GMC Yukon XL and Yukon XL Denali

lobsenza · September 2004

You could buy an extended warranty on the GM product, if you are concerned.

moore1 · October 2004

I've just decided to look for a Suburban or Yukon and realize I might have missed the big rebates. Think they will be extended? When will GM announce what begins today?
Also, is it worth buying new vs. used? I can buy a 2002 Yukon SLT XL with 55k miles for about $20k, or a new 2004 for about $37k, both drive out.

dwgutwir · October 2004

I was checking for the new incentives to.

If you go to www.gm.com it looks like they are calling October 'Truck-tober' month.

The regional incentive pages are being updated. I would check there a little later today.

mperez41 · October 2004

I have a 1999 Suburban 1500 2wd, recently I've been having trouble with my interior courtesy lights turning on and off even though I have all of the doors closed and my ignition off, at times my radio stays on even though my ignition is off, and finally my windshield wipers keep running after I've turned them off. I am suspecting condensation is causing the problem but don't know where to begin looking. Need some advice.

rsa240 · October 2004

I have noticed the same issue sporadically on our '03 Yukon XL. I believe the issue is the evaporation tube for the AC unit is above the exhaust manifold. The evaporation liquid drips down and hits the exhaust manifold causing the sound being described. I havent seen any TSB about the issue.

beach15 · November 2004

Finally, some pics of the next generation Tahoe/Yukon! Look significantly different, especially from the b-pillar back. Taller and flatter seem to be what I get out of it.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?n=178&sid=178&a- rticle=7703

Some people are saying these are '06s, others say '07s. Not sure.

tidester · November 2004

This is starting too look like spam - ease off! :-)

tidester, host

beach15 · November 2004

...sorry, jut making sure everyone gets to see the pics. I'm done.

rluders2 · November 2004

I have an 03 Chevy suburban which developed a vibration at 68 to 72 mph. and 18000 miles. The vibration remains at higher speeds. Changed the Firestone wilderness tires to another set of Wilderness. Vibration still there. After going to two chevy dealers GM wrote problem off as no fix. They sent BBB autoline papers.

I went to a third party shop who removed rear drive shaft but problem is still there.

Now vehicle is developing a rough ride at about 55mph which develpos into a shudder/ vibration at higher speeds.

Any suggestion? Anhy fix available?

jwnova99 · November 2004

I had the same problem on my 95 sub when it was 4 years old. I found that on the driver door the little light button on the door had wore a spot in a plastic cap on the dash. The plastic cap pushes against the light button on the door (or visa-versa). The combo of the door not shutting as tight as it did and the worn spot on the plastic cap caused the lights to come on and off. I had to shim the plastic cap with a ring of card board so it would push the button in further all the time.

ogf · November 2004

Hi all,

I have an opportunity to buy a really sharp used 2002 Yukon XL at what I think based on my research is a fantastic price (SLT trim, quad captain chairs, roof, etc..). Mileage is 80K, price is 19,000. It looks like a new truck.

I'm a little leary of it because of the miles but it's the best later model I've looked at for the price. How many miles can I expect to get out of one of these, realistically? I put about 10K a year on a car.

Thanks.

dilbertzzz · November 2004

I'm not that far along on mine in miles, so I can't answer that part. I do know that the part about having a roof (not to mention the etc.) is a very good thing! ;-)

p100 · November 2004

I would almost bet that the problem here is improper tire balance or poor tire quality. These vehicles use fairly large tires which must be mounted very carefully on the balancer to balance properly. Try to find a place that has an advanced wheel balancer with road force measuring capability.(Such a machine has a roller that is pressed against a rotating tire with large force to simulate on-the-road behavior of the tire.) You can see if you have a bad tire immediately. I have seen so many examples of total incompetence when having wheels balanced in this country that i am positively sick of it. I take my vehicle wheels to our local Air Force base hobby shop where we happen to have a very good and expensive Hunter balancer that can do it all and is very accurate. My experience with car dealers and tire stores has been simply terrible when it comes to tire balance.

Your tires were probably balanced correctly at the factory when you bought the vehicle. 18k miles is enough wear on the tires to make them come out of balance, hence the vibration.

Of course there are other reasons for vibration, but you must first positively eliminate wheel balance and bad tires. Even the best tires will cause vibration if not balanced properly. My coworker had Michelin LTX M/S 31X 10.5 R15 tires (considered to be about the best SUV tires available) on his SUV and the local Dodge dealer balanced them wrong over and over again to the point that the man could not take it anymore. Finally I told him to take them to our AFB shop where they checked the wheels and each was out by about 3/4 ounce (21 grams) on each side! This type of imbalance would make even the largest SUV ride poorly. After the wheels were rebalanced properly, his SUV was as smooth as it could be.
One advice: When you have your wheels rebalanced and lead weights put on, ask them to remove the wheel from the balancer, remount it and prove to you that the it is balanced properly. The display should show zeros for both sides. Chances are that this will not happen. Of course, they will not be very willing to do this, as it takes a few more seconds of their precious time.

lobsenza · November 2004

"One advice: When you have your wheels rebalanced and lead weights put on, ask them to remove the wheel from the balancer, remount it and prove to you that the it is balanced properly. The display should show zeros for both sides. Chances are that this will not happen. Of course, they will not be very willing to do this, as it takes a few more seconds of their precious time."

A tip of a few dollars usually makes this request fly without problems.....

phkck · November 2004

Took our 03 Suburban 4WD for oil change yesterday. Asked them to check out vibration and a clunk when turning right. Also DTR light on driver side out for second time.
So they (dealer) balanced the tires and did an alignment. This seems to have improved the ride. The clunk was from a steering shaft problem and part had to be special ordered.
So far Suburban has been pretty well defect free. Hope it continues.

rlchapin · November 2004

I have an 03 XL that I purchased last year (Sept 03). Three weeks after I bought it I brought it in complaining of a reverb/vibration problem when sitting at stop lights or idle. The dealer told me that it was the tuned exhaust and that it was normal. I brought it back in July, complaining again. This time they said there were some TSB's concerning the 2003's and vibration at idle. They put some straps on the muffler, no help. They then replaced the entire exhaust. This made the problem worse (louder vibration) and now the exhaust pings and pangs. However, they opened a case up with the engineering/tech line and said that a PI (not sure what that stands for) would be determined in a few weeks and I would be notified by GM directly. Basically it is out of my dealers. hands. Well, it has been three months. I called the dealer and they checked into it for me and nothing has happened and they don't know when the fix will come (if ever). I contacted step 2 in the owners manual. They could not help. I contacted the BBB Tuesday and my case rep called me to discuss the vehicle. She is going to look into it and get back to me. Anybody ever deal with the BBB and anybody have this problem and was it resolved/fixed on your vehicle. I was told this is a problem unique to 2003 vehicles. Thanks, Bob

Kirstie_H · November 2004

A reporter is looking for consumers attracted to GM's plan to lock the interest rate for a purchase of both the current and NEXT car or truck. If you know about this program and would like to offer your opinion, please e-mail jfallon@edmunds.com by Monday, November 15. Thanks!

rand01 · November 2004

Wish this program was in effect when I bought my last Suburban back in April. A guaranteed 0% interest rate down the road might be nice!

tdoh · November 2004

What happens if, when you go buy your next GM vehicle under the LNR program, the rate you got locked into is higher than whatever the promotional GMAC Finance rate for said vehicle may be at that time? Are you stuck with your locked rate, or will GM allow you to switch to the lower one?

rand01 · November 2004

They supposedly issue you a certificate that states the APR and length of contract of your current purchase to guarantee those same terms for your subsequent purchase.

Should be no problem going with a better deal if available.

jjk12 · November 2004

I just bought a '04 Z71. I am planning to tow a 2000 Acura TL about 800 over the Thanksgiving holiday with a car dolly. In my Z71 owners manual it says to not tow anything for 500 miles, then when you are towing something to not exceed 50 mph for the next 500 miles. Are you serious!!! This can't be right. Someone please advise. I can see not pulling a trailer in the first 500 miles, but not exceeding 50 mph with a trailer is ridiculous. Please help.

jay_24 · November 2004

I imagine GM is serious.
Most (all?) manufacturers have some sort of break in period. My Subaru said to keep it under 4000RPM for the first 1000. Most say not to drive at constant highway speed from more than an hour or so. I imagine towing 4000lbs would be fairly hard on a new drive train.

rand01 · November 2004

I agree with Jay 24. Best to stick within the guide lines stated in the manual. I'm sure GM is being conservative, but they probably have to. (Imagine the guy with 501 miles loading up a trailer to max gross and charging up a grade at 65 mph! Might effect the longevity of that drivetrain.)

jjk12 · November 2004

Rand & Jay - thanks for the comments. I called several dealerships in my area and discussed the issue. All of them but one said, forget about it, tow and go. One guy said that the rear end needs to seat or else it will start humming at 50-60K miles.

Anybody out there with a suburban/Yukon/Tahoe with a humming rear axle? Any heavy use towers out there?

All comments and suggestions appreciated.

sub9904 · November 2004

How many miles do you have on the burb right now? Any chance you can put a few hundred on it before the trip? If you haven't done it already I'd change the oil for the engine, trannie and differencial because of possible tailings/shavings since it's a new vehicle. Forgot where I read about doing it but have done it ever since with new vehicles.

There is a reason for a break in period. The engine needs to seat properly throughout it's operating range. What type of terrain will you be towing over? Lots of steep hills/mountains I'd forget about it. Pretty flat make sure you vary your speeds if you do decide to tow. Personally I don't think I'd tow unless the engine was broken in.

beatfarmer · November 2004

You should break in first before you tow. A car on a dolly is an easy task. You'll be well within your weights and the car has little aerodynamic drag. I wouldn't worry after break in.

rluders2 · November 2004

I have an 03 Chevrolet suburban also with vibration and very loud exhaust bangs and pings. Both dealer and Chev call it normal. It appears that chev. simply turns away from warranty responsibility unless you can show them a broken part.

I have been pounding both purchasing dealer and a second dealer and chev. for months. I have not gotten any results with them.
I also have filed a case with BBB last week and I am waiting to hear from them.
From what other people tell me BBB is a joke!
I hope I am wrong.
If it helps your case please cite my problem with them.
Let me know what happens with your suburban.

Fully disgusted with them!

rand01 · November 2004

The BBB is not a joke, but they are probably not going to get your Suburban fixed. Your complaint will be sent to the dealer, who will have the opportunity to respond, or tell their side of the story. If they fail to do this, then it will negatively affect their rating with the BBB. If they respond with a reasonable explanation as to why they can't fix your vehicle (or that nothing is wrong with the vehicle), the BBB will consider the case resolved.

You will have a much better chance of getting your issues resolved if you follow the procedures outlined in chapter 7 of your owner's manual; going through the chain of command at Chevrolet.

sugozzi2000 · November 2004

How can a brand new car have spent most of it's first year of life at the dealership getting fixed? Again, and again, and again.........
My fist new car and it has been a very frustrating experience. Every time my truck goes in to get something fixed it comes back with another problem. In 1 year I've have the brakes done, the fuel pump changed, the steering shaft changed the battery died for no reason, new battery. Hell, it's like extreme makeover for my Surburban. I call chevy and they say i do not qualify for their buy back program. So I ask what "is" required for the buy back, and I get "sorry I can't tell you that information" Thank you chevy........I'll always remember my first new car.....unfortunately!
I want to know if anyone can tell me what recourses i may have with this situation.....?

rand01 · November 2004

Sorry about your problems.

Had your brakes done? Was there a malfunction with them or did you wear those out that quickly?

Of course, it would be nice to have zero problems with a new vehicle, but that doesn't always happen. The warranty covers the repairs and assuming those are the only deficiencies you have encountered, what would you expect Chevy to do for you?

The beginning of Chapter 7 of your owner's manual outlines procedures for you to follow (customer satisfaction).

murphyb74 · December 2004

Hello - I am a new Suburban owner, well new for me. (2002 K1500 LT) We were looking for something with room for family and all our camping stuff that would tow a larger trailer we hope to get next spring (we have a popup now) and the Suburban seemed like the right choice. I was impressed that while it is a big vehicle, it doesn't drive big. It handles well and has a turning radius much tighter than I thought it would.

It is raining this morning and I wanted to de-fog the windshield. It appears that you can't have the defrost mode on at the same time as the AC. I did a quick search in this topic and found an old post (#546) that mentioned the same problem. So, is there any work-around this? Thanks! - Bob

czar58 · December 2004

Greetings All - I'm in a 04 Sub 1500 LT with Autoride - 7 months old 23,000 miles (yes no typo there) and love it. Traded a Tahoe in for the extra room. Big problem with OE Dueler tires and front suspension though. Warranty has replaced front tires twice for cupping and excessive wear either on inside of tread or outside depending on where in the alignment spec the dealer puts it. Dealer and Firestone have been stand up thus far but after another 6 months at my mileage rate I'll be on the hook and out of warranty so I want to try and fix it. Dealer is at a loss. I'm in work getting with Corp Chevy to get any info but it is slow as mollasses. I saw only sporadic mention of this problem in the forums and no real solutions. Any one else got this or had it and found a fix. The rear tires are wearing normally but I would be rotating every 1000 miles to keep them from ruining the front. Thanks

rand01 · December 2004

Congrats on the new Sub, Bob. I think you will find it to be a great vehicle.

I believe that the air conditioner compressor is supposed to run automatically when you switch to the defog or defrost mode, even though you may not get an indication that it is on.

lorrieproth · December 2004

Going to be getting my 04 4X4 Yukon today. Anything I should check on the car before signing? They are doing a dealer trade and driving my car about 150 miles. I will definately be checking for nicks in the windshield since it will be driven and not carried.

rand01 · December 2004

Perhaps it would be a good idea to have a reputable alignment shop double check your settings.

I have a similarly equipped (4WD, autoride, autotrac) Suburban as you. With only a couple of hundred miles on it, I dropped it 2" and put on 305/50-20 tires and wheels. Of course, after the drop, it was in bad need of alignment, which I had done at a local shop. 8K miles and one rotation later, nice even (minimal) wear on those wide tires.

tdoh · December 2004

Probably nothing that you won't already check for; just make sure that the odometer stated on the contract at time of purchase is at least 150 miles more than whatever it was before the vehicle was delivered to you...assuming of course you don't/didn't sign the contract before they drove the truck over from the other dealer.

hawaii1 · December 2004

Bought a 04 Yukon this summer and have had it in shop for numerous things already and am concerned. It has leaked from sunroof 3 times, rattle in front passenger side, sticky ignition when key goes in/out, AM radio went completely out, and heater has had a problem. I know I don't qaulify for any lemon issue yet, it's hard but am trying to stay positive. Am concerned about whether to keep it, we have 3 kids, dog so we need the room but have wondered about Expedition, Sequoia. Any advice?? Had a van before and am wondering about going back as well, have back issues and have to be super careful and what kind of car I buy. Realize I would take a hugh hit if I sell it so soon but.....

lobsenza · December 2004

Yes, the compressor is always on with the defroster.

stever · December 2004

I'm going to move your post to the new Chevy Suburban discussion - all these Yukon/Yukon XL and Denali boards are just too confusing!

Here's the link:

Steve, Host

stever · December 2004

Looks like my link vanished. Let's try this again:

Chevy Suburban

Steve, Host

jbtb1104 · December 2004

Does anyone know a shop that can repair/correct my odometer on my Yukon XL in SE Tennessee or Atlanta area?

stever · March 2005

Guess not.

Any new owners out there?

Steve, Host

elisgirl · March 2005

I have a 2001 Yukon XL that I have had NO problems with with until a few months ago. About 4 months ago I was making a turn in a parking lot and the truck just turned off. I started coasting downhill and had to hurriedly put it in park and turn it back on. Fortunately there was no one in front of me or behind me. That has now happened about 5 more times, the most recent being this morning. I put it in the shop about a month ago and my service advisor claimed that whatever it was, it was fixed. Well it obviously wasn't and I'm scared to drive my truck, especially with my kids in it. This cutting off seems to happen all out of the blue without warning, and it turns right back on without a problem. Has anyone else had this issue or is there a better way to describe my problem to the service advisor to make sure it's fixed properly? I don't want to drive a truck I can't trust. Thanks in advance.

lumber2 · March 2005

Does it do it when stationary and you turn the wheel?
Most like suspect is in the steering column. Wondering if the ignition switch is bad or a bad ground.
Also check the battery cables for tightness and cleanliness.

tireguy · March 2005

Has anyone replaced their factory 265/70R17s with 285/70R17s on the stock 17x8 rims? I know BFG offers the All-Terrain T/A in this size. I hate those Firestones.

ccc222 · March 2005

I am looking at Yukon xl's to buy, I have found an '03 3/4 ton (wanting the power to pull a camper, appx 6,000lbs). Does any one know what the gas mileage really is on this with an 8.1 ltr engine. I'm told a 1/2 ton will work, what will one with a 5.3 ltr engine pull. I get a different answer each place. I'm sick of salesmen. Thanks for any info.

grogman1 · March 2005

Hello All - I have a YXL and have question. When we bought it new, we opted for the second row Captain's chairs. Due to the arrival of twins in December and bringing our kid total to 5, it would be a help to have a bench seat. Soooo my question is can I just pick up a bech seat and do a swap with the buckets? Does the hardware match up?

BTW - We're at 43K miles and no problems to report. It's been a great vehicle, that I have no complaints about at all.

gm1954 · March 2005

I drive a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe with the 5.3 L Flex fuel engine. Out of 33,000 miles, I have driven over 11,000 on E85. Over the same 275 and 425 mile routes, fuel economy is identical; 17 miles per gallon with gasoline or E85.

There is a reason Indy cars use alcohol as a fuel. The GM flexfuel engine does a great job tapping into these advantages. Even though ethanol (E85) has a significantly lower engergy value than gasoline, it has an octane rating of 105 and requies a lower air fuel ratio to burn well. The net result is significantly more power and identical fuel economy. It's a great fuel.

gm1954 · March 2005

The ethanol version or flex fuel Suburban has an ethanol sensor that determines the concentration of ethanol and gasoline.

The engine is self adjusting to the fuel you have in the tank.

My experience with E85 in a Tahoe is that the fuel economy produced by either fuel is identical. I get 12 in the city and 17 on open road with either fuel.

deuce42 · March 2005

I have an 05 Denali, had an 04 but that's another post. On the 04 you could program Driver 1 and Driver 2 settings. This isn't an option on the 05. The dealer says that GM got rid of this feature for 05 because it was confusing? Why would the key fob say Driver 1 and Driver 2 then? Anyone run into this issue?

GMC Yukon XL and Yukon XL Denali

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