMP VALLEY AUTO PLAZA. I'M AFRAID THAT WHEN IM AT A LIGHT IT WILL NOT GO INTO GEAR AND I WILL GET HIT. NO WARING LAMPS CAME ON AT ALL, IT HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE.

116k miles and the transmission went out. Spent almost 6k on a jasper to replace it. I don’t think I need to explain what happens when a trans goes out. It did all of those things.

My 2017 GMC Yukon SLT,, has been having shifting problems, including hard or delayed shifts, clunking, jerking, and even sudden jolts when downshifting.Rough or jerky shifts, particularly during acceleration and deceleration, a delay in engaging gears, especially when shifting from park to drive or reverse. Transmission shifts are very rough in slow traffic with as much as one to two-second delays in shifting into gear with a loud thump. It is so rough that it feels like someone may have ran into your back bumper. It is also bad enough that it startles the driver, and it could be a safety issue

I brought a 2017 Yukon GMC from a dealership. When I first drove it on a highway it began to pull and shake, to the point it slow down on the highway. Also the dashboard started to shake , vibrate on the highway. When I step on the gas on a local road ,the transmission is pulling to pick up speed. Took it to a Mechanic and explained to him what was going on he test drove it and told me it's the transmission. He also said this year truck " GMC" truck like this has bad transmission. I did my research and find out that it is true. I have a disabled mother that I take to her doctors appointment and I'm scared bto out her in this truck. This is a 1 vehicle and anytime the truck will just slow down or vibrate or shake. No check engine light comes on when it happens.ifni driving on A highway sometimes the check engine light will blink 3 to four times then go back out.

Clutch in Torque Converter failed at just around 60,000 miles. Vehicle had a vibration issue shortly before & I thought maybe I got a poor quality tank of gas. Filled up with new gas and problem still there. Took it to my mechanic & he told me it was a complete failure which would require a new transmission or a rebuild on existing.

Vehicle Malfunction Incident Report On [11/2724], while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle experienced a sudden and significant loss of power and gear shifting capabilities. The engine accelerated, but the vehicle struggled to move and shift gears, making it difficult to cross the intersection. After a short distance, the vehicle accelerated again, but there was no forward movement. The vehicle was subsequently parked in a nearby neighborhood, where it became completely immobile. Attempts to engage reverse or drive were unsuccessful. The vehicle emitted a loud noise, and a check of the transmission fluid and other fluids revealed no issues. After turning the engine off and restarting, the vehicle was able to engage drive, but it was limited to second gear. The vehicle then lost momentum again, making it difficult to reach home. It is important to note that no engine light illuminated during the incident, and there were no visible fluid leaks. All routine maintenance has been performed according to the manufacturer's recommendations. A mechanic has inspected the vehicle and diagnosed potential transmission issues. Requested Action: We request a thorough investigation into the cause of this malfunction. We believe that a transmission issue is the likely culprit, but further diagnostic testing is necessary to confirm the exact problem. We have seen that this has been a reported issues with these vehicle and the manufacture has not done anything for recalls.

I was taking my client to school. I stopped at the stop sign. When I pushed gas pedal to go, my truck did not go, it strained did a big jerk then went. The next morning it did the same thing & later on that day, it did it again. Two days later I had to stop at red light. When the light turned green I pressed the gas pedal & nothing. It did not go at all. I turned the ignition off and back on twice & put it in drive still did not go but was slowly going backwards. A by-stander stopped to assist me getting my truck out of traffic.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started jerking and hesitating while shifting gear. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 140,000.

My vehicle started making a knocking sound and eventually died on me. I barely made it to a repair shop to check out my vehicle, but had to get it towed back to my home from the repair shop after they told me my engine failed. This happened around 118,000 mileage. I found out that this issue is very common and needs to be addressed for this year and model vehicle. It could have ended very badly for me as I was on the interstate when it happened. Now, my vehicle is sitting and I am unable to use it. Engine would cost me over $12k for cost and repairs.

Tremendous transmission shudder prevented me from properly accelerating from a stop light thereby causing a dangerous traffic backup issue in a congested area.

Tail lights went out. Lifters have been replaced TWICE! While stopped at red light, at take off the vehicles lunges forward. At low speed the vehicle will down shift on it’s own. 80k miles Recently while headed to work, the torque converter went out. 126k This is suppose to be a luxury vehicle and cost entirely to much to be a POS. I honestly thought I had a lemon but it seems to be a reoccurring issue in the entire fleet.

The SUV was stalled after getting in D to drove forward and all of a sudden it’s started with a big jerk and moved forward It went driving ok for them rest of the day but it kept repeating the incident n and off until June 15 when it was stalled on a traffic light I was able to put the emergency flashers and drive it in reverse to a near by parking lot

Transmission shutter causes the car to vibrate which could lead to transmission failure.

RPM’s started to fluctuate while driving with cruise on. Noticed no issue with shifting until torque converter grenaded blowing metal through the transmission 2 days later. Transmission has been replaced with GM reman by a GM dealer. New transmission lags going into gear when it’s cold and shifts hard. GM tech said this is common and no way to correct it without replacing it again.

Tranny failed at 92k miles even though properly maintained. Since new tranny installed by dealer (out of pocket cost) had to return due to tranny slipping into neutral when driving highway speeds and taking foot off gas. Dealer performed TCM and ECM flash updates. Cost out of pocket for programming. Issue came back less than 2000 miles later

Transmission /torque converter I was driving on highway and all of a sudden what seemed like the engine lost power and I could not accelerate. After heading to slow lane and few seconds later everything went back to normal. A week later same thing happened but this time it wouldn’t shift to second gear. I was stranded on side of road. Before calling help , I let it idle for a few minutes and tried again to put in drive, it worked again. I made it home. Next day it just started making a loud noise under truck. Was able to get a mechanic and he said it’s the transmission. Has 103k miles and is out of warranty

Lifters

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle slipped out of gear, causing the vehicle to independently slow down. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was unavailable.