GMC TruckYukon2016Overview/gmc-truck/yukon/2016/base/
2WD platform

2016 GMC Truck Yukon

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2016 Yukon.

Body SUV

The 2016 GMC Yukon is a full‑size SUV built on a 2WD chassis that carries an engine requiring 8.5 qt of 0W‑20 oil, a capacity that underscores its substantial powertrain packaging. Across the model’s 1992‑2026 span, owner feedback has been relatively modest for this year, with a total of 265 complaints—far below the peak of 776 recorded in 2007 and well above the low of 17 in 1993—though exterior lighting emerges as the most frequent issue and five recalls have been logged. This positioning suggests that the 2016 iteration sits in a middle‑ground of the Yukon’s reliability record, offering a generally dependable platform with a few predictable service points for researchers to note.

Model year201620151992

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity8.5 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type0W-20OEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 94R · 720 CCA battery, OE oil filter 12731742. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 94R · 720 CCAOEM · verified
Tire size275/55R20OEM · verified
Wheel / rim8.5 inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter12731742
Engine air filter22845992
Spark plug12622441
Battery88866309 alt 88864542
Front wiper blades84613732
Serpentine belt12658178 alt 12643517
Thermostat12620318 alt 12674639
Cabin air filter23281440

Diagrams

Power distribution wiring8 sheets

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 8.5 qt of 0W-20 engine oil, Synthetic · 75W-90 · GL-5 · 75W-85 in the differential, DOT 3 brake fluid. Torque the oil drain plug to 18.0 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission FluidDEXRON(R)-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid.
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity6.0
Automatic Transmission FluidDEXRON(R)-VI GM P/N 89020661
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity6.0-7.4
Automatic Transmission FluidDEXRON(R) HP Automatic Transmission Fluid.
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity7.4
Brake FluidDOT 3
Differential Gear OilSynthetic · 75W-90 · GL-5 · 75W-85

Engine torques

Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts17
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts17
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts17.0 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug18.0 ft-lbs
Oil Pump to Cylinder BLock Bolts/Studs18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Valve Cover Bolts9.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Driveshaft Flange to Transmission18.0 ft-lbs
Steering Track (Rod End) BoltsInner: 74.0; Outer: 44.0 ft-lbs
Front Wheel HubInstall a new nut and torque to 188.0 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3
Cylinder Firing Order1-2-7-8-4-5-6-3
Cylinder Firing Order1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2
Spark Plug ManufacturerAc Delco
Spark Plug Gap.037 - .043 in
Spark Plug Torque11 ft-lbs
Spark Plug ManufacturerAc Delco
Spark Plug Gap.037 - .043 in

Battery & A/C

Standard BCI Group Number94R
Standard BCI Cranking Performance720 cca
Optional BCI Group Number48
Optional BCI Cranking Performance730 cca

Service checks

Pressure Test15 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief15 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature188-206 °F
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)46-84

Brakes

Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier TorqueFront: 77; Rear: 40 /; Front: 74; Rear: 38
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt TorqueFront: 169; Rear: 150 /; Front: 170; Rear: 148
ABS Sensor Torque7.5 / NS
Minimum Pad ThicknessFront: 0.030; Rear: 0.030 specification
Variation from Parallelism Thickness VariationJD9:
Maximum Rotor Runout.002 / 0.002

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s) — tightening sequence 1 stages
148.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 9048 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
115.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 8515 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 4 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Use new bolts coated with clean engine oil.

1All bolts59 ft. lbs
2All bolts 90 degrees90 degrees
3Short bolts40 degrees
4Long bolts60 degrees
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Use new bolts coated with clean engine oil. · M11 Bolts 1-10:

122.0 ft. lbs.22 ft. lbs
290 degrees90 degrees
370 degrees; M8 Bolts 11-15:70 degrees
122.0 ft. lbs.22 ft. lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
17.4

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 7,500 mi; spark plugs every 97,500 mi; coolant at 150,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 150,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 miAccelerator Pedal (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake Shift Interlock Solenoid (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (inspect) · Engine Oil (inspect fluid level)
Every 22,500 miCabin Air Filter (replace)
Every 45,000 miBrake Hydraulic System (drain, refill & bleed) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System (inspect)
Every 97,500 miSpark Plug Wires (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace) · Transfer Case Assembly (drain & refill)
At 150,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 2016 GMC Truck Yukon dominate in one area — the exterior lighting, 80 of 265 reports (30%), well ahead of the next concern. None of this vehicle's 5 recall campaigns target the exterior lighting, so those reports read as owner-reported wear-and-tear rather than an acknowledged defect. 4 of the reports describe a crash and 0 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the exterior lighting pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

5
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
1699
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
1
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
265
Owner complaints
4 involved a crash · 0 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★
Frontal★★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★★

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 265 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Exterior Lighting80
Service Brakes24
Power Train21
Engine18
Electrical System15
Unknown Or Other14
Electrical System,Exterior Lighting12
Steering4

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 5 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

19V645000Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist:VacuumReported 06/09/2019

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer…

19V761000Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Wheel Speed Sensor/Tone RingReported 24/10/2019

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1699 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
PIT5509M2026-05-14Unknown Or OtherThis PI provides diagnostic tips for diagnosing electric trailer brakes issues.
PIT3271Q2026-04-01Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel…
PIP61042026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and…
PIP4902V2026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIT64832026-02-04Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information communicates an issue with aftermarket LED headlights…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Yukon. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Fuse box & wiring diagrams

Interactive fuse-box and wiring references for this vehicle, searchable by circuit.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2016 Yukon take?

8.5 qt of 0W-20, per the factory manual.

Does the 2016 Yukon have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.