Faults:

Transfer case, valve cover gaskets, oil pan gasket, rear main seal, water pump, alternator, all four O2 sensors, knock sensors, and transmission.

General Comments:

Bought this Yukon to tow my travel trailer. I got it with lower mileage for the year thinking that I would have a few years before any major issues would arise. It was more so the lack of maintenance from the previous owners that I got stuck fixing in the short time of owning it.

Positives, the 6.0 lq4 is an amazing power plant in these GMT800 rigs. The comfort is still amazing being that the Yukon is from 2004. Power memory seats, heated front and rear seats. Power folding mirrors and a decent sounding Bose radio. It tows amazing which is what I wanted in the long run. All GMT800 Denali's are AWD and honestly I haven't missed having 4WD like in my older Jeeps.

In the long drawn out story, these things are cheap to maintain if you're handy with a wrench, but I wouldn't recommend it if you need to go to the mechanic for every little issue.

Faults:

First the transmission is slow to change when driving at a slow speed.

Today, I was backing from a drive and when I cut the card to the left, I heard a huge pop and what appeared to be a vacuum/air noise.

It has been diagnosed that the power steering pump is out causing the brakes and the power steering not to work. The shaft... of some sort is also broken.

I'm waiting now for the dreaded phone call on how much this repair is going to be. I hope I don't have to park my Yukon in the garage until a brighter day.

General Comments:

I love my Yukon, but it has definitely not been worth what I paid for it. They really took me to the cleaners.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the SUV yet. There is a pulley making noise though, and I can't figure out how to keep the rear hatch from locking every time I go into reverse, never unlocks after that.

General Comments:

Very nice rig, totally loaded up. I had a 2001 Suburban before, but it had the dreaded "piston slap" problem and ticked when it ran. That got old, plus it was 2 wheel drive. This GM Yukon XL is a 4WD and has the monster 8.1 L engine. I must admit, it really does have great power, and that comes in handy when passing on the highway. I have pulled my 8000lb. trailer with it, and it pulls it almost effortlessly. It really is a nice solid rig, however, I do have issues with a couple things. Compared to my '01 Suburban... GM kept the high price of these things, but cheapened the carpet, it's like thinned out industrial grade. They eliminated the courtesy lights under the dash and in the rear doors that come on when you get in or out. They even took away the glove box light. What the..?? Why take that stuff away? Those things were actually useful. The seats don't seem to be as comfortable as the '01 models either. They seem smaller, more stout. Other than that, it's a great rig, quiet and roomy. Due to the price of gas, I'm sure it will stay "like new" for many years to come.

Faults:

Front suspension noises (rattles, clunking sounds) GM has not been able/willing to fix.

A/C problems air quits blowing out of passenger side & rear vents. Dealer replaces actuator and this fixes the problem for a while and then comes back.

A/C controls default to 'defrost' & 'max A/C' will not stay on. Dealer says this is how system was designed.

Third row seat hinge locks are cheaply build and break. I have had truck in twice to replace. They are made out of what looks to be a cheap aluminum alloy which cracks from the stress.

General Comments:

I love the way the truck drives. It has good acceleration and handles well for a big vehicle. The interior comfort is great, seats are excellent and the kids love the DVD in the back.

But, GM really misses the mark with reliability and dealer service. I hate to say it, but I will probably buy a foreign car (probably Japanese) when we replace our next car (Ford Explorer) in 2008. Maybe we will get another Explorer, but I will not be buying anymore GM products.