"How reliable is the 2002 Gmc Denali?"

"Based on 28 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Gmc Denali has a median complaint mileage of 39000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Gmc Denali?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Gmc Denali is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 28 total complaints filed."

2002 Gmc Denali: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 28 complaints

Total Complaints

39,000mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

28,421 25th Percentile

39,000 Median Mileage

70,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL:FLASHER UNIT

SUSPENSION

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE

SEAT BELTS:FRONT

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"BRAKES CANNOT BE FIXED. EACH TIME CONSUMER TAKES VEHICLE TO DEALER, THEY TELL HER THAT NOTHING IS WRONG. BUT, YET SHE HEARS AIR WHEN APPLYING BRAKES.*AK"

"FRONT TURN SIGNALS (ABOVE BUMPER) ARE NOT VISIBLE IN DAYLIGHT BECAUSE THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS ARE TOO BRIGHT AND RIGHT NEXT TO TURN SIGNAL BULB (WORSE IF VIEWED ACROSS GRILLE) . NOT VISIBLE IN MIRRORS TO A VEHICLE IN FRONT. MY VEHICLE CHANGED LANES AT SAME TIME TO HER SUV AND SHE RAN OFF ROAD TO..."

"WHILE DRIVING UP AND DOWN A SMALL HILL, VEHICLE SWAYS AND STEERING SEEMS LOOSE, ALMOST CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL, DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK *TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28