The 2001 GMC Denali has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 558,904 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 31 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEATS02V2530002002-09-17558,904 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH REARWARD FOLDING HEAD RESTRAINTS ON THE SECOND ROW SEATS, TWO POTENTIAL PINCH POINTS EXIST ON EACH OF THE FOLDING HEAD RESTRAINTS WHEN THE RESTRAINTS ARE FOLDED REARWARD AS THE SEATBACK IS FOLDED DOWN.
Consequence
IF A PERSON WERE TO INSERT THEIR FINGER(S) INTO THE PINCH POINT WHEN THE HEAD RESTRAINT FOLDS, IT COULD TRAP AND PINCH THE FINGER(S) CAUSING INJURY.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL PROTECTIVE COVERS OVER THE PINCH POINTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 8, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT…
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
3
AIR BAGS
2
2crashes1injuries
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
2
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
2
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT
2
SERVICE BRAKES
2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
2
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES
1
Total complaints31
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“1. Dashboard cracked / cracking above instrument panel. 2. Dashboard crack / cracking top left corner of airbag. A. Dashboard crack is about 6 inches long b. Dashboard crack near airbag is 1 and a half inch long.”
“Tried to stop at red light ,and the brake pedal went all the way down I had to jump the curb not to hit another car. My husband came and looked at the truck and saw the brake lines were rusted through and fluid was coming out. He put a whole can of brake fluid in so that I could move the truck…”
“Rear-ended while at a complete stop for a red light. High impact; my head hit the steering wheel then the driver side panel. My airbag did not deploy. My door was pried open by a pedestrian who checked me and asked if I knew what happened and was I okay. I opened the door, struggled out and tried…”
“Rear-ended while at a complete stop for a red light. High impact; my head hit the steering wheel then the driver side panel. My airbag did not deploy. My door was pried open by a pedestrian who checked me and asked if I knew what happened and was I okay. I opened the door, struggled out and tried…”
“Brake line ruptured while driving in the mall parking lot - pedal went straight to the floor, thankfully still had some (tiny) brake left to stop. Looked under the truck and saw brake fluid dripping underneath. All brake lines look completely rusted out making the vehicle undrivable. *tr”
“We have noticed that our cars anti-lock brakes activate when we get to a low speed of about 5 mph, causing our stopping distance to be increased, which almost caused us to rear-end another car. We bought the car used about 3 months ago and noticed this problem on thanksgiving of this year. There…”
“2001 gmc yukon denali with 82,133 miles. The liftgate glass loosen it from his door hinges. *tr”
“My wife was impacted on the right front section of her 2001 gmc denali by a hit-and-run motorist. The collision occurred in the east bound 22fwy in orange county california. The airbags did not deploy. The impact speed was more than 50mph. The airbags should have deployed - opinion from aaa…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP05009 Opened 2005-12-20 · closed 2006-05-31
PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
ODI'S REVIEW OF COMPLAINT DATA RECEIVED SINCE THE CLOSE OF EA04-011 REVEALED NO INDICATION THAT THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE RE-OPENED.MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE ENCLOSED IN THE DP05-009 PUBLIC FILE.ODI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION IN THE FUTURE SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT.
InvestigationDP05009 Opened 2005-12-20 · closed 2006-05-31
PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
ODI'S REVIEW OF COMPLAINT DATA RECEIVED SINCE THE CLOSE OF EA04-011 REVEALED NO INDICATION THAT THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE RE-OPENED.MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE ENCLOSED IN THE DP05-009 PUBLIC FILE.ODI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION IN THE FUTURE SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT.
InvestigationDP05009 Opened 2005-12-20 · closed 2006-05-31
PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
ODI'S REVIEW OF COMPLAINT DATA RECEIVED SINCE THE CLOSE OF EA04-011 REVEALED NO INDICATION THAT THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE RE-OPENED.MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE ENCLOSED IN THE DP05-009 PUBLIC FILE.ODI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION IN THE FUTURE SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT.
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2001 GMC Denali as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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